#guest muse: caroline

[amuseadozen]

Based on this old thread and ideas we came up with.

Caroline passed the hallway in front of her daughters dorm, her mind spinning a thousand miles an hour. A headache pressed against her temples like it had been since Alaric had called that morning. This was insane, impossible almost. But with the way their lives worked, all the blonde had seen, it was actually realistic and that is what scared her the most. Katherine Pierce had been sharing her daughter’s body for the last tenish years if she was doing the math correctly.

It made sense why in Katherine’s final moments she had anchored her consciousness to Lizzie. The damn Petrova magic being stronger than any the group had ever seen, even Bonnie’s which was saying something. It explained why Lizzie had been able to do magic stronger than she should have been able to do as a Siphonor witch. Why when she had a meltdown her magic was uncontrollable and even some of Lizzie’s choices made more sense. But Katherine picking Lizzie wasn’t just for that, but the connection to the one person the three of them loved and missed.

Caroline lifted a hand to play with the silver dove necklace that rested on her chest, one she rarely if ever took off. Katherine had picked Lizzie because of Lee. Lizzie had always been Lee’s favored twin, their connection so pure it had warmed Caroline’s heart. It had given the blonde vampire hope that Lizzie could ground Lee, or help Caroline to ground her, after Katherine’s first death. It had worked for about seven years. But Lee’s demons were too strong. And when Katherine had found a way back to life, Lee was already locked away asleep. It made sense Katherine knew Lizzie might know where or at least could get Caroline to spill that answer.

But it seemed the two had waited until now to even bring Lee up...bring up the fact Katherine and Lizzie shared a body. While she was glad the truth was out it angered her as well. This whole thing was a mess, added to the mess that was becoming the school.

With a deep breath, readying herself for how this whole thing might go, Caroline stopped pacing and opened the door and stepped in. What she wasn’t expecting was Nikolas Mikealson to be sitting on the bed with Lizzie. Ric has said once he’d found out the truth he’d sent her up here to think in peace and call her. Though this was another surprise that made sense. Caroline hadn’t forgotten how Niko’s eyes had turned a bright gold the moment she’d locked eyes with Lizzie when they were little. It was just something that had been pushed back. She and Hayley had agreed to let that bond grow naturally, when the time was right they’d explain it together to the girls. Lord she hoped that time wasn’t soon now with everything currently going on with Lizzie.

“Niko,” She gave the girl a tense smile, “I need to talk to Lizzie, alone. Please.” Caroline would never be rude to the girl, she had a prickly side but the vampire knew who the girl truly was. Soft, sweet, loyal to a fault, and so so protective of her daughter. Right now though it needed to be just the mother-daughter duo.

Niko gave Lizzie’s hand one last squeeze, “Sure, Caroline.” One of the few students that could get away with that and then pressed a soft kiss to the top of Lizzie’s head and stood, “I’ll be right down the hall if you need me.” The words a whisper for just the youngest blonde, then she was gone.

As the door shut, Caroline took Lizzie in. Trying to pinpoint any part of her that screamed Katherine. “So…” Caroline met her daughter’s eyes, “do you want to explain why you never told me or anyone for that matter, Katherine had decided it would be a good idea to link herself to your body?” After years of knowing Katherine, it didn’t surprise her. Their relationship had been tense at times but toward the end they’d found common ground. Their love for Lee overpowered their own issues. Katherine had begrudgingly accepted Caroline as the best friend and platonic soulmate while Caroline had accepted Katherine as the epic true love that had a small—that was being generous— psychotic side.

“Or better yet, why you two decided this outlandish plan was the only way to go and refused to cooperate any other way?” Caroline’s arms crossed over her chest, “Separating you two, when we don’t physically have Katherine’s body, is dangerous. I don’t even think Bonnie would have a spell that could do this.” Freya might, but that is a name she isn’t going to bring up at the moment. Blue eyes landed on the stack of Lee’s old journals, notes written in Lizzie’s and surprisingly Katherine’s handwriting were visible. But what caught her attention was a grimoire she knew had come from when Lee had found a way to Blackbeard Treasure. “Really, Katherine?!” She pointed at the book, “The only way she could have gotten that is if you took Lizzie into the restricted section and used your magic to unlock that collection.” It has taken years for Caroline to agree to adding those books in, they were dangerous—Lee had them locked in a safe, sealed with Katherine’s magic for a reason. But Ric had convinced her they could help the school, the higher level students. Not that they had a witch thong enough to teach that level or even a lore expert Caroline would trust to do so. Which is something Lizzie had brought up in the discussion with Ric as well.

Caroline strode over, grabbing the notes. Again she was surprised when she saw some in Lee’s old handwriting, she’d researched a spell like this before...she sighed. “This is insane.” She looked back at Lizzie. “Waking Aunt Lee up to help with all this crazy is something I can agree with. Something I have thought of since the moment this started. She would probably love all of this, as twisted as that sounds.” But then again Lizzie probably knows all of that already; Lizzie’s own relationship with Lee, Katherine, and the journals the blonde had hoarded since the day Caroline had put them into the school's collection.and yes, she still called Lee their Aunt. The sleeping vampire deserved that title more than anyone else she knew. Lee had turned her hi,sanity back on for the twins, for her even when they’d figured out Caroline was pregnant. Out of everyone Lee had been there the most; every late night craving, every appointment, and then everything foe the girls as well. Their bond making certain people question if Caroline was the new fixation but the blonde had known the truth. “But bringing Katherine back as well, truly worries me.” It also made sense the only way to get Lee back, the true Lee was to do this; bring Katherine back as well.

[itscarolinebingley]

"Diary of a Refined Heart: Caroline Bingley's Musings on Love and Society"

Dear Diary,

I find myself seated in the luxurious drawing room of Netherfield, surrounded by the opulence and grandeur that befits our esteemed family. As I take in the exquisite surroundings, my eyes are suddenly captivated by the entrance of none other than Elizabeth Bennet. Her presence, though unexpected, immediately caused a stir among the guests, drawing attention to herself with an air of nonchalance that both intrigued and vexed me.

Elizabeth, that impertinent and spirited young woman, dared to challenge the very notion of what it means to be an accomplished lady. She engaged my dear brother and Mr. Darcy in a lively discussion, questioning the traditional understanding of accomplishments. Her audacity! I, Caroline Bingley, who have spent countless hours refining my skills in music, art, and conversation, was left astounded by her dismissal of these pursuits as shallow and superficial. It is a most vexing experience when one's firmly held beliefs are so openly questioned by someone who has no idea on being an accomplished woman, as her appearance showed my dear brother, Mr. Darcy and myself today.

In my attempt to catch the eye of Mr. Darcy, the object of my affections, I paced back and forth in the room, hoping to draw his attention away from Elizabeth's impertinence. I longed for him to see me as a refined and captivating woman, one who possesses the qualities that align with his discerning taste. Elizabeth, on the other hand, lacks the refinement and sophistication necessary to be considered truly accomplished.

