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evita-shelby · 3 years

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Between the Shadow and the Soul

Chapter 12

“I can explain, Evie.” He says with a convincing look of regret. Whether its genuine regret or regret at getting caught, she can’t tell.

“Two fucking years, Tommy! How long did you think you’d keep this up for?” She takes out the letters from her pockets.

“There was no good time to tell you, believe me, I wanted to, Evie.” he reaches out to her and she pushes him away. If she lets him touch her, Eva knows she’ll just give into him because her body and heart are weak. Because he loves her and she loves him and she’d believe the moon was made of cheese if it came from his mouth.

“Really? Is that your excuse, no good time to bring it up? Did you think you couldn’t have told me three weeks after we came back from our honeymoon that she’d written to you because she saw our marriage announcement in the papers some relative sent her? Or that you couldn’t tell me eight months ago when she wrote to you that she’d married some poor fool who has no idea of what kind of bitch he married? Or that a week ago she wrote to you because she thinks you are the type to cheat on your wife?”

“I needed to keep myself updated on her because she is Campbell’s weakness, you know that she is, or else you wouldn’t have called her a whore when Campbell tried to convince you to turn against me.” Tommy explains as if that was the problem, not that he’d found a blind spot and kept exploiting it for two fucking years! “I’ve never written to her; I don’t plan on changing that any time soon.”

“It’s not even about you keeping the fucking letters, it's that you fucking lied to me for two fucking years!” She seethed. If he had managed to keep meaningless letters a secret from her all-knowing sight, he could have thought about exploiting that blind spot to the point Grace would get her wish.

“I’m sorry, Evie.” Tommy never apologized, to an adult at least, not once. Not when she’d run out of the derby hall crying, not when he’d had a nightmare so bad and she made the mistake of touching him and not when he let Carleton believe he was single. “I won’t lie to you again, I swear.”

He says it with such sincerity she almost believes him. But it's her damn fault, because she knew he wasn’t completely over her then and she believed him when he promised her the moon and the stars that night in his motorcar.

“I know.” she says, and he believes her. This won’t be the last time Tommy will lie to her, she knows it.

“I’ll forgive you on one condition.” she says her lips curling up into a smirk.

“I’ll give you anything you ask for, love, you just need to ask me.” he says pulling her in his arms, reminding her how much of a fool he is when it comes to love.

She loves him, so much it hurts some days, but even her husband forgets he married a witch.

“I only ask that you let me ruin her time in London.”

But this will be the last time she forgives him.

---

While her husband goes and meets with Campbell to let him know he has insurance if things do not go as they should, Eva makes her move.

Grace’s boring and dull husband answers the phone, and Eva wishes she could be a fly on the wall. Watch her pretend she hasn’t been caught red handed.

“Hello, is this Grace Burgess?” her voice is sweet and polite. She can be nice, in fact Eva prefers to be the nice and sweet girl people see, but Grace has woken the witch who planned raids and attacks that never failed.

“Who is this?” there is fear in Grace’s voice, the fear of knowing she’s been caught.

“Oh, you forgot who I am already, Grace?” Eva taunts in a teasing tone. “Shame on you, darling, it's me, Eva. I thought since you were so kind to write to my husband about you being in London, I thought it would be nice if we met for brunch.”

Like Machiavelli said, if an injury has to be done to an enemy it should be so severe that their vengeance need not be feared.

Grace had only seen the sweet foreign girl; she had never seen the witch from Veracruz.

They make quite the picture, Eva thinks, Grace wears a soft pink and Eva in deep blue. The woman who wants Thomas Shelby and the woman who has Thomas Shelby.

“I bet you didn’t expect me to call you.” Eva said as if this was an old friend and not a married woman who suggested to a married man that they both cheat on their spouses.

“I suppose I should’ve, Tommy isn’t the type to keep things from those he loves.” Grace seems to be running on the assumption that Tommy didn’t show her the last letter.

“We don’t keep secrets from each other, you know. He knows I’ll keep my mouth shut and I know he’d never tell another soul what I’ve told him.” Eva said casually as if she didn’t know Grace had been a rat.

“Is he happy?” Grace asks as if Eva would have given her a truthful answer to her of all people.

“Even if he wasn’t happy, I doubt I’d let you know.” Eva chuckles and drinks her tea. “But he is, we are expecting our first baby in September.”

“Congratulations, I know he’ll be a wonderful father.” This hurts Grace more than having Eva be the one to call her. Were she and her husband having problems conceiving? Oh, well.

“About time, I think, Esme had Danny by the first year of marriage and I was starting to worry there was something wrong with me, but I have a feeling this one will be a boy too.” Eva keeps things casual, Grace didn’t know about her psychic then and won’t know about them ever. “We’ll be naming him Henry after my father if it’s a boy. Wanted to name him Gabriel, but something didn’t feel right about it.”

That was a half lie, but Grace didn’t need to know that.

“How are Ada and her husband?” there is guilt in her voice. Good.

“Ada and her son, Karl, are doing better now, they live in London, not too far from here. Freddie Thorne died almost three months ago from the influenza.” This will be the bulk of this brunch, telling Grace everything she’s missed and acting like Grace wasn’t caught red handed. “I’d tell you where she lives, but she knows you turned her husband in and let everyone think Tommy did it.”

“I take it you know why I left.” Grace looks at her in the eyes as if there had been hopes that nobody knew what happened.

“I was a spy too ---albeit a much better one--- I knew what you were the moment you started asking me about my company. I should thank you, had you not reported that thing about my dad, Tommy wouldn’t have asked me to marry him two weeks after our first date.” They had been getting to know each other for more than three months, but that is irrelevant.

“I saw the wedding announcement, a friend sent it to me.” She says calmly as if Eva couldn’t see Grace crying in her bed when she read it that day.

“I suppose I should congratulate you on your marriage then, Grace. You seem to have found the good in goodbye.” Eva says genuinely. Really Grace needed to move on and she could have a happy life with her husband and twin children. “I see you and your husband pushing two prams this time next year, a boy and a girl.”

“I forgot you are psychic. My husband and I are here for fertility treatments. He is deeply concerned we won’t have children and I worry I might be the problem.” She admits as if they were friends.

“You are, but not for the reason you think, I’m sure the doctor will fix whatever it is. I’d give you a tonic to increase your fertility, but it takes about three weeks for one of the herbs I use to come from Mexico.”

Eva had woken up with every intention of making Grace wish she had never come back, but now she isn’t sure if she should keep on that path. She blames the vision she got when she saw Grace arrive.

“You are being kind to me and I don’t deserve it.” She says feeling guilty, the food and drink forgotten.

“I know and I came with every intention of making you miserable, but the universe tells me that I have to let go of my anger towards you.” Eva doesn’t even feel sure about that. He’d stayed the night at Carleton’s place and had she not already set up this date, she would’ve had time to be angry about it. “If I can set aside my repulsion towards Americans to make business with them, surely I can forgive you for wanting to ruin my marriage.”

No one ever said you have to be polite when you take the high road.

“I’m sorry, Eva. I was at a very low point and I thought I could---” she begins, but Eva cuts her off.

“I am not the sweet passive girl everyone assumes I am, Grace.” Eva reminds her.

Very few people knew of the temper she hid underneath sweet smiles and her gentle demeanor. Tommy has seen hints of it, but the girl Eva was before and during the Revolution and the one she became after 1918 are not the same.

With Grace now sort of dealt with, Eva turned to the heiress.

Tommy hadn’t come back last night, saying it had been late and he hadn’t had enough petrol to get home.

It hadn’t been a lie, but there was something about it Eva didn’t like. Namely that May Fitz-Carleton had set her sights on her husband right in front of her face.

But that can wait.

Eva had a bad feeling about tonight. The invitation Arthur and some of their men had gotten from Solomons disconcerted her. Sabini had been unusually quiet.

Something will go wrong.

She can’t see it, but she feels the stench of death and the shadows of doom around her like this god awful cold.

It’s the waiting that she hates. Being a sitting duck while helplessly watching fate unfold.

There will be dead people, Arthur and Michael will be in trouble and Sabini will win this battle, but not the war.

And where is Tommy?

He won’t get here in time and as Eva paces in his office, she gets an idea her husband won’t like.

Picking up the phone and dialing a telephone number she’d never thought she’d call.

“Major Campbell, how would you like to have some Italians in your cells for a change.”

#thomas shelby #thomas shelby fanfic #tommy shelby x oc #thomas shelby x oc #peaky blinder fanfic #ocappreciation #oc appreciation

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misssophiachase · 3 years

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Under Your Skin

Happy B’Day, @galvanizedfriend I am LATE, soooo LATE but this means the birthday celebrations just continue, right? I have a friend who celebrates her birthday for the whole month so....

I made you a little thing in honour of this auspicious occasion (also, please tell me you got cake on the day, otherwise I will send you some lamingtons). This is part 1 with part 2 on its way.

Thank you also to the lovely and talented @diaz-eddie for making sense of my pics and putting them together when I couldn’t.

(Nik)

Monday

“Get your ass out here pronto, Nik!”

Who needs the snooze button when his employee is threatening to knock down the door with nothing but her fist. He’s seen Anna in action on her roller derby team and is fairly certain she can kick his ass today and probably into next week as well.

He begrudgingly leaves the warmth and comfort of his bed dressed in nothing but fitted, grey boxers but instead of answering the door he decides to make a detour. Eyes still firmly closed, he makes his way blindly to the bathroom and splashes some much-needed water on his face at the basin.

“You realise we can hear you, right? There’s no amount of pampering that’s going to make that face pretty enough, Niklaus,” he winces, knowing she’s using the full version of his name to invoke his absent sister on purpose.

Apparently Anna has recruited Lexi to torment him as well. Given her mixed martial arts training he doesn’t want to mess with her either. All he needs now is…

“Afraid of some girls, Mikaelson?”

Like clockwork, Bonnie makes up the trio. Given her psychic abilities of course she knows he’s afraid of them. She practices magic, probably has a list of his future mistakes documented for blackmail purposes and may or may not have a voodoo doll with his name on it.

Growing up he thought having Rebekah as a sibling was tough but now he has three more and all are ready to converge on him as soon as he opens the door. It’s lucky he decided against giving them keys. Granted he’s their boss and lives upstairs from his establishment but Nik isn’t a fan of the sleeping with one eye open concept.

“We have an incredibly opinionated, talkative and highly-strung person who would like to make a formal complaint to the owner about a certain tattoo from the weekend. Also, Enzo called her gorgeous and let’s just say it didn’t go down too well.”

“Oi! I can hear you, Bennett, given I’m standing right here. In my defence, Niklaus, she is gorgeous and what woman doesn’t love a compliment?”

His friend from college in Rhode Island, while being extremely talented, has little-to-no customer service skills. Nik also, rather unfortunately, noticed a spark between him and his younger sister during her last visit and has been trying to block it from his memory ever since.

“Uh, when they’re making a complaint and are seriously pissed. I say we muzzle him for good,” Anna offers.

“I second that,” Lexi agrees.

Nik wonders if any of his employees actually work given their current and incessant bickering at his front door. He decides then and there a move might be a good option.

Like most, Monday is his least favourite day of the week but he’s fairly certain it isn’t for the same reason. Nik likens it to the moment a weekend hangover finally passes and clarity makes an unwelcome return, complete with a litany of regrets.

Being owner of one of the top tattoo studios at Venice Beach, Nik doesn’t see tattoos as regrets. Far from it. He has a plethora, all telling a story.

His story.

The good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Unfortunately, others don’t see it the same way, much like the person downstairs ready to ruin his day and all before he’s ingested some much-needed caffeine.

“Happy Monday to me,” he mutters, not bothering to look in the mirror before scrambling to find some clothes.

Ten minutes later he appears in his usual uniform of fitted jeans and a suitably hued henley, probably more disheveled than he’d like but given his unorthodox wake up call, it’s hardly surprising.

As he makes his way down each step toward the studio floor, his eyes immediately dart towards an impatient looking blonde at the front desk. Blonde waves caressing her shoulders, pink lips and blue eyes that perfectly match her shirt. She’s standing there impatiently while tapping her perfectly manicured nails on the front desk.

He isn’t blind, she’s beautiful, but at the same time there is something in her eyes and overall body language that spells the bad news he’s expecting. He’s disappointed but when their eyes lock, he does his best not to betray his real feelings.

This is business, after all.

“Well, finally,” she snaps. Even with that frown, he’s trying to reconcile the fact she’s complaining but he’s extremely attracted to her at the same time. “I’ve only been waiting for fifteen minutes. I hope you enjoyed your sleep-in while I’ve been languishing out here.”

“Thank you, I did,” he murmurs lazily, noting the way she purses those lips while her eyebrows rise curiously. “So, what can I help you with Ms…”

“Forbes,” she utters and he doesn’t miss the way she fumbles something so easy as her surname. It’s cute, but he isn’t supposed to think that. He’s also not supposed to be perusing just how well she wears fitted denim either.

Read the rest on AO3 HERE

#happy b'day yokan #better late than never #klaroline fanfiction #misssophiachase #klaroline #under your skin

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the-kings-tail-fin · 2 years

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I have one more background-character ask that I couldn't quite fit into the first one: What about Aimee Harding, Lynda's sister? There's a really old mention of her on this blog, (for some reason, she can be found by searching 'sister' but not her name. Tumblr is weird.). Apparently, because the circumstances of Strip & Lynda meeting are different outside of Conflict, Aimee doesn't trust Strip "because celebrity". She doesn't appear in The Overlook or Diamond In The Rough, but... (Part 1/2)

Oh man, this is a deep cut ask - BUT I'M GLAD YOU ASKED XDDD

Right, so Aimee is one of those weird characters that has been with my version of the story since the very beginning. Why did I feel like Lynda needed a sister? Idk. It just felt natural, and in the event that I want to dive deeper into Lynda's childhood and life growing up, Aimee presents a soundboard and alternative perspective through which to tell that story. Unfortunately, I have not taken the time to really dive into that here in the public forums.

Within the Conflict AU, it's Aimee's relationship with Wayne that form the circumstances necessary for Strip and Lynda to meet. She helps form the more down-to-earth small town family vibes this group of young adults end up forming. Some time ago, I had a side-story arc that involved her more directly, a drama filled fiasco created by my teenage brain that wanted her to create some angst when she first found out what Strip really is. BUT that was self indulgent and frivolous, and obviously didn't end up making the final cut XD

So to your ask - what's she like in my version of canon? I have no plans for future fics at the moment (maybe one day I will learn how to take a vacation and use it for something I actually want to do - like sitting on my butt and typing away at a computer), so I will dump everything I can remember here for you to do what you will with XD

Aimee, though technically not any older than Lynda, is the protective older sister. Growing up, she was the one that felt the responsibility to make sure Lynda had the best childhood possible. They didn't have bad parents by any means, but they were constantly away working to help provide for the family, or home sleeping. As such, when Lynda decides she wants to take up derby as a fun job and additional source of income, Aimee isn't completely on board. She knows what eventually happens to cars that constantly trash their bodies. But on the contrary, she wants Lynda to be happy, and hesitantly supports her. This gets better when Aimee learns more about the sport and starts advising her on how to race smarter, not harder. That combined with Lynda's natural talent is part of what made her a local superstar.

Now when Lynda meets Strip - it's the same mama bear mindset that Aimee initially has. It's an 'oh no, this guy is a high profile celebrity, he's going to use her and ruin her life' train of thought when she finds out. Obviously as things get more serious between the two, Aimee does get to know Strip personally and realizes he's just a normal guy who happens to have a stellar career in the spotlight. And from that point on there's no tension or anything. It's all just the inherent responsible-older-sister paranoia that she's got to deal with.

BUT I feel like I should clarify, as I read through this and realize she's sounding like a stick in the mud - she is not all serious all the time. She loves to let loose on the weekends, partake in the social libations, karaoke night, and hang out with her friends. She largely lets Lynda go out and do the same things as they grow up together, and they do a lot of it together. When they're older, Aimee and her family come with Strip and Lynda on their bigger vacation trips that they take, and they are all very close as a family. All the holidays are spent together, they attend all of Strip's biggest races together, it's a package deal. Aimee and Lynda will forever be best friends.

#conflict au #oc asks

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enigma-im · 4 years

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Twelfth day of Christmas...

Trope: Mutual pining Relationship: Robot x Human Word count: 6,589

The bell chimes from the door. Without missing a beat I continue welding the derby car in front of me. It doesn't take a genius to realize who is here at such a ridiculous hour. Tenna just has to wait till I'm finished fixing up Bruce's dumpster car. Sparks fly off the dented pieces of metal, splashing around in wonderous fireworks. If the sight wasn't a norm I'd almost consider its beauty. As I lower the flame to judge my work I see Tenna sitting on the couch across from me. I try not to look at him, knowing the second he has my attention I'm done for. I can kiss getting this done before tomorrow morning goodbye.

I try my damndest to ignore him, just finishing off the line before I can bother thinking about him. It's a hard task as I already feel anxious with him watching me. His stare picks at me till I'm honestly fighting the urge to look up. It's like he has some gravity to him that I'm drawn to.

"Damn it," I sigh. I turn off the torch and slam it on the hood of the Junker. I snap my helmet covered eye to him, seeing that infuriating smirk on his skull-like face. He has to know what that does to me. Tenna is an annoying little tick that has no business getting under my skin the way he does. His constant presence and never-ending teasing will be my undoing one day.

But damn if I don't love him for it.

Slamming my helmet up I glare at him," Have any idea what time it is?"

"10:34pm exactly," he spreads his arms wide on the couch headrest," is that a problem?"

Scoffing at his know-it-all look I toss the helmet on top of the car with the welding torch. I walk over to my workbench, picking up a used rag to wipe my face. Glancing over at Tenna I catch him staring, his legs spreading wide in an 'I'm powerful' pose. I roll my eyes as my heart flutters. How dare he.

"What do you need this time, Tenna," I ask, cutting to the chase.

"Haven't seen you in nearly a week and all you've got to say is 'you know what time it is' and 'what do you need this time'," he mocks my voice," can't I just come to see my favorite mechanic?"

I look deadpan to him," I've known you for nearly two years, not once have you just come to visit me. So I'll ask one more time, what do you need?"

He drops the act quickly, his shoulders sagging as he leans forward," Ricky Bower accidentally knocked me on my ass last week, and ever since I've been losing feeling to my hands." he raises his palms upwards, clenching his hand into fists. "It's strange and I'd greatly appreciate your help," he attempts to be kind as he asks. Knowing I can't ever say no to this idiot I motion him over to the bench.

Tenna hops up with a pep in his step. I watch him snatch the roller chair from beside the car, bringing it over before plopping down. Holding my hands out he sets his gently over them. I take the moment to feel his lightly warmed metal and leathery palms. His body has fascinated me for as long as I've known him. Having great knowledge in most things that deal with metal and wires I have never really understood how someone can make life like him. He is amazing.

Shaking out of my exploration I trace my fingers over his palm, looking up to him. "Feel that," I ask.

"Nope," he pops the P. I pinch at his fingers, digging my nail into the springy synthetic.

"That?"

"Why all the testing? I told you I can't feel a thing," he snaps. I grind my teeth at his tone, tempted to drop the task. I don't need him charging in here and demanding a fix. Scoffing I give into my petty ire and push his hands away.

"Alright, Mr. Know-it-all, fix your damn self," I hop out of my chair, ready to abscond to my office to pout like a lovesick teen. Before I can make it a step he snatches my wrist, tugging me back.

"Fine, fine," he sighs," I'm sorry. Will you please ignore my pitiful outbursts, I'm just a tad frustrated not being able to feel anything." his gaze drops to where he Is holding me, rubbing his thumb across my skin. He huffs.

I snatch my hand out of his," Fine, but one more and I'm kicking ya out."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," he smirks.

I grab his hand again, trailing my hands to his forearm where I open a panel. The underside of his arm pops off easily. Having replaced this very piece long before it no longer stays connected. I set it off to the side. I expertly look over his wires and parts. It all looks to be working fine, I dig my fingers in to investigate deeper.

