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nicolewrites · 5 years

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We Stand, Fate-Tested - II

Sticking with the longer chapters. I finished this part up instead of an essay due in 5 hours, so it’s a gift you should run with. I have the outline for the story roughly in place, but no promises about when the next update will be.

Rating: T+ Genre: Mystery, Friendship, Romance Characters: [Byleth/My Unit, Dimitri B.], [Byleth/My Unit, Claude R.] Words: 5,826

Byleth leads the first tutorial of the year. / The Blue Lions return home for the second time since the war's end.

AO3 | FFN

II - In Circles We Tread

Garreg Mach University - 14 Horsebow Moon, 732 AU

Byleth arrived at the classroom where her tutorial section was meeting ten minutes early. She was hoping that whatever class had the room before her would be done early so that she could set up her laptop and her review slides for the session. Fortunately, there didn’t appear to have been a class in the room so she was able to enter as soon as she arrived.

Byleth was in the midst of setting up her laptop with the tangled, university-supplied cables when her first student arrived. It was the same girl with straight, dark hair that had been the first student to arrive in the lecture the week before. She approached the front desk and smiled at Byleth.

Byleth paused in her set up. “Hi,” she greeted.

“Hello, Miss Eisner,” the girl replied. “My name is Lysithea.”

Byleth nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Lysithea. You’re a bit early, but please, have a seat wherever you’d like.”

The girl nodded and sat right in the front row. She pulled out a laptop and began tapping away at the keyboard. Byleth went back to setting up her presentation as more students trickled in. She recognized the boy with green hair, half of the group of students that had sat near her in lecture, as well as Claude and Dimitri. Claude took a seat in the back, flanked by a girl with bright pink hair and a boy with purple hair and expensively styled clothes while Dimitri sat with the friends he had sat with in lecture.

Byleth finished setting up her slides and glanced at the clock. It was one minute before 1:30, when the tutorial was supposed to begin so she stood up, assessing her class. Her tutorial section had half the class and Seteth ran the tutorial with the other half. As it was the first tutorial of the section, attendance was at almost, or entirely, full capacity, something which likely wouldn’t continue throughout the whole semester.

“Hi everyone,” she greeted when the clock finally ticked over to 1:30. The chatter in the room mostly died out and all the curious faces turned to face her. A bead of nervousness pricked in her chest, but she smiled and forced it down. “As I’m sure you guys know, I’m Byleth Eisner and I’ll be your TA for this class. I’m leading this tutorial section, Tutorial 2, and Dr. Cichol leads Tutorial 1.”

She leaned down and moved to the first slide in her slideshow which was a trio of pictures. The first was Byleth and Seteth working in a lab doing hands-on analysis of artifacts. The second was a shot of Byleth posing with her undergrad thesis team at Shambhala where they had done an expedition. The last photo was Byleth in the Main Hall of the university as she presented her undergraduate thesis.

“I’m in my first year of my Masters here at Garreg Mach University with a specialization in Unification Era Archaeology focused on the Guardian of Order. I did my undergraduate degree here and graduated with a combined honours in Archaeology and History. Dr. Cichol is currently my Masters supervisor which is why I’m here as your TA.”

There were a few murmurs across the class as people assessed her qualifications. Byleth ignored them and moved to her next slide which held a photo of the ancient sword that was rumoured to have been wielded by the Guardian of Order. They had discussed it in lecture since it was one of very few relics from the Unification Era that hadn’t been lost to looters or fire. However, since it was still early in the semester, they’d looked at the blade objectively, not as a relic wielded by the Guardian.

“Archaeology is the study of material remains of humans and societies. In our first class we talked about the first step of working with artifacts: description, classification, and analysis. The next step is the placement of an artifact within its historical context. If we take this image here, can someone give me a description for it?” She gestured to the screen and the image of the sword. “And, for the first few classes if you can just say your name beforehand so I can get to know everyone, that would be much appreciated.”

The blonde girl sitting with Dimitri raised her hand and Byleth nodded. “I’m Ingrid,” the girl introduced, brushing her braid back over her shoulder. “The first step would be to identify the weapon as an ancient blade, likely a longsword. It appears to be made of some kind of bone or clay material due to its lack of metallic qualities.”

Byleth nodded. “Excellent, thank you, Ingrid. Now, can someone give me a guess about the historical context of the blade based off of that?”

Lysithea, the girl who had been early for class, raised her hand. “Given the design of the blade and its recovery location, this is likely a blade that had been used in the Unification War. Due to appearance, it is likely that the blade was used by a highly ranked soldier, officer, or commander. It fell to disuse probably after the fire in 101 and 102 AU.”

Byleth nodded and was about to commend Lysithea when Claude raised his hand. She raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to speak.

Claude was leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head as he made steady eye contact with Byleth. “Maybe I just know this as a History major, but that blade fell to disuse before the Great Fire of Garreg Mach. It would have been around 9 AU that it was no longer wielded. It’s structure greatly resembles the other legendary weapons of the time known as ‘Relics’.”

Byleth appraised Claude. He was correct, of course, but it had taken her a lot of research to actually find the year when the Guardian was reported to have disappeared, leaving her legendary blade to the Royal Collection. “That is correct, Claude,” she agreed. “This sword,” she paused to continue the presentation on her laptop which let the label pop up on the screen, “is known to us as the Guardian’s Blade, the weapon that was wielded by the Guardian of Order in the Unification War.”

There were a few more jumbled murmurs around the room as students processed what she was saying.

“Pardon me, Miss Eisner,” the green-haired boy said, raising a hand, “if you’re saying this weapon is one of the Relics, why was it recovered separately from the rest of the ancient weapons?”

“That’s an excellent question,” she trailed off, gesturing for the student to give his name.

“Linhardt.”

“Linhardt,” Byleth repeated. “In the year 7 AU, after the death of the Saviour King, the Guardian of Order called for the collection of the Relics to be displayed as artifacts and historical trophies instead of used as weapons. It has never been confirmed, but historians have theorized that since the Guardian of Order disappeared just under a year after her husband’s passing, she took her blade with her when she vanished. The discovery of the sword here at Garreg Mach is one of the biggest mysteries regarding her disappearance.”

At the back of the classroom, Claude’s friends were whispering, but Claude’s green eyes were fixed sharply on Byleth as she explained. Byleth tried to ignore him as she continued to field questions as well as offer her own discussion questions. The rest of the 50-minute section passed relatively quickly, but right until the end, Byleth could have sworn that Claude didn’t take his eyes off of her.

At 2:20, Byleth concluded the discussion and dismissed class, saying she would see everyone back the next week. Conversations broke out and people started packing up. She unplugged her laptop from the projector and started putting away her own things. She slid her laptop into her bag and looked up when someone cleared their throat in front of the podium. Byleth found Claude smirking at her, his hands wrapped around the straps of his backpack.

“Good discussion,” he complimented.

“Thank you,” Byleth replied. She still felt on edge around Claude. There was something about him that was so infuriatingly familiar and she just couldn’t figure out what it was because it certainly wasn’t just because he was the son of an ambassador.

