#it's too hard being two faced isn't it: william / interactions

[pinkeoni]

Will & Billy: The Child and the Shadow

I recently read a book of essays from sci-fi and fantasy writer, Ursula K. Le Guin. Her essay "The Child and the Shadow" opens with a recount of a short story by Hans Christian Anderson, in which a man physically separates himself from his shadow. To keep a short story even shorter, neither the man nor his shadow is able to live a fulfilling life without the other. They need each other, both the light and the shadow, to be whole.

In season 2, the same season where Will is being haunted by a mysterious shadow, we are introduced to another William: Billy.

Will and Billy never have any meaningful interactions, or any real interactions at all, yet their stories are given so many interest similarities that are hard to ignore. They both come form abusive fathers, they both fell into possession by Vecna/the Mind Flayer, and of course, they both share the same name.

I think that, at least on a subconscious level, Will and Billy are meant to serve as two halves of one whole William. The light and dark. The child and the shadow.

Despite their similarities, Billy and Will are noticeably much different people. Will is kind and sensitive, but we've also seen how he often lets people walk all over him and withholds his feelings from others. Billy is confident and outgoing, but he's also aggressive and abusive.

I think the biggest difference between Will and Billy is their individual sexuality, and how those affect both how they act and how they are perceived. Will is ostracized from the towns people and referred to as Zombie Boy, which I've explained in a separate post how this ties into the eighties small town homophobia. Will is also sexually repressed, not being able to or allowing himself to display any of these desires. Billy is well received by the town from the get go, and wears his sexuality on his sleeve. We get a line from Max in season 3 indicating that Billy has frequent sexual encounters.

But his desire and selfishness is also what leads him to his demise. Billy is possessed while on his way to a steamy encounter with Mrs. Wheeler, a woman he knows is married. While this affair isn't necessarily a direct cause for his possession, I do think it's meant to be a consequence for his actions.

Will's problem in season 2 has to do with his emotional repression, he isn't able to tell his mother about the Mind Flayer until it's too late. And while I think that his possession might have been inevitable even if he had told her, what ends up freeing Will in the end is his family (and Nancy).

Le Guin uses both Jungian philosophy and Taoist beliefs to explain this idea of light and shadow, and how it applies to fiction. She explains that the journey of the hero is not dictated purely by light, but by the discovery of both.

"The only way for a youngster to get past the paralyzing self-blame and self-disgust of this stage is really go look at that shadow, to face it, warts and fangs and pimples and claws and all—to accept it as himself—as part of himself. The ugliest part, but not the weakest. For the shadow is the guide. The guide inward and out again; downward and up again; there, as Bilbo the Hobbit said, and back again. The guide of the journey to self-knowledge, to adulthood, to the light."

In keeping with Le Guin's Taoist beliefs, I believe that Will and Billy are meant to be these two halves of Yin and Yang. Will, the light, and Billy, the dark. But the two halves stand alone, unable to be whole. I wish that the show could have given us interactions between Will and Billy, especially in season 3. I think that their similar histories could have lead to interesting conversations.

Billy's darkness ultimately leads to his demise. He is maybe able to see the light at the very end, but it's too late, and the consequence of Billy's exploits ends in his death, where he is quite literally killed by the shadow itself.

I'm not saying that Will is going to die (at least not permanently, but that's a post for another day) but I do think that this ending for Billy is meant to show where Will's story could go, if he does not look inward and accept his own inner darkness. We see a little bit of this in season 2 before it is evaded— Will could be consumed by shadow until it eventually kills him.

So I think that this is where Will's story is going in season 5. In order for him to come-of-age, he is going to have to do what Billy couldn't, and become whole. I think for Will's story that means confronting own desires, and overcoming the shame that comes with it. He needs to turn inward and face the darkness inside of himself, before coming back to the light.

[logan-lieutenant]

i didn't win the wheel: episode 8

(i made a post earlier as a preface as to what to expect in this IDWTW, check it out if you missed it)

Alex [leading the intro of the video]: "....Logan and I, we're here in honor of Wimbledon to play *turns to a detached and uninterested Logan* table tennis. Because nothing says Wimbledon like table tennis."

Logan [finally looking up right at him, starting to laugh]: "I think that's like... disrespectful..."

[they both laugh]

oh, alex. alex albon. you beautiful human being you. something i've mentioned earlier that i'm going to get into now: their dynamic is fluid and compatible and gentle, but it's hard to exactly fit them into roles because they switch back and forth. there might be two primary positions, but they flip back and forth between them easily depending on what the other needs. so Role A might have this sort of gentle leadership and reassuring presence, guiding the other through the task and getting them to engage with the game even as they're unfocused and overstimulated. Role B is a little lost, too in their head, unable to focus and unable to engage until they find themselves prompted by the reminder that oh, it's not just a game, it's a game with him. but it's impossible to put either of them down as always A or always B because earlier in the series we've seen logan help alex stabilize and recenter himself through his hyperactivity and now, more and more often, we're seeing alex coax logan out of his little shadowy corner. and alex does it in a way that even though it's an unspoken but obvious instruction (get your head in the game etc.) it's so personal it actually looks intimate, even on camera. the way he waits til the end of the sentence (while logan tries to pretend he isn't there) and then turns to face logan, lifting his arm to make a point but also opening up his shoulders toward logan and straight up leaning forward with that smile. he's tilting his entire face away from the camera so he can smile it logan, so he can say with his eyes "i know we're just doing this stupid challenge but i want you to know i'm not trying to drag you through it, i know you they're making you jump through these hoops and it's not fun and it's condescending and insulting, but i'm here and we're gonna do it and i'm gonna make this fun for you." and logan looks up and meets alex's eyes and they're so on each others' levels that these connections happen within a split second, almost easy to miss but when you catch a glimpse of it i feel like i'm intruding through the lens of the camera...

no reason to include this other than i felt like citing my sources (it's written all over their faces)

generally underwhelmed by william's admin choices for these videos. not only are the challenges really unoriginal, but they're also really simple. there's not a whole lot of challenge and there's also not a whole lot to go off. even ferrari adding a blindfold to everything ends up with better content than this. it should be obvious– mclaren admin has this down– but what makes the content popular isn't the score of the stupid table tennis game, it's the interaction. it's the dynamic. one of the reasons we're seeing alex go so obviously out of his way to bring logan into the picture is because admin has given them basically nothing to work with, so there isn't a backtrack of this is fun! this is interesting! this is amusing! to distract us. there's just alex wanting logan to have fun with him and logan not being in a situation to want or even be able to have fun.