"So what did Ricky do again," I ask, filling the silence as I work. I feel him shrug as his arm jostles in my hands.

"That dumb son of a bitch was wobbling on his way out the bar. Being the kind soul I am-" I roll my eyes,"-I walked him home. As he nearly caves his head in on the street I grab him, trading places with him as the dumb son of a bitch to cave his head in on the street." I snort at the image. The all graceful Tenna falling headfirst into the pavement like a drunkard. The scene replays in my mind as I snap my eyes up to him.

"So it's your head, not your arm," I bark as I grab the panel and click it back to place. Standing, I snatch his head and tug it towards me. He hovers close to my bosom but I'm far too distracted with tearing off the cranium plating to care.

"Very grabby today," he chuckles. I toss the panel to the bench and dig through the countless wires to reach where the small dent on the back of his head is. The protective layer that sits on the back of his head is pressing too hard on his processor. The wires are detached and loose. I scoff, pleased but annoyed at finding the issue. What an idiot for going a week without coming in.

I try to take a step away from him to grab my wire welding set but I'm held in place. Confused, I look to the hands holding my hips. Tenna looks up, quickly letting go and sliding back with the chair.

"Sorry," he coughs," you kept bumping me and I-uhh- yep." I stare for a moment, squinting at his strange behavior before I run off to my office.

I fix up his head, pleased as can be as I shut the panel back. Plopping down onto my chair I hold my palms out again. I gesture him forward. He drops his hand unceremoniously onto mine.

"Have you always been this warm," he asks, pressing his palm against mine.

"Does it feel different," I ask worried I screwed something up. I'm no genius in the ways of advanced robotics. He doesn't answer, trailing his hands over my wrist. Growing curious he abandons my hands and cups my cheeks. His fingers pet over my nose and under my eye. Smoothing down my eyebrows as I tense.

"What are you doing," I slowly recoil from his touch though it feels so welcoming. His thumbs grace the corners of my eyes as he smiles sweetly to himself.

"I can feel the crow's feet, ya fixed me again, doc," he jokes. I slap his hands away, insulted at the insinuation that I have crow's feet. He laughs, letting me walk away in a huff.

Tenna

I left her place later than I intended, leaving her asleep on the couch. Heading out of her scrap yard I make my way down the road towards my home. Passing many closing bars and dark alleys. I manage to get out of the dumpster fire that is downtown to get to my humble abode out of the city. It's not a far walk, a decent enough journey to a sweet little place in a sweet little neighborhood.

I trot up the steps, the door unlocking at my proximity. Stepping into the living room I find Ricky asleep on the couch similar to Valerie. Quietly I make my way to my room, flipping the light on to look at the large messy room. I step over the clutter of junk, passing by my vanity. Stopping for a moment I admire the dent on the back of my head, wincing at it.

"Didn't have to hit so hard," I grunt.

Quickly completing my nighttime rituals I plug myself in and power down for the night.

The next morning I sit in the kitchen, reading on my tablet as Ricky steps in. He's a half-dressed, sloppy man, sorting through the fridge.

"How did last night go," he asks. I sigh, dropping the tablet to the table.

"Pretty good actually. She fixed me up quickly, got to even hold her for that bit, and we talked afterward. You know Gilbert stiffed her the forty he owed her for fixing up his Camry," I answer. He grunts in answer, chugging milk like the slob he is. I grimace at the white trickle going down his neck. With a satisfied gasp, he wipes his face.

"Did you actually get anywhere this time or did you play annoying best friend again," he asks.

"No," I cross my arms," I didn't plan to do anything anyways."

Ricky snorts," wimp."

"Hey," I bark," I'm not a wimp. I'm just a good guy trying not to ruin a good thing going for me."

"yea," he shrugs," a wimp."

I pout, grumbling under my breath as I try to think of something clever to say. Ricky just snorts again, heading towards the cupboards for a snack.

"Just go for it, you beating around the bush just leaves time for her to find someone better. She puts up with your stupid injuries that you cause just as an excuse to see her. Nut up and make a move," he suggests. I can't help but chuckle at the pun. It trails off as I grovel in self-pity some more.

"It's not that easy, Rick," I sneer," she can barely stand me, and asking for more than what we have would be me just ruining something good. If all I can get is once a week with her then I'll take it. She doesn't need some idiot pulling her back anyway."

Ricky glares at me but shakes it off as the argument goes in circles. I adore Valerie, ever since she first fixed me up. She's so snarky and kind, I couldn't help but adore her. But, I'm nothing special and I know she finds me tolerable at best. I sigh, slacking in the chair.

Valerie

Bruce stops by sometime this week to grab his Junker car for the derby this weekend. With the bit of money he gives me I have enough to splurge on some necessities for the shop. I spend my day off cleaning up and ordering pieces online. Though I'm one for always working I enjoy getting to calm it all down every Tuesday. No customers to argue with, pieces of shit cars to try to fix up. Just alone with some loud music.

I sweep the garage floor, startled at the bot standing by the front door. Jumping nearly out of my skin I pause the music and catch my breath. Tenna laughs at me as I hold my hand to my chest.

"If I wasn't mistaken I think I scared ya," he teases.

"Yea," I shout," not shit." Tenna gives me a moment to ease my racing heart before continuing his teasing.

"You humans are just so jumpy. Scared of your own shadow," he snickers.

I scoff, setting the broom aside," cause you're any better? I remember vividly you whimpering over me replacing the pistons on your back."

"Hey," he barks, pointing to me," being in pain and getting scared are two different things and I wasn't whimpering. If I was, it was because you don't have a gentle bone in your body."

I wave him off," excuses, excuses. What do you want anyway?"

Shoving his hands in his pockets he walks further into the shop," was just passing by and figured you could be of help in fixing the dent on the back of my head. You see, the ladies don't find the battle wound charming."

I snort," battle wound? Falling onto concrete sounds extremely heroic."

"Saving poor old men from cracking their skull on the sidewalk sounds pretty damn heroic," he defends himself. I smile, waving him over to the workbench.

"I'd recommend stopping with the 'heroics' though. You're in here nearly every week with some 'battle scars'," I scold halfheartedly. He sits down at the bench as I circle him to check out the dented metal on his head. Grabbing him and tilting him forward I see what I can do.

"Not my fault I'm such a good person," he grumbles. I snort, shaking my head.

I try just removing the dent the old fashion way, pulling it back into place. With that not working I remove the piece and try to hammer it back. That just makes it look worse. As all else fails I set out to make a new piece. I sort through some scrap I have mashed together in a milk crate. Jabbing myself on different bits of loose metal I find a sheet perfect enough to mold.

All the while I'm working I can feel Tenna's gaze on me. It makes me fumble with my work as I feel pressured by his attention. I want to seem smart and capable around him but he has a tendency to leave me flustered. I bite my cheek and try to think of something else while I cut the sheet of metal.

With the piece made I head back over, ready to try and perfect it. I stand behind him, tilting his head back down.

"Anything new lately," I ask him to fill the silence. He shrugs.

"I've been trying this new drink for bots, it's supposed to keep the inners all clean and oiled," he answers.

"Yea, how's it taste," I ask, knowing how picky he can be.

"Like shit. It's like they make us taste everything but won't put the effort into making things we can eat good," he huffs," it's almost insulting." I hum in answer. I lose track of the conversation for a bit as I walk off to smooth the edges so it can click into place.

"So Christmas is next week," I shout from across the shop.

"Yea, and?"

"What do you me 'yea, and', are you not doing anything," I ask.

He shrugs," what is there to do? Ricky is heading off to his parents then and I'm left alone till he comes back."

I nod in understanding. Ricky is Tenna's only friend. Though I have no room to talk, Tenna is my only friend. I fiddle with the piece in my hand as I ponder asking him to spend his holiday here. Surely that's a stupid question, why would he want to spend his day with me?

"Besides, it's a family holiday. As you know I lack in that department," he tries to joke. I swallow a comforting comment.

Walking around him again I set the piece, admiring the handiwork. I turn to the workbench for some spray paint to keep the color scheme. Though I've replaced most of his parts with scarp I do try to keep it presentable. I shake the can as I fight back the urge to invite him. It's a waste invitation, he wouldn't want to. I sigh.

"Tenna," I start, he hums," do you want to spend Christmas here with me?"

He straightens at the question, asking defensively," Why?"

"What do you mean why," I bite back.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'? Why are you inviting me to your human celebration," he barks. I scoff, spraying the back of his head quickly.

"You're going to be alone and I thought it would be a nice thing for me to do," I answer.

"Oh, how giving of you. Don't put yourself out just for me," he folds his arms. I toss the can onto the desk, circling to his front.

"What is your problem, I'm just being nice," I sneer.

He glares up at me," I don't want the charity. I imagine you have better people to spend this time with."

"Oh yea, cause I'm drowning in friends right now. Got a family halfway across the country and no money to get to them. I'm spending this time of year alone and you of all people should know that," I shake my head, holding up my hand before he can speak," know what, never mind. Didn't know having to spend Christmas with me would be such a hassle."

His shoulders drop as he begins to stand," I didn't mean it like that, Val-"

I stop him," No, it's my fault. Should have known better. It's my bad." I turn on my heels and make my way to my office, Tenna trailing after me.

"Valerie, I didn't mean it that way. I was-," I interrupt him again.

"Fucking aye, Tenna, I get it," I snap," I fixed your stupid head, you can leave now."

Tenna tries to get in another word before I slam the door in his face. I stomp to the desk, collapsing in my chair as Tenna tries to knock on the door. His words are muffled but constant. I ignore him either way, stewing in my hurt feelings like a petulant child. Damn robots.

Tenna

I reluctantly leave her place, feeling like utter shit as I do. I hardly meant for it to come out like that but I couldn't help but get defensive. She wanted to spend her special holiday with me? Surely that had to be pity. I never want her pity, that alone stings more than anything.

I walk home, feeling the cold air more than before. Heading into my home I go straight for my room to stew in my ignorance for a little longer. Falling onto my bed I groan as I recall the conversation. How can I be such a fool? Rolling onto my side I rub at the new plate sitting on the back of my head. She always fixes me right up. Not once has she said no. I smile to myself before the image of the door slamming in my face came back. I groan again.

A while later I come out of my room to speak with Ricky, finishing with my moping for the time being. I find the slobby man lounged on the couch watching tv. Falling into the chair across from him I let out an exaggerated sigh. Ricky pretends to not notice so I do it again. With a roll of his eyes, he mutes the tv, turning to me with a fake smile.

"Hello, how may I help you," he says with great theatrics. I rest my cheek on my palm.

"Valerie's mad at me," I answer. Ricky tosses the remote down the couch, clenching his jaw.

"Yea? What did you do," he asks. I don't bother pretending I did no wrong.

"She asked to if I wanted to spend Christmas with her and I got all in my emotions about it," I grumble. Ricky scoffs, looking at me bemused.

"Your girl asks you to spend a holiday with her and you got pissy," he sits up, throwing his feet onto the floor," are you dense? Your girl asks you to spend time with her outside this stupid arrangement you two have and you don't immediately say yes and jump for joy?"

Well, when you say it like that I feel like more of an asshole. I lean forward and groan into my hands. I'm truly a fool.

"I couldn't help it. It felt like she was doing it because she felt bad and I couldn't handle her feeling like she had to do that," I clarify. Ricky barks out a humorless laugh, reaching over for a pillow and tossing it at me.

"You fucking idiot," he barks," what does it matter if she felt bad for you? If a girl wants you to spend time with her then the answer should always be yes!"

"I'm aware of that now," I shove the pillow aside," you know I suffer from lack of filter from brain to mouth."

He snickers," as do all men."

"so what should I do?"

Ricky stands from the couch," go back and apologies then kiss her like the lovesick fool you are."

"Be serious, please," I fall back against the chair. Ricky walks past, heading to the kitchen.

"I am. You keep beating around the bush and you need to be direct. Tell her how you feel- or better yet, show her how you feel- and then you two can get down to fucking like rabbits in her garage," he answers, shouting as he rounds into the kitchen. I stumble on my retort as I think about having my way with her in her shop. Her sweaty body against mine as I listen to her sweet cries of pleasure. I nearly short circuit at the thought, drooling if I could.

Ricky comes back in, hitting me on the head," Stop that, I don't wanna see if a robot can get a boner."

I shoo his hand away," shut up. That's a stupid plan."

He falls to the couch with his bowl of mixed snacks," compare to your year-long plan of injuring yourself I'd say it's fucking genius." I chuff, looking towards to tv in thought. They aren't stupid plans, they've worked every time. Even when she's been mad at me I've managed to get back in there to apologize with a well-placed missing wire. I snap my head to Ricky.

"There's an idea," I smirk," she has never said no so far." Ricky looks from the tv back to me, gawking before sneering.

"No," he points at me," don't chase that thought. For the love of God, just talk to her. You are making this harder than it has to be."

I rest my elbow on my knees," no, no. it will work. Just need your help trying to break something easily fixable and-"

"NO," he jumps up, slamming his bowl on the table," I'm not going to keep helping you hurt yourself just so you can go see her. I'm fucking done with this childish game. You need to get your shit together and talk to her like a damn adult."

I stare at him for a moment, caving quickly," but Ricky, just be a bro one more time. I promise I'll try to make some headway but for right now I just need to get her to talk with me and sh-"

"Tenna," he shouts," I can't keep doing this! I'm fucking done." he storms out the room. I shout after him, trying to plead before he slams his door. Huffing I fall back into the chair, looking to the space in thought. Well, that didn't work.

Valerie

I stew for the week, growing angrier as Christmas nears. The one time I try to reach out to him as more than his mechanic he shuts me down. How could I even hope for a second that he would see me more than that? Under the feeling of rage I have the weak sensation of disappointment and pain.

Wanting an actual friendship wasn't asking for much, right? It's not like I confessed my feeling, laying myself bare for him to judge and reject. It was a simple invitation for us both not to spend this time of year alone. I scoff, slamming my tools round harder than needed.

"Don't fucking need him anyway," I grumble," far too busy to spend Christmas with him." it's a lie but it does make me feel better. I can use the free time sorting through that horrendous filing cabinet. Yea, that's a good way to spend my day off.

I power through the week working on odd jobs, secretly holding out for Tenna to walk through the door. He never does though, staying away the whole week while I continue to stew. I don't miss him, no, far from it. It's just quiet around here, that's all. I sigh at the lie.

Christmas eve leaves me cold and alone. I try to work, keeping with the minor distractions till I'm just left numb. Some self-pampering is needed. I make myself a hot chocolate, sitting on my couch, and playing Christmas music throughout the shop. I mumble along to the overly repeated songs as I sip my drink, chewing on some marshmallows.

"Merry Christmas to me," I groan.

Nearly asleep I jolt awake at a pounding at my door. The cold leftover bit of cocoa spills on my blanket as my muddled brain tries to sort out what's happening. The pounding sounds again from the front entrance, followed by some shouting. Scared, I grab a tall wrench off the workbench as I head to the door. The second the entrance is inches open does the person on the other side barge in.

A sloppy-looking man charges in, carrying a tarp behind him. I scowl at the guy, barely noticing the heap of metal strewn across the blue tarp.

"Excuse me, what are you doing," I snap. The man lets go of the tarp with a heavy grunt.

"Help him," he glares down at the heap on the tarp. I finally take a moment to look, gasping at the sight.

"Tenna," I drop to my knees, grabbing at him. He is laid wrecked on the ground, not moving. The lights in his eyes are dim but still there. It's a minimal relief but the black scorch marks up his arms aren't.

"What happened, who are you, why is he-," I try to ask.

"He fucking shocked himself with a socket, and I'm Ricky. Now fix him so I can kick his ass when he's alright," the man growls. I nearly recoil at his volume but I can't look away from Tenna. Focusing, I grab at his arms, tearing off the panel to see the damage done. There are plenty of popped fuses, the wires leaving black marks where they meet. I reach in to find the most damage, throwing my hand back as the metal burns my fingers. I press my hand to his chest, wincing at the heat.

"He's overheating," I say as I jump up. I run over to my office, grabbing plyers and a screwdriver.

"Yea, what does that mean," Ricky asks, panicked. I shoo him aside, falling to my knees besides Tenna. Reaching for his torso again I slide his shirt up to his chest and begin to pry the plate off. Using the screwdriver I manage it easily. Looking at his bare inners I use the plyer to dig in the tiny hole near his artificial heart. I press the button deep down in there, turning him off. The light dims from his eyes as his body shuts down. The barely-there glow of his pupils is a faint relief.

"What are you doing," Ricky shouts," why did you turn him off, is he dead?"

I scoff," he isn't dead, or he better not be. I shut off most of his main functions so he can cool off while I fix the wires that he popped. He is technically still on but it's minor functions, mostly."

"Mostly," Ricky barks," can you fix him?"

"Of course I can fix him," I answer with false confidence. I think I can fix him. I'm sure as hell going to try because if this idiot dies on me I'm going to turn his body into a coffee machine. No, he won't get out of this that easy.

"yea, ok," Ricky answers, shaking a bit. Before I can start on Tenna I turn to Ricky.

"It's going to be ok, I got this. Why don't you grab my tools off the bench while you tell me what happened," I ask calmly. He nods, stumbling over to the bench while I pry off the plating on both arms. Ricky passes me the set, sitting down at Tenna's feet. I wait for him to start.

"I found him in his room after I heard a loud pop. I didn't think it came from him but when I saw him laid out jerking around on the floor I couldn't think. Gods," he rubs his face," I could kill him for putting me through that."

I rip the worn wires out, stripping them and re-welding them to his body," what did he do?"

Ricky scoffs, turning away," fucking shocking himself with the outlet. I swear, he is like a child sometimes." I scrunch my face up confused.

"Why would he do that," I ask.

"Because of you," he answers easily. I snap my attention to him, defensive and confused.

"Because of me?"

Ricky looks at me, fighting with himself before he reluctantly answers," this idiot has been making up every excuse to see you."

"So he shocked himself to see me," I ask, not really getting it.

"Shocked, maimed, dented, sabotaged. You name it, he had done it just so he had a reason to see you," he shrugs. I finish with one arm, leaving the plates off to let it cool. I start on the other side.

"Why would he do that," I wince as I burn my finger again. I feel Ricky's heavy gaze on me. Turning to him he sighs.

"Because he is in love with you and only idiots in love do stupid shit like this," he gestures to Tenna. I bark out a laugh, startling Ricky.

"No, that's not it. Why did he really do this," I shake my head amused. This hunk of junk couldn't be in love with me. That's funny in itself to assume such.

"He's in love with you. Has been since he met you," he answers. I scoff.

"I doubt that very much. He has been nothing but an ass, only coming to visit when he needs something. I consider him a good friend but I know he only sees me as his mechanic," I try to smile through the bitterness. Ricky laughs, throwing his head back as he busts a gut.

"Are you kidding me," he snickers," you two are exactly the same! Two idiots who just don't get the other."

I sneer, finishing up the wires before grabbing my soldering kit. Surely Ricky is mistaken, Tenna isn't in love with me.

"So, Valerie, are you in love with him," he asks with a big grin on his face. I fluster at the question, making him laugh again. "I fucking knew it. To think, I never met you and could tell you were as enamored with him as he is with you. If only he took my advice then you two would be spending your Christmas humping like lovesick teens," he chortles. I fluster more, wanting to roll up into a ball.

I solder the last wire, grumbling under my breath at everything. How can he go and do something like this? And just to get my attention? If what Ricky said is true then Tenna is more of an idiot than I thought. He never gave any hint that he liked me, let alone loved me. I spent the whole year feeling like shit because I adored this idiot, thinking he couldn't even give me a second glance. When he wakes up he is going to have an earful.

As I put away my tools I grab the plyers again. Stretching over his chest I press the thin tip into the hole, pressing the button. I wait for the telltale sign of his rebooting but there is nothing. I press it again, holding it before releasing. Nothing. Before I can push it again there is a loud drawn out beep.