Yours faithfully, Caroline Bingley

[sapphiredhearts-a]

👀 Our Muses didn't even make it to the bed / bedroom { em x damon asljf;dlskfj }

he is staring at his back and shoulders in the long mirror in the hallway , smirking to himself . ' you could have been more gentle . ' he calls to emma - who last he saw was pulling her clothes off of the floor to get redressed .  a good idea since everyone in this godforsaken town tended to enter the boarding house with no notice . as he watches himself , the red scratches going down the length of his skin start to heal and disappear . a pity , he would have enjoyed the souvenir from the tonight .  honestly - he hadn't expected this to happen . he had been watching her for awhile , amazed by the way she handled herself . not to mention . . .she was hot . but , he had kept his hands to himself since taking notice . mostly out of fear that caroline would snap them off . normally , he wouldn't bother but they needed all the help they could get with the originals in town . peace was better than his desires .  but , tonight had been different . they had both been drinking at the masquerade ball and with all of the tension after klaus showed up they had been antsy when they left . nothing of note had happened . . . tonight anyway but give it time . damon didn't trust the man in any sense . emma had come with him here - intending to crash in a guest bedroom he guessed but they had barely made it through the door . they had been arguing , of course , about her plan to go after the originals ( and her part in it ) . somehow the heat had turned to passion and before he knew it the two had been naked in the hallway . smirking again he pulls his button up shirt on , already having pulled on his dress pants . but he leaves it opened . perhaps showing off a bit as he steps into the living room . ' is this going to complicate things ? ' he asks politely , raising a brow . 

[multi-royalty-arc]

TVDU MUSE ROLL CALL

Below the cut is a list of all my Vampire Diaries universe characters. Feel free to send them asks/memes or let me know if you’d like to come and plot something with them:)

Primary muses- are the ones I have the most muse for, my go to characters, i RP them the most and have more experience with them.

Secondary muses- are the ones I haven’t RP’d yet or don’t RP as much due to them being either a not very popular character/ having trouble finding pairings but they are OPEN to anyone to interact with.

Guest star muses- I added these for the sake of a few plotted thread ideas, you can RP with these but I prefer plotting for actual threads.

Primary

-Rebekah Mikaelson

-Freya Mikaelson

-Caroline Forbes

-Nadia Petrova

-Camille O’Connell

Secondary

-Isobel Flemming

-Mary-Louise

-Rose Marie

-Elijah Mikaelson

Guest stars

-Dahlia Mikaelson

-Esther Mikaelson

[caracarnn-archive]

seesgood asked: Bang on a door/wall/table to get my muse’s attention- angrily /  Roll their eyes at my muse

He threw up his hand to stop one of his men from going into the bedroom that they were holding her in. He knew that this wasn’t a good idea, he had known it from the moment that they had told him. Caroline Forbes wasn’t a hostage - or rather, she shouldn’t be. This could land them in too much trouble but now? Light, he couldn’t send her back with his name on her lips. That would only dig the hole that much deeper. The best thing to do is to treat her with respect, as a guest more than a hostage except for the fact that she couldn’t - well, that she couldn’t leave.

The pounding on the wall was loud and Rand let out a heavy sigh, grabbing the tray of food from his guy’s hands before moving to the door and nudging it open. There she was, standing near the wall and she looked every bit the girl he had remembered at events he had been to. Her family was a dangerous sort and Rand was a little nervous to be tampering with it. He wasn’t going to hurt her. He didn’t hurt people, although he did have blood on his hands, One can’t live in this cesspool and not be a bit tainted. That leaves him wondering about her. What sort of shadows did she linger in?

“I don’t intend to hurt you.” He hoped that she believed that but the quick roll of her eyes said something completely different. “You can have whatever you want in here but you can’t leave this room, I’m sorry.” Now, wasn’t he a bloody sap! Or maybe it was the blue of her eyes that got him thinking that he should just leave the door open for her to leave. “Caroline, you’ve met me before, heard of me.” At least he thinks she might have. :I won’t hurt you. See? I’ve even brought dinner for you.” A good cut of meat, a dinner roll, some potatoes. He lowers it down to table and then turns his eyes towards her. “Just stick to keeping things quiet, alright?”

[carolinemillerbooks]

New Post has been published on Books by Caroline Miller

New Post has been published on https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/the-truth-is-the-truth/

The Truth Is The Truth

She’s a star within the Evangelical community, but I won’t identify her for reasons that will become clear.  We met decades ago when I was an elected official. Though I am an atheist, I treated members of the religious right with the same courtesy I gave to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Madd) when they chose to give public testimony. That’s how it should be. Besides, I understood their reasoning and knew it was heartfelt. If a fertilized ovum is a person, then it has a soul, and destroying a soul would be a sin. I never interrupted to comment that soul and sin had no meaning in secular law. Nor did I point out their logic was flawed. If a soul is immortal, then destroying it would be impossible. What Evangelicals and I do agree upon is that society requires moral underpinnings–an admission that explains how I came to meet a celebrity of the faithful. I was late in arriving at the luncheon to which I was a guest. Sliding into the chair reserved for me, I offered a general apology and then introduced myself to the woman seated at my left. She told me she’d flown into town that day to be the keynote speaker at a spiritual rally that evening.  A woman in her early thirties, she bore a strong resemblance to Doris Day, her smile welcoming and crowned by a row of white teeth. Observing that she was confined to a wheelchair, I never doubted that she lived a life of courage.   We chatted over salads and I learned she was traveling across the country, fundraising to provide wheelchairs for the needy. My ears pricked up like a dog’s at the sound of an electronic can opener when I heard her.  Many of my constituents could have used a wheelchair. I suggested we might work together.     The woman shook her head to reject my suggestion. Her wheelchairs, she clarified, were intended for potential church members.   “You use the chairs to recruit the poor,  you mean?” If I’d sounded incredulous, she didn’t get my drift.  Instead, her lips parted in a dazzling smile.    “Exactly!” By some miracle, I managed to hold my tongue, though I wanted to reply that the church enjoyed tax subsidies, a fact that should entitle believers and non-believers to assistance. Using public money for private purposes was dishonest. Nonetheless, by the time I parted from her, our salads finished and the bread basket emptied, I confess I liked the woman.  My reaction to her duplicity, therefore, was to turn inward. I knew I should have spoken out about the misuse of public funds. Yet, for the sake of peace, I’d said nothing. Returning to my office in the plashing rain, I fell into a blue funk. A lie can be either good or bad depending upon circumstances, but it is always a violation of the truth.  Either way, we humans have practiced verbal deception since we developed a jaw that enabled speech. Many women oppose men-only clubs because absent a feminine voice, they encourage masculine delusions.  At least that’s true for one male.  He admitted that these watering holes were places that allowed men  to exchange ideas and learn from each other without being “canceled” for having the “wrong opinion.”    Many have said a democracy without an informed electorate will fail. When we allow lies to co-mingle with truth, we empower subversives, and that’s why, according to  Eric Hoffer, The character and destiny of the group are often determined by its inferior elements.” (“The True Believer,” HarperPerenial, 2002, pg. 24. To prevent corruption, people should confront those who use free speech to pervert facts. That much is obvious. But a citizen’s responsibility goes deeper. Rooting out the lies we tell ourselves helps us become patriots.   Liz Cheney, recently rejected for the Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service, is a patriot. She refused to deceive herself in the rough and tumble of politics, though she might have benefited. Instead, she defended the truth and it cost her– unlike the Evangelical celebrity who used charity to be exploitative.  And, also, unlike me who saw the deception and said nothing.    

[qnewslgbtiqa]

Every Drag Race franchise of 2023 ranked

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/every-drag-race-franchise-of-2023-ranked/

Every Drag Race franchise of 2023 ranked

We look at the IMDb rankings of the 2023 Drag Race franchise seasons across the world. 

Since RuPaul’s Drag Race kicked off in 2009, the World of Wonder’s universe has expanded across the globe.

In 2023 alone, five new franchises began in Belgium, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil and Germany.

In total, 13 different seasons were completed this year and we’ve crunched the numbers to see which one was the fan favourite.

Like all good rankings, we need to set the ground rules.

To rank the franchises, we are using International Movie Database (IMDb) ratings.