“Combined honours with History, hm?” he continued. “Sounds familiar.”

Byleth rolled her eyes but smiled faintly. “Yes, it appears we have similar interests.” She contemplated something for a moment before she pushed forward with it: “Have you taken a lot of courses in Unification Era history?”

Claude shrugged. “I took 234 and I’m currently in 316.”

Byleth had taken both of those courses herself. History 234 was the Unification War History course and History 316 was History of the Unification Years. Neither was particularly heavy in information about the Guardian of Order and the Guardian’s Blade, topics Claude had already proved himself knowledgeable in.

“Is knowing everything just a hobby then?” she asked.

Claude laughed this time. “If I knew everything I don’t think I’d be in your class, Teach.”

The nickname caught her off guard and she blinked dumbly at him for a moment. Claude seemed to recognize his blunder and he winced.

“Ah, sorry if that was weird, it just felt right.”

Byleth bit her lip and shook her head. “It’s fine, really,” she assured. In all honesty, the nickname had felt fitting and familiar. It was weird.

“Anyways, I don’t suppose there’s any way we could sit down and talk about your thesis, is there? I’m incredibly curious about the research that you’ve been doing,” Claude continued after a short cough.

Byleth raised an eyebrow. “I have office hours and my email is on the course outline,” she replied flatly.

Claude laughed. “Yes, but your office hours will be filled with students with academic, course-related questions. Email, also, doesn’t have the same personal touch as a face-to-face conversation.”

Byleth sighed. “Look, Claude, I’m your TA, I don’t know what you want me to say.”

He held up his hands innocently. “I’ve just got questions about your Masters, surely that’s an innocent enough intention? What about Thursday afternoon at the coffee shop in the student centre?”

Byleth considered it for a moment. There was nothing in her contract that said she couldn’t get coffee with someone who was interested in her academic projects and if she managed to convince Claude to pursue a graduate degree in her field after graduation, she knew Seteth wouldn’t care about the nature of their conversation.

She sized up Claude and folded her arms. “I’ll meet you at Anna’s at 4 on Thursday,” she consented.

Claude’s smirk widened and he nodded. “I look forward to it, Teach.”

With one last cheeky wink, Claude strode away and headed for the door where his two friends had lingered, waiting for him. Byleth watched him for a moment before she resumed packing up her things. She slid her attendance sheet into her folder and placed it in her bag.

“Miss Eisner,” a new voice interrupted.

Byleth shook her head and looked up. “Byleth, please.”

Dimitri, standing in front of her desk, gave her a small smile. “Byleth,” he agreed. “I hope Claude wasn’t bothering you. He’s a strong personality.”

Byleth laughed lightly and smiled. “No, no, he was just asking about my area of study. I’m happy to talk about it. I wouldn’t be studying it if I wasn’t.”

Dimitri looked relieved. “That’s good to hear. You’re certainly interesting to listen to in tutorial. You know your stuff.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Admittedly, I’m feeling a bit out of my depth in this class.”

Byleth nodded. “That’s understandable, but really, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You’ve got some smart classmates, if today was any indication, and both Dr. Cichol and I have office hours reserved for this class section so feel free to come to either of us if you need anything.”

Dimitri nodded. “Yes, thank you very much.” Someone called his name from by the door and he turned to walk away, pausing once to give her a last goodbye.

Byleth pulled her bag up onto her shoulder and bit her lip. Dimitri and Claude and Edelgard were so familiar that it hurt her to think about them. Even so, she had a job to do and a meeting with Seteth to get to. She strode out of the classroom, fishing her tangled headphones out of her pocket.

- ~ -

Seteth placed a new folder on the desk between them, gesturing for her to take a look. Byleth slid it towards herself and opened it. It was a stack of about five pieces of paper and the first was an email between Seteth and the Fhirdiad National Museum of Unification that was set to sponsor the expedition below Garreg Mach.

Byleth scanned the email and grinned when she found the phrase she was looking for. “On behalf of the Board of Directors here at the museum, we consent to allow Miss Byleth Eisner a position on the Garreg Mach Research Team to assist with her academic development,” she read aloud.

Seteth was smiling. “Keep reading.”

“In the interest of the success of the dig, funding has also been secured for an additional team of researchers to join you on this endeavour. The idea is to have undergraduate students join you to develop practical archaeological skills.” Byleth stopped reading abruptly and looked up at Seteth. “Let me get this straight: you not only got approval for me to join, but now they want us to take on a group of undergrads?”

Seteth nodded, knitting his fingers together atop his desk. “I think this will be an interesting opportunity for them.” He reached for the file, pushing Byleth’s hands away and pulling the documentation back towards him. “The expedition is set to begin next year, in the Guardian Moon of the new semester. I was thinking that we would extend this opportunity to the students currently in Archaeology 356. That way we have a semester to evaluate the students so we can choose ones we think will be beneficial, not hindering, to the studies.”

Byleth nodded slowly. “Yeah, that makes sense. Still, this kind of opportunity for undergraduates means everyone will want in. I know I would have when I was in my third year.”

“I’m going to put an announcement up on my website about the opportunity and discuss it next class. I was hoping you would be able to design some kind of application form so that we can immediately narrow down our options.”

Byleth slid her laptop out of her bag and opened a blank document. “What kind of questions were you thinking for the application?”

Seteth pondered for a moment before he answered: “Ask about any experience they have, and how many prior archaeology or history credits they have. I would also like to know about their own interpretation of the Unification Era, since that’s what this is all about.”

“If I asked what they think is a major, lasting influence of the Unification Era on current Fódlani politics?”

Seteth smiled. “I like that.”

“How many students can we take?”

Seteth flipped through papers briefly to find the definite answer. “We can take ten, but that’s too many. I think eight is an appropriate number.”

Byleth noted that down and she tapped out a few more rough questions. “I assume we’ll do a vetting process with the written applications and then call the best candidates for interviews with the rest of our dig team, right?”

“Yes,” Seteth agreed. “It’s important that they meet and can get along with the rest of the team because they are an addition to the team that is meant to help their skills, not hinder the results of our expedition. Too many people have put too much effort into this for it to fail now.”

Byleth knew why Seteth was nervous because the last time someone had led a dig under the university, it had fallen apart just a few weeks after it began. Byleth paused and exhaled slowly. “Seteth, this might be overstepping, but I want to ask about my father.” Seteth tensed and Byleth swallowed her nervousness before continuing. “I know he was a part of the last research expedition to the underside of Garreg Mach five years ago. I know he pulled out of the project part-way through and that the project fell through after he withdrew. What are we going to find down there that caused my father to pull out so suddenly?”

Seteth stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Byleth, are you asking me if I know why your father was killed?”

“No,” she said firmly. “He was stabbed five years ago. That’s unrelated to his work. I’m asking you why the excavation couldn’t continue without my father.”

“I honestly don’t know,” Seteth admitted. “I wasn’t a member of that excavation team. It was led by a woman named Catherine Charon. Catherine cancelled further progress once your father withdrew his support. The excavation was privately funded by a private collector from Zanado and apparently the money stopped once your father left the project.”