"What's happening," Ricky jumps to attention. I don't answer, having the same question myself. Leaning over his body I stare into his eyes, the dim light extinguishing completely. My heart plummets, a cold chill running up my spine.

I jump up, bolting across the shop for my trolley. Ricky stands, asking too many flustered questions as he watches me wheel the trolley over. I grab the jump-started off the middle shelf, slamming it a tad too hard on the floor. Reaching for the two clamps I attached them to Tenna's chest. I look at the machine, ready to turn the knob. Before I can start, I check Ricky, making sure he isn't in danger of being shocked as well.

I turn the knob, a charge running through Tenna. I hold it for a few seconds. Leaning over Tenna I look for his lights, seeing none I try again. I mumble under my breath pleas and prayers. Checking again for a light I truly panic.

"No, no, no," I readjust the clamps on his body," you do not get to do this to me, you damn idiot!" I twist the knob again, asking any higher power for this hunk of junk to start.

"What's going on, is it working," Ricky asks unhelpfully. I ignore him, sitting in my own fear. I twist the knob, antsy as I wait.

It's a harsh few seconds of nothing. My heart feels like it's squeezing, threatening to pop with such force. A litter of please escape my lips as my eyes sting. He can't do this to me, he fucking can't.

"You son of a bitch," I whimper in anger," I do not deserve to find out you love me too and then have you die on me. You damn piece of shit, reboot!"

I twist the knob again, perhaps turning it a tad too hard. His body gives a sudden jolt, convulsing for a moment before he sits upright.

"Motherfucker," he shouts, clenching at his open chest. He tears off the clamps, curling into himself as he shudders. I can't describe the utter joy I feel at hearing him speak. Without much thought I grab him, pulling him into a hug. He tilts into my hold, still shaking and clenching his chest.

I grab his face, turning to me," If you ever scare me like that again I will turn you into a metal scrap cube." before he can answer I smash my lips again his less soft ones. He grunts in surprise, nearly recoiling. I hold him firm, annoyed and overjoyed all at once. Tenna melts into the actions, the hands curled against his chest grabbing at my shirt to tug me closer.

"Aw, that’s sweet," Ricky tease, smacking Tenna on the back of the head," glad you're alright but if you do that shit again I'm turning your scrap cube into a toilet." Tenna parts from me, smiling up at his friend.

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Tenna chuckles.

Ricky nods, rubbing snot on his sleeve," see you at home."

"You're leaving," I ask, watching him head to the door.

"Yea, you two have a lot to talk about. I'll get my words in later when he isn't high off you," he waves dismissively. As Ricky shuts the door behind himself Tenna and I are left in tense silence.

I look to Tenna, happy to see the bright glow in his eyes. He was nearly lost to me, left to be just a piece of fine metal on my floor. I smile at him, he returns the gesture. I then punch him in the chest, wincing at the metal. He winces, curling into himself again.

"Ow, let's not punch the injured man," he snaps. I growl at him.

"Wouldn't be injured if you weren't such an idiot," I snap," Of all the moronic things I know you're capable of, this tops the list. What were you even thinking? You could have been wiped, gone forever at Tenna the robot. Left at factory reset as a blank slate. God, I could kill you right now for being so blasé about hurting yourself!"

"I did what I had to do, ok," he bites back," it's not my fault that it's the only way you would give me the time of day."

I scoff, pushing him away," only time? Excuse me but I don't think you even bother trying a different way. Not once did you stop by for a casual chat or asked me out for some dinner. Hell, I've never even been to your place. I'm not the one in the wrong here just because you're an idiot!"

Tenna groans, starting up a sentence before backing off with a shake of his head. He tries again, falling short once more. In the end, he grabs for me, tugging my reluctant self into a hug. He drops his forehead to my shoulder, holding me sweetly.

"I'm sorry," he says simply," I've been reckless and unrefined ever since I met you. It's not your fault, I'm just a fool who has no idea what he's doing."

I tug him closer, petting at his back," yea, but you are the fool I fell in love with."

He squeezes tighter, rubbing his face against me. Tugging me into his lap we take the silent moment to bask in the glow of just being alive. I'm livid with him, beyond belief am I angry, but I nearly lost him today. That alone is enough for me to just sit in his lap and hold him.

"Do you really love me," he mumbles near my ear. I pet the back of his head, pressing a kiss to him.

"Sadly," I tease. He chuckles, leaning back to look in my eyes. He slants his lips against mine, timid and slow as he does.

"Well, I'm happily in love with you too," he says against my mouth. I tug him in for the next kiss, leisurely licking his lips and cupping the back of his head. We part only for us to rest against the other.

"I'm really sorry though," he nuzzles my head," I feel like a great idiot now."

"Truly the king of idiots, actually," I joke. He smiles, nodding in agreement.

"Can you forgive me," he asks. I nod.

"My biggest flaw is I can never say no to you," I say," it will surely be my undoing."

Tenna smiles big and wide, hands falling down to my hips to tug me close. We kiss like lovesick fools we are, straying off any more words for the enjoyment of just being here. Somehow we make it to the couch where he corners me against himself and the cushion. I fall asleep to him playing with my hair. Before I can succumb to rest I mumble to him.

"Merry Christmas."

He presses a gentle kiss to my head," Merry Christmas, love."

#12 days of christmas #12 tropes for christmas #Enigma-IM #exophilia #robot boyfriend #robot x human #monster boyfriend #mutual pining

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chelsfic · 4 years

Text

Leftovers Part 9 - Nandor the Relentless x Reader Fanfic

Previous parts: Masterlist

A/N: Quick note-- most roller derby leagues don’t actually take a break from practicing during the off-season *shrug.* Hey, hey, hey, guys? Let me know what you think! I am an ACTUAL ENERGY VAMPIRE, but I feed off your kind words and support--love you!

Summary: Nandor is on the reader’s shit list, but will they reunite when a minor medical emergency pops up? (yes)

Warnings: Female Reader-insert, Angst, Medical shit (migraines, lasting effects of the vamp attack at the rave), Hypnotism

---

“Guillermooo! I’m ready for my slumber now!” Nandor bellows, standing impatiently by his open coffin and waiting for his familiar to arrive so he can complete his bedtime routine.

Guillermo appears, huffing and puffing, a moment later, “I’m sorry, master! I forgot…”

“Well, that’s unacceptable, Guillermo!,” Nandor whines with a scowl. “You’re my familiar. It’s your job to remember these things. You’d think after five years--”

“Eleven,” Guillermo interjects with a pained smile. “Eleven years, master.”

Nandor looks momentarily shocked before regaining his momentum, “Okay...Eleven years… Fine. You’d think that you would remember to come and help me get ready for bed. It’s not that difficult.”

Guillermo lets the scolding roll off his back. He knows his master is hurting. In truth, Nandor hasn’t wanted Guillermo’s help at bedtime in weeks. It’s only now that his coffin is feeling a little lonely that he’s reverting back to his old ways. Guillermo rushes to untie his master’s cravat and helps him slip off the heavy cape. The vampire looks temporarily mollified.

“Very well,” Nandor sniffs, taking Guillermo’s hand as he steps up into the coffin. “I forgive you.”

“Thank you, master,” Guillermo smiles lightly and moves to take hold of the coffin’s lid. Nandor suddenly reaches up to stop him.

“Guillermo…” he fidgets and avoids eye contact as he asks, “Do you think she’ll be angry with me for much longer?”

Guillermo looks down at his master, feeling contrary ties of loyalty tugging on him as he decides what to say.

In the end he takes pity on Nandor, reaching down to pat his soft hair and murmuring, “I’m sure she’ll forgive you soon, master.”

“Thank you, Guillermo,” Nandor sighs, shutting his eyes and crossing his hands over his chest. “You’re a good familiar.”

He gently closes the lid, feeling a happy swell in his chest despite his concern. It’s been a few days since the orgy and his friend still hasn’t shown any signs of forgiving Nandor. He knows she’s hurt, but Guillermo silently hopes things will smooth over soon. An angsty vampire makes for an unhappy familiar.

---

After Nandor let you out of the basement you ran to the shower, dousing yourself in steaming water to chase the chill out of your body. But no matter how many hot showers or layers of clothing you put on, you can’t ever seem to warm up. At least not on the inside. In the span of just a few days you’ve gone from the heights of happiness to the dumps of misery. The worst part is that you’re not even angry anymore. You’re numb to it. All you want is to fall back into Nandor’s arms and let him make you feel good like no one else has.

But…

It’s not that he slept with who knows how many people at the orgy. It’s not even that he locked you in a basement and forgot about you. It’s that he treated you like a thing. Like his possession, whose feelings and thoughts are insignificant in the face of almost eight hundred years of immortal life. For a little while Nandor made you feel special, and then he’d gone and ruined it.

You don’t even have your usual outlet! Bout season is over and practice won’t start up again for another month. And to make matters even better: all this drama seems to be aggravating your stupid brain because, for the first time in weeks, you’re feeling the dragging ache in your head left by the vampire attack at the rave. It’s been a dull, throbbing pain for a couple days now, but tonight it’s grown into a pulsing, stomach-churning migraine. You lock yourself up in your room with the lights off. The housemates probably assume you’re brooding over Nandor. But mostly...you’re just in pain. And scared.

It’s after midnight and the pain shows no signs of diminishing. You finally drag yourself out of your room, squinting blearily against the blinding glare of the candlelight, and seeking out one of the two licensed drivers in the house.

---

“The closest urgent care is on Richmond, but according to the Google reviews, we’ll have shorter wait times if we drive a bit farther to the one on Victory Boulevard. Of course, it’s entirely up to you but--”

“Colin,” you interrupt, your voice barely above a whisper, “can you please take me to the closest one and maybe try to resist the urge to feed? I already feel like shit.”

Colin pauses, tightening his fingers on the steering wheel and saying, quietly, “I wasn’t...I was just trying to be helpful.”

You immediately feel guilty and then you question if, in fact, he’s still feeding. Being friends with an energy vampire is...draining.

He drives you to the urgent care, walking inside the crowded waiting area with you and taking charge of your intake paperwork. Okay, now you could kiss him, because bureaucracy is like Colin’s native language and you’re pretty sure he uses some of his power to manipulate the staff into getting you seen sooner. In under an hour you’re leaving with a prescription and feeling a little less anxious about the possibility that you might drop dead from an aneurysm.

You’re pulling out of the pharmacy parking lot and back out onto the road when a small, squeaking, flying thing suddenly soars through your open window and erupts in the backseat, transforming into your dark, sullen vampire lover.

You shriek in alarm, looking out the window and noting the lightening sky on the horizon. Your heart jumps up into your throat, “Nandor! What are you doing, it’s almost daybreak!”

Nandor sits forward in his seat and leans in close to you as he speaks, “Guillermo told me you have been to the human medical shamans! What is wrong, my human?”

“It’s...nothing, Nandor. I’ll be fine. I had a bad migraine,” you mumble. You’re too exhausted to be having this conversation.

Nandor continues, unphased, “Then you should have come to me, not fucking Colin Robinson!”

“Why?” you blurt out, suddenly done with avoiding the hurt you’ve been dwelling in for days. “Because you care about me? Or because I’m your property?”

Nandor looks bewildered, “You are my human…”

You shake your head violently, turning away in your seat with an angry growl.

“...And I do care, my love…”

Sighing, you fix your eyes on the metal guardrail at the side of the road as it flashes by. Colin Robinson is sitting rigid in the driver’s seat, beaming as he gulps down the emotions flooding the vehicle. Nandor reaches out to curl his fingers through your hair just as the first rays of sunlight break over the horizon.

“Nandor, the sun!” you cry, all thoughts of your hurt and anger flying from your head. You turn around in your seat to lock eyes with your lover for one meaningful instant before he transforms into his bat form.

You scramble for the purse at your feet, upending it onto the floor before holding it up and frantically gesturing to the flapping little bat in the backseat.

“Get in, baby!” you plead, uncertain of how much communication actually gets through in this form.

You breathe a shaky sigh of relief as Nandor flies into the bag, curling up at the bottom with a frightened squeak.

“Fucking hell,” you mumble. Your heart is racing in your chest. Cautiously, you open the purse to peer inside at the furry, winged creature who is...your boyfriend. You reach in and gingerly stroke your fingers over his little head. The bat’s teeth close on one finger in an affectionate, soft bite. “You’re okay now…”

Colin Robinson pulls up outside the house and turns to you with his eyes blazing, “Well, this has been quite the night!”

---

You carry Bat-Nandor into his room, taking him out of your bag and gently placing him in the fur-lined coffin. Even though you’re expecting it, you can’t help but jump back when he transforms before your eyes. You’re still not used to witnessing actual magic.

He looks up at you with a look that’s all soft, liquid eyes and remorseful submission.

“Will you stay with me?” he asks diffidently, toying with a tuft of rich fur on the coffin lining. “Please?”

You weigh your options. On the one hand you really miss falling asleep in Nandor’s strong arms, with the comforting scent of him wrapped around your body like a blanket. And when you pause for a moment you realize that the ache in your head hasn’t bothered you since he flew into Colin Robinson’s car.

On the other hand…

“Is there anything you want to say to me, first?” you prompt, arching your brow expectantly.

Nandor swallows his pride, thinking back to those horrible days when Guillermo left him for fucking Celeste. He sits up and takes your hand in his as he says, “I’m sorry I treated you like a belonging and not a person. I appreciate you very much. And I--I love you. And also, I’m sorry for forgetting about you and Guillermo in the basement…it probably won’t happen again.”

You let out a laugh, tears stinging your eyes as you reply, “I love you too, Nandor. And...I’m sorry, too. I don’t even care anymore about the stupid orgy anymore. But I should have...tried to understand it more. I think.”

Nandor sits up, grasping your face between his hands and pulling you in closer.

“I wanted you with me at my side, my mortal,” he hisses, dropping little kisses onto your lips. “One day you will be. I’ll make you a vampire and together we will be the life of every vampire orgy. We’ll feast on virgin blood and make love until the end of time.”

Before you can form anything approaching a reaction, he claims your mouth with his, sucking your lower lip and pushing his tongue forward to tangle with yours. You cling to the fur collar of his coat, hanging on for dear life as your knees go weak. Every time you kiss it feels like you’re diving into a hot spring, losing yourself so deliciously to the sensation of his touch.

“You want that don’t you, my mortal?” he pants against your lips, reaching down to casually lift you off your feet and settle you on his lap. “Immortal life? Immortal love?”

He pauses kissing you and you rest your cheek against the top of his head, enjoying the soft brush of his hair against your skin. Do you want that? To be a vampire? To never see the sun again? To drink blood to live? To never say goodbye to this beautiful, idiot man you seem to love?

“Yes, Nandor,” you murmur, pressing your lips into his hair and breathing his scent. “I do.”

He leans his head back and kisses you once more, running his lips over your cheeks, your jaw, the long column of your exposed throat.

“Uhm!” you interrupt, a little panicked. “But not this minute, right? You have to give me some warning…”

Nandor chuckles, smoothing his hands up and down your back in reassurance.

“No, mortal. Dawn isn’t exactly an ideal time to make a new vampire…”

“Oh...okay, good,” you sigh, settling down into his arms once more. “Because I have one condition…”

---

A little while later, you’re sealed up, snug as a bug in Nandor’s coffin, with his arms wrapped around you and your face tucked into the crook of his neck. You press a kiss to his cool skin and his chest rumbles with a satisfied purr. For the first time in hours and hours your skull doesn’t feel like it’s about to crack in two and you ponder the reason for that. Of course, like all vampires, Nandor has the power of hypnosis. Maybe his very presence has a soothing effect? Like he transmits a frequency that cancels out whatever that asshole did to you?

“Nandor?” you whisper, unsure if he’s fallen asleep yet or not.

“Yes, my mortal?” he answers at once, tightening his arms around you.

“When I’m with you my head doesn’t hurt so bad… But, do you think--do you think that vampire did some kind of...lasting damage?” the question has been on the back of your mind ever since the attack but you’ve been too afraid to give a voice to your worry.

A low growl escapes his throat as he replies, “That shit chicken vampire hurt you because he can’t even hypnotize correctly.”

“But...” you pause, steeling yourself. Are you really about to put this level of trust in him? “You can fix it, can’t you?”

Nandor pauses, swallowing down a lump of nerves as he considers. He wants nothing more than to make you feel better. But there was the time he and Laszlo gave Sean the brain scramblies…

But this time would be different. He would be so, so gentle. So careful…

He raises the lid of the coffin, sitting up and pulling you with him. A few candles still flicker from the tables around the room, forgotten in his eagerness to have you in his arms. Nandor’s pale skin glows faintly in the low light, the lines of his body lost in shadows.

“Look into my eyes, little human,” he commands, his voice is deep and drawling.

You obey, looking up at him as your body visibly trembles. You’re frightened.

“Shh,” Nandor hushes, running his hands up your arms and settling them onto your shoulders. “I’m going to take care of you.”

You nod, remembering how fragile and weak he’d felt when you’d carried his bat-form in your hands. You can give him the same trust. You can put yourself in his hands now and know that he won’t hurt you.

His dark eyes burn with intensity as he continues, “You are now under my command…”

---

A/N: I require CAKES AND CREAMS!! Candies and streamers and sticky, sticky toffee! Actually I just need some soft comments because I AGONIZED over this??!?!?!?!

Tags:

@festering-queen @kandomeresbitch @strangestdiary @glitterportrait @scuzmunkie @redwoodshadows @sarasxe @rileyomalley

#nandor the relentless #nandor #nandor x reader #nandor the relentless x reader #nandor the relentless fanfic #nandor the relentless imagine #wwdits fanfic #what we do in the shadows

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blindbatalex · 3 years

Text

below is not my fic, but yet another carraville masterpiece from raisin anon -- the fuck ESL special.

They’re lying in bed after the show in their apartment down in London, way past midnight, but neither have managed to fall asleep just yet. Usually, after both of them have been on MNF, the banter is endless and relentless, occasionally broken by shared kisses or giggles as hands roam freely in the privacy of their flat. Like when Gary was on the show two weeks ago.

But not tonight. It was silence between them as Gary unlocked the door and no pulling of funny faces in the mirror when they brushed their teeth. Twitter is blowing up, singing their praises for the words spoken earlier, how they all must stand together, United and Liverpool and Chelsea and Tottenham and Arsenal and City supporters, how they cannot let greedy owners ruin their game, how Sky must also recognise they broke away back in ‘92 as well. Jamie has absolutely zero intentions of looking at any of the messages. He just wants to sleep. He just wants to lie in bed with Gary and forget for a moment everything that is wrong in the world.

“D’you reckon we can stop this ?” he asks in a low voice. Gary is sitting semi propped up against the headboard with Jamie resting his head against Gary’s shoulder and the arm connected to it slung around Jamie’s back. They haven’t spoken since Gary asked if he wanted to shower before bed and Jamie declined, but he knows his boyfriend isn’t asleep, based on his thumb drawing slow, delicate circles where Jamie’s forearm becomes elbow.

“We have to. Letting it go through is not an option”

It sounds weirdly close to the way many footballers think before a game, losing never being an acceptable outcome, and therefore they have to win. Of course, Jamie knows from experience, those convictions aren’t always enough, but he smiles a half smile nonetheless. Physically neither of them can play top level football anymore, but the mentally has never left.

“You sounded pretty convinced yourself earlier” Gary shoots back at him. It’s phrased as a statement but Jamie knows it’s not really.

“Just, I dunno, a bit worried I guess”. It’s the only way he knows how to phrase the unease he has felt since the news broke, but Gary seems to understand because he pulls his arm around him a bit tighter for a second and kisses the top of his head.

“Yeah, me too” he whispers as he pulls back.

That’s as soft as it gets with Gary, because a few seconds later Jamie can almost hear his body go into fight mode at the mere thought of this Stupid League and it reminds him of the Gary he saw in the dressing room with England, or in the tunnel before a derby, knows he will fight this until the end.