[Pretty uneventful game over, Alex wins]

Alex: "5-3, to the champion, it's the– uh, this was a great victory for me and I'm, I'm very happy, I–"

Logan 😊😊: "Does that mean you could win Wimbledon?"

sorry if you ever thought you were babygirl for alex albon, logan sargeant has blown you out of the water. this is the cutest thing i have ever seen. this is how my dog looks at me when i come home from college.

ahhh this is nice to see. these are the roles i was talking about earlier. this is a pretty good callback to episode 5, but once again vice versa– then alex was still feeling hyper and silly from the game and logan was the one both guiding the activity and kind of letting alex calm down on his own time and still engaging him, now we've swapped. logan is almost looking at the camera now– he's almost doing the actual media presentation part of his job as opposed to the cap covering his face, head down, body language less expressive than a statue. only he can't make himself look at the camera for more than a few seconds because he's looking at alex.

he isn't even moving the video along. he's just straight up interrupting. alex has to due some mental and verbal gymnastics later on to get the activity back to the wheel-spinning part but still makes a point to segue from what logan's yapping about to the wheel instead of cutting him off completely.

also, round of applause for whatever moment between this video and last video where they've both become totally at one with the "awkward slanted shoulder one arm on the table so they can inconspicuously face each other" pose because unless they're actively swinging a paddle that's pretty much their default for this video. because that's the game for them. the fact that they're with each other.

i think i have one more episode to do. i'm still going to do it, because leaving this unfinished would somehow feel worse, as if none of this ever happened. but it fucking did. it was here and it's on video and alex fucking remembers and i'm not going to give up on immortalizing these moments and what they might have meant just because james consonants somebody wants to erase them.

[kassymalone]

Now I’m wondering; how would an irredeemable villain respond when faced with an immortal foe like a god or cartoon character?

I think that depends on if we're dealing with a type A or type B villain.

A type B villain (higher calling), would either bow to a god or reject them for not being what they imagined - either way it would end very badly for them. A regular immortal hero would become a science experiment - how much can the villain break them before they wished they were dead? What could they learn about immortality from their suffering? They aren't enjoying it, but they need to do it for the sake of their cause. They don't relish in the hero's suffering, but they will suffer. A literal cartoon character couldn't exist in the same work as this type of villain because the tone would be too jarring, but a cartoony-type hero...

If the villain is smart and competent, the cartoony hero would break, devastatingly and in a way that will never end. If the villain isn't so smart or competent, they themselves would break from just not being able to understand what the hell is going on. This ending would be pretty hard to pull off in a serious story because it would be comical in order to work, which is pretty as odds with this type of villain.

As for villain type A (loving every second), the only possible solution is to BECOME GOD or KILL GOD, and no in between. A higher power exists? If I can't have it, no-one can. An immortal hero would be better off with a type B villain, because a type A is just going to fuck with them - how many pieces can I cut off? Do they reattach? If I chain them in a coffin and throw it in the ocean, can they make their way back? They're not trying to discover anything, they're just having fun with it! A cartoony hero plus a type A villain is just Looney Tunes. It can work, but you have to balance the characters very carefully - to get really crack with it, Sans the skeleton would wipe the floor with William Afton, but that's because he's capable of dropping the goofy guy persona and being serious when it counts.

Using my shit as an example again, the closest thing I have to an all-powerful character is Kei, who I reused in both series. Afton's response was to try and literally become her by taking over her body like he did with Vanessa (which failed because, again, he can't handle adults). While Wing didn't get a chance to interact with Kei (they shared maybe one scene in The Burning Mountain, and I don't even remember if they spoke), it's revealed in Two Short Stories From the End of the World that he was indeed preparing weapons to kill her, because he had no angle to control her.

[thegeminisage]

he’s literally, in the kir-spones, whatever the throuple’s called, in the video, like I see Kirk and the head grab, obvi, but Spock’s two finger touching like creeps further and further down his sleeve to his wrist. starting on one arm, centimeters away from the hem, resting there, restrained, mindful of the touch telepathy. the first time it’s not the hand holding the scanner I think? and then Bones starts coughing and Spock is grabbing all over the place with his two fingers, this time there is the excuse that he’s holding the scanner, but even so, down the arm, down the wrist. He doesn’t need to manually take Bones’s pulse I bet on account of the future-scanner. Like he’s actually, MORE intimately touchy than head- grab Kirk. Like he’s two finger kissing bones and he’s a hard sneeze away from a mind meld with his hand placement. Like I’m a career Spirk girlie but I see why the Spones gang goes wild. I see the throuple.

(anon means this video)

wow thank YEW for saying so. spones IS real and we have the proof right here on our screens. i literally don't even think i was a bones understander until this episode...everyone says season 3 bad but how bad can it be when it contains not one but TWO bones thesis episodes is my question.

also I KNOWWW spock is literally alllll over him...he actually touches bones a lot, just as much as or maybe more than he touches kirk - this is not the sort of speculation i usually like to engage in but sometimes i kinda wonder if it's because even though SPOCK is not generally tactile perhaps leonard nimoy WAS, and he was uh probably better friends with deforest kelley than william shatner? idk. anyway, it literally is somehow even more intimate than the headgrab, idk how these men did that.

btw, that's spock's Concerned face...if you've watched enough tos you can tell his microexpressions apart (catherine do NOT✋ interact YES YOU CAN!!!) and his brows being lower like that and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly is his Very Worried face, which he also makes in the episode where bones gets diagnosed with terminal space cancer or whatever it was AND in the one where kirk has the panic attack in the elevator because of those fucked up little kids. re a hard sneeze away from a mind meld this ofc isn't canonical but i do FULLY THINK he was melding w bones to "make him comfortable." like, vulcans can canonically block out pain like that so why not help his friend, who is dying. hence bones's comment about a good bedside manner. i didn't make the headcanon up but i fully incorporated it into my beliefs system after reading it...like what else could possibly be going on...

also sorry u didn't ask but i totally understand about being a career spirk girlie bc that was me too. lately tho i have found myself prioritizing the throuple (mcspirk lol but kir-spones was good too) above any of the individual ships. how can you leave kirk out of spones. how can you leave bones out of spirk. or spock out of mckirk which admittedly has much less basis in tos than aos. i did not even Get bones until season 3 of tos which is bonkers because again everyone says season 3 sucks! i was like whats the point of him. now ik how important he is and when i go back to earlier eps i literally see him. a very wild emotional journey but def one i wish everyone could go on. anyway watch the empath regardless it's the episode ever.

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

“Uh, right, my uh, my bad, I guess I, um, I um, I forgot that uh, I forgot that rich boys don’t have hearts, right? My, um, my bad, I uh, guess.”

[animeyanderelover]

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, stalking, manipulation, blackmailing, sabotage, threatening

In love with the same darling

Sebastian Michaelis & William. T. Spears

🐈‍⬛📒Those two...don't get along very well and the grudge between those two only seems to deepen when they seem to fall in love with the same s/o. It's more likely that Sebastian met you first since he interacts with people on a daily base, William is not known to be fond of walking around in public unless it is for the sake of his job. In general the Grim Reaper is a workaholic and is dedicated to his schedule where he has no time to watch over mortals. For Sebastian it is instant attraction which he might have confused as attraction to your soul, your scent was the most enchanting one he had ever experienced. The demon is relatively quick to decipher that it isn't only your soul, instead it is your everything that is so charming for all of his senses and with that realization it dawns on him that he might have found his mate.

🐈‍⬛📒William's obsession on the other hand is a slow one, I have no doubt it might speed up though when he realizes with whom you spend your time with. The Shinigami is very calculating and smart and grows especially careful once he knows that Sebastian hangs around you. William is a stalker, a very good one and he prides himself on his skills and years of experience so chances are that Sebastian wouldn't notice instantly that there is someone watching. He still has his suspicions since sometimes he feels his skin crawling when he is with you, the sudden protective and possessive side of his stirring up dangerously as he feels like there is a threat for you. Thank his supernatural senses. He trusts his gut feeling and will proceed to carefully start inspecting who exactly has his demon side ringing in alert and even if William is crafty and smart, Sebastian is equally sly and cunning.