These ratings are of each episode, which are scored out of 10, averaged out over the season. We have not included introduction episodes (before the queens enter the Werk Room) or post-Grand Final episodes.

And finally, we are looking at regular seasons plus All Stars but no “versus the world”.

So let’s take a look at the rankings in reverse order.

13. Drag Race Espana (Spain)

Season 3 Average rating: 6.4

After two successful seasons, 2023’s offering didn’t please fans.

Two episodes even rated as low as 4.2 and 4.7 with the coronation of winner Pitita only scoring a 5.1 out of 10.

12. Drag Race Belgique (Belgium)

Season 1 Average rating: 6.5

The debut season of the French-language series was hosted by Drag Race Canada’s Rita Baga.

Despite the low average rating, at least the crowning of winner Drag Couenne received a 7.0 out of 10.

11. RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under (Australia and New Zealand)

Season 3 Average rating: 6.6

The 2023 edition of Down Under returned after the much-loved and highly-rated season 2.

There was some criticism from fans that the series needs to be more focused on the local scene and pop culture.

However, there were still some highlights with the Muriel’s Wedding episode scoring 7.4 and the crowing of the first Australian winner: Isis Avis Loren.

10. Drag Race Mexico (Mexico)

Season 1 Average rating: 6.7

The debut season was hosted by Drag Race alumni Valentina as well as Lolita Banana from Drag Race France.

Despite the highlights of the wrestling and girl band episodes, the show, won by Cristian Peralta, didn’t get off to an incredibly high-rated start.

9. Drag Race Sverige (Sweden)

Season 1 Average rating: 7.2

The first season of Sweden’s Drag Race was hosted by Robert Fux.

Guest judges included a cavalcade of Swedish singers including Eurovision winner Loreen and Caroline Hjelt from Icona Pop.

The magnificently named Admira Thunderpussy took the crown in a well-rated premiere season.

8. RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars

Season 8 Average rating: 7.4

The eighth season of the much-loved All Stars series s had some big shoes to fill. 2022 saw the all-winners contest won by Jinkx Monsoon with some truly epic moments.

Jimbo was a popular winner when he took out the season 8 crown. Kandy Muse was runner-up and Jessica Wild, who almost stole the show with her Taco Tuesday monologue, was third.

7. RuPaul’s Drag Race (United States)

Season 15 Average rating: 7.6

The year started with the 15th season of the original RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The iconic Sasha Colby cruised to victory ahead of duck-walking Anetra. The controversial pair of Luxx Noir London and Mistress Isabelle Brooks were third.

6. Drag Race Germany (Germany, Switzerland and Austria)

Season 1 Average rating: 7.7

Despite the name, the 11 queens competing were from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The premiere season was hosted by Barbie Breakout and Gianni Jovanovic.

The crown was won by Austrian Pandora Nox with the series scoring an impressive 7.7 out of 10.

5. Drag Race Philippines (Philippines)

Season 2 Average rating: 7.7

Hosted by Drag Race legend Jiggly Caliente as well as KaladKaren, the show was back for a second series.

The season was rated high throughout, although the crowing of winner Captivating Katkat only scored a 6.2 out of 10.

4. Drag Race Italia (Italy)

Season 3 Average rating: 8.2*

Drag Race Italia was back for its third season. Despite the often long and chaotic episodes, it rated incredibly high.

Although there is still one episode to go, we felt the season was complete enough to give it its rightful place in the rankings.

The four queens still in the running to win are Lina Galore, Melissa Bianchini, La Sheeva and Silvana della Magliana.

3. Drag Race Brasil (Brazil)

Season 1 Average rating: 8.2

Drag Race Brasil had the highest-rated season out of all the new additions in 2023.

The season was hosted by Grag Queen who won the first season of Queen of the Universe.

Organzza was the queen who took out the crown.

Drag Race Canada (Canada)

Season 4 Average rating: 8.4*

The season is only halfway through its course, so we can’t give it an official ranking. However, it’s only fair we mention it as it’s getting a very high average rating so far.

The series is hosted by Drag Race’s own Brooke Lynn Hytes and still has six queens in the running for the crown.

2. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (United Kingdom)

Season 5 Average rating: 8.4

One of Drag Race’s most popular franchises, the 2023 season rated incredibly high once again.

Ginger Johnson won ahead of Michael Marouli and Tomara Thomas in what was a popular top three.

1. Drag Race France (France)

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Season 2 Average rating: 9.2

Hosted by Drag Race alumni Nicky Doll, the second series proved to be even more popular than the first.

The highest-rated franchise of 2023 reached an incredible peak when the Grand Finale, which was won by Keiona, scored a near-perfect 9.8/10.

For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[dollycas]

Special Guest - Mary Cunningham - Author of Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay (An Andi Anna Jones Mystery) #AuthorInterview / #Giveaway @MaryCunningham

Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay (An Andi Anna Jones Mystery) by Mary Cunningham

It is my pleasure to welcome Mary Cunningham to Escape With Dollycas today!

Hi Mary, Tell us a little bit about yourself. I grew up in Southern Indiana and lived there until the age of 36. Since then, I’ve moved nine times! I don’t regret any of them because of the friendships and diversity I’ve experienced. I’ve lived in West Georgia for 18 years with my husband/muse/critique partner. I started writing family memoirs years ago, moved on to non-fiction, children’s fantasy fiction, and now, cozy mystery. What are three things most people don’t know about you? * I have social anxiety, which makes author readings and presentations a challenge. * I was, and still am (despite my age!) a tomboy at heart. I love sports, participating (not so much anymore), and watching live and on TV. A native of Indiana, I’m a homegrown basketball fan and love my Indiana Hoosiers. *I’m a silent counter. Subconsciously, I count steps and slices when cutting vegetables, such as carrots or celery, in addition to other counting activities. I’m not sure when this started, but it may have manifested when I worked at a bank and counted money every day! What books/authors have most inspired you? Oh, so many! When I was young I gravitated toward H. G. Wells, Steinbeck, and Tolkien. Now, I read mostly mysteries, such as books by Hank Philippi Ryan, Stephen King, Jaden Terrell, and J.K. Rowling. On the cozy mystery list, I love Karen MacInerney, Maddie Day, Caroline Haines, Joanne Fluke, Nancy J. Cohen, Julia Buckley, and many more. There are so many exciting cozy mystery writers and series’; I hate to leave anyone out. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

To begin with, I like to visually know my setting. For instance, I lived in South Florida (the original setting for Andi Anna Jones), and visited Cancun, where a murder mystery took place in Book 1, Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder. I also lived in New Orleans, the setting for Book 2, Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay, so I can put my characters in the French Quarter, or in a spooky bayou. Like most authors, I do a lot of secondary research on the Internet. I don’t know what we did without online searches! Do you ever suffer from Writer’s Block? Who doesn’t? If an author claims they don’t, they’re lying!  I think it’s worse for those of us who are “Pantzers” (writing by the seat of the pants). When it happens, I just try to stay busy with other writing projects, such as blog posts or interviews until I, or my characters, figure out where to go next. What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer? Read, read, read. Discover what genre speaks to you because if you don’t relate to what you write, you’re not going to be very good at it. I have to admit, though, when I began writing Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder, I didn’t think it was a cozy mystery. My editor, however, did. I also still subscribe to, “Write what you know,” and find your own “voice.” When you’ve finished your manuscript, and edited it about a thousand times, do a search for publishers that are looking for your genre. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time and theirs. Many prefer hiring an agent. I didn’t, but it might be right for you. When you are not writing what do you like to do? I enjoy swimming and water aerobics in the summer, and, weather permitting, playing golf at the local country club in an annual couples’ league. Walking is also a hobby I don’t necessarily like but is vital as we age. We have several beautiful nature trails close to home. I’m also into metaphysical activities such as reiki and collecting crystals. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why? I’m into genealogy and would love to travel to Switzerland to research the home of my Swiss and French ancestors. Years ago, my cousin discovered a relative who was President of the Republic of Berne in the late 1400s. What is next on the horizon for you? Brandy, Bedlam & Bloodshed, An Andi Anna Jones Mystery, Book 3 (working title) is next for me. I’ve decided on Savannah, Georgia, as my next location and plan to visit soon. I can’t think of a more interesting city for Andi Anna Jones to investigate. Thanks, so much, for having me! I enjoyed the interview, immensely. Mary Thank you, Mary! I am so glad you could visit today.  Keep reading for more info about Mary and her new book Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay.