Some rich, greedy, selfish assholes thought they could buy their clubs and change their game. They got money and power and most likely a small country of lawyers. But Jamie has slayed giants before. He hadn’t given up as he walked out for the second half in Istanbul. Gary hadn’t stopped believing when they were still behind going into injury time in Barcelona.

Football belonged to them. To the fans. To the communities. To the kids who dream. Not to someone seeking profits and fake glory. They would get their sport back, Jamie was sure of it.

(And it came down to desperate times and all that, he had gotten pretty good at boxing. Perez wouldn’t stand a bloody chance in the ring.)

#carraville #raisin anon #football rpf #fic rec #LISTEN when i say I yelled!!!#this is *chef's kiss* but what else is new

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unholyhelbig · 4 years

Note

Ever seen Mr. & Mrs smith? Because... Hizzie

Read on Ao3 | Submit more Legacies Prompts

Title: Mrs & Mrs Mikaelson

Ship: Hope Mikaelson/ Lizzie Saltzman

Lizzie watched carefully as the silver-edged blade slowly pushed through the outer casing of the casserole dish. It’s once clean color was muddied with a deep red that dripped with the scent of garlic. Hope’s movements were fluid and her focus was strong. She had evenly sliced through the fried top of the cheese and maneuvered until the lasagna was placed in a perfect square in the center of a plate.

“Salad?” She asked, placing the knife on the corner of the dish, not carving out a serving of her own. Instead, her fingers reached for the clear bowl. She didn’t wait for Lizzie to answer, instead, she loaded up the dark green vegetables doused in oil.

She slid the plate towards Lizzie “Thank you. You’re not going to eat any?”

“Maybe later,” Hope flopped down into the seat at the other end of the table. She untied the apron around her waist and let it sit in a pile under her fingertips. Her other hand reached for the lipstick-stained wine glass, she spoke into it. “I’ve been in that hot kitchen all day, I don’t feel much like eating.”

Lizzie was inclined to believe her wife. Her loving and doting wife who could have been with the kids all day, or in the kitchen like she claimed; slaving over lasagna and homemade bread, even when Lizzie insisted on picking up take-out on the way back from the office. But even then, both of them knew it was a lie.

She picked up her fork, her fingers still aching with the feeling of a gun. Her whole entire body felt like it was on fire and sunburn danced under her cheeks. It reminded her of being a kid and spending the entire day by the side of the pool, only to collapse on her bed in front of a fan while the chlorine created a film against her skin.

In retrospect, Lizzie should have worn sunscreen, but the weather was overcast and she didn’t think she would be perched on the roof for long. Her target was easy; a businessman who had crossed too many paths with his dirty derby shoes. It was a simple enough hit.

Blaine Ewing ate at the same café every single day, at the same table facing the street, under the same umbrella. He would order a chicken Cesar salad and pick out all the onions instead of asking for the meal without any. Lizzie had learned his schedule and she had lined up the scope of the gun perfectly.

An easy target, and an even easier 50,000 from her employer.

Lizzie hadn’t seen the girl walking towards Blaine, not right away, not until she had blocked the view from the scope and she had to pull away to get a better look. Even from her spot on the roof across the street- Lizzie knew.

She recognized that body, and that hair tucked carefully under the guise of a black hoodie. Lizzie had stood across the alter from that woman, she had sat through hours of IVF and the hours of PTA meetings. The same woman who skillfully shoved a knife into Blaine Ewing’s chest in just the right spot that ensured she wouldn’t’ have to do it twice.

Hope was an assassin, and quite frankly, Lizzie was shocked. She had realized after loading up her sniper and sitting in an empty parking garage, that she had lost out of a pricey hit because her wife had gotten there first.

Which begged the question; did Hope know she was one too?

She had cut into the corner of the lasagna, loading up her fork, but not raising it to her lips. They had been married for years now, seven to be exact, and though she still loved her wife dearly, she had no idea if Hope was faking that too. “You’re sure you’re not hungry?”

“No,” Hope frowned, setting down the wine glass. “You’re acting weird, sweetie, is everything okay?”

Lizzie set the fork down and pretended not to notice the flicker of disappointment in Hope’s eyes “Everything is fantastic. I’ve just been thinking, we should go out of town for a bit. Spend some quality time together. Without the kids.”

Hope blinked a few times at the suggestion and Lizzie stood from her seat at the end of the table before walking the length of the dining room. She had already abandoned the thought of the meal, and the possible drain cleaner that had been mixed into the sauce. Instead, she traced her fingers against the edge of Hope’s jaw and lifted her leg over the girl's lap until she was straddling her, looping her fingers against the top stitching of her jeans.

Distract her with sex- that can buy a full night in the house until Hope decided to grab a pillow and put her out of her misery.

“Mm, that sounds like a fine idea.” Hope hummed as she pressed her lips against Lizzies, nipping softly at her before running her tongue against the spot to soothe the sting, “But what about work?”

“The office can get by for a day without me,” Lizzie responded. “And Josie can watch the kids”

Hope bit at Lizzie’s jaw, straightening in her seat as she trailed kisses against Lizzie’s pulse point. “I wasn’t talking about your job, I was talking about mine.”

She hesitated for just a moment, but it was a moment too long. With her wife’s touch right against her pulse, she felt her heart rate spike and Lizzie stiffen, and before she could register what was happening- Hope threw her entire weight against the base of the chair and tipped it back.

Lizzie felt her shoulder hit the wood floor first and then her legs against the drywall. It had taken both of them down but Hope knew exactly what she was doing, just as Lizzie thought she did. There was an ache at the base of her skull and she slid down the wall until she was on her side, disoriented from being flipped upside down. Hope had already gained her composure and her standing position.

“Okay, ouch,” Lizzie said in a muted growl.

It was outshined by the dull click of a gun, and suddenly she didn’t’ care that she could still feel Hope’s touch, hot against her skin, or taste metallic blood from where her teeth had dug into the side of her mouth. Her wife had a handgun pointed at her, and a confused stare on her features.

The room was suddenly feverish and Lizzie wished she could take back knowing the truth, and maybe even her vows, for just a moment- but this was hotter than she cared to admit and she had never been more attracted to her wife than now.

“You ruined my hit this morning.”

“It was my hit too, and something tells me that my employers pay more than yours do.” Hope lowered the gun for a split second before refocusing “You hesitated.”

“Darling, I never hesitate.” Lizzie pulled herself to a standing position, all the while being followed by the green eye of a weapon. She pressed her finger against the split in her lip, staring down at the darkened mud color on her fingers. “So what then, did they ask you to take me out as well?”

Hope scowled once more. “I was directed to get rid of the competition, yes. I just didn’t know it was you until today.”

Lizzie smiled, and it was mostly in vain, but somewhat in pride. She could still taste the blood against her teeth and even now, part of her was annoyed that Hope had destroyed the kitchen chair because it was a wedding gift from her mother. But her wife had called out her hesitation, all while doing the exact thing she was pointing towards.

Hope was stalling.

“How much are they offering you? Because honestly, if it’s at least half a Mil, I would go for it. You can get a good house in California for you and the kids, make it all look like a horrible accident. People would believe you if you cried enough.”

She took a step forward and Hope tensed, the tip of the gun was against her shoulder now, and it was cold. She easily guided her until it was right against the top of her rips. One slight twitch of the finger and Lizzie would drop. Granted, this felt like a better way to go then the slow poison mixed into an Italian dish.

Hope let out a shaky breath and clenched her eyes shut before pulling the trigger.

She was met with a slight click- but no powerful bang, no overwhelming cold, no flash of light. Just the small noise and a scoff from the woman in front of her. “Oh my god, you were actually going to do it!”

Hope let out a small huff before pulling the weapon back and removing the base of the weapon with bewilderment before flicking her darkened eyes back up to her wife. Who had a half-smile, mostly breed from entitlement, against her lips.

“Looking for this?” Lizzie pulled the full clip from her back pocket, the silver bullet casings catching the light above the kitchen table. She had swiped them, her tongue down Hope’s throat long enough for her not to notice the edging against her back pockets. “Honestly, darling I know our sex life has been lacking lately but bringing guns into it is never the answer.”

She snorted and set the gun down on the table. “I totally felt you grab those.”

“Mm-hmm, yeah.” Lizzie nodded and grasped her phone from her side of the table, Hope crossed her arms dejectedly across her chest. “I’m going to order pizza if you want to clean up the chair that you absolutely destroyed before the kids get home.”

She hesitated and watched as Lizzie walked from the room and flipped on the kitchen light. “Don’t put pineapple on it,”

“what are you going to do?" She shouted from the other room "Murder me?"

#hope mikaelson #lizzie saltzman #Hope x Lizzie #hizzie #Hizzie fanfiction #legacies fanfic #Legacies #request

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psycheswritings · 5 years

Text

Nothing’s Fair in Love and War - Three

Title: Nothing’s Fair in Love and War Fandom: Peaky Blinders Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Daphne Scott (OFC) Warnings: Swearing, I guess. Word Count: 5019 Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Life has been a bitch this week and I was hating everything I wrote. Thanks to everybody that liked and commented on the fic, honorary mentions to @blues022, @livingmybestfakelife, @livvtheangel and @stressedandbandobessed7771 - thank you all for taking your time to review this, it makes my heart swoon with happiness. @livvtheangel kindly asked for me to add some kind of separation between the scenes to make it easier to read, I have already done it on the other parts and will do it in every chapter from now on. It was supposed to have a blank space between the scenes but God knows what happened. Let me know if its better this way. And, finally, before I go, @stressedandbandobessed7771 asked to be tagged in the series, which I'm going to do from now on, and I wanted to let you all know that if anybody wants to be tagged too, let me know. As always, this haven’t been proofread, so feel free to report any mistakes back to me; warnings are expecific for each chapter. Also, your feedback is also highly appreciated. I relly hope you like this one. Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Masterlist

Chapter Summary: Daphne receives a very unexpected invitation while the Shelby's have to deal with Sabini's retaliation. Tommy buys a new horse and gets to know a possible new asset at the same time that Polly tries to understand what is the nature of his interest in the woman working with Solomons. Ada has a heart to heart with her friend and Alfie makes a surprise for Daphne.

Three

“Next month?!” Daphne’s shocked expression and high-pitched tone of voice made the engaged couple laugh. William was a little behind them, by the door, a smirk on his face. “Now I understand what you’re saying about them hushing things.”

“You never believe me.” Daphne just rolled her eyes at his mockery before Jane quipped in her defense.

“Well, you have a habit of overreacting about things.” The doctor narrowed his eyes to looks at his sister.

“Always knew that you were going to be a little traitor.” They all laughed, apart from William, although everyone knew that it was just an act.

“Nothing like a little display of sibling love by the Weston’s.” Alfie commented, surprising Daphne with his good mood. The last few days had been a little strange for them, both had totally ignored the episode of the window, but his words kept coming back to haunt the woman every time she looked at him. She was distracted observing him when their eyes met, Alfie gave her a heartwarming smile that Daphne promptly returned.

“We are always happy to entertain, Alfie.” There was false mockery in his tone.

“But we didn’t come here for William to complain about everything.” She turned to face the other woman, her expression was serious but joyful. “I want you to be my maid of honor.” Daphne blinked a few times, shock washing trough her. She expected to be invited to the weeding, of course - the two of them were good friends, after all – but being Jane’s maid of honor wasn’t something that she had in mind.

“Oh, I… Of course. It will be my pleasure.” Jane got up to embrace her friend, bubbling with happiness.

“William here already accepted to be the best man, despite his constants complains.” That resulted in Charles receiving a slap on the back of the head, given by his future brother-in-law, making them all laugh aloud.

“In all these years that I know him I never saw William do anything without complaining.” He looked at Daphne shaking his head.

“What’s this, a plot to ruin my reputation?”

“What reputation, mate?” Charles chocked in laughter and soon the others accompanied him.

“Et tu, Brute?”

“What can I say, mate. You make it too easy, aye.” When they all recovered from their laughter, Jane addressed herself to the gangster.

“Of course you’re invited too, Alfie.”

“And I will be there, for sure. Wouldn’t miss William’s speech for anything.” That was something that Daphne had missed, the friendly banter between Alfie and William, that brought a genuine smile to her face that didn’t escaped Alfie’s eyes.

“The betrayal. I thought we were friends, Solomons.” The doctor complained while Alfie just shrugged.

“What can I say, business is business, my friend.”

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“This had better be good to interrupt my holiday.” Polly rushes into the betting shop after John has opened the door that connects it to the house. It’s clear that she is in a hurry and in no mood to small talk.

“Where's the boy?” Arthur asked when she was putting her things on the table.

“In the back room. I only brought him because afterwards we're going to the museum.” Another obvious thing was that she didn’t wanted Michael involved in the family business, even though she knew it was an herculean task.

“He wanted to come in and say hello but...”

“Shut up, John. There is nothing of interest to Michael in this room.” Said nephew stopped talking altogether, looking a little dismayed. “Tommy, get on with it.”

“Last night, one of our men had his throat cut in Winson Green. This morning, I had a telegram to say it was Sabini who ordered it.”

“And it says here that Thomas Shelby's next.” Arthur added, ripping said telegram into pieces. Despite the death threat on his life, Thomas didn’t looked that concerned, like he wasn’t with most things. Just another day in the job.

“If our men think we can't look after them in prison, they'll not work for us. Sabini knows that. So we need to get the Green sorted out. Scudboat, you and one of the boys. Break a couple of windows and get yourselves arrested. I'll have our coppers get you into the Green and you can find the bastards who did it.”

“Instead of breaking a window, can we pinch a car?” All of the men, besides from Tommy, start laughing. “What? Everybody else is getting a bloody car. I'm still on a donkey.”

“All right, just get yourselves fucking arrested, it doesn't matter how. And before you all laugh, a boy is dead. He was just a kid. We'll start a fund for his family, Pol.”

“Agreed.” The woman says, solemnly. “So is that it? Can I go now?” She starts picking up her things just to hear Tommy talking again.

“Well, as company treasurer, I need your permission to spend a thousand guineas.” That makes her stop and look at him.

“On what?”

“On a horse.”

“A thousand guineas on a horse?”

“That's right.”

“When was this decided?” She starts passing, deep in thinking.

“You've been busy with Michael.” He knew that she would question it but this was a means to an end. Sometimes it was difficult to make people see what he saw. Even Polly.

“Oh, my God. So, in the absence of common sense, you boys have had an idea.”

“Polly there's a thoroughbred quarter-Arab filly up for auction at the Doncaster Blood Stock.” Polly looks at him.

“What do we want with a thousand guinea horse?” Tommy sighs, before explaining.

“When we make our move on Sabini's racing pitches, any men we get into the betting enclosure will be lifted by Sabini's police. A good racehorse is a passport to the owner's enclosure.”

“We'll be in there with all the toffs. Coppers won't know where to look.” Arthur adds and John accompanies him, excitedly.

“Yeah, the Epsom Derby, Pol. We'll be drinking with the bloody King.”

“The Derby? Did he say the Derby?” The glare Thomas gave to his younger brother erased the smile in John’s face while he lowered his head. The leader of the Peaky Blinders took a deep breath and cleared his throat before speaking.

“That's right. For the last ten years, Sabini has made it his race. If we're going to take him down, might as well make it there as a symbol.”

“Did you come up with this idea in a pub by any chance?” Her tone was drenched in pure sarcasm.

“Pol a good racehorse is an investment, like property. We need to diversify the portfolio.”

“So when is this sale?”

“Tomorrow.”

“And Tommy's had a death threat so we'll have to go with him for protection.” The older of the Shelby siblings explained.

“So, you're going to close up the shop, go out on a piss-up and blow a thousand guineas on a horse that's not even whole Arab?”

“Quarter Arab is better! Quarter Arab, it means...” Polly cuts him off.

“Curly, shut up.” The door that connects the betting shop to the house open to reveal Michael. Polly instantly looks reprovingly at John. “I thought I told you to lock that door.”

“He did. I used the key on the nail.” The younger boy explains. “Look, I've been listening. I want to go with them.”

“You see?!” The Shelby matriarch throws her arms up in exasperation while Tommy looks at his cousin.

“I love horses. I could even help!” The excitement mixed with hope that his mother would allow him to go with his cousins was evident in Michael’s face.

“Over my dead body.” The older woman said, crossing her arms.

“It'll be all right, Mum. I've been to loads of horse auctions before with my uncle. They're very respectable. People bring their butlers.”

“Yeah, and their posh wives!” Arthur said, smirking and taking a sip of his whiskey.

“And their mistresses.” Added John, elbowing his cousin while they laughed.

“Let him come, Polly.” Arthur tried to convince the woman. “We'll go there, buy a horse, come back.”

“I'll drop him back at the house in Sutton before it gets dark.” Promised John to his aunt.

“No. Fucking no.” Michael left the room slamming the door behind him, clearly upset. Polly looked at Thomas and after a minute that seemed to last too long, he treated to clear the room.

“All right, that's it. Back to work.” All of the men started to leave, going back to his own tasks. John stayed behind, approaching his aunt.

“Come on! Aunt Pol, when I was Michael's age, I'd killed a hundred men and seen a thousand die. If you want to scare that kid away forever, carry on how you are going. If you want him to stay, let him come.”

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Thomas couldn’t say that he was surprised to see his aunt entering his office later that day. After the incident with Michael earlier he expected that she would come around, he just didn’t predicted the reason why she wanted to talk to him.

“How’s Michael?” He asked when she took a sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk, his eyes not leaving the papers he was analyzing.

“Beaming with happiness now that he wored me down to go with you lot, tomorrow.” She answered with a sigh. “But that’s not what bought me here.”

“What it is then?”

“That woman” Polly started, waiting for his attention to be back on her, but he ignored it completely, the only reaction that she got was his pen freezing for a couple of seconds “the one you and Ada were taking to at the Garrison.”

“What about her?” His tone was dismissive, however, his aunt wasn’t foolish. She was pissed off with him that night at the reopening of the Garrison, but she most definitely saw his interaction with the unknown woman that had arrived and departed of the pub like smoke, but not before drawing all eyes to her.

“Who is she?”

“She is the woman who works with Solomons.” He hoped that would end with the interrogation but he wasn’t that lucky.

“The one you were curious about?” Tommy exhaled loudly, dropping the document he was currently reading to look at his aunt.

“Yeah, that would be her.”

“She knows our Ada.” She would have asked Ada about the woman if she had had the chance, – her niece certainly would be less evasive than Thomas -but her son had appeared at her door and the subject escaped to the back of her mind. Also, the gipsy woman needed to see his reaction to know if they were going to have another problem like they had with that barmaid.

“Yes, they know each other from London.”

“I want to meet her.” He wrinkled his forehead.

“Why?”

“Because the last time a woman caught your attention your judgment became clouded and we both know that it didn’t end well.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Maybe not yet, but I know the look in your eyes. She intrigues you. I noticed the first time you talked about her. I brushed it off because I thought it was just because of the business, but the way you behaved yourself around her that night at the Garrison tells me otherwise.” Thomas takes a deep breath but does not confirm or denies her suspicions.

“I’m certain that Ada can schedule tea for you three...”

“No. I want you to be there.” She wanted to see firsthand how he reacted to this girl because the last thing that Polly trusted was in men and their cocks. Thomas wasn’t the worst of the Shelby brothers in this topic – John was the man whore of the three of them – but since he was in charge of things in the family, the potential of trouble was higher.

“I will see what I can do.”

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“To the premises of Mr. Charles Strong, Small Heath.” The man wrote down on the book before looking up at Tommy. “What kind of premises?”

“Boat yard.” The Brummie answered unamused.

“Yachts?”

“Canals.”

“I'm curious. What is your business, Mr. Shelby?” The man asked, giving Tommy a piece of paper.

“Import, export.” Before he left, Tommy added. “But I also sell pegs and tell fortunes.”