Byleth frowned. “My father was a security contractor, not an archaeologist. His withdrawal from the project should have just meant that they brought on someone else, not that they cancelled the dig entirely.”

“I agree. It was something that I could never get Catherine to explain and she left the University that year before I could get a real answer out of her. Your father never liked to talk about it either, as I’m sure you know, and then he died just five months later.”

Byleth sighed. “I’ve been through the site notes and the inventory of every artifact recorded as recovered. There are no mentions of what caused him to pull out or anything that might lend to the private donor withdrawing their support or Dr. Charon calling off the project.”

Seteth studied her for a moment. “Does your interest in being part of this dig only have to do with your father?”

“No,” Byleth assured. “I’m interested in what we might be able to recover and how it can support my thesis, but I won’t say I’m not curious.”

She closed her laptop and stood up from the desk. She pulled her bag up and prepared to head out of Seteth’s office. “My father was a different man after that expedition than when he went into it. I do want to know why, and I don’t want that to happen to anyone else, either, if I can help it.”

- ~ - ~ - ~ -

Garreg Mach Monastery - 21 Red Wolf Moon, Unification Year

A knock at the door drew Byleth’s attention and she turned in her seat to look at the entrance to her room. It was one of the monastery’s monks who stood patiently in the doorway, waiting for permission to enter. Byleth waved her in and the monk bowed briefly before stepping in.

“Your Grace, I have received word from an advanced scout that His Majesty and the court will be arriving in the next few hours.”

Byleth smiled faintly. “Thank you, but please, I’m not the Archbishop yet, so Professor or Byleth is more than fine.”

The monk shook her head, but she was smiling as well. “With all due respect, you are ascending in rank tomorrow, Your Grace. You’ve been acting head of the church for several months as well.” She bowed briefly once more before leaving the room, leaving Byleth alone again.

Byleth sighed and stood from her desk, heading towards her balcony. She pushed open the doors and stepped outside. The stone was cold against her bare feet and the air was chilly enough that she instantly shivered. Byleth looked up at the clear blue sky and twisted the ring on her finger thoughtfully.

After the war had ended, Dimitri had stayed for a month of negotiations with the church and for his coronation before his council of advisors had finally managed to get him to return to Fhirdiad. Byleth missed him dearly–him and Felix and Sylvain and Ingrid and Dedue who had returned with him. Annette and Ashe had stayed at the monastery for another couple of weeks before they too left for the capital, leaving Byleth with only Mercedes, Flayn, Seteth, and the Knights of Seiros.

She and Dimitri had announced their engagement officially on the day of his coronation, but all of their close friends had known much before that point. It had been just over a month now, since all the former Blue Lions had been in one place and even though part of Byleth was dreading her formal ascension to the head of the church, she was grateful for the opportunity it offered to gather her friends and allies in one place.

Of course, there was also the wedding that would follow Byleth’s ascension. She and Dimitri had argued about the wedding for nearly two weeks since while they both wanted a smaller affair, Dimitri had been the only one willing to go through with a small event. Byleth knew that a private wedding would invite more scrutiny than the marriage of the church and the state already would. She also knew it would be important for Dimitri to use the wedding as a political event to continue to smooth relations with former Empire territories. Eventually, her argument had won out and they’d been thrown into planning the wedding of the century.

Byleth didn’t linger too long on the balcony. The chill was going to get to her and she really couldn’t afford to get sick with a few very important days ahead of her. She slipped back inside her chambers and moved to pull on a pair of slip-on shoes to chase away lingering chills. The ornate furniture and decorations in the room felt wrong to her. Three weeks after the war, Rhea had departed and Byleth had moved into the former archbishop’s chambers.

Byleth ran her hand along the top of the dresser near the balcony and frowned. Being in Rhea’s old room felt weird enough on its own, but the fact that Byleth had not gotten a moment alone with Rhea to ask about what Seteth had told her before the former archbishop had departed made her feel even more uncomfortable.

Seteth’s words, and their implications, weighed on her daily. She had not managed to get another candid conversation with her advisor since that day two months ago. Flayn too, seemed to be avoiding Byleth or only approaching her when there were other people around. Byleth pulled her hand off the dresser and touched it to the left side of her chest. As always, there was no heartbeat beneath her palm and she exhaled wearily.

Another sharp knock on the door caused Byleth to jolt upright and snap her hand back to her side. This intruder was a much more welcome sight than the monk who had interrupted her earlier.

“Mercedes!” Byleth exclaimed as her friend stepped into the room.

“Hello Professor!” Mercedes replied cheerfully. “You look lovely,” she complimented.

Byleth blinked and took in her own outfit. She was wearing one of the ceremonial dresses that had been commissioned for her, but it was nowhere near as high end as the dress she would be wearing for her ascension tomorrow. She smoothed her hands over the cream-coloured fabric and smiled softly.

“Thank you. What are you doing up here? I thought you were going to wait in the entrance hall for the others.”

Mercedes laughed. “Well, Professor, we sent someone up to let you know they were almost here, but you never reappeared, so I decided to come fetch you myself.”

“They’re almost here?” Byleth repeated. When the monk had mentioned that they would be arriving in a few hours, she had not been expecting their arrival in the next half hour.

Mercedes’s eyes were shining. “Their party had just been spotted entering the monastery grounds when I came up.”

- ~ -

Standing outside the main entrance of the monastery, Byleth felt like her blood was singing. The first few riders of the party had just crossed into the marketplace of the monastery and already two of the riders were breaking in her direction. Above them, a pegasus whinnied and descended.

Sylvain and Felix, the first two riders, dismounted and covered the remaining distance on foot. Ingrid barely managed to get herself off of her pegasus before she was also breaking towards Byleth and Mercedes. Felix reached her first and he paused, forcing himself into a stiff bow. Byleth rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug. He didn’t reciprocate immediately, but he did pat her back after a moment.

As soon as she released Felix, Sylvain pulled her into a tight hug. Sylvain was wearing more armour than Felix so the hug felt stiffer, but he was warm and solid against her and Byleth drank in his familiarity. She pulled away from Sylvain and turned to hug Ingrid as well. After she had hugged the last of the trio, Byleth stepped back and smiled broadly.

“Welcome back,” she greeted.

Sylvain laughed. “Come on, Professor, we know we’re not the ones you really want to see.” He gestured behind him where the rest of the party was arriving including Ashe, Annette, Gustave, and Dedue.

Byleth’s breath caught as she recognized the rider at the front of the pack. He seemed to have noticed her as well, practically leaping off of his mount and jogging towards her. Byleth brushed past her former students to move towards him, nearly tripping on her dress as she descended the steps. He was in front of her before she could trip, his hands gripping her forearms as he stared at her face. A dazzling smile cracked across Dimitri’s expression and Byleth felt herself smile too.

“Hello, my beloved,” Dimitri greeted gently.

“I missed you,” Byleth said. She had intended for a more eloquent greeting, but her heart had won out and she had spoken the naked truth instead.

The life glimmering in Dimitri’s good eye softened and he bent his head, pressing his forehead to hers. “I missed you too, Byleth,” he murmured.