🐈‍⬛📒Both are not known to lose their facade easily and so when Sebastian finally does find out who the identity of your stalker is, both appear so calm. Even with Sebastian highly triggered that William has been watching you since a longer while and William showing a enhanced dislike for the demon, they engage at first just in a conversation. A conversation stained with snarky and sarcastic remarks and insults slyly thrown in, a conversation nevertheless. Sebastian makes his point quite clear though that you are his mate, his alone. The demon feels for that basically entitled and has no intention of having someone else watching over you and pinning after you. Even if his face doesn't contort into one of anger, his subtle smile is fake, his eyes glimmering with a silent warning and even his voice is laced with a threatening undertone.

🐈‍⬛📒He leaves a even more conflicted William behind. Experiencing a fatal attraction to a human is already critical as it is for him, discovering that someone like Sebastian has chosen you as his mate makes the matters even worse. Honestly, a small part of him just wants to be able to believe that at least know he doesn't have to annoy himself with you anymore. That the demon should just have you. Even that seems to be futile in the end as the mere imagination of darling and Sebastian fills him with indignation. From all people in London, why does it have to be this damn butler that tries to court you? A demon who is known to act only on his own desires? No matter how hard he tries, he just can't let this happen. You are cleary too naive to be aware of the dangerous creature lurking around you, slowly pushing you to rely on him. Sebastian is a demon after all, those creatures can't be trusted. Since s/o is unable to know what is happening, William will just lend them a helping hand.

🐈‍⬛📒Sebastian has a few advantages in here. He has absolutely no problem being in a crowd and knows how to use his looks and charms to flatter someone plus the fact that he is overly cautious after having exposed William. Every time that isn't meant for his master is spend with you or with watching you. William is aware of this and as frustrating as it is, he has to be even more careful from now on too. He retreats for a while, doesn't intend to give up by a long shot though. No, instead he plans, uses the information he has collected on you so far to create a strategy how to get you away from that demon. He might end up having a Grim Reaper observing the activities of Sebastian and darling a bit, one that can be trusted even if it would be risky if Sebastian would catch them. Disguising himself under the people is dangerous as well since Sebastian has always kept a keen eye on the people you also spend time with, now more than ever.

🐈‍⬛📒William would prefer to avoid a fight with Sebastian which he knows will happen the moment he tries to take darling away from the butler. Sebastian is more than willing to defend and kill everyone that tries to steal his mate away from him and he has the additional advantage of being alone, William works together with other Grim Reaper. That doesn't mean that William won't try to explore the weakness of Sebastian which is as of now the contract with the young Earl. The Shinigami knows that there is limited time now, expects the demon to end up abducting you sooner or later and it puts him under pressure. He's sure that the butler will search for a place where you can't be found easily and he knows because he has by now come to the same conclusion. The best conclusion.

🐈‍⬛📒The only way to keep you away from the other one. Both are immortal so that makes them literally enemies for eternities if there shouldn't be a faithful day where they engage in a level of life and death which is at one point probably the only way to stop this madness. Because as soon as one party has kidnapped s/o, the other one will devote every second to find out your location and get you back. William fears that Sebastian will leave the country as soon as the contract with Ciel is finished which would mean that he has to leave his current position in London to chase you down. So he really takes advantage of the time Sebastian has to stay in here and especially when Ciel travels somewhere else and takes Sebastian with him, he drains every chance out of this situation that he can. It might just be a eternal chase and you, my dear, don't have a single thing to say in all of this mess.

Sebastian Michaelis & Agni

🐈‍⬛🤜The relationship between those two is actually better than the one above, it doesn't change the fact that Sebastian still sees himself as the one who is literally entitled to be your lover. You're his mate after all, what would a human know about such a strong bond? The fact that Sebastian falls exactly because of that quicker than even he anticipated and that it takes Agni a good while until he has started gaining obsessive feelings is yet another factor. Both of them spend much time together since Soma spends so incredibly much time in the Phantomhive manor and dubs Ciel as his best friend with the latter somehow tolerating this. Both are butlers so they naturally tend to the household chores and work somewhat together so their relationship isn't exactly the worst. In fact both acknowledge each other so there is some mutual respect, Agni feels more connected than Sebastian though since the demon doesn't get attached to humans too much. His s/o is the sole exception.

🐈‍⬛🤜Agni sees darling at first as only a good and precious friend who he will help if they ask him and listen to their problems. Ever since Soma led him from a stray path, he has developed a more attentive, caring and protective nature, for now he remains platonic though. Sebastian is able to tolerate the daily interactions with you and Agni better because of this, keeps a sharper eye on the two of you though. Normally he wouldn't feel threatened by a human since he's superior as a demon, knows that Agni is capable of much more than the average human and on top of that a good butler. Whilst it isn't enough for him to truly feel pushed, he feels a little bit safer to observe and step in when he deems it to be needed. It turns unpleasant the moment he picks up the subtle signs that Agni has gained a crush of you as well and that is the moment he feels like he has to interrupt this relationship a bit more before it blossoms into something entirely unacceptable.

🐈‍⬛🤜Agni is very perceptive himself, he needs a little bit until he realizes himself that he has started developing a romantic interest in you and is very much self-aware of the darker side of his feelings. He feels ashamed of those and probably feels like he should distance himself, can't find it in his heart when he sees you though. His keener senses pick up on other things too, the feelings of a certain other butler for example. It truly isn't easy at first, Agni is hyper-aware around those he truly feels deeply for and so the sincere yet amused look in Sebastian's eyes and the constant yet subtle flirting doesn't go unnoticed either. It pushes Agni in a little conflict since he really respects Sebastian as a fellow butler and friend and fears that this might damage their friendly relationship. On the other hand he can't help but feel the twitch of jealousy when he sees Sebastian flattering you.

🐈‍⬛🤜Agni isn't one who likes keeping secrets from people he cares about or respects so he most likely admits the truth to Sebastian one day, unable to shut up about it any longer. Maybe Sebastian predicted this, able to guess what a good-hearted person like Agni would do in a situation like this. Obviously it doesn't make him happy to hear it from Soma's butler personally, the knowledge that he can predict Agni's moves is a good thing though. The fact that Agni is more gullible and harbors emotions such as guilt only help more and Sebastian is sure to make use of that. He knows that Agni most likely wouldn't go against him if he would win your heart and even if Agni is stronger than the average human could ever be, Sebastian hasn't shown his full powers either. The most important aspect might just be that Agni is still human, will age and die eventually and that all is the reason why Sebastian doesn't see the need to abduct you soon, differently than he would have done with Williams.