Read the full article

[upalldown]

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

Second album from the former Chairlift singer featuring guest appearances from Dido and Grimes

7/13

Desire can be volatile, excruciating, wonderful, and cruel—but above all, it keeps us going. We want and want and want until we die, these small hopes urging us across the vast expanse of our lives. Caroline Polachek—pop auteur, emotional philosopher, hopeless romantic—makes a muse of this tangled, pervasive force on her virtuosic new album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. She knows too well that falling in love suffuses you with possibility, makes a boring world briefly beautiful. And so, as a nod to desire’s transformational power, her album’s cover displays her on all fours on the grimy subway, lunging forward with a ravenous look in her eyes. On one end of the car is the rat race; on the other end, sand—a mirage of paradise.

Polachek spent much of her career as one half of the indie-pop band Chairlift in the maddening, formative city of New York, and more recently has split her time between Los Angeles and London. In 2020, she decamped to the idylls of the Mediterranean—blaring ’70s and ’80s Italo-pop out of a beat-up station wagon with her boyfriend in Rome and staying at the base of Mount Etna in Sicily, marveling at the “faceless, tectonic, chaotic energy coming up from below.” Inspired by these excursions, the album takes us to breathtaking places, all palm trees and crystalline water, deep red sunsets and smoke-covered volcanoes. On the ecstatic “Welcome to My Island,” Polachek is Calypso greeting a shipwrecked Odysseus, waving us to her oasis. She channels a yearning as deep blue as the ocean and howls like a wolf to the moon.

While Polachek was constantly in transit on her 2019 album Pang—descending with a parachute, passing through a door to another door—Desire is grounded in a more real sense of place. Even on songs with few locational details, you can feel the climate: An elusive woman lives out an escapist fantasy on “Bunny Is a Rider,” not checking her email because she’s “AWOL on a Thursday.” Satellites can’t find her because she’s somewhere in the jungle: Hear the muggy, tropical bassline, the faint bird chirps, the static that resembles the rustle of fronds. “Crude Drawing of an Angel” is staged below the Earth’s surface amid dripping stalactites, with jagged breaths creeping up from behind. Polachek’s voice slices through the dank atmosphere like a blade: “Forsake me/Here on the ground/All or nothing,” she pleads, begging for mercy from a lover whom she knows will disappear.

Perhaps the “crude angel” is painter Paul Klee’s Angelus Novus, the “angel of history” who, in one famous account, looks with horror upon the cumulative wreckage of civilization, the damage wrought in the name of glory and beauty. Polachek is not just a swooning lover, but an aesthete and philosopher attuned to contemporary extremes, conceptualizing Desire during a period of grand instability. During the pandemic her father died of COVID-related complications, and she saw cruelty all around her as she contended with the cyclical nature of disease, the fragility of the supply chain, and the rancor of social media morality. “I started thinking about how to re-harmonize myself, and my music, with the reality that there is a destructive side to everything,” she said. On the flamenco-inspired “Sunset,” Polachek dramatizes the pressure of new love against the backdrop of a destitute society, a collapsed infrastructure of care: “So many stories we were told about a safety net/But when I look for it, it’s just a hand that’s holding mine.”

The love explored on Desire is not the result of a patient and sustainable partnership, but a violent, all-or-nothing immersion. Implicit in the wish in the album’s title, I Want to Turn Into You, is the prospect of losing one’s own selfhood. Across the album, Polachek indulges in the pleasure of obliteration and surrender: “You are melting everything about me,” she sings with her arms outstretched on “Smoke.” On “Blood and Butter,” her descriptions turn grotesque: She coos breathlessly about diving through her lover’s face and underneath his tattoos, longing to be sustained by nothing “but the sun that’s in our eyes.”

Sometimes Polachek seems so breathless with desire that she can only come up to its surface to gasp up a few intelligible lines at a time. Bristling at our culture’s obsession with literalism in art, she proffers, “I’m a deep believer in what lies behind.” So songs like “Pretty in Possible” dabble in Cocteau Twins-style abstraction, blotted narratives featuring mayflies and bloody noses. Sonically, the song is Frou Frou meets “Tom’s Diner” with its keychain-jangle beat, wordless a capella stretches, and corkscrewed melodies. Polachek and producer Danny L Harle started it as an exercise in pure flow, no explicit choruses or verses. Still, one sweet line wrestles itself from the stream: “I was born to get you home.”

The theme of mania is replicated in the songs’ twisted, irregular structures. “Blood and Butter” casts off its jacket and just to put it on again, staging a fickle transition between day and night and ending on an epic bagpipe climax lifted out of “The Sensual World.” “I Believe” is breakbeat pop fit for a Lizzie McGuire trip to Rome, punctured by glitchy, adrenal breaths that sound like a cyborg subjected to shock therapy. The album’s production veers from trip-hop to new wave, trance to flamenco, demonstrating an innate understanding of the pop archive in pursuit of a new personal style. Each creation seems marvelously its own: Who else would pay tribute to their mercurial father with petulant white-girl rapping and cheesy stadium-rock guitar, or use a 1970s young adult novel about an immortal family as fodder for a shimmering Enya ballad?

The cumulative effect is like staring up at a giant fresco, the detail so exquisite you can’t decide where to rest your eyes first. Flourishes appear in one place, then echo in a new location—wings flapping, whistles beckoning, blades slicing, bells chiming. She opens Desire with her father’s warning to “watch your head, girl” and concludes with the image of a decapitated angel. But what really binds the album is the dynamism of Polachek’s vocals, the culmination of years of bel canto operatic training and the hunger to get it right. There is so much conviction in her delivery that ceding space to anyone else, even guest spots from Grimes and Dido, feels like a disservice: Within the span of one song, Polachek’s voice will smear like paint, swoop like a crane, and bubble like lava.

All of the best attributes of Desire are reflected on its closer “Billions,” a humid tabla-pop song with medieval sound effects and an over-the-top drone squiggle. Polachek brings us into the throes of a shaky love affair, doling out details in succulent little morsels. “Salty flavor/Lies like a sailor/But he loves like a painter,” she sings, evoking the tangy taste of skin, the coarse vernacular of the seaman, the uncalloused touch of the artist. There’s something brilliant in how she drops down an octave between verses, going from the heady bliss of the evening to the sobriety of the morning after, and how she lends ordinary words their own strange mouthfeel—“zay-zay-zay-something to me” and “bill-lee-yaaans!” After running through scenes of seduction and anguish, the song appears to end on happy note: “I never felt so close to you,” Polachek confesses, echoed by the cherubic voices of the Trinity children’s choir. But being close to is still not the same as being subsumed by, having turned into. So we nudge and nudge and nudge, never quite reaching fulfillment, longing until the end.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/caroline-polachek-desire-i-want-to-turn-into-you/

[john-david-weddings]

COMMODORE PERRY ESTATE DREAM WEDDING WITH STYLISH AUSTIN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

From the Austin Texas Bride: 

“I had always wanted a small wedding,” mused Caroline Gholson, “but 16 people isn’t just small - that’s a large dinner party!” 