Byleth didn’t get to reply before he was kissing her. Her hands framed his face as she kissed him back fiercely, pouring a month’s worth of emotion into their reunion kiss. It wasn’t the most proper or befitting of greetings for two authority figures, but it was the genuine, real reaction of two young people in love who had nearly lost each other in a brutal 5-year war. Finally–and unfortunately–Byleth had to pull away, breathing hard.

She laughed when Dimitri didn’t let her pull far away and she felt her adoration for him cause tears to prickle at the corners of her eyes. She ran her thumb across his cheekbone and smiled warmly.

“I don’t know if that was the most proper greeting,” she teased.

Dimitri’s laugh rumbled in his chest. “A man can be excused for missing his fiancé,” Dimitri refuted and Byleth laughed again.

“Welcome back, my love,” she said quietly. “It’s good to see you.”

“And I am always glad to see you,” he replied. He looked past her towards the monastery where many of the clergy were gathered to watch his arrival. “I really have made a scene, haven’t I?”

Byleth slipped her hand into his and tugged him back towards the monastery. “Come on, I want to hear about Fhirdiad. I want to hear from all of you. Surely we can spare an afternoon in the Blue Lion’s classroom to reconnect?”

Dimitri followed her lead as they walked towards the monastery. “You’ll get no complaints from me on that, but won’t Seteth protest?”

Byleth huffed. “I am not Archbishop until tomorrow, but I do hope that he’ll allow me this time with my friends before I saddle myself with responsibility for the rest of my life.”

“I suppose I could busy myself with keeping our guests from Fhirdiad occupied,” Seteth admitted, catching the end of Byleth’s sentence as she and Dimitri rejoined the group gathered at the monastery’s entrance. “Your Majesty, it is nice to see you, as always,” her advisor added for pleasantness’s sake.

Byleth beamed and pulled Dimitri past Seteth heading into the monastery. Their friends, including the rest of the Blue Lions plus Flayn, followed them as Byleth led the way. Byleth watched her friends as they walked, noting who was talking to who and the expressions on faces.

Dedue was listening intently to Mercedes as she spoke softly, Ashe was chatting with Flayn, Annette seemed to be having some kind of minimal conversation with Felix, and Ingrid and Sylvain were conversing in light and teasing tones. Byleth smiled to herself as she watched them and tightened her grip on Dimitri’s hand unintentionally.

“You look satisfied, love, is there something you’d like to share?” Dimitri asked curiously.

Byleth laughed lightly. “I don’t want to scare this away,” she admitted, gently tilting her head in Felix and Annette’s direction. Felix’s ears were pink at the tips and Annette’s cheeks had a rosy glow.

“Ah,” Dimitri replied, his own lips twitching into a smile. “Well I could let it go, but I know Duke Fraldarius has been spending much more time in conversation with Baron Dominic.”

Byleth squeezed his hand. “I wonder why that could be,” she replied teasingly. “Perhaps the same reason why Ashe has been my best communicator with Brigid recently.”

“Or why the son of the esteemed Margrave Gautier has taken to spending his time split between his own lands and the lands of Count Galatea,” Dimitri replied, glancing over at his other childhood friends.

Byleth shook her head fondly. “I don’t think our wedding will be the only one in the future, my love.”

“No, I would be inclined to agree with you on that,” Dimitri hummed.

Finally, their little group reached the room that used to be the Blue Lion’s classroom. All of them stopped just outside the room as if none of them could make themselves set foot inside the room. After a moment of nothing, Byleth dropped Dimitri’s hand and stepped forward across the threshold.

The monastery’s reconstruction effort had obviously begun to move into areas like the classroom since all the furniture was righted and placed mostly back where it had been before the war. The bookshelves were emptier than they used to be, thanks to thieves, and Byleth’s blackboard that had been used for lectures was leaning in two large, broken pieces against the rear wall.

Byleth moved towards it like a magnet and ran her fingers across the still chalk-dusted surface with a wistful smile on her face.

“This place feels like it was frozen in time,” Sylvain said idly as he stepped in and moved towards the windows on the front wall.

Felix snorted. “I’m not sure that’s how I’d describe it.”

“You know, I don’t think I’ve been here since the war ended,” Ashe admitted.

Annette nodded. “Me either. I used to come here to work on things when everywhere else was crowded.”

“We’ve shared a lot of memories in this place,” Ingrid agreed. She walked curiously over to one of the bookshelves and pressed her fingers in the empty spaces between books.

“Will you get the Officer’s Academy up and running again, Professor?” Dedue asked after a moment.

Byleth blinked and she realized that she honestly hadn’t even considered it until that point. She had been focusing so much of her effort on unification campaigns and the physical and spiritual repairs to the church that she had almost forgotten it was once a school as well.

“I think we should try,” Dimitri answered for her. He stepped up next to Byleth and wrapped a warm arm around her waist. “So much good came out of this place.”

“I think it would be easy enough to convince my brother to divert some efforts into getting this place all fixed up,” Flayn said brightly. “As much as he tries to pretend, I know he has a soft spot for the Academy and for the Blue Lions House especially since you all did take me on as a student partway through the year.”

“We’d all have to get together more often in that case,” Mercedes said cheerfully. “An annual gathering to celebrate the new classes,” she suggested.

Sylvain chuckled, throwing an arm over Felix’s shoulder as he headed for the centre of the room. “I like that idea, Mercedes. It reminds us all of that fateful day we all took a chance to return here and we met up with our Professor and our Prince again.”

Dimitri tensed at her side, but Sylvain’s words held no malice and he relaxed after a moment. Slowly, the rest of the Blue Lions congregated at the front of the classroom. Annette and Mercedes had linked their arms while Sylvain had thrown his other arm over Ingrid’s shoulders as well. Ashe moved to stand between Ingrid and Annette, Dedue stood between Mercedes and Dimitri, and Flayn slipped in between Byleth and Felix.

In their odd, sort-of circle, Byleth felt a lump well up in her throat. She loved these people more than she knew she was capable of. The moment felt like it needed a toast of some sort to cement it, so Byleth swiped Dimitri’s flask from its position on his belt. Her fiancé made a noise of surprise, but Byleth just ignored him and raised the flask.

“To the best students I could have asked for and the best group of friends I could have ever needed.”

Smiles rippled around the room and Byleth took a swig from the flask, letting the hard liquor Dimitri was carrying burn down her throat as she swallowed. She handed the flask off to him and he took a sip before passing it off to Dedue. The flask made its way around the ring and everyone drank to differing successes (Ashe, Annette, and Flayn pulling strange faces while the rest managed to stomach it with little reaction and Sylvain even took two sips).

“Thank you, my friends,” Byleth continued as she received the flask back from Flayn. “I am so grateful you were all able to come to support me in this endeavour. Your support means so much.”

“Of course, Professor,” Ingrid replied gently. “You believed in us when no one else did so it was only fair that we did the same.”

“Besides,” Dimitri continued, “my rule is nothing without the support of the Church of Seiros.”

Byleth rolled her eyes and elbowed him, but he just tightened his grip on her waist and leaned down to kiss her temple. She smiled.