🐈‍⬛🤜Agni strives to win your love and your affection in a fair battle, if at all since he knows that you might fall in love with Sebastian and his charm. As painful this may be for Agni, he believes that the black-haired man will treat you well and Sebastian doesn't plan on showing him his other side. Sebastian has his playful side to him and since he's most of the time sort of bored, he finds this challenge entertaining and for that agrees with Agni's offer to make this a fair battle of who can win your heart first. He has an ace in case you do choose Agni, as long as that doesn't happen he enjoys the little game though. Sebastian does even more than Agni since he gets rid of anyone else who might have intention of courting you or who you seem to like to really make this a one against one match. He doesn't allow anyone else to enter this game since he knows that there won't be anyone as amusing as Agni anyways.

🐈‍⬛🤜So those two are relatively tame even if they share the same crush and that is only possible because Sebastian acknowledges Agni's skills and knows that one day Agni will die anyways. Sure, behind the scenes Sebastian stalks the darling and even kills, that isn't something he would let other know though. Funnily enough the demon relies besides the killing and stalking more on his good looks and natural charm instead of going with sabotage and manipulation to have you relying more on him. He prides himself in those aspects and something about Agni makes him want to win more naturally instead of some additional help. That is only as long as you don't seem to have gained a crush on the Indian butler. In that case Sebastian will be very ready to interfere since even if the game is fun and he sees Agni as better than the normal mortal, it doesn't mean that he wants to lose against one in matters of winning you over.

🐈‍⬛🤜Sebastian definitely notices that Agni maybe is a tad bit too much in love and too obsessed which spikes his territorial and protective side, is able to see at the same time though that the butler is exceptionally good in keeping this side of his in check. It's still a possible good way to blackmail Agni if it comes down to it and it's not like spiking your awareness with some rumors and causing you to become suspicious of Agni wouldn't be bad either. If Sebastian truly is able to win you over and become your partner, Agni probably will be able to accept it with a sweet and bitter pain in his heart. If it shouldn't go Sebastian's way, Sebastian has already a plan for it. Sure, the connection Agni has with Ciel due to Soma might be a small hurdle, it's not something he won't be able to solve somehow though. He never underestimates Agni though and is careful to hide his own sinister side since he would see it as a sort of waste to kill this human, will still do it if it can't be helped though.

[franklyshipping]

Ah yes New Years fic is definitely a classic. I remember this was the one i read through thouroughly first time. I was able to remember once i read the first sentence of each one.

The host/marvin/iplier/jackie one was always my personal favorite. I love how they're all goofy like real couples. The villianous trait between marvin and jackie you can tell they do regularly (i mean when your hubby is a hero how can you not?). Meanwhile dr. Iplier and Host are the "grown-ups" and iplier is giving him puppy eyes, all the while host trying not to laugh is so cute. I mean when you see someone make a face when you're trying to be serious is incredibly hard! Not to mention the tickling at the same time trope i adore cause it's just all fun.

And then giving love to robbie is just so wholesome. I love how you're able to show the reader different types of love. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a valentine's day fic, but instead of romance it's the other kinds like familial, platonic, and self love. It was a nice lesson for robbie that you can't run out of love and then him getting tickles and attention cause he's a cute lil bab! And iplier being slightly envious everyone can fall asleep, tis the curse of the doctor.

Personally the angel stories are the least memorial for me. Not that that'a a bad thing, you write them well but since i personally don't have a connection to the characters makes it hard to remember. Meanwhile someone else might be able to rewrite it word for word! Tis a curse for the lesser known egos. I love how you try to include everyone (*cough* except Silver and Ed and King of the Squirrels *cough* (no but in all seriousness I understand, i remember in an ask you said before you just didn't know how to write them, that is until more people took the roles of them and gave them their own personalities especially back then, i just wanted to poke fun))

I believe the googles were next along with crank/blank. Again i love the brotherly bond of the googles. I love how spoiled oli acts woth blank as they watch his brothers before quickly getting their medicine. Green and Red teasing his brother the best way they know how while bkue handles blank himself, not wanting to overwhelm him since Oli can definitely take two androids. I love how their babied and tickled and teased to no end to their limits. Again like i mentioned with eric, brothers just like to roughhouse until someone calls uncle, and good brothers check in afterwards to make sure they're alright. For someone who doesn't have siblings, you write them well. I also like how you refrain from the "hello big brother" trope. Never in my life have i ever called my brother by "brother". They're basically a person you're forced to live with XD

Oh geez, i think it was bing and the jims next. I always love the trope of "you eat it, now you pay" and how the jims just went rabid on Bing for having a snack that he didn't even need! It's hilarious all and all and I think that was the debut of the jim twins in your writing. And what a wonderful debut it was (unless it wasn't then-). I love their synchronicity, not to mention bing being a goofball.

Ah and walter and Yandere were next. I remember this one well since I know this was Yandere's debut. I'm so glad they're getting more attention now but back then getting an ego story you rarely see was a treat (look i was still too shy to ask let alone request anything cause i looked up to you and i still do). I love Walter and Yan's relationship, whether it was intended to be romantic or platonic. I still think there are times Yandere hangs out with Walter when they're away since yes the egos may understand them now, but walter is the one who truly understands. I can see yandere venting on their plans for their senpai, maybe venting to him when they had two senpais depending on the universe. Maybe mentioning how they wanna make their senpai happy and loved. Ah I'm getting carried away. You know what i also love on the same level of seeing a fic of a rare character? Seeing them tickled! Yes nowadays Yandere is a ler but i always love lers getting their medicine! I'd love to see yandere more on either sides whether the ler or the lee along with other egos. And not to mention walter, nowadays he's somewhat forgotten. Honestly I forgot until I remembered your christmas fic with him. So that's why I'd love to see him back! Maybe more brotherly bonding with Wilf. Or maybe he and wilf prank dark by looking exactly alike and dark having to guess who is who!

Lets see, the four, robbie, the angels, googles, bing and the jims, yandere and walt, i think the next one was Bim and Wilf. Sorry if i miss any, i didn't think about writing on notes and then copy and pasting it all here and i can't copy all my paragraphs here since it only will make me copy one paragraph and i do NOT want to lose all this!

Anyways bim and wilf. Sometimes we forget they bim has a super busy life, maybe more than dark. Hyperfixation definitely gets the better half of me and this ties back to weaknesses. Wilf trying to get bim out and wilf getting upset until bim realizes what he's doing an apologizes. Again you're only done and you want to get it done but turns out you're still working hours later but you're so close! I do love how bim regains a playful spirit and tickles Wilf playfully, definitely getting some of dom vibes from dark. How he can lower his voice and be the boss of things. I forget bim isn't always so sweet and kind (aka the tea story).

And classic Dark and Anti what else can I say. The classic both evil characters being shipped together except Anti getting the high ground this time. It's always a treat to see lee dark and who else would know his spots than an evil counterpart of another person. After all if mark didn't make those creepy vids we probably wouldn't have Dark, and Dark was the inspiration for dark egos. Since it's near the end my memory is a little foggy but when these two are together you know it's gonna be chaos. And Lee Dark is just so nice to see, it's like revenge!

And alas, Damien and William. I always did love how the roles were switched from Dark being ler and Damien being a cute lee. How could you not tickle him? I love how it brings out that childish playfullness as if they did know each other for a long time! There is just something so innocent about that that I adore. I don't know if it would be possible, but I'd love more fics of damien and the colonel interactions, maybe with other egos? If not i understand!