Caroline and Andrew Fallon knew getting engaged during the pandemic meant thinking creatively. “Have you ever read one of those suggested wedding prep timelines from The Knot? It had advice such as, don’t stress about finding a florist until you’re 12 months out. I mean, our entire engagement was only six months! We knew we had our work cut out for us,” Andrew quipped. The couple decided to lean into the idea of an intimate gathering, by focusing on the smallest details - an Austin Wedding Photographer's dream. They realized they had the opportunity to personalize elements of a wedding celebration that would typically be rented, like embroidering dinner napkins with their monogram and designing their own placemats and bespoke calligraphy invitations.

The small setting allowed guests to truly get to know each other - safely - while getting quality time with the bride and groom. As Caroline and Andrew departed, surprise fireworks lit the way and made for one epic wedding exit!

This content has been taken from - https://www.johndavidweddings.com/austin-wedding-photographer-blog/2021/3/12/commodore-perry-estate-dream-wedding-austin-texas

[blckmrktmuses]

               MEET CAROLINE FORBES ;

                    baby vampire. cheerleader. blonde bitch. big heart. not as shallow as a kiddie pool. caring. lovable. bossy. the boss. better as a vampire. smart and sassy. too smart to be seduced by you. confident. selfless. insecure. neurotic. optimistic. a little dramatic. ray of sunshine. strong. loss of innocence. persistent. her own hero. 

[danielpowell]

Archive 81 Playlist Master List (YouTube)

Trying to make playlists for all of the cast of Archive 81 and these are what I have so far! Feel free to come suggest tracks for them and also characters I haven’t gotten to yet. If you have enough for the ‘side’ characters, please throw those at me too.

These are all very much a work in progress and subject to change.

[ Spotify Versions Here ]

Character Playlists:

Daniel Powell Tanya Molova Mark to Dromen Liam Davenport Melody Pendras Alexa Kesslen-Pendras Tamara Morris Jesse Lewis Joshua and Victor Jacob the Rat Samuel The Visser Historical Society Gladys Craig Simmons Chris Gregory Baim Carlos Rolando Iris Vos Ratty LMG Chad Timothy Beth The Messenger The Choir Green Woman Caroline the Suit Jennifer “Clara” Martine Lou Kevin Benjamin RLR Productions The Gardener Professor Vandemeer The Curator The Representative Cassandra Wall The Boatwoman  Christine Anderson Nicholas Waters Michael Waters Aleister Kathy Quinn Hunter Penelope Winthrop Jerome Jeanette Jefferys Violet Vos Payphone Static Man Cindy Johannson Busby the Beekeeper Ms. Patricia Roland The Irons Crew Thomas Morgan the Clerk The Trucker Dr. Persimmons

Miscellaneous:

Songs to Cry About Dan to What it says on the tin- a mix of songs I listened to while thinking of Dan and started crying about it. Can’t guarantee results but if you are down for some good cries, be my guest! Shuffle-friendly.

Songs to Fall in Love With Your Muse to A mix of 80s/90s queer-coded (to me anyway) love songs that remind me of Jacob Lester (pre-Rat) from season 1. I just love some 80s and 90s songs, my dudes. Shuffle-friendly.

Songs to Ominously Warn Your Bandmates With An assorted mix of garage band-esque tracks. Loosely inspired by the band practice tape from season 3. Shuffle-friendly.

Instrumental Tracks to Contemplate Your Humanity Over A mix of ambient tracks that made me feel like I was walking through the City or holed up in a bunker in the middle of the woods or performing rituals or- just general ambient A81 energy tracks. Shuffle-friendly.

Dan’s Music Library I’ve seen a lot of people’s take on what constitutes a ‘hipster’ music taste and I’m a picky mofo so here’s my take on Dan’s music taste based on what he has been stated to listen to in the actual show- it’s awful and I’m sorry not sorry. Shuffle-friendly.

Train Loneliness This is straight up just a mix of songs about trains/subways. I love train sounds and the sound design in these is super fun. It’s in here because the Train Loneliness tape is my favorite and yes, I do cry about it daily.

And Everything Turned Out Alright If you didn’t know, I’m obsessed with post-s3 Dan and Clara being roommates; so this is a little playlist I made inspired by that concept. I hope it makes you as emotional as it does for me. I Don’t Have Much Time Season three flavored Dan playlist. A lot of instrumental and ambient tracks.

95.6QRSKLB22ROBBRX29900339UOBK2RNJKLSOKV49BQ42069NNNNNNEVIOJR The Wolf A Left of the Dial playlist. Based on the idea of a weird radio station. Experimental tracks with a healthy helping of metal and a sprinkle of odd picks that just fit to me.

Tea With My Marimo An ambient/instrumental playlist based off the idea of a post-s2 Caroline recovering and growing plants. Shuffle-friendly.

Songs From the Archive Dumping grounds for any tracks I feel might work for a playlist or just have A81 vibes.  Shuffle-friendly.

[riversofmars]

Something slightly heart breaking for Day 20!

Promot: Lost and found

Fandom: Last Tango In Halifax

Characters: Gillian Greenwood/Caroline McKenzie-Dawson

Rating: G

Summary: Gillian and Caroline deal with the recent passing of their parents. At Alan's wake, they sit and talk, just the two of them, remembering the past and wondering how they should go on.

Lost and Found

“Gillian?“ Caroline’s voice drew Gillian’s attention and the sheep farmer quickly stumped out her cigarette on the wall. She wasn’t a smoker, not really, but today she felt like she needed it. It had been one hell of a day. One hell of a month actually.

“Hi Caz…“ She gave Caroline a weak smile as the headteacher climbed onto the wall next to her. The sun was setting and the view of the valley was as magnificent as ever. Only to the two of them, the golden sunshine and mild breeze did nothing to warm them. Grief surrounded them like a shadow. It engulfed the entire farm and Gillian had found it so suffocating, that she had excused herself from the guests. Caroline kicked off her black heels and dropped them next to Gillian’s flatter pair that lay abandoned by the wall.

“How are you doing?“ The headteacher asked after a while.

“Similar to you, I’d expect…“ Gillian hummed thoughtfully. Now that she had given up on her cigarette, she started fumbling with the skirt of her black dress.

“Never thought it would be this way around…“ Caroline mused, looking out into the valley.

“Nah, me neither…“ Gillian mumbled, as her thoughts, too, turned to their parents. As if she hadn’t been thinking about her dad all day anyway. It had been his funeral today. The wake was carrying on inside but she wasn’t able to face the pitiful looks and well-wishers right about now. She wanted to be left alone with her grief instead of being pestered by people who didn’t understand. Caroline, however, was the exception, Caroline understood exactly what she was going through. “You know you can die of a broken heart… happens a lot with elderly couples, once one of them is gone, other doesn’t hang round and…“ Gillian’s voice trailed off as tears fell from her eyes again.

“I’m so sorry, Gillian…“ Caroline was quick to pull her into a tight hug as the sheep farmer shook with sobs. Gillian wrapped her arms around her and rested her head against her shoulders. She didn’t like people seeing her weak or upset but for this Caroline was the exception too. She knew she wouldn’t judge her and she always gave her comfort she so dearly needed. The headteacher stroked her back and whispered reassuring words to her as they sat for a while, lost to their grief.