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thatrosewoodwriter · 5 years

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𝐑𝐖𝐂𝐇 𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀 𝐒𝐇𝐘 𝐒/𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.

☾ character/s: lottie pumpkin, ellie wolf, jamie volk, anastacia alcroft, saskia san martin, raphael wilcox, lola tompkins, micky tompkins

☾ warnings: none

☾ notes: sorry, no percy for this one. binah isn’t here because she’s aroace.

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➳ lottie understands being shy and timid

➳ but for once she wanted to protect you

➳ there were many soft moments until she got kidnapped by saskia

➳ and you were furious

➳ lottie was genuinely shocked that someone so shy could fight so effortlessly

➳ she definitely saw parallels between jamie and you

➳ she also doesn’t feel the need to protect you as much anymore

➳ but she lowkey wants to be trained by you instead of jamie

➳ ellie has never had to protect you once

➳ thankfully

➳ she still hasn’t had to

➳ when she was told that you knew martial arts she talked you into sparring with jamie

➳ jamie felt bad about fighting you, cause he didn’t know, so he went easy on you

➳ and you won by a landslide

➳ you guys arm wrestled and you won on both arms

➳ ellie hasn’t let jamie live that down and it’s been 3 years

➳ he’s secretly whipped for you, let’s be honest

➳ he does so much for you because you’re too shy to ask

➳ ironically, you were scared of him first

➳ he was big and scary and confident

➳ jamie thought the same until he went to tompkins manor

➳ he had a stress-induced aneurysm when he watched you and julius battle it out

➳ was overwhelmingly proud of you when you disarmed ingrid

➳ so now he trains against you even though you worry about hurting him

➳ he thinks it’s cute that you’re worried when you’re evenly matched

➳ honey, you’re shyness was what made her fall in love with you

➳ but she was confused when you had a face-off against saskia

➳ someone she used to love is now fighting someone she does love

➳ w h a t

➳ she thought you’d never hurt a fly until that night

➳ she was blown away

➳ typically you were reluctant to train against he for fencing practice

➳ but after this, she begged you to help train her

➳ it took 5 tries before you gave in

➳ never saw it coming

➳ was always worried leviathan would damage your innocence

➳ of course, she always wondered why you watched her train all the time

➳ as if you were downloading everything she was capable of doing

➳ saskia realised this wasn’t too far from the truth when you fought ingrid at tompkins manor

➳ she charged at you with a knife and saskia was about to punch her square in the face

➳ but you twisted her arm and held her in a choke hold, tossing the knife to jamie

➳ her heart died, revived, and died again

➳ worry had left the building

➳ he loves how shy you are

➳ always kisses you in front of everyone to see you flustered

➳ anastacia loves you guys together, but she wants to duel you damnit

➳ raphael encouraged you to go for it, so you did

➳ anastacia isn’t completely unfair, so she taught you some skills in the lead up

➳ raphael isn’t great at the privacy game, so he told everyone, obviously

➳ you weren’t very happy about that, but you showed the rosewood gang your skills

➳ and now raphael thinks you’re super cool and badass

➳ wants to learn some too, but you don’t trust him

➳ saw it coming the least

➳ loved you even more after you saved her from leviathan

➳ had a heart attack when you and her got tied up by julius

➳ lola thought lottie was brave for rolling to block ingrid and letting her run for help

➳ but then she came back and you were fighting ingrid and julius with your hands still tied

➳ she was so relieved you could hold your own

➳ and micky stopped being so protective of lola when he saw you could protect her

➳ you both got a comment about how everyone somewhat expected it

➳ you and micky wondered why until jamie explained it

➳ ‘you’re both too innocent, but if one of you were to be secretly badass, it’d be [name].’

➳ micky wasn’t sure if that was an insult to him, or a compliment to you

➳ but he took it as a compliment to you when you were training with anastacia while he was chasing percy’s sleep walking

➳ he was very impressed

➳ he also appreciated you can defend yourself and him if it ever came down to it

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andryushas · 7 years

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Great Comet Things

I got to see Great Comet on Sunday and it was absolutely amazing. The whole cast was amazing and the show is so artistic and surreal. Below is a bunch of things I noticed that were either very cool, unexpected or both. Warning, it’s very very long:

ACT I

The show doesn't actually start with Pierre singing. He comes out with his accordion then you hear Natasha yelp a really sad "No!" then run on stage with Andrei at her heals. They have a moment, and she looks really sad and he looks Very in Love and takes a necklace off his neck and puts it on her. She grasps at it and he runs out the door behind Pierre, representing the war

Prologue is actually really funny. Like it's sort of funny on the recording but the way people move and act w their faces makes it very comic.

Marya is a little terrifying. She plays "strict yet Kind" out to the audience like, "yes, I'm KiNd!!! Believe me, That's an order!!"

Anatole is actually really funny. I had totally been imagining him as this impossibly smooth figure and He Isn't. Like yes, he's very smooth at times but he is also totally used for comedy sometimes and is severely melodramatic.

Oak's Pierre is really dimensional. He's very subdued and gentle but there's also a roughness to his voice when he gets really disgusted in himself or in the world and he moves really smoothly and naturally between Pierre's gruffer, darker side, and the cute awkward warmness which he also does wonderfully.

Denée's Natasha reads really well as this young girl who has always been loved and appreciated and is now really struggling for the first time with her happiness and she's really bold and a little self absorbed and this really brings out the changes which I will get back to later

Courtney Bassett was wonderful as Mary!! She's plays her really sweet and shy but also clashes really well w Natasha.

Private and Intimate is really intense but can also get very funny. Nicholas Belton is hilarious but his Bolkonsky has a lot to him I guess? He moves really slowly and he does the fragile thing really well for a dude who is like Bolting down the aisles as Andrei. I'm very scared of old prince Bolkonsky.

The Lighting in No One Else oh my go d. The song is so beautiful but the visuals. The falling snow. It's heartrending. Ahhhh.

Marya Dmitrievna is the best ever. I love her.

The Opera is Funky as hell. Paul Pinto is a firecracker. What a cool dude.

I didn't expect Anatole to actually get that excited about Natasha. I sort of read it as pure manipulation (it's still manipulative don't get me wrong) but he really does adore her. He really cares about whether or not she likes him and he fawns over her.

The Duel is intense as fuck. Amber Gray walked passed me at some point (i can't remember if it was during the duel or not but) she is a goddess, damn it. I love her.

Nick Choksi plays the sociopathic Dolokhov you get in the book better in person than I would've guessed

Pierre does this thing when he gets shot where he ducks and stays ducking for a long time bc he thinks he's a dead man and there's a long silence. And then he looks up like “oh!” and Oak made the cutest face ever when he realized he won the duel.

Ok I didn't like dust and ashes when I heard it on the soundtrack and saw it at the Tony's but the way Oak does it is an absolute show stopper. It blew me away. I love it. It's now one of my favorite songs in the show. Pierre is sitting in his Hole or whatever. The sad hole. And he just. Opens himself up and it's great. There was at least a full minute of applause for him.