Oof this was a big one, but not nearly as big as 2018 christmas. I might go read other fics of yours first before delving into that beast. Maybe start at the end since the first few up to the santa one i have a pretty good memory on!

*Wraps up in blankets and happily squeals with joy bECAUSE THIS IS THE LOVELIEST EVER AAAAAEEEEEEEE THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOOOUUU*

YOU'RE SO AMAZING. SO AWESOME. SO JAZZY. SO FABULOUS. SO KIND. IWANT TO GIVE YOU A MASSIVE CAKE AND LOADS OF PUPPIES TIGHT NOW 😱😱💜💜

[narekashi]

Blood Donation [Allen]

"Miss, are you searching for something? I'll be glad to help if so."

"Any friend of Count is my friend as well. Let's have some tea and chat, shall we?"

So yeet, finally I remembered to post my beloved ikemen Blood Donation. More information about them down below!! [Tagging @lovingsiriusoswald because she seems to like her djksnskdn]

Name: Allen

Nicknames: Ellen, Al Al (Arthur)

Birthday: August 15

Height: 167 cm

Blood Type: A

Physical

Eyes: Turquoise

Hair: Short hair that curves in and bangs that part in the middle

Accessories: Glasses that she wears when it's hard to see, usually wears contacts though

Features: Moles on both her upper arms

Illnesses: None

Social

Species: Pure blood vampire

Occupation: Writer and traveller

Relationships:

● The Count of Saint Germaine: Best friends. They stumbled across each other in a different century but have remained friends ever since. She often visits him while he always welcomes her into his mansion with open arms. Knows all of the mansion vampires to a certain extent because of him. They know each other's troubles and can read each other like a book.

● Leonardo Da Vinci: Annoying but good friends. Always has the urge to tidy up his things after he makes a mess even though she's kind of a slob herself. They have a running joke saying that the other is dating Count and bring it up whenever necessary around Count himself. They are interested in each other's works and loves to get nosy in them.

● Theodorus Van Gogh: Buddies. Finds him rather rude with all his nicknames but eventually found a way to brush it off by telling him she'll tell Vincent; problem solved instantly. Doesn't see him all that often due to the nature of his work but when they do, they go to the bar with Arthur.

● Arthur Conan Doyle: Buddies. Knew him purely through Theo because the other always dragged him around to bars and they just so happened to meet. She finds his works really interesting and asks tip from him all the time when they meet up while Arthur usually answers her questions and flirts. Often goes to the bar together.

● Jeanne D'Arc: Neutral. Has seen him fought before back when he was still alive but also thought he was a woman until she met him face to face. Finds him intimidating and beautiful.

● Napoleon Bonaparte: Friends. Sees him playing with the children on a regular basis in town and always joins them. He treats her like a child even though she is very much older than him which earns a flick on the forehead from him every time.

● Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Acquaintances. Enjoys his music very much and always stops to listen to it when he's playing his piano in his room. Would love to ask him tips on how to play the piano better but is way too intimidated by him. Also rather cross that he's so rude.

● Dazai Osamu: Teasing friends. Always plays with him in the game room and both have a fun time trying to figure each other out. Most of their interactions is trying to call each other's bluff out, thus having a much more teasing and fun relationship than with other mansion residents. (Besides Arthur but god knows how many people he has that kind of relationship with)

● Sebastian: Information sharing buddy. Finds his stoic face rather funny since he's always talking about historical stuff when she's around. She provides him with a bunch of facts from historical people she's met before and he provides her with a bunch of modern day info that he has (although she knows some of it from her trips to the 21st century). Never lets him know that she's actually terrible at history.

● William Shakespeare: Stays far far away from. Absolutely knows what he's up to but tries to stay away from him. Extremely wary about him but can have a decent conversation around him if she's with someone she knows well like Count or Leo.

● Vincent Van Gogh: Close friends. She admires him and loves his art works while he quite enjoys her presence around. The two often help each other with different things like critiquing each other's works and tasks and have gotten rather close over time. Unsure if she has a crush on him or not.

● Isaac Newton: Likes him. Always teases him with Arthur and Dazai. Loves to see him hear him rant about all the experiments and things he's been doing and finds him kinda cute. Is unwilling to go confess first since she's unsure if he feels the same nor has she sorted out her feelings for Vincent yet.

Personality: Open minded and seems very open about herself yet there's a feeling saying that she's not as open as she seems to be. Is always either spending all day in the mansion or spending it outside for a long time and coming back late, 8 am was her last record. Can hold very long conversations with all the different kinds of experiences she has over the centuries, making her quite a chatterbox; there are times when she's silent and would rather not talk but she's always open to listening. Always asks people if they are up for a drink whether that be Rouge or just alcohol in the bar. Doesn't fancy drinking from a human directly but can do it if she wants to.

Likes: Useless facts, conversations, cute and fluffy things, the modern world, music, tea (the real tea or rumours), stories, alcohol

Dislikes: Writer's block, time, her hair, not knowing anything, frustration, extremely sarcastic people

Skills:

> Sleeping in

> Origami

> Knows several languages but isn't fluent in all of them, fluent in only chinese and english

> Plays the piano (not very good at it)

> Convincing people

> Keeping a straight face (to the point it's scary)

Paired with: Isaac Newton(???)

Life in the mansion: Has to get woken up by Sebastian every day, has only woken up by herself a grand total of 5 times. In the mansion, she's most commonly seen in the gardens writing while  enjoying herself or in the game room playing games with the others. She also frequents visit other people's rooms to talk and share a conversation with if she's bored. When she's outside, she often wanders off on her own and explores so she knows every square inch in the city.

Extra info:

> Getting her gender mixed up is rather amusing for her so she plays along with it and keeps her appearance the same to trick many more into thinking so

> Sleeps like a log, could sleep for days if no one wakes her up.

> Sleepy her is an airhead, almost like a small animal

> Rational and quick thinking is one of her skills but she's nowhere as good as Arthur so she often pretends she's not good at it.

> Has a habit of scratching her neck when she isn't feeling too comfortable, doesn't like the feeling of hands around her neck though

> Isn't very serious most of the time but when she is serious, she's deadly serious and scary (though she usually regrets it after her head clears)

> Loves fluffy things just as much as she likes smut, ironically cannot write smut even though she can get horny easily

> Headpats make her melt instantly

> Cannot handle being yelled at, it makes her very emotionally stable and would break down on the spot or later on

Bonus:

"... Did you enjoy the show, darling? Come out and show yourself, there's no where else to hide."

"Ah you're... that beautiful Miss from the library... Hm now that you've seen me, can't really let you escape. Feed me your blood please."

[youreawizardharr]

Cradlesona Event: School Days AU

[the image used can be sourced here.]

Welcome to Milreth

Name: Milreth Academy

Location: Central Quarter

Emblem: Two Staffs Clashing

Motto: "Ever Progressing."

Headmaster: William Latton

Academy Hours: 7:30 a.m - 4:30 p.m

Office Hours: 6:20 a.m - 6:20 p.m

Lunch Hour: 12:30 p.m - 1:15 p.m

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My piece for the Cradlesona AU event

Tagging: @lovingsiriusoswald

The uniform below can be found right here.