“At least they’re together again I guess…“ Gillian pulled herself together at last, taking a deep breath. She sat up and wiped her damp cheeks awkwardly.

“Yeah…“ Caroline nodded in agreement and looked back into the valley thoughtfully. “And they had a long time together, considering, didn’t they?“ She gave a soft smile and looked at Gillian again who was still trying to sort out her tearful face.

“Yeah… it was a really wonderful thing for them…“ Gillian agreed, mirroring her expression.

“For us too,“ Caroline carried on, she reached out and took the sheep farmer’s hand to stop her fidgeting. “I mean, we would never have got to know each other if it hadn’t been for their late-in-life romance.“

“True… we would have had absolutely no reasons to ever cross paths in our lives,“ Gillian chuckled as she regarded their intertwined fingers.

“And I’m really grateful for that. I can’t imagine my life without you in it now,“ Caroline gave her hand a squeeze and Gillian took a deep breath, trying her best to keep a tight grip on her emotions.

“Same,“ she nodded as a single-syllable word was all she dared saying for fear of getting choked up again. They stayed like that for a while, holding hands and taking comfort in each other’s presence as they looked out into the valley, thinking about their parents and the funny twists and turns their lives had taken to bring them here.

“Do you want to go back inside?“ Caroline asked after a while when the sun had nearly set.

“No.“ Gillian shook her head, then looked over to her. “Do you?“

“No.“ Caroline shook her head as well, then carried on: “Do you want me to leave you to it?“

“No.“ Tears returned to the sheep farmer’s eyes and she hung her head as her emotions overwhelmed her once more. She didn’t want her to leave as she didn’t feel up to facing her emotional turmoil alone. Rationally, she knew their parents had been very old indeed, they had lived well, loved a lot and been happy, but it didn’t take away from the gap they left in their lives.

“Oh Gillian…“ Caroline’s heart broke for her, she reached out, cupped her face and kissed her cheek, in hope of soothing her.

“How are you always so calm and collected?“ Gillian sniffed, almost embarrassed.

“I’m not, not always,“ Caroline gave her a gentle smile, the sheep farmer had witnessed her losing herself too.

“Most of the time then,“ Gillian gave a shrug.

“Practice. Lots and lots of practice,“ the headteacher sighed.

“Well, yeah you would have had a lot of that with your mum, she knew how to push your buttons,“ Gillian found herself chuckling, despite the sad situation.

“Yes,“ Caroline could only agree, laughing a little herself. “While you… your dad, he was always so supportive, he accepted you for who you were, you never had to learn to control yourself the way I did, I guess… I envy you for that…“ she confessed. There had been a lot of pressure in her life. Expectations and disapproval. She had had to learn to moderate herself.

“I miss him so much already,“ Gillian sobbed.

“Me too. He was a wonderful man, your dad, I was really lucky to have known him,“ Caroline agreed, tears welling up in her eyes as well now.

“Your mum wasn’t half bad either, she had her heart in the right place and she made my dad so happy,“ Gillian carried on and Caroline smiled:

“They made each other happy.“

“They did,“ the sheep farmer nodded in agreement.

“And you make me happy,“ Caroline added before she could stop herself or think better of it.

“I do?“ Gillian’s voice was small and unsure and not without surprise. It always hurt Caroline to witness how little she seemed to think of herself.

“More than you know,“ the headteacher took a deep breath and forced a smile, trying not to get carried away. She reached out again and tucked a strand of Gillian’s hair behind her ear. Gillian took hold of her hand and brought it to her lips, kissing her knuckles. The gesture made Caroline’s heart flutter and her breath catch. When Gillian looked up from her hand to meet her eyes, they didn’t need words to understand each other. It was the sheep farmer that took the plunge, she dropped her hand and cupped her cheek instead as she leaned forward and kissed her. Caroline acted on instinct. She wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close, returning her kiss with eagerness that surprised both of them.

“Your mum would turn in her grave if she knew…“ Gillian mumbled, resting her forehead against Caroline’s.

“While I imagine your dad might be quite pleased for us?“ The headteacher hummed, a little breathless.

“Not sure his tolerance level would have stretched to me shagging my step sister,“ Gillian gave an apologetic smile but it didn’t stop her from pressing another kiss to her lips.

“Technically… we’re not step sisters now…“ Caroline pointed out, unsure whether to laugh or cry about it right now. She couldn’t deny how light her heart felt all of a sudden for having Gillian so close and a willing participant to what she had wished for for a long time.

“You make a good point Dr. McKenzie-Dawson,“ Gillian chuckled.

“I just… I guess part of me was always scared that once our parents are gone, we would have no reason to see each other anymore…“ Caroline confessed, stroking her fingertips down Gillian’s cheek, warm to her touch.

“Caroline, that’s silly…“ the sheep farmer retorted but the headteacher interrupted her, as she hadn’t finished.

“When what I really want, Gillian, and I have wanted for a long time, is to spend even more time with you. And yes, maybe it was our parents' inevitable disapproval that stopped me from saying something sooner but…“

“Caroline, stop…“ Gillian tried to interrupt softly but Caroline carried on:

“No, I need to say this, I want to -“

“You don’t have to, I already know and I feel the same way,“ Gillian cut her off.

“You do?“ Caroline’s eyes widened. Maybe it shouldn’t have been all that surprising as they had just kissed but hearing her say it was something else entirely.

“I mean, we’re both emotional, we’ve both… lost something, the people that were… closest to us but… maybe we’ve found something too?“ She gave her a hopeful look and Caroline found herself nodding, trying her best not to get overcome with emotions again.

“I couldn’t stand losing you too…“ Caroline lowered her gaze, as her vision blurred with tears. She had been terrified that with their parents gone, their families would pull apart again. Not in her wildest dreams would she have expected Gillian to accept her feelings for her, never mind return them, yet here they were.

“I’m not going anywhere,“ Gillian promised, pulling her into a tight embrace.

[buckysboobs]

Damaged Finds Damaged

chapter 1

warnings: none

There was tension building up in the room, with alarmed eyes and nervous smiles being exchanged. Damon was stood towards the back, arms crossed, the flames lighting up in the fireplace casting yellowish hues over the side of his face.

"No." he stated, hinting at it being the end of the conversation.

"What do you mean 'no'? Bonnie's still stuck there with some guy who tried to kill you guys and apparently sucks the magic out of people, we can't just leave her there!" Jeremy stood up to make a move towards the older Salvatore.

Stefan held him back, "That won't be necessary. We'll find a way."

"This doesn't feel right guys," Elena cried, shaking her head. "We need to get her out of there, who knows what kind of a person Kai is, what if he kills her before we can—"

"Quick to judge people, are we?" Sarah, (who had always been on the receiving side of the gang's poor judgement) decided to butt in, raising an eyebrow at her. She glanced at Damon. "From the sounds of it, he had many opportunities to kill you and Bonnie when you two were stuck in that prison but he didn't, so I think she'll be fine. She's smart. And if he's been all alone, he wouldn't want to lose the only company he has."

"Stubborn ol' Sarah coming to the rescue with her condescending remarks." Damon commented, gulping down a glass of Bourbon. "We don't need advice from a hybrid."

"Oh really?" Sarah snapped, getting up from the couch and turning to the door. "Well in that case i'll just take myself and my advice somewhere else-"

Stefan blinked tiredly and looked at Elena for help. They'd be luckier if they had Sarah as an ally rather than an enemy.

"Sarah please!" Elena called out.