SUUUUUNDAY MORNING TIME FOR CHURCH

I love sunday morning but i do miss Sonya’s part from the off broadway soundtrack

When Helene comes in during Charming, Natasha is dressed in nothing but her corset and a tiny little underskirt and it makes her so vulnerable and frightened its an interesting dynamic. Amber Gray is a powerhouse of an actress and a singer and I love her. She has the coolest cloak too.

There’s this thing in Charming where Helene rips Natasha’s necklace from Andrei off and Natasha looks so guilty and upset about it. It really breaks the excitement from the yay, dresses part. She tosses it into Pierre’s depression hole and it landed in his book. Pierre picked it up and looked hilariously confused.

The ball is at least 80% same sex couples which was pretty cool. The ending is beautiful but it gets really chilling as the act draws to a close.

ACT II

Letters was bomb af. I’m gonna note again that I love Okieriete Onaodowan. After saying that he wrote the letter, Dolokhov crouches really malevolently watching what he orchestrated unfolds.

When they pass the love letter to Natasha, the audience has to pass it across the aisle but the girl didn’t know what to do when it got to the end, so Denee leaned really desperately with her arm reached out waving sweetly and asking for the letter until she got it

INGRID MICHAELSON IS A REALLY AMAZING ACTRESS AND SHE WRECKED ME

Preparations is a bop. Nick Choksi is a gift.

There’s a bit at the beginning where Anatole is carrying a big ol bag and he looks like he plans to walk up the stairs with it but then WHOOPS ANDREI IS SITTING ON SAID STAIRS. Anatole does absolutely nothing in acknowledging this- he simply sees he’ll need to take the other stairs and walk away.

I LOVE PAUL PINTO OK

There’s that one post about struggling to keep your sleeves rolled being gay culture and...Lucas Steele took a really long time to get his sleeves rolled up. I snorted.

I have very few words to describe the next few songs so i’ll sorta skip forward a little and just...trust me when I say they’re amazing

Seeing Pierre kick Anatole’s bitch ass is a ton of fun but its much less fun the way its staged because thats when natasha poisons herself and its painful

Natasha Very Ill was so tense and painful

One of the nice things Natasha sings about Andrei in act one becomes a letter to him which we see him open and read. He looks kind of lovestruck and then scared and he tucks the letter away, running off with the ribbon still in his hand. He comes on with this ribbon in his hand a bunch of times, and once, when he looks really beat up and scared, he has the ribbon tied around his gun. The last time he brings this ribbon on stage is in Pierre and Andrey, where its been returned around the parcel of Natasha’s letters.

GOD I love Nicholas Belton’ Andrei. There’s so much pain he’s trying to hide and it’s just being pressed down and hardening into rage. He’s really rough and a bit frightening but its so clearly from a place of sadness. His “No, I am well,” is almost pitifully unconvincing. The scene is so heavy. I could go on about this song forever. He does something on “never speak of that again” where he lashes out and sort of throws his hand out at Pierre’s chest and Pierre looks genuinely frightened by him. He’s really sympathetic even though he’s so cold. In three minutes he captures SO much of Andrei Bolkonsky

In Pierre and Natasha, Denee is completely transformed. She holds the railing and sways likes hse’s falling and walks like each step is over broken glass. Seeing her liveliness shatter is so utterly tragic. She’s brilliant.

Oak’s Pierre is so kind and good hearted. He was really crying during Pierre and Natasha, and it was so full of love. When he did the confession, he worked up so much courage to say it, and he was still sniffling from crying and there was such love in his voice that it richened and softened beautifully. It was so tender and beautiful.

THE ENSEMBLE SINGING IN THE FINALE. Their voices weave a whole sky of stars. Pierre coming to an understanding is illuminated by their soft moonlit voices. The whole moment is as clear as crystal and it is a perfectly executed awakening. It felt deeper and realer than I’d ever imagined.

I was crying a lot

Bonus: Stagedoor

Josh Canfield and Nicholas Belton came out first. I was very awkward but they were both Darlings. Josh photobombed my picture with nicholas belton and nicholas belton was like “oh looks like you’ve got a photobomber” and somehow I didn’t notice until like an hour later

A bunch of really cool ensemble members came out

Nick Choksi came over and he was still wearing his very heavy eyeliner. Someone said “you’re rocking the guyliner” and he looked quite pleased. I told him preparations is like the best song and he was like “hell yeah”

My friend (@levizoe) told Paul Pinto that his performance was really moving. He thought this was a reference to the show as a whole but I knew. I knew this was about him, Balaga, specifically

Everyone lost it when Oak came out. He had a Harry Potter t-shirt on and was carrying a skateboard. What a cool dude. He’s huge but not as tall as I anticipated. so many muscles. I gave him some are and he was like “Oh this is pretty cool.” then he looked at it and called it kind of amazing and I died. Then he went inside to put it away and all the people who he didn’t get to yet were giving me some serious side eye i felt bad (he came back tho ofc)

Ingrid Michaelson has very pretty eyes and is very nice. She looked so tired tho i felt bad.

IN CONCLUSION I AM DEAD. Sorry for the length of this post. Its such an amazing show. I love them all so much.

#natasha pierre and the great comet of 1812 #mine #long post

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eleanor-shellstrop · 7 years

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so anyways i met aubrey plaza last night,,, and actually got to talk to her..... and i’m still in disbelief

soooo i’m currently a PR intern at the seattle international film festival and it’s truly a blast but i hit my peak yesterday when i met aubrey. she came to seattle bc the festival screened the little hours this weekend (i watched it yesterday and it was WEIRD and i loved it. and we’re playing ingrid goes west later which i’m also seeing and super excited for!!!).

we were told via email earlier in the day that she doesn’t really like to be hounded with people which is super understandable so i thought i wouldn’t be able to actually meet her but would probably be able to see her from afar which i was still super excited about!!!

so i arrived at the theater like 1hr30 before the screening began. my job was set for the evening which was pretty much to stand by the red carpet, keep the photographers updated as my boss (our publicist for the film’s seattle release) texted me how far they were and stuff. and just keep people out of her way when she and her boyfriend jeff baena (who directed the film) arrived.

anyways she got there like 30 minutes before the screening. she looked kind of tired but excited tbh!! first she took some photos on our little red carpet for the screening in front of the step and repeat. she took one picture with our programmer for the little hours and i yelled for them all to hold hands bc i knew the programmer. they all chuckled a bit . aubrey laughed at my joke!! after photos her and jeff were just standing in a corner off to the side with her team kind of next to her (team meaning like 3 other people).

since they were just standing there i decided to actually go up and introduce myself,,, i was so nervous. u don’t even know my knees were literally SHakign

so i went up to her and jeff and said something like “hi aubrey, i’m danielle one of the other PR interns. thanks for coming to seattle, we’re super excited to have you here!” and she was like hi and thanks and nice to meet you and we had that exchange and it was crazy and kind of a blur. although her team was kind of next to them they weren’t really apart of the conversation

anyways i was really nervous and iddn’t know what to say so i was telling her about how huge of a fan i am of parks and rec. i told her i’ve watched it five times. and she was like, “like the whole thing or just some episodes?” and i told her the whole thing and i know and i’m too much but it’s by far my favorite show of all time and then she thanked me and stuff --and wow i can’t believe this happened