The uniform Eirene has worn since she attended Milreth Academy as a first year student. She always wears the jacket during class hours, and takes it off during breaks.

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"Hold fast to dreams,

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird,

That cannot fly."

Basic Information

Name: Eirene Beverly Chapman

Age: 20

Date of Birth: July 9th

Bloodtype: AB

Gender: Female

Height: 5'3"

Weight: 127lbs

Occupation(s): The Classicists

Affiliation(s): Milreth Academy

Alignment: Neutral Good

Item(s): a lanyard with her student ID

Academic Information

Year at Milreth Academy: Second Year

Academic Club: House of Arts

Choice of Course: Art & Design

Major: Fine & Studio Arts

Degree Needed: Master's Degree

The Overview: The coursework of a studio and fine art degree typically focuses on the branch of art students choose, such as painting, sculpture, illustration, animation or performance.

Favorite Subject(s):

Reading

History

Literature

Language Arts

Least Favorite Subject(s):

Mathematics

Science

Grade Point Average: 3.8

Academic Credits: 390

Studying Habits:

Eirene prefers a quiet enviroment to study for exams, complete homework or class assignments, practicing with drawing on paper, painting illustrations.

She sometimes organizes study sessions for upcoming exams or class projects (to which she deems important for social interactions, boosts friendships, and helps others in areas they have a harder time with). Eirene usually studies with almost everyone, but studies with Harr and Loki mostly.

Eirene has an exceptional memory, so she doesn't have to write down everything she needs to do or to get.

Her sleep schedule varies at nighttime, mostly because of projects, assignments, writing essays, or exams.

She makes sure to eat healthier snacks.

Student History:

Eirene received a perfect attendance award for never missing a day, or being marked as tardy for being late to class.

A painting she did of the garden in the Civic Center was auctioned at a museum for an extremely high price.

She has wrote several short stories which were published and sold at bookstores across the Central Quarter.

Student Life:

Eirene doesn't have much of a social life, meaning she isn't the partying type, and likes to spend her time wisely by being productive than some of her friends.

She loves going to Milreth's enormous library, but avoids the cafe because it gets overly crowded during exam days.

Eirene enjoys taking long walks or jogging along Milreth's huge courtyard.

Whenever inspiration strikes, she loves drawing, writing, or painting whatever it is that catches her interest. Eirene usually submits these pieces for classes.

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Relationships

Harr Silver ;

Harr is a third year student at Milreth Academy. However, he and Eirene are taking two completely different courses. With Eirene having chosen art & design, majoring in fine and studio art, where as he's taking a course on engineering, majoring in architecture. The two are constantly busy, but always find the time to spend together.

Eirene leans forward, continuing to run the tips of her fingers through black tresses. "Hey, Harr?" Her inquiry is murmurered, but the man in question hears her, humming to confirm he heard her. "Want to come over for a study session? You can bring Loki along, if you feel uncomfortable being alone with me." Harr opens his visible eye, staring up at his girlfriend of two years. "W-What do you need help with?" He looks away from her, a blush blossoming onto his face. "Are you having problems with math again, Eirene?"

She stops playing with his hair to stroke his reddening cheek. "You know I've never been particularly talented with mathematics, Harr. But you seem to have no issues with figuring out complicated math problems, am I right?"

The third year student sat up, shifting to address his lover. "I can help you in areas you have the most trouble with. If I have issues with drawing and maping things out, I know you will help me. We balance eachoth--- Eirene cuts him off, pressing her lips against his. Pulling away, she smiles happily. "You know I'll do anything for you, right, Harr?"

Loki Genetta ;

Loki is a first year student at Milreth Academy. He decided to take a course on business, majoring in business management & administration, minoring business sales. Loki wanted to take a course on business, so that he can work closely with Harr. Hoping that, when the two of them graduate, they can open up their own business in Cradle.

Eirene and Loki always hang out together on weekends or through group study sessions. If Harr is too busy, Loki will help Eirene with her standardized homework, and even allows her to practice drawing illustrations of him and watch her paint them, afterward.

Loki procrastinates completing his work alot of the time, making Harr lecture him about the importance of his education and that working hard will pay off once he graduates, even reminding Loki about them opening their own business in the Central Quarter, which inspires Loki to complete his work.

"Loki, have you completed your homework?" Harr inquired the pink haired teen, scrubbing a filthy dish with a soapy sponge. "Have you even started your class project? You know, your paper is due next week." Loki silently toys around with his unfinished dinner, causing the tips of the fork to scrap against the glass. "Eirene is writing my paper. And before you start nagging, she offered to write it for me. She said she wanted to practice writing, so I agreed in exchange for doing her math homework for her. I hate writing, you know that. I believe this is fair."

Harr rinces the plate once he finished scrubbing, setting it down in the dish rack. "Your education is important. I've told you this countless times. Both of you should be doing the work yourselves, so that you can learn to accomplish in areas you're weak in." The third year student grabs another plate to scrub. "Do you want to open up a business with me once you graduate from the academy?" Loki stood up from the table to scrap leftover food into the trash with his fork. "I do want to open up a business with you, Harr. I thought this course would be fun, but it's not fun. There's too much work involved." A sigh escapes from Harr. "Loki, you have to work for what you want. Life isn't going to hand everything to you. If you want to open up a business with me, work hard to achieve it. I will support your dream."

Loki ran up the stairs to his room, the sound of the door slamming shut echoing throughout the house. Harr returns to washing the rest of the dishes, making a mental note to lecture Eirene at a later date.

Seth Hyde ;

Seth is a third year student at Milreth Academy. He decided to take a course in art & design, majoring in fashion & apparel design. He wants to be a fashionista, and expand his experience in the fashion industry of Cradle. Seth is confident in his ability to design fashion wear for women.

Eirene and Seth met by accident one afternoon (during break, to be more precise), becoming good friends with one another.

"You made a mistake." Eirene pointed out, gesturing toward the mistake Seth made. The man let out a shriek when he noticed the mistake. "How can this be?! I was certain I drew the curves correctly!" Smiling, Eirene takes the artbook from him, using her own pencil to erase the mistake and correct it. "No worries." She handed the drawing book back to him. "My name is Eirene Chapman."

He grins, placing the artbook down beside him. "My name is Seth Hyde. Want to be friends, Eirene? We can bond over artwork."

The two of them mostly hang out during breaks, sharing their drawing techniques, offering advice about improving styles, etc. Seth and Eirene brainstorm color palettes, and Seth watches Eirene paint his designs.

Jonah Clemence ;

Jonah is a third year student of Milreth Academy. He decided to take a course in art & design, majoring in drama & theater art. He's confident with his performances on the stage, and wants to be a famous, talented actor of Cradle. Eirene met Jonah when she was tasked to help set the stage for an upcoming event the academy planned for.

"This goes against my aesthetics." Jonah remarked, taking Eirene's artwork and throwing it on the floor of the stage. "Make it better." The second year student kept her mouth shut, feeling her eyes sting with unshed tears. Seth came up besides Eirene, picking up the scenery illustration she made. "What do you know about aesthetics, Cling of Hearts? I believe Ei did a fantastic job painting this piece. Do you know how many hours she's worked on it?" The fashion designer scolded the young actor. "Do you?"