“You beat us to it.” The feminine voice made him stop and turn around - it was the woman of the auction. The one who had been stealing glances at the gangster since they arrived.

“Did I?”

“I was trying to nab a filly for my stud.” Thomas knew that she was only trying to catch his attention, but he played along.

“Sorry.”

“Thomas Shelby from where?” He took a deep breath before answering.

“From Birmingham.”

“Goodness!” There was a certain amount of surprise in her voice, mixed with shock.

“No, not much.”

“May Carleton.” She extended her hand for him and he took it. “I breed racehorses and train them. What is it you do?”

“I rarely answer questions, is what I do.”

“Tommy, come on, hurry up! We've got to go!” Arthur shouted in the background, laughing.

“Well, before you go, if you ever decided to put that filly out, I'd be interested in having her.”

“I plan to race her.” She looked at him surprised.

“Do you have a trainer?”

“I know people.”

“I know people, too.” The woman replied giving Tommy her card.

“Tommy! We've got to get this kid back before dark or Polly will have your balls!” John shouted this time while they all laughed.

“She will have 'em!” Arthur quipped in.

“We know different people, I would guess.” Tommy just ignored his brother’s giggles in the background.

“My father knows Mick Hancock. Trained three Ascot winners.”

“Oh, so that was your father?” He was right, them. She was talking to him for a reason – a reason that didn’t involve the horse at all.

“Yes. We're joint owners of the stud. He took the majority share when my husband was killed. Ypres.”

“Tommy! We've got to get back to the caravans! The chickens are hungry!” May looked at them and chuckled before asking.

“So will you consider me?”

“I will consider you.”

“You still didn't tell me what you do.” Tommy turned to face her again.

“Oh, I do bad things. But you already know that.” She could be a good asset for their plan and maybe – hopefully - help him get his mind off of the damn mystery that was Daphne Scott.

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Things have been quite calm for Daphne since she received Jane’s invitation to be her maid of honor. She saw the girl almost daily now, helping her prepare everything that was needed for the ceremony in such a short time. To say that the youngest of the Weston’s siblings was beaming with joy would be an understatement – she was all smiles and compliments and it ended up rubbing off on Daphne, even if just a little bit.

She had met William a couple of times too, since he was involved in the preparations as much as her seeing that he wasn’t just the best man but also the bride’s older brother. He tried to sound annoyed in every meeting, but Daphne knew that he was happy for the couple, just worried that his little sister would be out of his sight from now on.

Alfie was an entirely different matter. Things had been as normal as you would expect between them. No more visits from Thomas Shelby, no more employees being knocked out cold, everything seemed to run smoothly. However, Daphne knew in her heart that something wasn’t right. More than once, she had caught him staring at her from the distance with a frown on his face, deep in thinking. He usually did not even noticed that she had caught him staring, but when he did, the Jew made quick work to turn the other way, pretending that nothing happened.

In all the years she had known him, Daphne never gave too much though about the reasons why he kept her around. Alfie wasn’t exactly what you could call “a man of his word”. She had seen him betray his associates for his own benefit more than once - and being brutally honest, she couldn’t say that if the roles were reversed she would have done different. With her, thought, he always had been anything but loyal. He had helped her in the moment she most needed and they constructed a strong bond. Strong enough for her to consider him family.

In all the years they have worked together, they learned how to read each other – that was one of the reasons why they functioned so well as partners. And that’s why she knew she wasn’t going crazy because he was, most certainly, hiding something from her. His words kept hammering in her head: “Do you trust me? Because sometimes I wish you didn’t.”.

“You look like Tommy.” Daphne blinked a few times while looking at Ada.

“What?”

“You do this thing of looking straight away, to nowhere, not blinking or moving while you’re deep in thinking. He does that sometimes.” Ada laughed when the other woman raised one eyebrow at her. “I can’t help it if you two have so much in common.” There was a pause while she poured the both of them another cup of tea. “He’s been asking about you.”

“Who?” Ada rolled her eyes, sitting down on the chair again.

“You know who. My knucklehead of a brother.” Daphne laughed at that while the other woman just observed her carefully. There was a hint of concern in her voice when she asked “Why is he so interested in you, Daph?”

“It’s not in me he’s interested in, it’s in my relationship with Alfie.” Or so she had been trying to convince herself. Since she last talked to Harriet Daphne had been trying to figure out what she felt towards the Brummie gangster, with no luck so far. It seemed that the much she thought about it more confused she was getting.

“Forgive me if I don’t believe in that for a second. I know my brother and the way he looks at you has nothing to do with curiosity about your relationship with Solomons.” Daphne had no answer to that so she took a sip of her tea trying to ignore Ada’s scrutinizing gaze.

“Just be careful, okay.”

“Ada, even if he is interested in me it doesn’t mean that anything will happen. Even if I was interested in him too.” Daphne regretted her words the moment they left her mouth.

“Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Interested in him?” There was a long silence where the two of them just stared at each other. “Just have in mind that Tommy usually gets what he wants and this not necessarily means that it will be what you want too.”

“Ada…”

“I really like you, Daph. And I know that deep down my brother is a good man. He’s just… Not the same since he came back from the war and I would hate to see him hurt you.” Neither of them had the time to address the subject further since Karl entered the room in a rush going straight to Daphne’s lap. As they both giggled at something that the little boy had done, the topic dissipated in the air. The unfinished conversation had to wait for another time.

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When they entered the pub everyone stood up, clapping their hands as they passed. Daphne just looked at Alfie and he only shrugged, a hand on her back to guide her through the crowd. Some of the people greeted her on their way to the mezzanine just beside the stage.

“I’ll bloody kill you, Solomons.” She said to him through clenched teeth and he laughed at her, whispering into her ear.

“No, you won’t love.” Despite being pissed off at him for ignoring her wishes of not doing anything at her birthday, Daphne couldn’t help but feel touched by his gesture.

“You tricked me into this.” He made her stop at the base of the stairs that lead to the mezzanine beside the stage, turning her to face him and resting his hands on her arms.

“I knew that it was the only way for you to come, don’t blame me for wanting to see you happy.” The young woman just nodded, ignoring all the eyes on them, before she let him lead her upstairs. She recognized almost all of the faces that turned to look at them when they arrived on the mezzanine – Ollie and his wife, Jane and Charles, William, Harriet, some of their work associates, Ada and Karl, but her eyes were instantly draw to a pair of blue irises fixed on her. His stare was so intense that she felt like getting lost in them, but the connection was broken when Karl escaped Ada’s arms and run right to her screaming “Dee Dee”, making everyone smile. She caught him by reflex while he hugged her.

“Mommy said that this was for you. She said it is your birrr…” He gave her a package that Daphne knew contained a book all the while struggling to say the word birthday. She smiled and kissed him on the check.

“Birthday, sweet pea.” Alfie chuckled behind them while Ada walked to them.

“That it.”

“What have I told you about running away from me, Karl?” It was always amazing to see Ada step into her motherly figure.

“But it was Dee Dee!” The boy protested snuggling into Daphne’s neck while the woman smiled.

“It doesn’t matter, you can’t do that, Karl.”

“It’s okay, Ada. He won’t do it again.” Karl straightened himself to look at Daphne. “Will he?”

“No, Dee Dee.” She smiled at him again and he gave her a kiss on the check. Ada could do nothing but shake her head.

“That’s a good boy.” Daphne placed him on the ground and Ada stepped closer to hug her.

“Happy Birthday, Daph. I know you hate it, but try and have some fun, will you?” They looked at each other for a moment.

“I won’t promise you anything.” The two smiled at each other and Ada hushed Karl back to where they were sitting so Daphne could talk to the other guests.

Jane almost knocked her out to the ground in a very good mimicking of what Karl had just done while everyone laughed. Charles was right behind her - the couple seemed to be stuck into a bubble of unbreakable happiness. William was trying – and failing miserably – to hide a smile right behind them.

“Trying to maintain your reputation of ‘The grumpy Weston’, I see.”

“Somebody has too.” He smiled, before hugging her. “Happy Birthday, Daph.”

“Okay, can you release her now? She’s not exclusively yours, you know?” They separated themselves from the embrace and laughed at Harriet standing right behind them, hands on her waist as if she was about to give them the scold of their lives.

“You and your wonderful timing, as always.” William huffed, rolling his eyes and receiving a slap on the arm from Daphne.

“Get away, lover boy.” The courtesan jested, smiling bright at Daphne before taking her in a hug like the others. “Are you okay?” The question was asked quietly, just for Daphne to hear. They kept each other close after they parted from the hug.

“I will be.” Harriet knew that it was a lie – Daphne was not okay, she would never be okay, not entirely and the sadness in her eyes proved that. She wanted to convince her friend that she could be happy, she should be happy, but sometimes the woman could be as headstrong as Alfie. Harriet just nodded and Daphne moved onto the next person that was waiting to greet her, with the Jew following her closely.

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The blood red of the dress contrasted with her skin and for a moment, Tommy let his eyes wander down her body. The sleeveless piece of clothing was sophisticatedly draped with intricate embroidery at the front, the velvet was loose on her curves, marked only at the waist but the back had a low-cut that showed a good amount of her skin, since her hair was loosely tied. The golden locket always around her neck.

Thomas felt pulled by her presence like a moth to a flame. He observed, curiously, as she crossed the room with Alfie right behind her, all eyes on her. Then it took him by surprise the way his nephew had run to her, hugging and kissing her as if she was family. He already knew that she and Ada were close but he was right in assuming – after Ada called her by a nickname – that their bond was stronger than he had predicted.

Polly noticed the way Tommy’s eyes were immediately attracted to the woman the moment she entered the pub. She took her time observing the girl too. It was undeniable that she was beautiful – all soft curves, long hair and a smile that could light up the whole room – but there was something more, something about the way she carried herself that made people captivated by her.

She watched Thomas observing the girl and immediately recognized the spark in his eyes – there was no denying that he was attracted to her, Polly wanted to know in what extent. The older woman saw the same spark in Daphne’s eyes when their eyes crossed just before Karl jumped into the woman’s arms. Her relationship with Ada was something that Polly would explore later, because there was no way that her niece would have left Karl around someone she didn’t trusted.

“That woman over there isn’t Harriet?” John’s voice broke the spell and Tommy looked at the woman his brother was talking about – it was the brunette, dressed in a tight navy blue skirt and white blouse mocking a the man who was hugging Daphne at the moment.

“Harriet? You must be crazy Jhonny, boy. This can’t be…” Arthur’s mouth fell open before he could finish the sentence.

“The owner of one of the most famous brothels in London?” John looked at the older Shelby, smugly, but Tommy’s attention was securely held by the interaction between Daphne and the man that had just hugged her. He seemed like one of those rich gentlemen that every mother wanted for their daughters at the same time that he held an air of rebellion. What made Thomas wary was the way his touch lingered on Daphne who seemed unbothered by it.

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Daphne graciously greeted everyone in the mezzanine – everyone except for the group of people watching her on the other side of the mezzanine. She looked at Alfie that just motioned for her to follow him.

“And I took the opportunity to invite the rest of the Shelby clam, so we could get acquaintance, aye. Now, you already know Tommy here, this is the rest of his family.”

“Arthur Shelby, at your service.” The eldest of the brothers kissed the back of Daphne’s hand, making her smile.

“Daphne Scott.”

“John Shelby, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He mimicked his older brother moves, a flirtatious smile on his face.

“Likewise. You aren’t supposed to have a wife, somewhere?” Arthur almost spat his drink trying to contain his laughter and John cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. Alfie chuckled behind her.

“She had to stay home with the kids.”

“Send her my regards, then.” He nodded at her, clearly not used being caught flirting like that. Daphne’s eyes then stopped in the older woman beside Thomas. She was staring at her quizzically but there was a hint of a smile on her features.

“Polly Gray.” She took a second too much to extend her hand for the younger woman to take, probably trying to make a point. Her grip was firm but so was Daphne’s – two could play at this game.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Ada talks greatly of you.” The girl knew how to play, Polly had to give her that. The way she handed John’s flirting showed that she knew how to handle herself and, most importantly, that she had done her fair share of research on them. By bringing Ada into the conversation right now, she was trying to gain the older woman’s good graces.

“Funny thing is that she never mentioned you.”

“I had to keep her away from the bunch of you or otherwise she would have left running.” Ada quipped in, having just arrived back at the mezzanine after going to the bathroom, before Daphne could say anything.

“Well, she is not running.” Her hazel eyes encountered Tommy’s when he spoke, keeping himself beside his aunt. Daphne held his gaze when she answered.

“It takes a lot more to make me run.”

“I hear that a happy birthday is in order.” He extended his hand to her, that she took without question, the touch lasting a minute longer than it should.

“Dee Dee, are you going to have a cake?” Daphne released Tommy’s hand to lower herself to Karl’s level before talking to the little boy.

“Maybe. Why? Will you want some?”

“’Cause when it’s your birrr…” She smiled again.

“Birthday.”

“Yeah, you have to blow the candles, right?”

“That’s right, lad. Do you want to go see if Daph’s cake is ready?” Daphne was amused at how shocked everyone looked when Alfie lowered himself at her side to talk with the little boy, who looked at him shyly. Karl looked at his mother who nodded at him, before looking at Daphne again.

“Will you help me blow out the candles?” He only nodded excitedly, before taking the hand that Alfie offered him and the two of them walked to the kitchen. When Daphne straightened herself, observing Alfie and Karl going down the stairs seemingly in a happy conversation, she directed herself to her friend. “That was a low blow, even for you.”

“What can I say, we play with the cards we have.”

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timedriving · 4 years

Text

Soundtrack of my Life

Rules: This game is basically you creating a movie soundtrack with the songs you have in your musical library. Open your music library and hit the shuffle button, so that the songs appear randomly. You then write down the first fiftteen songs. Those are the soundtrack, that is played during the following scenes:

Open Credits Scene, Waking Up Scene, An Ordinary Day Scene, Falling in Love Scene, The First Date/Eating Together Scene, Fight Scene, Brutal Death Scene, Nervous Breakdown Scene, Serious Monologue Scene, Driving A Car Or Some Other Vehicle Scene, Party! Scene, Kissing Scene, A Long, Lonely Night Scene, End Credits Scene

Open Credits Scene/Title Sequence: Westworld Main Theme - Ramin Djawadi

instrumental track

Waking Up Scene: The Night We Met - Lord Huron

I am not the only traveler Who has not repaid his debt I've been searching for a trail to follow again Take me back to the night we met

An Ordinary Day Scene: Pollen and Salt - Daphne Loves Derby

I have been holding my breath, For too many nights in a row, And somewhere on coastlines unknown to me You paint your dreams, With reds and blues and greens. Yeah, you're painting daffodils by the sea, Without me

Falling In Love Scene: 100 Years - Five for Fighting

I'm fifteen for a moment Caught in between ten and twenty And I'm just dreaming Counting the ways to where you are I'm twenty two for a moment She feels better than ever And we're on fire Making our way back from Mars Fifteen there's still time for you Time to buy and time to lose Fifteen, there's never a wish better than this When you only got hundred years to live

The First Date/Eating Together Scene: All Our Lives - Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

I saw this old friend at the Eveleigh bar Life hadn't treated him so well A heart so gold, and words so blue In a body home from hell He said, "If I could tell you one thing, I would tell you this: There's only one mistake that I have made It's giving up the music in my fingertips By trying to get to heaven through my veins."

FIGHT! Scene: Livin’ On A Prayer - Bon Jovi

She says, we've got to hold on to what we've got It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not We've got each other and that's a lot for love We'll give it a shot Woah, we're half way there Woah, livin' on a prayer Take my hand, we'll make it I swear Woah, livin' on a prayer

Brutal Death Scene: Message in a Bottle - The Police

Just a cast away, an island lost at sea, oh Another lonely day, no one here but me, oh More loneliness than any man could bear Rescue me before I fall into despair, oh

Nervous Breakdown Scene: 21 Guns - Green Day

Do you know what's worth fighting for When it's not worth dying for? Does it take your breath away And you feel yourself suffocating? Does the pain weigh out the pride? And you look for a place to hide? Did someone break your heart inside? You're in ruins

Serious Monologue Scene: Death of a Bachelor - Panic! At the Disco

Do I look lonely? I see the shadows on my face People have told me I don't look the same Maybe I lost weight I'm playing hooky with the best of the best Put my heart on my chest so that you can see it, too

Driving A Car Or Some Other Vehicle Scene: Losing My Religion - R.E.M.

That's me in the corner That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion Trying to keep up with you And I don't know if I can do it Oh no, I've said too much I haven't said enough

Party! Scene: Crying Over You ◐ - HONNE (ft. BEKA)

And I don't know why I've been crying over you For the life of me, I wish that I knew And I don't know, just how much more I can go through Man oh man I wish I knew, I've been crying over you

Kissing Scene: Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

With the lights out, it's less dangerous Here we are now, entertain us I feel stupid and contagious Here we are now, entertain us A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido Yeah, hey

A Long, Lonely Night Scene: Sea of Dreams - Oberhofer

You'll find me In a sea of dreams Where no one cares about my words I hear her voice She laughs now She loves me now and always did

End Credits Scene: Secrets - OneRepublic

Oh, got no reason, got no shame Got no family I can blame Just don't let me disappear I'ma tell you everything So tell me what you want to hear Something that will light those ears Sick of all the insincere So I'm gonna give all my secrets away

Tagged by: @theprinceof-gothamcity

Tagging: @lantern-2814-1 (both hal & bobby!), @xnonxnocerex (ava!), and anyone else who gives a shit about this and wants to try it

#[ what the fuck kind of movie is rip IN #i like the idea that his party music is just something slow dance-y and miserable #seems fitting for him #and the kiss scene is fucking...smells like teen spirit.............#feral top energy all around i see ]#IC MEME.#[ thanks for this!! this was really fun #and also a neat excuse to see that my rip playlist is #actually pretty fitting to his life... considering...#a number of these songs match pretty well ;;;;;;;;; ]

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grapeinacape-blog · 5 years

Text

The Cold Hand, by Alex Goodwin

This story is entirely based on true events of the occurrences in Longstanton, from the dates of the 10th of April 2017, to the 24th of November 2017. The case can be followed through newspapers and is often referred to as the ‘High Street Dismemberment’.

As a quiet village, the happenings were kept to a minimum. Most people knew each other well and I was one of such villagers. The crime rates were low, maybe because it was such a small place, or maybe because it was such a slow town. There were dog walkers and day drinkers, as all places offer.

But when the murder happened, it’s like they went into limbo. It was on the news first thing Tuesday morning. A murder so horrible, it shocked everyone as to the lengths some people will go to. It was dramatically horrific, a dismembered body, all bloody as it lay for the world to see in the middle of High Street. Her head lay, like a ragdoll, mucky blonde hair covered her slim face, whilst her torso lay in the middle, on her back, chest torn out as if ravaged by a wild animal. But no animal, the report said, could have removed her legs so expertly, crossed them beneath her as though creating a symbol which beckoned a silent prayer, to a God that did not exist. For if He existed, He would not have let this happen.

Passers-by stared in horror. People screamed. The cameras could show no footage and the police were baffled. It took 4 days for her to be identified.

“Her name is Lisa Hightower, she’s 26 years old and is from Derby. She was visiting friends in the village. They were concerned when she didn’t return home, though had received a text stating she was staying with a gentleman that night and returning the next day. It is in both her and the public’s, best interest to find this gentleman and understand what he knows. If anyone saw any suspicious behaviour the night of the 9th of April, call us now. If you have seen this woman, let us know.”

After watching the report, viewers stayed to watch the image of a pretty woman on their screen. No longer mucky, her wavy blonde hair fell to her shoulders and her face was no longer obstructed. Slim cheeks, with a round chin and small nose. Tight lips stretched into a smile painted with red. Bright blue eyes that shone as she posed in front of the camera. She never thought it would end up here, not like this. She had dreams, like so many others do. She wished to be on the stage, acting and singing. She’d done a couple of hits in the musicals, back in Derby and had caught a bug for it.