(sorry this is getting less and less coherent)

then jeff asked me what my favorite episode was and I FELT SO PUT ON THE SPOT i didn’t even say my favorite episode but rather the first episode that came to mind which for some reason was “women in garbage?” but i coudlnt’ remember the name of the ep so i said the leslie and april trash one!! and she was like “what???... oh the one where we ride garbage trucks! that was fun” and then i was like “yeah!! april is so great. i also love the line where you say ‘dogs should be rewarded for not being people, i hate people.’” and she kind of just smiled and looked down and it was cute. also did i mention she’s tiny

anyways then her publicist went to go talk to her and jeff about something and then somehow a circle formed with aubrey, jeff, me, my boss, one of the other interns, 2 photographers and 2 other people with jeff and aubrey and we were all just casually conversing!!! i coudln’t believe the NORMALCY

i asked if they’ve been to seattle before (and aubrey said yes but i don’t remember the back story because i was just thinking while she was talking, like, holy shit i’m talking to aubrey plaza), they talked about not really having any plans to do anything here bc they’re only here for a couple days. we talked about vin diesel and nicholas cage because one of the girls on her team was talking about how she loves them and everyone was like “eugh” at nicholas cage but aubrey loved it and was just silently like “yes he’s the best” and it was hilarious. we talked about the fact that the theater that was playing the little hours said “baywatch” on it which was funny and then my boss and jeff were having a little argument about whether or not she actually saw baywatch or not

we have this venue called the SIFF lounge which is an area for the public to go on weekends but where filmmakers can hang out whenever, and jeff did a panel there earlier in the day. and i was just trying to make jokes so i said “yes the siff lounge is great!! there’s a bar and also very dry doughnuts” and jeff said “why did you have wet doughnuts last year?” an di can’t believe that exchange happened and died and i tried to continue the jokes and said “wow that’s good. u should write comedy. do you write comedy?” and he laughed. aubrey was kind of on her phone during this whole thing but she was smiling so i think she could hear??

after someone mentioned something about weed being apart of the siff lounge. and aubrey was like “why cause it’s legal here?” and then we were like “yeah might as well, you can smell it everywhere” then jeff made a joke that was like “you should call the lounge the siff spliff lounge” and i died and was like we’ll give you credit and call it “jeff’s siff spliff lounge” but i couldn’t say it bc i was getting tongue tied but i tried.

aubrey’s publicist went to go talk to jeff and aubrey again bc the movie was about to start so then i left and went to watch the film. after the movie they did a q&a then were just chilling outside of the theater as everyone left. surprisingly nobody really stopped to bombard her and say hi. but after everyone was gone and it was just her and her team i went to tell her bye and thank you for coming and i loved the movie and that’s that/

so anyways

i met aubrey plaZa and life wont’ get better and maybe i’m bffs w jeff baena? probably not

idd i mention she’s tiny?

edit: also forgot one thing!! we started talking about weed because aubrey and jeff were talking about how they were gonna meet with “weed nuns” the following day and aubrey was like “i have no idea what they’re gonna do to me” and it was !!! so !!!! i can’t believe it happened

#personal #a very boring and incoherent story that i am posting so i can relive htis moment for the rest of my life #it was so weird to see her just walking around by herself i wasjust like shouldnt' someone be... protecting her #aubrey plaza #didn't ask for a photo bc i was working and it would be unprofessional but !! i have thi smoment

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mousemarner · 7 years

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do gromit

BLESS

1. favorite character?

probably Sonya to be honest? With Pierre a close second

2. favorite person to play said favorite character?

I love Brittain and Ingrid both SO much however the audio from Ingrid’s first Sonya Alone was literally the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard in my life. It hasn’t even happened yet but. Oak’s Pierre is about to be the greatest thing on Broadway.

3. character you relate to the most?

Sonya but also I relate to Mary a lot lol

4. character you would most like to play?

Sonya but also Helene but also Natasha but also Mary…in that order 5. character you would most like to meet?

my girl Sonya

6. most underrated character?

ooooooh maybe Mary? I wish there was a bit more focus on like…Natasha and Pierre considering…the title of this musical…but in general people are pretty good about that so far.

7. favorite sung line(s)?

i. straight up cannot answer this because i would copy paste the entire musical here. i am sorry.

8. favorite spoken line(s)?

“If I were not myself,But the brightest,Handsomest,Best man on earth,And if I were free,I would get down on my knees,This minute,And ask you for your hand.And for your love.”

there is but one spoken line but hooooo boy is it. a lot.

9. first song you heard from the show?

“No One Else” AND I SAW IT SUNG BY AUDRA MCDONALD LIVE AND IN CONCERT IN THE YEAR 2015 AND I? ASCENDED. It was the first time I ever heard anything about the show and she described it in vivid detail and I went home and googled the fuck out of it. But yeah. Audra singing No One Else was UNREAL. I died that day and am still not fully returned to this plane.

10. song you play on repeat?

CHARMING

11. song you skip when it comes on shuffle?

unfortunately…Pierre & Natasha. Despite it literally being one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever recorded I Cannot Listen To It it MURDERS me

12. most underrated song?

ooooh underrated…i think both Pierre & Natasha and Great Comet are like…absolutely stunning and are given the least attention of the songs in this show.

13. favorite head cannon?

no one is straight but my particular headcanons I would die for are - this will shock a lot of people I’m sure - Dolokhov is gay, also Sonya and Mary are lesbians. those are the ones I care about the most but if anyone was interested for w/e reason: andrey, pierre, natasha, Helene, and anatole are all bi

14. three words that describe this show?

utterly breathtaking, resonant

15. overall rate?

10/10

#ask game for ts #euphrasiefauchelevent #3 #4 #5 #natasha pierre and the great comet of 1812