The Queen of Hearts scoffed, regarding Seth with disdain. "No, but I don't care. Everything has to be perfect for this play, since I have the lead role. Second best is not an option."

Eirene forces a smile, reaching down to pick up an opened can of paint. "You think my work is second best? I put my heart into everything I draw, paint, and write. If you wanted someone better, then you shouldn't have wasted your time asking for MY help." She dumps all the paint on Jonah, throwing the can off to the side once there's nothing left, storming off the stage, leaving a shocked Seth and an angry Jonah behind.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

The Secret Formula Behind Hallmark's Christmas Movie Empire

Hallmark's holiday lineup has gone from guilty pleasure to appointment television. How? Glamour's Jessica Radloff explores.

BY JESSICA RADLOFF NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Decorating for the holidays is serious business for many—but if you're CEO of Crown Media Networks (aka the Hallmark Channel) the bar is on a different level. "Oh, I'm a Christmas nut," William J. Abbott, Crown Media's CEO and president, tells Glamour.com. "We actually built [an addition] in our house so we could accommodate a 12-foot tree in the middle of our den, so, yeah, we just love the holidays." The same goes for Michelle Vicary, the network's executive VP of programming and publicity. "Christmas decorations go up the day after Halloween," she jokes. "I'm a little [like the] Griswolds."

Tinsel and trees aside, Abbott, Vicary, and the entire team at Crown Media actually live the business they're selling. And they're selling it well. Vicary says nearly 85 million people lay eyes on the network between Halloween and New Years. If that sounds more like a Christmas miracle than reality, you haven't been paying attention to the Hallmark Channel—or its sister property, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries—the last few years. When the network says it is "cable's biggest success story," it's true.

This year Hallmark is in the midst of airing 37 original holiday movies for its Countdown to Christmas programming (and planning the 2019 holiday slate). And watching these movies is no longer a guilty pleasure—it's appointment television. From unofficial drinking games to a user-friendly app, it's become cool to stay home and watch two people in sweaters fall in love in a town named like a Bath & Body Works lotion.

(PHOTO: HALLMARK 'Christmas at Pemberley Manor,' starring Jessica Lowndes and Michael Rady.)

Abbott says Netflix is partially to thank for changing viewer habits, particularly among millennials. "They have a formula that certainly has worked for them in terms of driving people toward watching on their smart TVs," he says. "Ultimately the more people that consume entertainment, the better off we all are."

But Netflix is only a small part of Hallmark's success. Vicary cites the constant, and often depressing, 24/7 news cycle as another factor. "I think people can only take so much," she says. "We purposely look to be an escape. We try not to be issues-oriented in terms of creating polarizing conversations, because there are places to get that. We are a place that is a haven from that. We're just a different conversation."

Abbott agrees. "I think it’s not only the political landscape, but the entertainment landscape to a degree too. There are just very few options that are not shocking, looking to shock, or looking to be over-the-top in terms of violence or salacious for salacious sake. I think people tire of that." Abbott admits that's not the only reason people tune into the channel, it is a big one—and something that Hallmark has included in its strategy. "It's tapping into emotion in a positive way and making you feel a little better about relationships and how people interact," he explains. "The Hallmark brand is all about people connecting. The secret, I think, to our success is that we focus on that relentlessly."

This secret to success doesn't come without detractors, though. Abbott and Vicary know there are plenty of people who think the content is cheesy, but to them, that doesn't have to be a negative. "I have to be honest, I don't always think predictable is a bad word," Vicary says. "I think of every Nora Ephron comedy I ever watched—the first time I saw Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan on screen, I knew they were going to end up together. But it was the journey! So I don’t mind when you tune in that you know our characters—who are on two separate journeys—are going to end up together by the end. It's about how they get there."

OK, so how did Hallmark get here? How did it go from a brand-new network in the early aughts to a holiday empire? For one, consistency. Hallmark premieres most of its original movies on Saturdays and Sundays, a time when other networks air sports or reruns. "It's the perfect time to unwind and get away from reality," Abbott says. "We appeal to people wanting that escape over the weekend."

Second, it's investment. "Our movies are so much better because our production value, our stars, our music, our scriptwriting, our development, and our production are so much better than they’ve ever been," Abbott says. "Success snowballs. The more you do right, the more people notice; the more people notice, the more you invest; the more you invest, the more you pay attention, and the better it gets."

(PHOTO: HALLMARK CHANNEL LeAnn Rimes in 'It's Christmas, Eve'.)

And finally, as Vicary points out, it's about creating an experience. "We’re an emotionally driven brand. We’re about enhancing relationships and enhancing life." She says in the last decade the network has tapped into viewers' love of celebration. "The Hallmark brand already lives in that space, so it really is about delivering on the experience of the brand."

And then there's the wish-fulfillment aspect, those picturesque, snow-capped towns and leads in color-coordinated holiday attire. "We’re not embarrassed to say, ‘Let’s make it sound even more holiday oriented,'" Vicary says with a laugh. "We are not shy about creating an environment that compliments and enhances that great story."

Still, that "environment" has come under more scrutiny in the past few years for being predominantly white, straight, and without much diversity. The network needs to do more to reflect America today—and Abbott says the Hallmark Channel team is aware and working on it. "Absolutely, no question about it," Abbott says. "We've worked really hard at it. It's the type of thing we should have been doing all along, but we're pleased at where we are."

Where they are is a more diverse slate of programming than years past. It's not perfect yet, but one example of progress is a recent full-page ad Crown Media took out in The Hollywood Reporter to showcase its holiday slate. Of the 14 actors in the ad, nine were women, seven were people of color, and five were women of color.

"Our goal is to do everything we can to represent the public faces on television and represent the United States as it really looks on our air," Vicary says. "I think we have some terrific casting this year with Tatyana Ali, Dondre T. Whitfield, Patti LaBelle, Christina Milian, Jerrika Hinton, Tia Mowry, and more. We have our most diverse slate ever."

In addition to what viewers see on air, Vicary notes that "more than 50 percent of the scripts that were written this year were written by women." She also said they're consciously trying to hire more female directors and behind-the-scenes crew. "I think in the last year we have added three more women to our roster of directors," Vicary says. "We are very conscious of it."

But Abbott or Vicary know that's not enough. The executives are discussing a possible Hanukkah movie to join their holiday lineup ("One of my development execs brought me one this week that they were really excited about," Vicary says. "I said, 'Great, let's meet and talk about it for 2019.'") According to Abbott, he's even open to a Hallmark movie where the main couple doesn't end up together. "As we delve into our content and [look for] a more authentic way, we’ll progress," he says. "Everything is on the table."

(PHOTO: HALLMARK Danielle Panabaker and Matt Long in Christmas Joy.)

That progress is important to Abbott and Vicary, who want Hallmark to stay current and evolving. "It's particularly important that we represent the reality of the 21st century in that everybody is different and unique," Abbott says. "It's a pet peeve of mine when I read a story and kids are portrayed a certain way. The reality is girls can play baseball or be into science or play with dolls."