She was a kind woman, she spared a moment for everyone, which is what ended her life in the end. She stopped to chat in the middle of anywhere she went. She was always smiling and just had such a pure heart. That’s why it was such a crime that she’d been taken, because what could the motive be if no one was out to get her? Did it mean that everyone was at risk of being ripped apart in the middle of the street?

The town was abuzz, all wondering who, or what, could have done something as cruel as this to such a bright young woman.

“Must be a sick man, that one. Some sickening fantasy to get into her pants, then rip her apart. Poor girl, she had her whole life ahead of her.”

“I’ll tell you what they should do, they should string him up. Hang him and cut him apart. Death penalty’s too good for him, I say.”

When a man was finally found, they found themselves eating their words. All talk, no play, apparently. This story is a difficult one to tell. It was as though the facts unravelled themselves before your very eyes in slow motion. Watching Detective Hall beg the public for information, to his grave announcement that the man in question had been found. Curled blonde hair was found in Joseph Mackenzie’s bed, clumps of it in his bag, along with a knife. Though apparently the end of the case, it seemed we would have no luck.

“Joseph Mackenzie has been found in his apartment. His time of death approximates to half an hour before that of Lisa Hightower. Though our main suspect, he has now been ruled out. Once again, we ask for any information as to their whereabouts that night. Lisa Hightower must have left the apartment.”

This shook the village even more. Many of them read between the lines. Not only had their main suspect been eliminated, but he was their only suspect. They were back to square one. Now, many of the followers of this investigation knew a few things about crime. They knew, that not only was this a horrible crime, but that no sane man could live with himself having destroyed not only one, but two people in this way. He’d have to come forward at some point or another.

Joseph was not found in the same way as Lisa. He was not bare, for the world to see, every part detached from the other. No, he was a break in the pattern, they said. Though, how a pattern could be established after one killing, is unusual. Joseph lay in his bed, as though sleeping. His ruffled hair in his eyes, his shirt strewn amongst the rest of his possessions on the ground. It was only when the duvet was pushed off him that they noticed the gaping hole where his stomach once lived.

On his bedside table was a picture of his four-year-old son, Samuel. It seemed clear to everyone that the murderer’s only intent was ruining lives and pulling people apart the most gruesome way possible. Again, the quiet village was thrown into limbo. People became scared to leave their houses. They were assured it was a one-time murder. But the locals weren’t convinced.

It took months before there were any developments, leaving months for people to return to their normal lives and all but forget the case that had shook them. There was no news from the police, until we watched as a man was dragged, kicking and screaming from the local pub. Greying hair, thin-framed glasses and the beginnings of a beer belly.

The officers in charge, had managed to trace the text that Lisa had sent, back to her location at the time. After finding this, they then managed to follow that trace. She’d had her location on the whole night. After drinking, she made her way back to Joseph’s apartment. She was there for approximately an hour, before leaving the flat and making her way towards Stevenson’s Road. Walking down it, it seemed Lucas was awake, inviting the girl in. She stood outside for an extended period of time, refusing to go in. With his wife away, maybe that was what encouraged the desperate plea for companionship. The phone followed her into the house eventually. And there it remained, down the back of the sofa. The murderer had then planted evidence both at Mackenzie’s residence and elsewhere to remove himself from the murder completely. But it hadn’t worked as well, as he’d hoped.

“Clever, isn’t it? That phone could’ve saved her life. That phone is bringing the darling the justice she deserves.”

Lucas refused to talk for weeks. He did not deny the charges, he was too scared to. He did not agree to ever meeting, nor tearing the young lady apart. He simply sat, tight lipped, staring at the wall.

“Lucas Bell, you’re being held here for the suspected murder of both Lisa Hightower and Joseph Mackenzie. Remind us of your whereabouts on the 9th of April.”

“I was at home.” The quiet voice replied, to the officer that sat opposite him.

“Anyone able to prove that?”

After a pause, Lucas had replied with a simple shake of his head.

His family had been away for the week and by being away they had permitted the murder of Lisa. Following his few answers, he lapsed back into a silence. There were no ‘no comments’, nor more movements of the head. He simply lost the urge to fight back.

He was charged with two accounts of murder. By the time the court date arrived, Lucas Bell was a sunken shell of a man. The growing beer belly had disappeared, and his clothes hung off him. His hair was all grey now, except for the few streaks of black that still remained. His face was hollow and when the jury met his eyes, there was nothing there. His lawyer tried, but Lucas gave him nothing to work with. He just stood there, staring.

It didn’t take too long for Lucas to be sentenced to life in prison.

“After one of the most horrific cases I have come across in my time here, there is no doubt that Lucas Bell must be found guilty on both accounts.”

Once again, the small village was stunned into silence. I don’t know, to this day, whether it was relief that this man was off the streets and serving time for such a horrid display of human nature. Or whether it was shock, that the man that lived so close to all of us, that drank our beer and bought our food, had been capable of something like that. A normal man, with a lovely wife, 2 children and a grandchild on the way.

In a way, that’s what all this was for, really. Lucas Bell exposed humans for what they are and in turn gave this village an entertainment. Now, even a year later, Lucas still hasn’t said anything. He is no longer a sunken man, but barely a man at all. Empty not only physically, but emotionally.

Blood stains the High Street, even when washed away. And blood stains a man’s hand, even when scrubbed away. Red, raw hands that remind him of the price he had to pay. Was it all worth it?

***

“’Alex Goodwin’s novel has hit the shelves like a tidal wave. It offers inner details of the tragedy that struck Longstanton. Experience dark interviews with the police and descriptions of the images that have been kept from the public eye. Now a bestseller, it’d be an absolute murder not to pick the book up today.’ I bet you were glowing from the response your story received.”

“It’s true, I was shocked by the amount of feedback I received on my work. I’d always written crime novels. My other work features fictional accounts, however. Such as ‘The End.’, ‘No Rest For the Wicked.’ But nothing worked as well as this did. I’d known for a while I should write a real-life account of a crime, but everything had been done. I needed something new, fresh and local.”

The recorders were switched off and I felt myself relax in my chair, as the assistant brought through my coffee.

“Can I get you anything else?”

Smiling up at the woman, I take a moment. That’s what it’s all about, really. Using this newfound hierarchy to see what I could have, if I really wanted it. And I did really want it.

“You know, for my story I used a research method of conflation of information that had been given by the officers, and Lisa’s family and friends.”

I let my hand brush across hers as I reach for the coffee. I’m certain her cheeks go pink, though I don’t need to look to check.

“Very clever, Mr Goodwin. We’ve just got a couple more questions, before we finish up here. Is that alright?”

“Of course, dear. And what are you doing once we’re finished?”

She doesn’t reply to that, leaving the room as I sip at my coffee, staring at the wall as I wait for the others to return with her. I don’t have to wait very long, though I’ve already drunk half my coffee now. The recorders are switched on again.

“How long had you been writing before ‘The Cold Hand’?”

“Oh, years. With no success of course.”

“You’re a young man, Alex. You had lots of your life ahead of you, why were you so desperate to get the fame now?”

“Good looks don’t get you everywhere.” I laugh.

It’s true. I think, truly, if looks got you anywhere at all, this woman would be a lot prettier than she is. And the man beside her wouldn’t be a balding middle-aged one, but a fit, toned young man.

“You like a good-looking person though, don’t you?” It comes off as an accusation, but I shrug it off.

“Who doesn’t?”

“And Lisa Hightower was one such woman.”

“She was very pretty, yes.”

Putting my coffee cup down I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Well then, tell us again, if you can, Mr Goodwin, your whereabouts on the night of the 9th of April.”

“No comment.”

“Did you threaten Lucas Bell’s wife and family, so that he would take the fall?”

“No comment.”

“Why kill Lisa Hightower?”

“Why does anyone do anything, Inspector? I deserved my big break. And I got it.”

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claudia1829things · 5 years

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"MAD MEN" Observations: (3.07) "Seven Twenty-Three"

fter a recent re-watch of the "MAD MEN" Season Three episode, (3.07) "Seven Twenty-Three", I found myself compelled to post several observations about it:

"MAD MEN" OBSERVATIONS: (3.07) "Seven Twenty-Three"

*Don Draper In "Seven Twenty-Three", famous hotelier Conrad Hilton, whom advertisement executive Don Draper had first met in (3.03) "My Old Kentucky Home", paid a visit to the latter's office and revealed his intent to hire Sterling Cooper to handle the promotion of his New York hotels. This piece of good news turned sour when Lane Pryce, Roger Sterling and Bert Cooper revealed that Hilton’s attorneys refused to go ahead with the deal unless Don sign an official contract with his employers. Naturally, Don was reluctant to sign one. He had been living under an assumed name for the past thirteen years, when he switched identities with his Army commanding officer (the real Don Draper). Nor did he want to be bound or obliged to anyone without having the power and opportunity to walk away whenever the opportunity might arise. After Don had a confrontation with wife Betty over his refusal to sign a contract, he left the house to go joyriding in the countryside. There, he picked up a young couple, who claimed they were on their way to get married at Niagara Falls. As it turned out, they were a pair of scam artists who fed Don some pills, took him to a cheap motel, knocked him out and stole his money. I never understood this need of the series' fans to divide the main character into two personas. There was only one Dick Whitman, after all. He was both the rural-born offspring of a dead prostitute and a crude farmer . . . and the brilliant creative advertising executive. The reason why Dick (or should I say Don) could emotionally connect with some people and barely at all with others may have been due to the fact that he had assumed another man’s name by fraudulent means. It is not surprising that he has only been willing to reveal some of his true nature to those he believe he may never see again - or in the case of Rachel Mencken and schoolteacher Suzanne Farrell - someone with whom he thought he could connect. It also seemed natural to me that Don had never bothered to sign an official contract with Sterling Cooper. No contract had allowed him to be a free agent even though he has decided to remain at Sterling Cooper. It also meant that Don would be able to bolt without any legal redress, if needed. Well, Don’s years as a free agent at Sterling Cooper ended in ”Seven Twenty-Three”. Especially since by the end of the season, he became one of the owners of a new firm - Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (SCDP). Oddly enough, Don’s encounter with another self-made man - Conrad Hilton - had led him to being finally bound to a contract. This led to a temporary breach with his boss and future partner, Roger Sterling. It also temporarily damaged his close relationship with copywriter and protégée Peggy Olson. The new contract made Don realize - and not for the last time - that wife Betty might be a lot more formidable than he had probably imagined. Don’s argument with Betty led him to commit one of his more destructive maneuvers when things got rough . . . he took off. Unlike his trip to California in Season Two, Don did not go very far. Instead, he picked up a hitchhiking couple claiming to be on their way to Niagara Falls in order to elope. But instead of eloping, they fed Don some pills and later clocked and robbed him inside a cheap motel. As his dad, Archie Whitman, had indicated in his hallucination, Don had become slightly soft. This seemed even more apparent when senior partner Bert Cooper blackmailed him into finally signing a contract. When Cooper had dismissed Pete Campbell’s exposure of Don as a fraud and identity thief back in Season One’s (1.12) "Nixon vs. Kennedy", I bet Don never thought the old man would eventually use those allegations against him. And yet . . . while signing that contract, Don demanded that Roger Sterling stay away from him. How interesting. Roger tried to use Betty to coerce him into signing the contract. Cooper sunk even lower and used Don’s secrets to blackmail him and succeed. Perhaps Don realized that Roger (given his questionable standing in the firm with the British owners) made an easier target for his wrath than two powerful men like Conrad Hilton and Bert Cooper. If so, it did not say very much about Don. Some fans had believed that Don’s new contract was a sign of his eventual downfall. I cannot say that I agree with this. In fact, this downfall never really materialized. Every time Don faced a personal crisis in the past – Pete Campbell and Bert Cooper’s discovery of his secret in Season One, his late Season Two estrangement from Betty, and Duck’s takeover plans – he had managed to survive or come on top, as the formation of SCDP proved.

*Betty Draper The episode also featured a subplot for Betty Draper. After joining the Tarrytown, New York chapter of Junior League, she received a request to find someone with political ties to prevent the construction of a giant water tank that they feared would ruin the scenic view. Betty contacted Henry Francis, one of Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s aides that she had first met in "My Old Kentucky Home". The two met at a local bakery in Ossing for drinks and pastries. And although Francis hinted that he might not be able to help the Junior League prevent the water tank’s construction, he made it obvious that he was just as attracted to Betty, as she was to him. Francis had also pointed out a chaise lounge that Betty later purchased for her living room. A chaise lounge that her decorator obviously disliked. Betty’s story arc did not provide any jaw dropping moments for me. But I did notice a few things. One, she must have been seriously attracted to Henry Francis. I never realized it when Season Three first aired. I found it interesting that not only did she remember Henry from Roger’s Kentucky Derby garden party, she also seemed to be in a slight state of heat whenever she around him. This especially seemed obvious when Henry shielded her eyes from the sun during an eclipse. But more importantly, she went ahead and purchased the Victorian chaise lounge that Henry had earlier pointed out to her when they passed an antique store. Many saw the chaise lounge as an example of Betty’s desire to be some "helpless damsel in distress" that occasionally fainted. I found that image hard to accept. Despite the ladylike persona that Betty tended to project, she never struck me as that kind of woman. However, I had noticed how she caressed her body in a suggestive manner – especially in the very spot where Henry had touched her, when she was still pregnant with Eugene. So . . . yeah, she was very attracted to him. In fact, Henry ended up becoming her second husband. I should have known. I also noticed that by Season Three, Betty had become more assertive in her attitude toward Don. After all, audiences first received a whiff of this trait back in Season Two's (2.04) "Three Sundays", when she ordered Don to take Sally to work with him during their son Bobby’s small medical emergency. Yet, Betty’s assertiveness became increasingly obvious in Season Three. This was certainly apparent in her refusal to cave in to Don’s disapproval over their new son’s name in (3.06) "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency"; and in their confrontation over Don’s refusal to sign a contract with Sterling Cooper. I had always suspected that underneath the girlish and shallow exterior lurked a formidable woman. This was verified when Betty finally learned about Don's true identity later in the season.

*Peggy Olson Peggy Olson’s storyline in this episode began in (3.05) "The Fog", in which she was contacted by former Sterling Cooper employee, Duck Phillips. In that episode, he had tried to recruit both Peggy and accounts executive Pete Campbell to the agency he now works for - Gray. Peggy had contemplated his offer, but refused. When Peggy asked Don for a raise in the same episode, the latter refused her request. In "Seven Twenty-Three", Duck continued his wooing of Peggy and Pete with gifts. When Pete pointed out that Duck’s wooing might be an attempt for the older man to get back at Don for snowballing him in the Season Two finale, (2.13) "Mediations in an Emergency", Peggy became determined to return the gift. Which she did after leaving work. However, her visit to Duck’s hotel suite also led to an evening of some very enjoyable sex for them both. I found it interesting that Peggy thought she knew a lot about Don. She knew that he was an adulterer, thanks to her rescue of both him and Bobbie Barrett in Season Two’s (2.05) "The New Girl". In "Seven Twenty-Three", she first discovered that he could be incredibly cruel. And it would not be the last time. Season Three had not been particularly kind to Peggy. Following her revelation to Peter Campbell about their illegitimate child, he became hostile toward her. And despite being the first copywriter to acquire a private office following Freddie Rumsen’s departure, the respect that she deserved continued to evade her. Don had ignored her misgivings about the Patio commercial in (3.02) "Love Among the Ruins". In (3.05) "The Fog", Peggy asked for a raise after discovering that she was the firm’s lowest paid copywriter and Don rejected her request. And when she asked to work on the Hilton account, Don (who was already in a foul mood after learning that Sterling Cooper wants him to sign a contract) rejected her request in the cruelest manner possible. He accused Peggy of using his coattails to rise in Sterling Cooper’s Creative ranks. His accusation and manner left Peggy shocked and speechless. When Peggy appeared at Duck’s hotel room to return his gift, I doubt that she had any intention of having sex with him. Did Duck plan to sexually seduce Peggy? I do not know. And since I have no idea of Duck’s intention, I am not going to pretend that I do or speculate. I do have to wonder if the prevalent negative attitude toward Duck has led many fans to believe that he had intended to seduce her. I do recall Peggy complimenting Duck’s turtleneck sweater when they first met in "The Fog". I also noticed something else. Once Peggy and Duck were in bed together, they seemed turned on by each other. A good number of viewers had expressed disgust at Peggy’s sexual tryst with Duck, using their 20-something age difference as an excuse. But Joan Harris and Roger Sterling were (and still are) roughly fifteen years apart in age during their affair. Even back then, Joan was slightly older and more experienced during her affair with Roger. But Peggy is not some blushing virgin. She was already sexually experienced and had given birth to Pete’s son in (1.13) "The Wheel". She even managed to seduce some college kid in "Love Among the Ruins" as a test of her sexuality. Yet, many fans expressed disgust at her tryst with Duck. Even worse, they labeled her as some sexually naïve woman who found herself seduced and manipulated by an older man. I must be honest. I found that perception of Peggy rather offensive. At age 24, Peggy was young and probably upset over Don’s outburst. But as I had stated earlier, she was not naïve by this time in the series. I suspect that Peggy had simply used Duck’s offer of great sex to derive some kind of pleasure following her disastrous meeting with Don. Many fans had also predicted disastrous consequences from Peggy and Duck’s tryst. Nothing that drastic had occurred. Instead, Peggy had quietly distanced herself from Duck by Season Four, despite his drunken reaction at the time. But I do believe that she had paid an emotional consequence for rejecting Duck's offer at Gray's. At least for a few years.

#mad men #mad men season 3 #don draper #jon hamm #betty draper #betty francis #january jones #henry francis #christopher stanley #duck phillips #mark moses #pete campbell #vincent kartheiser #chelsie ross #conrad hilton #peggy olson #elisabeth moss

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indescribablechoices · 6 years

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Weight of the World - Part Three of Enchanting (TRR)

Enchanting follows the story of Liam and Alicia (MC)’s daughter Lyra as she enters the social season in search of a husband. Familiar faces, sibling shenanigans and naturally; romance, all await along the way.

Part One/Part Two/

Tag List - @brightpinkpeppercorn @iknewyoudcome@mitalijoshi@mynameiskaylabella @museofbooks (just drop me a reply or a message if you would like to be tagged)

Summary - After receiving news of the King’s declining health, the Rys children race to Valtoria to find out news of their father.

Rating - Teen; nothing extremely mature, but discussions of illness and death. (Also please excuse my bullshit use of medical stuff. They never explained Constantine’s illness, but I’m trying to emulate something similar.)

Word count - 3375

Enchating Masterlist

Heart slamming hard in her chest, Lyra made her way away from the lawn party and towards the stables. With shaking hands she pulled her phone out of her clutch and began typing out a message to her siblings.

Charlie Foxtrot. Stables. Now.

***

“What’s going on?” Eli asked as he and the others walked into the stable and found Lyra leaning against a barrel of feed, “I was finally starting to talk to Edward and you called us all away.”

“It must be serious to be pulling out the old military slang,” Drake pointed out.

“It… It’s Dad,” she told them, “His illness flared up and he passed out in the car. They took him straight to Valtoria. Bastien said that a doctor has stabilised him for now.”

“Fuck,” Drake let out a hard breath, pulling Leona into a hug as she instantly reached for him.

“Mom asked me to stay here and keep the peace, but I’m not sitting here and doing nothing,” Lyra said, “Bastien is going to quietly disperse the party and there’s a car coming to take us there now.”

“I thought he was getting better,” Leona said quietly, voice softened by tears.

“We all did,” Lyra sighed, wrapping her arms around herself, “This might just be a one-off incident. With the ball last night and the Derby today, it might have been too much for him. I knew we should have put this whole affair off for one more year.”

Eli put an arm around her shoulder, “Don’t put this on yourself. Dad wanted you to go ahead. He said he wants to see you get married, remember?”

She sniffed back tears of her own, “Yeah, I remember.” The rumble of an engine from outside caught her attention and she stepped towards the door, “We should get going.”