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lipwak · 7 years

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VHS #331

Burnt Offering - The Cult of the Wicker Man, a great documentary on The Wicker Man, Firesign Theater - Weirdly Cool - A PBS pledge drive for WLIW, Clockwork Orange, *** Burnt Offering - The Cult of the Wicker Man.2001 Documentary on The Wicker Man. This is the dub of the PAL tape Dawn made for me. With commercials.Narrated by Mark Kermode Burrowhead, Kermode at the stumps of WM #2, Christopher Lee, Seamus Flannery, Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt, Anthony Shaffer, Peter Snell, Robin Hardy, David Pinner. All Robin got out of Ritual was the hare. Pinner reads from his book, describing Willow’s dance. (I have some info on the picture Howie is "licking off the wall.”) Who would be the faded dancer in the book "The Ritual". Interesting that it would be a faded dancer… Ronald Hutton, scholar , (http://twm.wikia.com/wiki/Behind_the_scenes_-_still_pictures?file=Bts_wm_27.jpg), The Golden Bough Skoda commercial, …. Famous Grouse scotch, Norwich Union, Anadin, Andrex, Blockbuster, canteach.org EW - never saw it as a horror picture. Piano tilt is obvious in the shot they use. Two great quotes from Britt: "It wasn't the usual, beautiful girl...which I really was in those days.” and "It was more of an acting role!”” Annie Ross overdubbed her voice. Kermode at Anwoth. Cover of a script: British Lion Film Productions, The Wicker Man (Never seen one of those…) Seamus: RH unforthcoming in providing decisions. No production manager to involve themselves in that sort of thing. Jake Wright: started Mon 10/9, ended Sat, 11/25 (Wrap was on 11/24) Ingrid: Never been so cold other than in the war. Wright and Flannery on the fake trees: EW story about having to move the apple trees around, true or not. Snell doesn’t doubt it. Ellengowan regulars. Britt’s bleak comment. Kermode visits. Beer glasses being hurled. Sad to hear the crew didn't get along. Harry Waxman. Almost left 2 or 3 times. c/u of script shows handwritten notes. What script was this? Jake recounts body double scenes. 4th nude scene = Willow's dance. The other 3? (The graveyard scene, Ingrid in a tub, the young girls dancing over the fire (supposed to be naked) Britt: "The model had this big ass.” “Sorry" Bacardi Breezer, American Express, SeaFrance, Standard Life, Mean Machine, UK Gold, Homebase, Grolsch beer, Amex Zwellers had a book with the Wicker Man in it. Used “hurdles” to construct the Wicker Man. (http://twm.wikia.com/wiki/Wicker_Man_drawings) Seamus Flannery's comments about the face of the Wicker Man are familiar. (Where have I seen it before? I assume it is on one of the extra movies on the DVD.) EW: Never ever have I been so frightened. (Quote him as Oak carried him.) Burning the live animals Shaffer quote almost the same as in one of the above extras on the DVD. only the following animals… The whole cast and crew were moved by the experience of burning the wicker man, the ritual. Shot of Eric Boyd-Perkings in what is probably the editing van. pic of the script is page 49 with handwritten notes British Lion projection room on Broadwick St? CL: There’s an enormous amount missing. Deeley, "it isn’t one of the 10 worst films I’ve seen. I’ve made worse films myself.” Ahead of it’s time. Salesmen were completely baffled: Shaffer. Doesn’t the calvary come? Isn’t it a bit heavy? Yes it is. Eric Boyd-Perkins Two people controlled distribution. Star Wars collectible magazine series Fact Files, MasterCard, Wega tv, Motorola phone, Argos, Orange texting, Jsearch, Mean Machine, Homebase. Roger Corman interview same as in WM Enigma (one of the extra movies on the DVD)? 2nd features had to be 80 minutes so had to be cut down. I need to find out more about John Simon, the American distributer. WB only showed it in 2 drive ins at Atlanta…. Nice to see Deeley, the man who who had so much to do with the film's losing it's full length. Not to buy into the paranoia about the missing footage but he seesms to be changing his tune somewhat in retrospect. "Its a pity it was this one cause it feeds all the loonies" Michael Deeley in talking about theories of the missing reels. He does come across as respecting it's value now. Lansdown(?), co that picked up spares and junk film. :Eric Boyd Perkins RH says they restored all of Corman’s print. Broadway musical in the offing… All sorts of very strange groups, Wicker Man appreciation society, fanzines whatever they are... Burning Man. Beltane Festival in Scotland looks like fun! Shaffer: "I look forward to when we are pagans again. I think we'd have a much better time of it.” (Shaffer died that year.) The end Nobles Gate Scotland Film and TV Productions 2001 (the Edinburgh television production company) Thanks to Gail Ashurst Beltane Fire Society Catterall, Ali (w/ Simon Wells - (2002). Your Face Here: British Cult Movies Since the Sixties. Fourth Estate. ISBN 978-0-00-714554-6.) The Ellangowan Hotel David Lally Simon Wells Stills courtesy of Eric Boyd Perkins - also edited The Wicker Man Enigma Seamus Flannery Freemantle Media The Kobal Collection (= Rex/Shutterstock) The Ronald Grant Archive (http://www.ronaldgrantarchive.com/index.html) Fred Bennet construction manager Very good overall. Very well written. Bremmner Bird and Fortune - Stephen Mallet *** Firesign Theater - Weirdly Cool 1:10, missed beginning, with pledge breaks by Firesign Theater See also VHS #212 Starts a Pussycats to eat them when the sun goes down…. *** end of The Element of Crime Lars von Trier *** Clockwork OrangeIFC(some audio static) cuts off just before the end when the politician brings in the huge stereo and they play Beethoven’s 9th. *** Iraq war starts from here: https://youtu.be/f7iorfwcmeY?t=1h32m48s CNN: Rumsfeld as we bomb Baghdad (3/21/03?), "we are seeing slices of the war in Iraq, not what is taking place…” with video of bombs exploding in color, Is Saddam in control of Iraq? Brett Baier (Fox newsman), 9:56 pm, these are very precise weapons, shock and awe, what makes you think they won’t sit this out? For one thing, they are a repressed people. This is not an attack on the Iraqi people, this is an attack on the regime, Gen Richard Myers, every single target has been analyzed, minimizing innocent lives, it was the absolute last choice, BBCPaul Wood w/ video, Dan Goure *** BBCvideo with techno music of the bombing, they daylight shots of the injured, ground invasion, Saddam *** C-SpanChris Hedges, War Is a Force That Gives Us MeaningVirginia Festival of the BookCharlottesville, VA3/20/03 See the whole thing here: //www.c-span.org/video/?175618-1/dreams-war comradeship, we worship death, Jeux interdits (Forbidden Games) film, precision then not in the Gulf War, first casualty is truth, *** C-SpanJohn Brown, Former Foreign Service Officer, you don’t introduce new products in August - Andrew Card… *** BBC Iraq footage with music, injured, riot police, fires in the distance, oil fires *** Fox News Kuwait sirens with reporter wearing a gas mask *** BBC Iraq footage with music (same as before)Sun 3/23/03 *** BBC footage with music, weeping women, oil fires, troops, captured soldier, men with guns, Saddam, various Iraqi officials, mother with injured child, planes taking off,3/25/03 *** BBCNews intro, day 7, 3/25/03 *** BBCfootage with music: troops handing out supplies, injured, tanks3/27/03 *** BBCfootage with music: supplies being unloaded, donkey cart, mud, supplies being unloaded to crowds, highway signs, navy ship *** BBCfootage with music: refugees, tanks, inspecting cars, camels and oil fires, helicopters, huge bomber taking off, gun boats, British, troop waving, food line, British flag-draped coffin *** BBCtoughest fighting yet to come, *** BBCfootage with music: troops running, child crying, getting water, B-1 taking off, night shots, marching in street, Bush go home, oil fires, convoys *** BBCfootage with music: troop waving, people cheering, rubble, helicopters, sun over the dessert, people surrendering, city at night3/31/03 *** BBCday 13, bombardment continues, street fighting, Colin Powell travels to Turkey, *** Letterman top 10 list: Iraqs minister has to say about the war *** Travel Channelcookie humidor, Ritz Carlton Naples, Disney Yacht and Beach club Orlando,

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