Abbott even acknowledges that the network's older movies were guilty of playing into stereotypes."You look back at some of old, old movies, and it's kind of the stereotypical situation of the woman at home," he says. "We work very hard to stay out of that stereotypical dialogue and situational behavior because it’s just not reality, and it’s not authentic. We really try to empower women. We really work hard to ensure that our women are strong—while they don’t need a man, they’d love to fall in love. But at the end of the day, that is not what they need to be successful or happy or fulfilled or have a good career. That is something that is very important to all of us to portray."

That awareness is one of the reasons Abbott credits the Hallmark Channel's growth in markets like Chicago, New York, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, and D.C. "I think there’s this feeling that we’re 'flyover country' and that it’s all red-state people," he says. "That’s just completely not true. Everybody likes to feel good. I don’t care what political party you’re part of or where you live, people like to feel positive." Yes, Hallmark's content isn't edgy—"and never will be"—but it's certainly smarter than it's ever been, he says. "And that wins."

It's been a stressful year, but at least you can count on Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix to come through with the holiday cheer. After all, what's more relaxing than watching an overworked woman fall in love with a Christmas tree farmer? So decompress with all of our delightful holiday content right here.

Source: glamour.com

https://www.glamour.com/story/hallmark-christmas-movie-secret-formula

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

Flashback Solo Para: & That’s Who I Am (Teresa)

Will drums his pencil on the table as they work, wrinkling his nose. “Hey, uh, Teresa, uh, if it’s not too, um, too personal, can I ask for your whole... story?”

Teresa frowns, looking at him, cocking her head and raising an eyebrow. “My story?”

“I, uh, I just mean... you, um, you’ve said that, that, that uh, that your relationship with, with...” He pauses, snapping.

“Madame Bonfamille?” She cocks her head.

He points to her, “With her, was, was uh... complicated.”

“Oh.” Teresa pauses and nods a bit with a shrug, lowering her pen. “Well, it was. It’s a bit of an unusual story.”

“I’d, uh, honestly I’d still like to, um, to hear it,” Will shrugs. “We, uh, we partner up for a lot of um, a lot of advanced classes, and, and, and, and, and I know so little about you.”

Teresa blinks, shrugging again and nodding. “Yeah, that’s fair enough... so, I guess we can start back when I was about two.”

The toddler had been left on Madame Adelaide Bonfamille’s doorstep. Nobody really knew where she came from, but even at such a young age, the girl bonded quite well with the cats in the household. Perhaps that was why the madame had decided to keep her around. The truth was, nobody knew for sure why.

Just that she kept the young girl around, and wrote a clause into the will that allowed her to become the caretaker and executor of the estate, ensuring the money allotted to the cats would in fact be used for them. She would, of course, have additional support when the time came, as she was only a child, and likely wouldn’t be old enough to be entirely on her own when the time came.

(”I wasn’t,” Teresa adds with a small, half-hearted smile. “The madame passed when I was ten.” She clears her throat.)

Growing up in the house, while Teresa got a good education, a LOT of her time revolved around learning to handle the job she would one day handle, and caring for the madame and the home a bit as well. She didn’t know it at the time, but because of the work she was doing happily, the madame had established a bank account for her where she was earning regular pay. So when the madame passed, she had her own money separate from the cats.

(”Some of the people who were hired to help me while I was too young also helped with the account, investing the money properly and the like. Whatever’s left of the madame’s money when the cats are gone will be donated to a shelter.” Teresa scratches Marie’s ears as the cat pops out of her purse, stretching after her nap. “I have enough.”

“You’re, uh, that is to say, um, uh, y’know, you... you are, uh, an honorable person,” Will remarks with a nod.)

She hadn’t initially gone through the madame’s things when the woman had passed. She’d had too much to deal with. Then it had been about putting her lessons to work. Then it was--

(”You, you were uh, you were stalling, right?” Will asks.

Teresa shrugs. “Hard not to.”)

But, finally, she knew she’d put it off long enough, and had begun slowly working through them. She’d kept some of the jewelry out of sentiment. (Her hand comes up to a pendant around her neck at the remark, but she doesn’t take the opportunity to show it off, and he doesn’t ask.) Most of it had been sold so they had a better idea of how much the cats had. But in a drawer at the madame’s vanity she’d found something unusual.

It had taken time to find the keys to unlock the skinny little drawer across the middle, and then working through the other little belongings before she’d found the note, that some of the staff had reluctantly informed her had been pinned to her shirt when she was left at the doorstep.

(”What, uh, um, if you don’t mind me asking, what did it, uh, that is, er...”

“I... don’t remember, exactly,” and Teresa’s not sure why she lies but something in her gut tells her it was better this way. “And I left it at home when I came here.”)

The note, however, alluded to the existence of her father, spurring her on her search for her family, whoever they really were. After all, the madame had no family-- it’s why the money had been left to her cats. Even Teresa could hardly call herself the woman’s family, considering the unusual circumstances of her entering the home.

But the search had turned up nothing, and... she’d elected to come to Auradon Prep, to give herself a break from her search and get some proper education.

(Again, she has no idea why she’s lying about her search. Maybe it was the unconfirmed story from that strange man that had stopped her as she was leaving that dance that one time.)

“...and, here I am,” Teresa finishes with a laugh and a shrug. “Somewhat maid, somewhat adopted family to the madame. Manager of her estate and proud caretaker of Marie here and her family.” She scratches behind Marie’s ears.

“Wow,” Will says softly, shaking his head. “I couldn’t, er, I, that is, I can’t begin to, uh, to imagine. That’s a lot for, uh, for anyone.” Pausing, he adds, “So you’ve, um, you stopped, er... looking for, looking for, looking for your family?”

Teresa nods. “For now. I think I’m better suited focusing on my future, not my past.”

Will nods slowly, clearing his throat. “That’s, uh, like I said, it’s, it’s a lot.”

“It is, but I’ve long since adjusted.” Shrugging, Teresa picks up her pen. “Where were we?”

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

Double Open Starter: Focus! (Teresa/William)

“So, I was thinking for the presen...” Teresa looks up, blinking and frowning, sighing. “William.”

“Huh?” William looks over from the doorway, blinking at her. “I-- I was, uh, um, I was listening, sorry.”

“Were you? William, seriously, I need you to focus,” Teresa rolls her eyes slightly. “If we’re going to be partners on this I need you to pull your weight. I don’t want to get a bad grade or have to put in all the work. I don’t know how you got into advanced classes that assign summer homework when you can’t even manage to listen to me for more than a few seconds at a time.”

“Look, I, well, I’m, that is, uh... I’m really, um, really sorry,” William manages. “I was, uh, I was just, um, kind of, well...”

“Just...?” Teresa crosses her arms, raising an eyebrow.

He clears his throat awkwardly and adjusts his shirt collar. “Uh, um, well, uh... it’s, um, it’s nothing. Sorry.”

“Unbelievable,” Teresa rolls her eyes, glancing to someone nearby and rolling her eyes with a motion to him.

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

“Hold– hold– hold on. Uh. Hold on, just, um, wait, uh, a minute, I, uh, that, you, you can’t be, can’t be, serious, right? How– how often do, how often does, when– how often do evil takeovers just happen, exactly?”

[nxttheendxfthestxryarch2]

Tag Dump - William