They all piled into the car, sitting comfortably behind the blacked-out windows as the car rolled down the long driveway and onto the road. The drive to Valtoria would take a few hours, but none of them had it in them to speak. There was nothing they could say.

King Liam had been diagnosed with a rare illness two years ago. At first it had seemed like nothing, he was slowing down, getting out of breath more easily, having pains in his chest and his head. He had insisted that he was fine, but when Alicia and the kids had finally convinced him to see a doctor, the results had been devastating. The illness was similar to that of his father’s. There was no definitive answer as to how long he would live or how quickly it would progress, but more research was being conducted every day. If he slowed down his duties and stuck to the medication they gave him, his condition could be manageable, and he could live for many years yet. And for the past few months, he had gotten better. Liam had found a new lease of life, insisting that his daughter undergo her social season this year. He had promised her that no matter what happened, however his health affected his duties as king; he would walk her down the aisle at her wedding.

But if his health was about to take a decline, Lyra didn’t know what that would mean for the future. She understood that one day, she would be queen. She had always hoped that it would be years from now, after she had a family of her own, and her father would retire to spend his twilight years free of the duty of being king with her mother, and she would take on the crown. But she didn’t have years. She didn’t even know if she would have months.

She wasn’t ready.

They arrived at Valtoria a few hours later and as soon as the car stopped, they all clambered out and headed indoors. Their Uncle Drake was at the front door waiting for them, dressed sharply from the Derby, but he still carried the ear piece and gun that went with his bodyguard uniform.

“Bastien phoned ahead to say you were coming,” he said, embracing them one by one in hugs, “I told your Mom that there was no way you’d stay at the palace.”

“Too damn right,” Eli said.

“How is he now?” Lyra asked as her godfather led them inside, heading for the main suites.

“The docs got him stabilised and he’s woken up,” he told her, then laughed softly, “The first thing he did was make sure that this hadn’t ruined your day.”

She let out a soft breath, “He never changes.”

“Never,” he agreed, pushing open the door and leading them into the main sitting room. All of their parents’ friends were sat together, obviously nervously awaiting the arrival of the Rys children. Everyone leapt up to greet them, hugs and words of comfort exchanged.

“Your Mom is in there with him,” Hana told them, nodding towards the master bedroom, “He’s probably still awake if you want to go see him.”

The four of them headed for their parents’ bedroom, Lyra entering first with her siblings close behind her. Her father was tucked up in bed, medical equipment attached to him, a simple IV drip and a heart monitor but it still felt like a kick in the gut to see him like that. His eyes were closed, his hand held tightly by their mother who sat by his bedside, but they opened when his children walked in.

“You all came,” he said quietly, meeting Lyra’s eyes.

“Of course we did,” she nodded, “We came as soon as we heard.”

“But the picnic…” he started to say but she crossed the room and sat on the side of the mattress, putting her hand on top of where her mom’s was.

“We’re here now, that’s what matters,” she insisted.

The others gathered around his bedside, Leona clambering onto the other side of the bed to give her dad a kiss on the cheek, Eli propping himself up by his feet, and Drake standing behind their mom’s chair, a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Tears glistened in the queen’s eyes as she offered them a smile, “You lot have never listened to me.”

“And we don’t intend to start,” Eli returned her smile.

The family chatted for a while, Liam asking about their thoughts on the Derby and Natalia’s win, about how the beginning of the picnic was and whether Regina had started the croquet on her own without them there. But as he made the others smile and laugh, Lyra could feel a tension building in her chest until she eventually snapped.

“Is no one going to address the elephant in the room?” she demanded, her eyes turning to her father, “I know we don’t want to talk about it, but what did the doctor say about your illness?”

They all fell silent, having all been content to ignore the pain that would come with any news about the King’s health. They all knew that it couldn’t be good, but no one wanted to be the one to bring it up.

Liam let out a heavy sigh, glancing at his younger children, “I need to speak to your sister alone.”

“But…” Leona began to protest but her mother stood up.

“Come on, let’s go and sit with the others,” she insisted, “No doubt your Uncle Maxwell is winding Aunt Olivia up something terrible.”

They begrudgingly nodded and followed her out of the room, Drake shooting Lyra a supportive smile as he closed the door behind them.

“Dad…” Lyra said quietly, but he took hold of her hand and squeezed it.

“Please, let me say what I have to say first,” he met her eyes, “The news wasn’t good. My body has begun to reject my medication. Hence what happened earlier. Continuing with my current treatment will kill me in a matter of days.”

Tears filled her eyes at his words and she held his hand tighter, “When can they develop something else?”

“They can’t. At least not in time,” he told her.

She let out a wavering breath, “There has to be something they can do.”

“They can make me comfortable,” he said, “Try and keep me stable to see me through the next few months. But after that…”

“No,” she whispered, “That… That can’t be it.”

“I’m so sorry,” tears of his own glistened in his eyes, “I thought I’d have more time.” He swallowed hard and blinked a few times, “But now more than ever we have to make sure that the throne stays strong. The next few weeks will decide the future of Cordonia. And I’m so sorry to put this on your shoulders.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly.

“You’ve always been so strong,” he hummed, “Even when you were a child. Do you remember the first time you tried the crown on?”

She nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks, “It was far too big for my head, but you taught me how to wear it properly.”

“You held your head high like a true Queen,” he said, “No matter what comes in these next few months, I know you’ll do me proud. You always have. And I know that when the season is over, you’ll make the right decision.”

“I will. For Cordonia,” she nodded.

“And for you,” he reminded her, “Strong leadership is important, but I need to know that you’re happy.”

She smiled at him, “I’ll make the right choice.”

“Good,” he said, resting back against his pillows slightly, “Now, head on out with everyone else. Your mom was going to fill them in. But I wanted to be the one to tell you; King to future Queen.”

She nodded, sniffing back her tears as she held her head strong, “Get some rest, Dad.”

He gave her hand one final squeeze and she slipped out of the room, wiping her cheeks as she went. In the main sitting room, there were plenty of tears still being shed over the news. There was obvious relief that there was still a potential amount of time with Liam, however short, but the inevitability of it all was taking its toll.

Her mother was on her feet immediately and pulling her into her arms. Lyra held her back for a moment before she stepped out of her embrace.

“What’s the plan?” she asked, “I assume Bastien was able to disperse the picnic without incident.”

Alicia nodded, recognising the tone of leadership that her daughter had learned from Liam. She knew she was hurting, but Lyra had always believed in putting her duty about everything else.

“Bastien and Regina made sure that all was well, made the excuse of a gas leak in the kitchen; nothing serious but for everyone’s safety they had to evacuate the premises. They’re on their way here now with your Uncle Leo and your cousins,” she told her.

“How long can we stay here before we start raising suspicions?”

“I expect some suspicions are already raised, but we’ll deal with that. We can stay till the morning.”

“Good,” Lyra said quietly, “If you’ll all excuse me, I… I need a moment.”

Before anyone could say a word, or any of her siblings could reach for her to comfort her, she left the room, heading into her bedroom and closing the door. She stripped quickly out of the dress and hat she had worn to the Derby, instead pulling on her jeans and oversized grey jumper. She slipped out through one of the side doors and headed outside.

She wound her way through the garden paths to the little section of garden that had always been theirs. As children, this area had held a summer house, a slide, a set of monkey bars, and a large trampoline. As they had grown, it had all been packed away, leaving it as a beautiful private space for the family with seating and even a grill so her father could attempt to give them a ‘traditional American experience’ even though he always burned the hotdogs. The swing that hung from the large tree in the middle still remained, matching the one that sat at the heart of the maze in the palace grounds exactly.

Lyra sat herself on the seat, letting out a long breath as her hands gripped the ropes that held it up. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there for, trying to wrap her head around what had just happened when she heard footsteps approaching.

“I want to be alone right now,” she called out, her eyes not leaving the ground.

“You sure that’s what you really want, Sunshine?”

Her head snapped up and she saw Bartie standing there, hands in his pockets, hair a mess where he had obviously been running his hands through it. She was on her feet immediately and she had her arms around him. He held her back, wrapping his arms tightly around her torso to keep her close.

A sob wracked through her as she buried her face in his shirt. He shushed her softly, running a hand over her blonde curls.

“It’s alright,” he said quietly, “Let it out.”

She sobbed harshly in his arms, barely able to catch her breath as everything that she had desperately been trying to hold in came crashing out. He held her for what felt like hours, but Lyra knew was only a matter of minutes. She felt physically exhausted, her breath wavering as she leaned against him.

He took her by the hand and led her across the garden to a covered seating area and sat her down on one of the pillow-covered benches. He sat beside her then reached into his jacket’s inner pocket and pulled out a small flash. He unscrewed the cap and handed it to her. She took it without question and gave it a hearty swig, only grimacing a little at the taste of the burning whiskey. When she handed it back to him, he took a swig of his own, then slipped his jacket off, wrapping it around her shoulders.

“I must look such a mess,” she whispered, pulled the jacket closer around her as she leaned into his side.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, “You’re still perfect to me, Sunshine.” He let out a sigh, taking hold of her hand and interlocking their fingers, “I know it won’t make anything better, but I’m sorry about your Dad.”

She nodded, “Thank you. You just being here helps…” a frown crossed her face, “How are you here?”

“After the party got disbanded, me and the others; Gareth, Nat, Jack, Alodie, Percy, we knew something was wrong because our parents hadn’t arrived and you had disappeared, so I called my mum and after making sure with everyone else, she told us to come to Valtoria. We all piled into the nearest limo we could find, and we came here. Your mum filled us in when we arrived. She told me you were probably out here so I came out to find you… I had no idea this had been going on this long,” he admitted.

“At the beginning, it wasn’t worth worrying anyone over,” she said, “And as it got worse, then he started getting treatment, we all made the decision that we should keep it completely private until it couldn’t be kept hidden any more. So mom and dad told their immediate friends, and dad’s family, and no one else. I know it’s been killing Uncle Drake not to be able to talk to Jack about it.”

“Well, all of us know now, and we’re here for you and your family, no matter what,” he assured her, “Your friends and potential suitors.” He cracked a joking smile and she nudged her head against his shoulder.

“Is it weird that you and Percy are both part of the season?” she asked, “You guys are cousins after all.”

“C’mon, Sunshine, we don’t have to talk about this now…” he started to say but she looked up at him, offering him a slight smile.

“Distract me,” she insisted, “Court drama is a much more pleasant thing to think of right now than anything else.”

He let out a soft sigh but returned her smile, “When it was first mentioned at a family dinner a few weeks about that we were both being presented as suitors, it was… awkward. There’s no doubting that a Beaumont match for the Princess of Cordonia would be advantageous, especially Percy as he comes not only with the Beaumont name but the Duchy of Portravia as well. But after the dinner, Percy and I went for a walk and talked it over. He cares about you, as everyone does, but he’s here out of noble obligation.”

“And what about you?” she asked, “Are you here out of obligation?”

He met her eyes, “I… It doesn’t feel appropriate discussing this today of all days. I… I don’t want to be that guy the nestles in on the girl when she’s at her most vulnerable.”

“I’m not vulnerable,” she protested quietly.

“Sunshine, we’re sat drinking whiskey at four in the afternoon after finding out that your dad is terminally ill… It’s not exactly a good day,” he reminded her.

She let out a sigh, “Point taken. But whatever you’re going to say, I can handle it. I deserve to know where I stand with you Bartie, before I get my heart set on something that might not be there.”

“Fine,” he said, glancing down at where their hands were still interlinked, “I care about you. More than just a friend. I know we’ve fallen out of touch these last few years, but I never stopped thinking about you. I used to see you across the room at balls and parties and wonder if you were still the amazing girl you were when we were kids.”

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, “I doubt you even noticed me with all of those gorgeous women that flock around you.”

“Hey,” he said quietly, hooking two fingers under her chin to turn her gaze to him, “Trust me, I noticed you. You are beautiful, Lyra… Look, what I’m trying to say is that whilst I am expected to be here, I want to be here. I know we only kissed last night, but I… I want this. I want to be with you. And I know that at the end of this, you have to choose the right man to lead Cordonia at your side, so I am willing to do everything I can to prove that I can be that man. I’ll go to the parties and the events and juggled flaming monkeys for the press if I have to,” he said, earning a soft laugh from her.

“What about the crown?” she asked.

“It’s not something I’ve ever considered,” he admitted, “When we were kids I knew you were going to be Queen one day, but I never pictured a King at your side. I was raised on the expectations of what being the Duke of Ramsford would be one day, I can’t even begin to imagine the expectations of wearing a crown, but… For you, I would be willing to learn. Plus I look fantastic in gold.”

“Ass,” she hummed with laughter, “Thank you, Bartie. I wouldn’t have held it against you if you were just here because your father sent you, I understand better than anyone about having to do your duty. But I… I feel the same way about you. I know it’s still early, but I have known you my whole life. I trust you, and care about you and I want this as well. There will be pressure from the people and the nobles to find a suitable husband, but maybe this whole thing won’t be so bad with you here.”

She leaned closer to him, brushing her lips against his in a soft kiss. He kissed her back gently, then looked at her, “Is this okay?”

She nodded, “This is exactly what I need right now. You. Here. With me.”

“Then I’m here, Sunshine,” he murmured against her mouth, “Whatever comes.”

#the royal romance #liam x mc #king liam #enchanting #writing #trr

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xavierberkeley · 3 years

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Massey wants the wildling princess too.

Massey wants the wildling princess too. East Moline Honor Guard members Officer David Rummery, Lt. Distribute the shoes to attendees at random. This training program takes into account each woman fitness levels so each participant can progress at her own pace. Now, when he knocks on voters' doors, he's often recognized from his appearances on Fox News or national talk radio programs. If we thought differently, we could not set our notions in array against the judgment of everybody else, and say that this or that authority may be safely lopped off. “I could hang them from the Wall as a warning to other wildlings to stay away, but I don’t see any other use for them,” Maester Harmune wrote for him. He must have stayed downwind, bottines cloutees femme so the wolf would not catch his scent.”. Dan Bongino launched his first campaign for office on a laptop computer in puma red bull racing evo cat ii his dining room. 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New Post has been published on Otaku Dome | The Latest News In Anime, Manga, Gaming, Tech, and Geek Culture

New Post has been published on https://otakudome.com/sentai-announces-new-acquisitions/

Sentai Announces New Acquisitions

Sentai Filmworks has announced several titles for the 2021 release schedule:

HOUSTON, July 27, 2021 – Home video distributor Section23 Films today announced its October slate of releases which includes Sentai Filmworks laugh-out-loud anime series, Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time. A Special Steelbook release will be available on October 12th.

Product details follow, in order of release

Coming October 2021

Title: NAKAIMO ~ MY LITTLE SISTER IS AMONG THEM!

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 325 min.

Street Date: 10/5/2021

Format: BD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: The terms of Shougo Mikadono’s late father’s will are strangely specific: To claim his substantial inheritance, Shougo must first transfer to Miryuin Private Academy, find a nice girl from among the student body, and convince her to marry him. As twisted and unromantic as that demand may appear, it does seem doable, right? Unfortunately, there’s an even greater moral obstruction standing between Shougo and a rich happily ever after, as one of the students attending the school is Shougo’s long lost little sister… and he has no idea which one she is! Can Shougo navigate this minefield and find a future bride without committing a major sin? And if his little sister is revealed, will it be in a manner that’s socially acceptable? Insanity is hereditary and Shougo’s about to go sibling crazy in NAKAIMO – My Little Sister is Among Them!

Title: PETER GRILL AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S TIME

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 180 min.

Street Date: 10/12/2021

Format: BD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $129.98

SYNOPSIS: Peter Grill may be the most powerful warrior in the world, but in a culture where strength is everything, there are lots of ambitious young women who will do anything to “acquire” Peter’s superior genes in order to bear powerful offspring! So, even though Peter just wants to marry his fiancée, he’s instead being beset by a bodacious bevy of Peter-obsessed females fiercely determined to get into his bed and/or ironclad pants! That would be a sticky situation even if the bawdy belligerents were merely human, but with elves, trolls and orcs all craving a little private Peter action, can even Peter stand up to this wave of pulchritudinous force? His flesh may be strong but his will may not hold up quite as rigidly when comely babe after babe keeps coming to test this poor Peter’s mettle in PETER GRILL!

Title: NOZO X KIMI

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 75 min.

Street Date: 10/19/2021

Format: BD

Language: Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $29.98

SYNOPSIS: What could be more embarrassing than being caught peeping into the girls’ locker room? Being caught inside the girls’ locker room inside a locker! And yet, that’s where Kimio Suga finds himself! And even if it was by accident, as soon as that door opens and he’s discovered, he’ll be branded a pervert and maybe even suspended! Except… the girl who finds him is Nozomi Komine, who lives in the house across from his, and she covers for him! Unfortunately, that isn’t an act of kindness, it’s the prelude to blackmail! Because Nozomi has certain games that she’d like to play and Kimio’s location and guilt make him the perfect plaything! And if that’s not bad enough, the situation gets really out of control when she starts bringing other girls in to play with her toy in NOZO X KIMIO!

Title: SAY I LOVE YOU

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 325 min.

Street Date: 10/19/2021

Format: BD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: When Mei Tachibana was unfairly blamed for a tragedy, not one of her so-called friends stood by her. In the heartbreaking aftermath, Mei found an easy way to avoid any future betrayal – to never make any friends again. Only now, for some inexplicable reason, one her school’s most popular guys, the annoyingly charming Yamato Kurosawa, has taken an interest in the girl who might as well be a ghost to the rest of the class. And when she needed help, he actually came. Mei’s not a princess in a tower and she wasn’t looking for a white knight. So why has everything become so complicated since he kissed her? Is she ready to trust and risk her heart again? Is it time, at last, to make the commitment with the three words that change everything in SAY “I LOVE YOU”?

Title: SHE, THE ULTIMATE WEAPON

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 325 min.

Street Date: 10/26/2021

Format: BD

Language: English, Spanish & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Separated in the chaos when their city was bombed, students Shuji and Chise lives are shattered despite the actions of a mysterious defender. After reuniting with Chise in the ruins, Shuji is horrified to discover that she is no longer the girl he knew. Twisted and reshaped by nightmarish science, her body has been transformed into something that isn’t completely human: a living weapon! And even worse, the remaining facets of the person she once was seem to be fading away. Can Shuji continue to feel love for the shell of the person Chise once was? And how long can Chise’s soul endure inside a device whose only purpose is to kill? As the fires of war burn, a young woman teeters on the brink of becoming the engine of the final apocalypse in SHE- THE ULTIMATE WEAPON

Title: VENUS WARS

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 105 min.

Street Date: 10/26/2021

Format: BD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $29.98

SYNOPSIS: When an ice comet slammed into the planet Venus, terraforming its toxic atmosphere into one capable of sustaining human life, mankind’s dream of colonizing other worlds became a reality. Unfortunately for the colonists, Venus isn’t the paradise they’d dreamed of. As crops fail and competition for resources intensifies, hostilities grow until the two inhabited continents stand on the brink of war. Reporter Susan Sommers arrives in the capital of Aphrodia just as Ishtar attacks and only the intervention of Hiro Seno and his Battle Bike team saves her from certain death… but now Aphrodia is under Ishtar’s control and Sue, Hiro, and his teammates find themselves on the run! However, their unique skill at Battle Bike, which combines motorcycle racing with roller derby, may just prove to be the secret weapon Aphrodia needs to win the VENUS WARS.

About Section23 Films:

Section23 Films provides home video marketing and distribution services for a variety of companies, including Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade Pictures, Maiden Japan, Kraken Releasing and AEsir Holdings. With its special focus on genre entertainment, Section23 Films distributes some of the very best anime, martial arts, and horror titles on the market today.