The hybrid stopped, chuckled and went back to her seat on the couch, but not before throwing Damon a dirty look, receiving an eye roll in return.

"So what is this Gemini Coven thing? It can help us, right?" Jeremy asked hopefully, awaiting answers. Before Damon could open his mouth, Stefan spoke up, exasperated.

"It's nothing, guys. It does not exist. I searched all over Portland for it but all I came across was empty land."

"Let's try again, then." said Sarah.

"It's not that simple." Stefan replied.

"Guys—" Elena tried to interfere. Jeremy looked back at forth along with the conversation when Damon decided to speak up.

"Yes it is." He said. "Now that Elena mentioned it, I don't want to leave Bon-Bon with that maniac." Damon was the kind of person who would do anything against what Sarah had to say because he's petty, and he doesn't like her that much. If Sarah thought Bonnie will be fine, he believed she'll be the opposite. He pointed at Sarah, "You, me, Stefan and Alaric. We're going to Portland."

"Where we'll find nothing." Stefan sighed.

"Don't be so negative, Stefan." Elena said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

|||

They found nothing.

They walked into the empty, green land, Damon's hopeful eyes turning slightly hopeless again as Sarah walked past him and gazed across the ground.

"Like I said 3000 miles ago, it's not here." Stefan said, walking right up to her. "Can we go home now, please."

Damon dropped the bag he was carrying and Alaric spoke up, "You know what, check the GPS again. Just because we don't see anything doesn't mean it does not exist."

Damon's coping mechanism was sarcasm, which is why he tried to tease Stefan to ease the tension.

"Not unlike Caroline's feelings for Stefan." he said.

Sarah, who had been quiet for the majority of the time they spent together, snorted at his comment.

Stefan sighed, done with those remarks. "Hilarious, keep 'em coming."

Damon pulled out Miss Cuddles and did a passable imitation of a high pitched voice, wringing the teddy's stuffed arms. "Oh no, is Stefan feeling sensitive for ruining his friendship with Caroline?"

Stefan glared at him as he continued, "She really liked him and he broke her heart."

Sarah was thinking when she heard Alaric add "See, Stefan? Even the bear knew."

She held back a chuckle when Damon went on in his squeaky voice, "I saw that coming from a mile away and my brain is made of cotton—"

A thought crossed her mind "Guys I think something's—"

"Gimme that." Stefan snapped at the same time, grabbing the Miss Cuddles from him and kicking it hard. It flew across the sky and before they knew it, there was a house right before them.

"—cloaked." Sarah finished, shrugging as she looked back at them. "Well atleast we're not going back empty handed."

Damon happily skipped past her and stood on the porch as he picked up the teddy bear. "Miss Cuddles, one. Invisible creepy mansion, zero."

Alaric, Stefan and Sarah exchanged shocked glances and made their way towards the door.

"Did Miss Cuddles just help us reveal something that I missed?" Stefan asked, looking down at the teddy bear in Damon's possession.

Sarah clicks her tongue, "I should have known." When they responded with a puzzled expression, she gestured towards the teddy again, "She sent this back with her magic in it."

"Wait, Jo did tell me something about how she stored away her magic in some object." Alaric mused, snatching Miss Cuddles from Damon.

"But why would she send it back?" Stefan wondered.

Damon looked at them with a grim expression, "To prevent Kai from getting out."

"Damn. He must be really brutal, huh." Sarah commented, trying to get past the door when she was blocked by an invisible barrier.

"We gotta be invited in." Damon said, banging his hand against the barrier. "Which means the owner of this house is still alive."

Sarah looked at Alaric, "Looks like it's your time to shine."

With a sigh, Alaric walked in.

|||

"Jo lived here." He stated, passing them a couple of photographs and newspaper articles. "We have baby pictures, pictures of Jo as a kid, as a teenager.." Alaric shuffled through them one by one with trembling hands.

"Hold on a second." Damon jumped in all of a sudden, "Rewind." He grabbed a photograph from the pile and held it in front of them, "This is Kai from planet 1994."

It was a picture of the said boy and Jo together wearing red christmas sweaters, their faces beaming at the camera.

"He's cute." Sarah commented, earning an eye roll from Damon.

"Does this mean Jo is Kai's sister?" Stefan asked, and Alaric examined the rest of the photographs, looking for more evidence.

"Either that or they both have a thing for Cosby sweaters." Damon replied.

They heard a voice call out "Didn't realize I had guests."

They all turned back to see a skinny man with grey hair and stubble walking towards them. "You've met Kai?"

Damon's mouth twisted, "Met him? Watched him die. Watched him come back to life. Why, you know him?"

The man looked at them one by one, his gaze on Sarah lingering longer. He chuckled, "He's my son."

He extended his hand out, "I'm Joshua Parker."

Damon shook his hand without a moment of hesitation. "Damon Salvatore."

Joshua nodded, "Invisique."

"What the hell just happened?" Damon heard Stefan cry, and he turned around to see his companions shuffling around.

"What's up with you guys?"

"They can't see you anymore, Damon." Joshua said and Damon gave him a questioning look, "Which means they also can't see this."

Next thing Damon knew, he had earned himself an aneurysm and was crying out in pain before things went black.

|||

Around half an hour passed by and they still couldn't see another sign of the house. Stefan was on the call with Elena and Alaric was questioning Jo about Kai. Sarah was listening to both their conversations with vamp hearing.

From what she had gathered, Elena was trying to tell some random guy that she was a vampire, and Alaric was asking Jo about the ascendant which she actually had with her all along. Her dad was a coven leader who couldn't let Kai out no matter what, and was willing to 'retaliate' if things went south. Her evil twin is a murderer who killed almost his whole family, and was stuck in the prison world 1994 as punishment. They really had travelled 3000 miles for nothing, and Damon's life was probably in danger. Which she didn't worry about much, if she was honest.

She jumped slightly when she heard Jo let out a yelp, followed by a few thumps and bangs. Alaric asked what was going on, worry striking his voice. Stefan and Sarah both walked up to him.

"Jo? Jo what's going on?!"

Next thing they heard was Elena's voice on the other side of the phone, "It's her dad, he—he's trying to kill her!"

"What do we do?!" Alaric said, "How do we stop him?"

"We can't see the house and i'm not invited in," Stefan added, "Jo invite us in—"

"Come in! Come in!" She cried in pain, followed by more coughs. She sounded like she was choking.

"We still can't see the house!" Sarah said. Elena carried the message and she heard Jo's throaty voice respond, "Ask them if they see an old tree stump in the yard!"

It was right there and they ran towards it, shuffling through the pile of dried leaves before Alaric pulled out a knife.

"What's this?" Sarah wondered.

"This is probably Jo's version of Miss Cuddles." Alaric replied.

Stefan grabbed it and shot it right across the empty land, where it stabbed into the wooden porch pillar.

Next thing they know, Stefan was saving Damon from the grasp of Mr. Joshua Parker who thought it was incredibly normal to vanish into thin air.

"I did not sign up for this."

|||

"So Papa Kai just tried scrambling my brain like an egg and you three are looking like someone shoved a stick up your ass?" Damon said, walking towards the car. "I did not get undressed at the airport for this."

"Jo had the ascendant all along." Stefan told him.

"It was 5 minutes away from home. And we travelled 3000 miles. How fun." Sarah wailed, walking up behind them. "This was so useless."

"Stop complaining." Damon said, rolling his eyes at her again.

Jesus Christ, she thought. "You were literally complaining 30 seconds ago."

"Stop fighting, you two." Alaric jumped in, "Now there is obviously no way we're getting the ascendant or letting her brother out—"

"We could just kill him if he escapes!" Damon argued.