HOUSTON, TX — July 21, 2021 — Today Sentai revealed the event and exclusive guest lineup for Sentai at Home 2021, Sentai’s digital panel experience for anime fans around the world. Anime enthusiasts can catch Sentai at Home 2021 on Wednesday, August 20, 2021 at 2 PM CDT and should visit athome.sentai.com to learn more about this free event. To bring the joy of anime to fans at home, Sentai will treat viewers to a lineup of exclusive interviews with an array of Japanese talent, including cast members from Non Non Biyori, Redo of Healer, Getter Robo Arc, Princess Principal, Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory and other Sentai favorites. Fans can also look forward to interviews with anime directors Morio Asaka (NANA), Masayuki Kojima (MADE IN ABYSS), Jun Kawagoe (Getter Robo Arc), Takuya Asaoka (Redo of Healer), Shinya Kawatsura (Non Non Biyori) and Masaki Tachibana (Princess Principal), as well as inside looks at the work of sound director Soichiro Kubo and music composer Hisaki Kato of HERO MASK. Additional guests include the creator of Redo of Healer, Rui Tsukiyo, and decorated music composer Kevin Penkin of MADE IN ABYSS fame.

In addition to Japanese guests, Sentai will host a retrospective look at the influential Lone Wolf & Cub television series with special guests Max Allan Collins (author of Road to Perdition) and Cinapse film critic Ed Travis, who will discuss the widespread influence of this culturally significant work. Alongside comedic interludes from comedian Chinedu Ogu and YouTube personality Roxxy Haze, fans can anticipate exclusive dub clips, sneak peeks of Sentai’s upcoming home video releases, thrilling previews and so much more. Sentai hosted the first iteration of Sentai at Home in August 2020. To learn more about Sentai at Home 2021 and to stay up-to-date on the event’s latest news and developments, sign up for the Sentai at Home mailing list. For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

HOUSTON, TX — July 7, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired irreverent comedy series Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory for the Summer 2021 simulcast season. Sentai will distribute the series to audiences in North America, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, South Africa, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Nordic Countries, Spain, Portugal and Central and South America.

Down-on-his-luck Koushi Nagumo wanders the streets unemployed, homeless and in search of his next meal. His fortunes improve after a chance meeting with a vivacious young woman whose proposition seemingly solves nearly all his problems. Thanks to her, Koushi enters the welcoming halls of a dormitory at a women’s college… only this particular assignment is no stuffy, sleepy affair. The Goddess’ Dormitory is known for housing the college’s most unruly students! If he wants to keep a roof over his head, Koushi must become the “Dormitory Mother” charged with maintaining order and good discipline. But doing his job and keeping his sanity are no small feat with characters as endearingly eccentric and untamable as these!

Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory is directed by Shunsuke Nakaju (episode director: BanG Dream!) and produced by studio asread (The Future Diary). The series stars Misuzu Yamada as Koushi Nagumo, Ayaka Nanase (SWORDGAI The Animation) as Atena Saotome, Chiaki Takahashi (School Days) as Mineru Wachi, Risako Murai (Date A Live) as Kiriya Sensho, Asaki Fukuyama as Frey, Yuki Yomichi (Super Cub) as Serene Hozumi and Hikaru Nanjo as Khoroya Sutea.

Sentai will release Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory in association with select digital outlets in Summer 2021 with a home video release to follow.

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

HOUSTON, TX — July 1, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired partial rights to the anime TV series Getter Robo Arc, the hotly anticipated next chapter of the iconic Getter Robo saga, based upon the original work of Ken Ishikawa and legendary mangaka Go Nagai. Sentai will distribute the series in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, and Central and South America.

The world is on the brink of apocalypse following an onslaught of invaders. To fight the attacking hoard, one of the original Getter Robo pilots, Hayato Jin, has finished Getter Arc, a new fighting unit based on the final work and ultimate masterpiece of Professor Saotome. Now the son of Ryoma – one of Hayato’s copilots on the first-generation Getter – Takuma, the half-human half-Saurian Kamui, and Baku, younger brother of the extraordinary ESPer Tahir, step aboard the Getter Arc to combat the ruthless incursion and restore hope to their ravaged world!

Produced by Bee Media (Night Head Genesis, Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact) and Studio A-CAT (LBX Girls), Getter Robo Arc is directed by Jun Kawagoe (Shin Getter Robo, episode director for Baccano!) with scriptwriting and series composition from Tadashi Hayakawa (MÄR, Doraemon (2005)). The series’ character design is by Hideyuki Motohashi (Hikaru no Go, Fushigi Yugi).

The cast includes Yuma Uchida (BANANA FISH, Grand Blue Dreaming) as the lead character Takuma Nagare, Naoya Uchida (Vinland Saga, Moriarty the Patriot) as Hayato Jin, and Kazuhiro Sunseki (The Walking Dead (Japanese Dub), Adventure Time (Japanese dub)) as Baku Yamagishi. Newcomer Arimaro Mukaino will make his voice acting debut as Sho Kamui.

Sentai will stream Getter Robo Arc in association with select digital outlets in Summer 2021 with a home video release to follow.

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

HOUSTON, TX — June 29, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired TSUKIPRO the Animation 2, the latest addition to the TSUKIPRO multi-media franchise, to its growing catalog of idol properties like Utano Princesama, BanG! Dream and D4DJ. Sentai will distribute the title in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Nordic countries, Spain, Portugal, and Central and South America.

The bands of TSUKINO TALENT PRODUCTION are back and ready to rock in season two of TSUKIPRO the Animation! Whether you’re a fan of rock, EDM or pop, there’s a band for you to love under the TSUKIPRO label. Get to know the members of SolidS, QUELL, SOARA and Growth as they grow closer as bandmates, weather the drama of idol stardom and bring their music to the masses with style!

The series is produced by AZ Creative (Dame X Prince Anime Caravan) and directed by Shigeru Kimiya (episode director: Squid Girl) with series composition from Satoko Sekine (Mysteria Friends).

The series stars Takuya Eguchi (Akihiko Kaji, Given) as Shiki Takamura, Soma Saito (Takumi, Akame ga Kill!) as Tsubasa Okui, Hanae Natsuki (Tanjiro, Demon Slayer) as Rikka Sera, Yuichiro Umehara (Mitsuhide Rouen, Snow White with the Red Hair) as Dai Murase, Shunsuke Takeuchi (Brawler, Akudama Drive) as Shu Izumi, Kotaru Nishiyama (Ryuichi Kashima, Gakuen Babysitters) as Eichi Horimiya, Shugo Nakamura (Tomoki Takashima, Outburst Dreamer Boys) as Issei Kuga, Sho Nogami (Shiki Iseya, THE IDOLM@STER SideM) as Ichiru Kuga, Toshiyuki Toyonaga (Yuri Katsuki, Yuri on Ice!!) as Sora Ohara, Yuki Ono (Taiga Kagami, Kuroko no Basket) as Morihito Arihara, Makoto Furukawa (Saitama, One Punch Man) as Soshi Kagurazaka, Taishi Murata (Haruto Soma, Just Because!) as Ren Munakata, Chiharu Sawashiro (Argon, Show by Rock!! Stars!!) as Nozomu Nanase, Shunichi Toki (Ginji, Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits) as Koki Eto, Yoshitaka Yamaya (Itsuki Kawasumi, The Rising of Shield Hero) as Kensuke Yaegashi, Daiki Yamashita (Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia) as Ryota Sakuraba and Junta Terashima (Takumi Kijima, Ao-chan Can’t Study!) as Mamoru Fujimura.

Sentai will stream TSUKIPRO the Animation 2 in association with select digital outlets in Summer 2021 with a home video release to follow. Additionally, Sentai will stream the first season of TSUKIPRO the Animation in association with select digital outlets.

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

HOUSTON, June 29, 2021 – Home video distributor Section23 Films today announced its September slate of releases which includes Sentai Filmworks highly anticipated film follow-up to the Girls und Panzer anime series. Girls und Panzer das Finale – Part 1 will be available on English dubbed Blu-ray September 14th.

Product details follow, in order of release

Coming September 2021

Title: HEAVEN’S MEMO PAD

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 325 min.

Street Date: 9/7/2021

Format: BD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Narumi Fujishima has never fit in with his classmates. Joining the gardening club didn’t make him Mr. Popularity, as there was only one other member… but when he’s introduced to a reclusive girl who lives above the ramen shop, Narumi’s whole life changes radically. That’s because while Alice may be a NEET (someone who is Not Employed, being Educated or in Training,) that doesn’t mean that she does nothing all day. Quite the contrary. Besides collecting stuffed bears, Alice is an expert hacker and runs a secret detective service utilizing the talents of her other NEET acquaintances! To his surprise, and great personal peril, Narumi quickly finds himself drafted into this strange, elite team, and now his life is anything but boring as the NEETs take on a deadly new drug hitting the streets in HEAVEN’S MEMO PAD!

Title: GIRLS UND PANZER DAS FINALE – PART 1

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 48 min.

Street Date: 9/14/2021

Format: BD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $19.98

SYNOPSIS: The tank-crazy girls of Oorai Academy are shell-shocked when Momo’s preoccupation with locating new tanks for the upcoming Caterpillar Tread Cup causes her to fail her college entrance exams! However, the diabolical minds of Miho and the Oorai teams concoct an uber-crafty battle plan to give Momo a second chance at her exams. The catch? They’ll have to promote Momo to the position of overall commander while Miho steps down to vice commander! With Oorai’s greatest challenge coming up, it’s a terrible time to break in a new general, and that’s only the first bombshell in a new series of barrages. Can duplicitous rivals, ridiculous contests and a maid-mad gang of juvenile delinquents stop Oorai’s mechanized path to victory? Gears grind, bombs burst, and all obstacles are plowed under as the mayhem ensues in GIRLS UND PANZER DAS FINALE – PART 1!

Title: MAGICAL GIRL SITE

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 300 min.

Street Date: 9/14/2021

Format: BD

Language: Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Bullied by other girls at school and abused by her brother at home, Aya Asagiri’s life has become so bleak that she’s contemplating killing herself just to escape. Then a strange site on the internet promises to make her a magical girl and the consequences prove beyond terrifying when a toy gun left in Aya’s locker kills one of her bullies! Being a murderer isn’t the worst part of Aya’s new situation, however, as it turns out that there have been other Magical Girls before Aya, and someone has been systematically hunting them down, killing them and taking their magical artifacts! Together with her classmate Tsuyuno, Aya must now track down the other magical girls and discover who is murdering them and why… all before an ominous counter finishes a deadly countdown on the MAGICAL GIRL SITE!

Title: DUSK MAIDEN OF AMNESIA

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 325 min.

Street Date: 9/21/2021

Format: BD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: 60 years ago, a young woman was left to die in the abandoned original school building behind the exclusive Seikyou Academy, so it’s only natural that Seikyou is rumored to be haunted. Nor is it surprising that the school’s many clubs include one for students interested in “paranormal investigations.” What is shocking, however, is that the founder of that club is the ghost herself! Unable to remember how she died, Yuko’s spirit has been bound to the school for decades, but when a new freshman, Teiichi Niiya, turns out to actually be able to see her, she may finally be able to unravel the mystery of her gruesome death! But will that free her? Or will her sudden close association with a mortal have even stranger repercussions on both of their fates? The answers await in the DUSK MAIDEN OF AMNESIA.

Title: MADE IN ABYSS

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 330 min.

Street Date: 9/21/2021

Format: BD

Language: English, Spanish & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $69.98

SYNOPSIS: Anyone can descend into the Abyss, but few who survive the massive, multi-leveled pit’s dangers make it back unravaged by madness and nightmarish physical transformations. Still, when 12-year-old Riko learns that her missing mother may be alive in the Abyss’ inky depths, she and her friend Reg decide to brave the ultimate darkness in the astonishing twin feature films that recap the acclaimed TV series, MADE IN ABYSS. But as harrowing and gut-wrenching as those adventures may be, the tensions will only continue to mount. Because now Riko, Reg and Nanachi must ford seas of corpses, survive fields of parasitic insects, and confront the most potentially dangerous entity of all, Bondrewd, the body shifting guardian of the gate to the sixth level, in the all-new feature length masterpiece – MADE IN ABYSS: DAWN OF THE DEEP SOUL!

Title: TO LOVE RU DARKNESS 2

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 350 min.

Street Date: 9/28/2021

Format: BD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $69.98

SYNOPSIS: What is it about Rito Yuki that continues to draw beautiful alien girls towards him from all across the galaxy? It’s not as though he’s particularly attractive or talented, and his social skills are mediocre at best. And yet, somehow, this lackluster Japanese student has become the center of a girl-vortex that’s sucking in more out of this world beauties than a black hole during a sale in a lingerie shop! Between Develukan Princess Momo, who’s steadfastly determined to nail her Earthling paramour into a permanent relationship, even if she has to recruit family help to do it, and the transforming assassin Golden Darkness, who has her eyes set on taking Rito’s hide as a trophy, things are just as out of control as ever when the Develuke Saga continues in TO LOVE RU DARKNESS SEASON 2!

About Section23 Films:

HOUSTON, TX — June 28, 2021 — HIDIVE announced today that it acquired the feature-length recap of the Girls und Panzer anime series and Girls und Panzer: This is the Real Anzio Battle! The compilation film is titled Girls und Panzer Compilation: The 63rd National High School Sensha-do Games.

Charge ahead into tank warfare with the explosive recap of both the Girls und Panzer anime series and the events of Girls und Panzer: This is the Real Anzio Battle! Whether you’re new to the franchise or revisiting an old favorite, catch up with the tankery experts of Oorai Girls Academy as they practice Shensha-do, the art of tank combat. Watch as the members of the team face their fears, find themselves and cause a ton of tank-fighting mayhem in Girls und Panzer Compilation: The 63rd National High School Sensha-do Games.

The film is animated by studio Actas (Princess Principal, Girls und Panzer) and stars Mai Fuchigami (Sakura Trick, Assassination Classroom) as Miho Nishizumi, Ai Kayano (No Game, No Life, Say “I Love You”) as Saori Takabe, Mami Ozaki (Soni-Ani: Super Sonico The Animation, Witchcraft Works) as Hana Isuzu, Ikumi Nakagami (BanG Dream! 2nd Season, Glitter Force) as Yukari Akiyama and Yuka Iguchi (Ascendance of a Bookworm, A Place Further Than the Universe) as Mako Reizei.

HIDIVE will stream the recap film to audiences in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. The film begins streaming on Friday, July 2, 2021 at 17:00 UTC.

For more information on upcoming shows, visit HIDIVE at www.hidive.com and follow us on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hidiveofficial

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hidiveofficial/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hidiveofficial/

About HIDIVE

HIDIVE, LLC operates the HIDIVE branded entertainment streaming service available via web browser, mobile devices and gaming platforms. HIDVE offers a vast array of Japanese pop-culture programming spanning six decades. From the latest anime simulcasts direct from Japan together with exclusive DUBCAST editions, to classic series and kaiju films of yesteryear, HIDIVE’s all-you-can-watch catalog offers something for everyone. HIDIVE’s parent, Sentai Holdings LLC, is a Cool Japan Fund portfolio company.

HOUSTON, TX — June 24, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired Girls und Panzer das Finale – Part 1, the highly anticipated film follow-up to the Girls und Panzer anime series. Sentai will distribute the film to audiences in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia and Nordic countries.

Momo needs to get her priorities straight! Too much tankery and not studying for her entrance exams lands Momo in the hot seat. Luckily her friends won’t let her flunk out without a flight, and they’ve hatched a foxy plan to put her back on top… literally. Miho’s stepping down to let Momo take up the mantle of commander, because if she can lead the team to victory in the Continuous Cup, Momo will earn a second chance to retake her exams. The stakes have never been higher for the team as they fight for tank supremacy both on and off the combat field!

The film is produced by studio Actas (Princess Principal, Girls und Panzer) and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (Shirobako, The Magnificent KOTOBUKI). Reiko Yoshida (K-On!, Non Non Biyori) penned the film’s script. The film stars Ikumi Nakagami (BanG Dream! 2nd Season, Glitter Force) as Yukari Akiyama, Mami Ozaki (Soni-Ani: Super Sonico The Animation, Witchcraft Works) as Hana Isuzu, Mai Fuchigami (Sakura Trick, Assassination Classroom) as Miho Nishizumi, Yuka Iguchi (Ascendance of a Bookworm, A Place Further Than The Universe) Mako Reizei, Ai Kayano (No Game, No Life, Say “I Love You”.) as Saori Takebe and Kana Ueda (Fate/stay Night, Maria Watches Over Us) as Momo Kawashima.

Sentai will release Girls und Panzer das Finale – Part 1 in association with select digital outlets on home video in Q3 2021.

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

HOUSTON, TX — June 22, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired Magical Girl Site, the darkly surreal, reality mangling series that flips the magical girl genre completely on its head. Sentai will distribute Magical Girl Site in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain and Portugal.

Aya Asagiri’s life could not get any worse. Relentlessly bullied by peers and family, she spirals into darkness and despair. Nearing rock bottom, she receives a mysterious invitation from Magical Girl Site, a website promising to grant her lifechanging magical powers. At first, Aya dismisses the lure as just another cold-hearted prank, but a fateful choice makes clear that dark abilities now grow within her. As she discovers dangerous new powers, Aya learns she isn’t alone in her situation. Banding together with other “magical girls,” Aya must expose the Magical Girl Site and its true intention.

Animated by production doA (Is the Order a Rabbit?? Dear My Sister), Magical Girl Site is directed by Tadahito Matsubayashi (episode director for Vinland Saga) with series composition by Takayo Ikami (Penguindrum). The series stars Yuko Ono (Konohana Kitan) as Aya Asagiri, Himika Akaneya (Noragami) as Tsuyuno Yatsumura, Yu Serizawa (REAL GIRL) as Nijimi Anazawa, Haruka Yamazaki (Monster Musume: My Everyday Life with Monster Girls) as Sarina Shizukume and Aina Suzuki (Love Live! Sunshine!!) as Rina Shioi.

Magical Girl Site will be released in association with select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

OUSTON, TX — June 16, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired the Mushibugyou OVA collection, based upon the shonen anime series of the same name. Sentai will distribute the three-part OVA to audiences in the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa as well as Latin America.

As giant insects lay waste to the land of Edo, the Insect Magistrate Office gathers powerful warriors to defend the populace from the invading threat. A rookie swordsman named Jinbee Tsukishima seeks to atone for past sins by joining their ranks, but he’ll need to prove his worth if he wants to find redemption and curb the insect infestation.

Produced by Seven Arcs Pictures (Trinity Seven, Mushibugyou, Vivid Strike!), the Mushibugyou OVA is directed by Takayuki Hamana (Erin, Library Wars, Arte) with character design from Yoshimitsu Yamashita (Blade of the Immortal, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, Samurai Flamenco). The OVA stars KENN (Ahiru no Sora, Beyond the Boundary, Space Brothers) as Jinbee Tsukishima, Rumi Okubo (Sabage-bu!, One Week Friends, Death Parade) as Hibachi, Takuya Eguchi (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, My Love Story!!, BAKI) as Shungiku Koikawa, Takuma Terashima (Kokoro Connect, Log Horizon, MEKAKUCITY ACTORS) as Mugai and Yuu Serizawa (Real Girl, Magical Girl Site, How clumsy you are, Miss Ueno.) as Tenma Ichinotani.

Sentai will stream the Mushibugyou OVA in association with select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Sentai

A Cool Japan Fund portfolio company, Sentai is a leading global supplier of anime and official anime merchandise, distributing and curating one of the industry’s most diverse libraries of top trending and classic titles. Sentai offers thousands of hours of content across both traditional and digital platforms and is dedicated to bringing captivating stories and iconic characters directly from Japan. With hit series that include MADE IN ABYSS, Food Wars!, Princess Tutu and Parasyte -the maxim-, Sentai’s catalog continues to grow with new favorites like Bloom Into You, Revue Starlight and O Maidens in Your Savage Season, as well as classic anime series such as Legend of the Galactic Heroes and The Big O. For more information, visit www.sentai.com

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