"No, Damon." Alaric snapped, "I'm not letting another maniac kill my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? You've been on like, 3 dates—"

"Shut up, Damon." Sarah and Stefan said in unison.

Damon however, didn't listen and decided to compel Alaric into stealing the ascendant.

"It's gonna come bite you in the ass." Sarah had told him, and he had flipped her off. Stefan had let him go with a disappointed shake of his head and that thing he did where his lips squeezed into a thin line to portray his disapproval.

Little did they know Kai was already out.

____________________

some of you really liked the prologue so here's the first chapter! please let me know if you like it heheheh.

[carolinemillerbooks]

New Post has been published on Books by Caroline Miller

New Post has been published on https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/a-note-from-the-underground/

A Note From The Underground

A friend sent me the name of a woman she thought would make a wonderful guest for my book Vlog, Just Read It. A historian with a new volume published about the lives of notable women, her appearance on the program seemed apt, so, I extended an invitation for her to appear in an upcoming program.     Her reply was prompt. “As a general rule, I tend not to read much fiction.”  She closed with an apology explaining that her current obligations would prevent her from participating in any case. I acknowledged her response and deleted the email. A frisson of irritation pulsed through me, I admit, even though Rhys Bowen had agreed to be a guest on a program that day.   The shibboleth, “I don’t read fiction,” tends to raise my ire. It suggests that lounging before a fire with a good novel is a waste of time compared to wading through Edward Gibson’s six-volume history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. When I was young, the remark felt intimidating—as if, by reading fiction, I would never be welcome among thinkers.  At 87, I give the inference no more weight than that of fairy dust, particularly when it comes from a historian. What is history but a fable agreed upon? (Napoleon Bonaparte)  A life dedicated to data collection strikes me as a dead one… a static, endless iteration lacking the spark of inspiration. Staring at the Presidential heads carved on Mt. Rushmore might inspire more awe. Science has its mysteries, I admit.  Even so, its underlying assumption is that with enough time all could be revealed.  I prefer the view of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s unnamed protagonists in Notes from the Underground.  The iterations of the plastic mind are endless, unpredictable, and therefore, eternally fascinating. What prompts an individual to walk into a school with a military weapon to murder children is a never-ending question.   Before the fact, there is the mind, the vista upon which we stand as we attempt to catalog the universe. Just as soil is a medium necessary to propagate a seed, even scientists admit facts are nothing without imagination, the latter being a biological function that is vital to human experience and advanced cognition. Would the historian who never reads fiction gasp to learn that imagination precedes information?  Or, that human emotion precedes it, being the force that shapes the imagination and links imagined representations to action?  Hannibal’s passion to conquer Rome inspired the vision of elephants crossing the Alps.  Not long ago, a mother wrote to me about the death of her child.  Her words evoked a sense of communion because to lose a loved one is a pain universally felt.  I’ve noticed that those around me, as compassionate or caring as they are, seem to tire of the signs of grief or perhaps they just don’t know how to continue responding… [I feel] at times levity and laughter are required for the sake of others, but all the while, a current of sadness runs quietly beneath every word, thought, action, feeling, conversation, or outing…  If anyone doubts the power of imagination to make meaning palpable, let them read Christ’s teachings without the parables. To comprehend the universe is a noble objective and given infinite time, it might be doable. One wonders if the human mind is as easily conquered. I doubt it would consent to be used as a tool to peer into itself. At least, I hope not. Despite technology’s progress, I prefer to think our plastic brains will remain unknowable, its mystery hinting at the spiritual. Allow science to explore the world of cause and effect. Leave to literature to ponder the endless paths of human connection.   As for the acolytes of non-fiction, I confess they seem to me like travelers bent upon taking a single road to Rome, despite the many. Their eyes scour a well-worn path, blind to the flora and fauna along the way.  These are not minds that could imagine elephants crossing the Alps.  Devoted to one part of the brain at the expense of the other, these factologists strike me as cripples, preferring a crutch to a stout pair of legs.  What John Keats would say to them is in no doubt.                                             Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all                                             Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

[fateology]

hiiii so i know u like classics/ancient roman stuff — how does one get into that? like what books do u recommend etc etc

HELLO and ok i’m so not an authority on this because i’m really just getting into the classical antiquity scene myself..but probably the start of my ancient rome madness was shakespeare’s julius caesar which i CANNOT stress enough slaps so hard. ***not like fully historically accurate i gather, but i love the drama and i’ve been delighted that actually most of roman politics WAS that dramatic in reality. cut bc i love to run my mouth

in terms of books i haven’t been reading that much because school term :-// but i read erich segal’s classical comedy anthology (aristophanes’ birds, menander’s samia, plautus’ menaechmi, terence’s eunuchus) recently because i wanted something free and easy and i liked the roman ones (plautus & terence)! recommend if you’d like something mindless (though ancient comedy does still tell u important stuff about society at the time) BUT much caution because as with a lot of classical antiquity the plays deal heavily with rape and misogyny (ancient comedian voice: watch how hard i can hate women!!!)

for poetry i’ve been in the middle of ovid’s metamorphoses (horace gregory’s translation) for a while but i like what i’ve read, like that the myths are split and small enough to uhh eat one at a time. ovid = snack real…….other stuff on my reading list are rubicon and attis by tom holland who other than being a critically acclaimed young british actor has also written some fantastically insightful historical non fiction …… this is a joke clap if you wish

what i HAVE been consuming however is loads of podcasts. they’re fantastic because i can put them on while i’m doing work..it’s really like SING MUSE! OF THE BATTLE OF PHILIPPI. come hither fair bard and play me some mother f*cking odes. in particular The Ancients which is on spotify and has loads of stuff on ancient history and the like; the guests on the show are all historians/classicists who’ve written about the content of their episode so if you like the topic you can do the further reading really conveniently. i recall that battle of philippi episode in particular made me very upset about cassius and the collapse of the roman republic….it’s a little scattered sometimes but i like it because it makes me feel like i’m piecing together gossip bit by bit. E.G. i think on one of the cicero episodes they mentioned his clodius feud and i, very unlearned at the time, went CLODIUS? OF THE CATULLUS BITTER BREAKUP POETRY FAME? WHO IS THIS GUY and i found other episodes of other podcasts about him and they just kept saying things. the scandals didn’t stop. #problematicfave #prettyboysupreme #legitimateplebeiantribune #gangleader

speaking of catullus YES also read catullus’ poetry. most of it you can find online and gay people on tumblr me included do translations like they’re being held at gunpoint (honestly maybe one of my favourite ways to consume translated works though it’s about the personal yet communal nature of it….sharing verses..sigh..) AND—re podcasts, i heard the cicero audio drama is really good, but it costs a bit to listen to and i haven’t figured out how debit cards work so that’s on hold for me rn, but i’m PLOTTING

ik you asked about ancient rome but ...read war music by christopher logue recently and ooohhh goodness. it’s great!!! i love fight scenes and the like so i suppose it appealed directly to me but it’s really cool in general (iliad books 16-19 translation/adaptation but guy didn’t speak greek at all! and it F*CKED! my idol). i’m in the middle of cold calls atm. i’d recommend the actual iliad but i can’t yet because i’m terrible, glossed it until i got to the river fight scene and haven’t gotten around to my reread, though i like caroline alexander’s translation a fair bit from what i remember. anne carson has loads of really good stuff but i’m biased bc autobiography of red cracked my head open and drank the meat the first time i read it. Float’s a great collection too and has the plus side of looking really pretty in a shelf. also gotta start the euripides play collection i got, eventually…! will update