#like only a couple of hours after Rose asked him the very same question

[loupettes]

thinking about how these two conversations happened only hours apart :(

[a-5-m-0-d-3-u-5]

Scar Tissue (Price x Trans Masc! Reader)

Contains: Tooth-rotting fluff, completely SFW, FTM reader intended but should be safe for masc leaning enbies too, 2nd person POV, reader has a singular double mastectomy scar as is very self conscious about it, ambiguous warm drink cuz I don’t like tea or coffee lol, \obnoxiously self indulgent in my opinion but I hope it resonates with others

A/n: Woof I’m nervous but I do really like how this turned out. It’s cute and it even made my partner blush despite him being cis lol also Price is your husband because it’s cute and I said so. Be gentle with this one, yeah?

Although this is safe for all ages, I ask minors please refrain from interacting with me and this post, and any other posts. This is a space for adults.

The night always made things tougher. Something about the quiet, the darkness, the otherwise calm atmosphere made it harder to chase away the more negative thoughts. Insecurities burned hot in the cold of night as you stood outside on the small veranda of your little English apartment in the crisp wintry air to try and chase them away. The rain had only just stopped pouring down in torrents. The sound of wet tires driving below you accompanied the familiar, gentle smell of rain. It was comforting. Not enough to dull the pain, unfortunately, but comforting still.

You didn’t pay attention to the time, doing so usually just stressed you out during these moments, so you hadn’t noticed how late it was until your husband had sidled up behind you with a warm mug he’d made just for you. He handed it to you silently. He learned a long time ago what being outside this long this late at night usually meant. He wrapped a warm arm around your chilled shoulders and gently pulled you against him. Finally, you started to slowly pull away from your negative thinking just long enough to quietly speak.

“Thank you,” was all you could manage, but Price didn’t mind. He knew that for you, your words carried more weight than they seemed on the surface.

He hummed in response, giving your shoulders a small squeeze to say ‘you’re welcome.’

“Doin’ alright?”

A playful glare was all your husband got in return. He was happy to see you at least still had the heart to joke a bit with him.

“Right. Stupid question. Sorry, love.”

Eventually, you’d take a sip from your mug. He always prepared your drinks to your preferences. It made your chest warm.

“Wanna talk about it?” He was looking at you now. That gentle expression always comforted you.

You shook your head and took another slow sip, “Just insecurities again. Nothing major, I’m fine.”

“That why you've been out here on the veranda staring out at nothing the past couple hours?”

You took another sip, electing to say nothing. You did make it extra noisy though, pulling a rumbling chuckle from Price’s chest in the process.

Eventually, he guided you inside. You were as cold as the dead when he’d gotten to you. He wanted to warm you up and, if you’d talk, he wanted to know what was wrong. Knowing it was an insecurity of yours narrowed it down, but not enough to pin it. He needed to know a bit more.

You sat on your small couch, Price quickly following you. He took your hand in his. The callouses that littered his palm and fingers were always grounding. You were certain if you were blindfolded and told to guess which hand belonged to him, you’d guess correctly without fail. You knew every dip and ridge in his skin like your own.

You’d finished your drink after a while. You sighed, leaning into your husband’s chest. His heartbeat never failed to help your mind quiet down a bit.

“Just my scar again…” you mumbled, lacing your fingers in with his.

He kissed his teeth, the clicking noise it made bringing you out of the beginning of another spiral, “What did I tell you ‘bout that, love? You know I think it’s perfect.”

“I know,” you said, tucking your head under his chin, “‘Fraid I don’t think the same way, is all.”

His free hand rose up to hold your head and he pressed a soft lingering kiss into your hair, “That’s why I’m here. To think that way for you. C’mon, then, on your back.”

You groaned, pretending your melancholy face hadn’t broken out into a small grin, as you were guided onto your back. Price hovered above you and lifted your shirt up to your collarbone, kissing slowly up your belly as he did so. His kisses finally reached the part of your chest you couldn’t feel anymore. The scar tissue had faded quite a bit, but it was still clearly visible. One straight line stretched across your ribcage. It was uneven, thicker in some places than others. When your clothes were on, you often forgot about it. But when they weren’t…

You couldn’t feel much of the kisses that your husband trailed across the scar. His beard would drag across the area around it, your body unsure if it tickled or itched, but you could only feel the pressure of his lips through the numb skin. Still, you looked down and watched as he worshiped the ugly line that ripped through your skin. It wasn’t neat, wasn’t typical, wasn’t the ideal, but Price always showed he never cared about that.

”It made you happy, yeah? All that matters, then,” is what he’d always say.

All those mean thoughts finally started to melt away as he continued to kiss along your chest, further up to your collarbone. He pulled your shirt down so he could kiss up your neck, across your jaw, and finally up to your mouth. You felt him grin against your lips. You suppressed an annoyed whine as he pulled away to look at you.

“Better?”

“A bit.”

“I can keep going.”

“Would you?”

You fell asleep on the couch with your shirt pulled up to your shoulders and Price’s lips against your scar.

[mrsstan21]

Attention to Detail

GIF credit: @angel060563

Summary: Men rarely pay attention to the things women say, but that's not the case with Officer Tom Hanson.

Tom Hanson x Reader 

A/N: Just a quick Drabble!

Warnings: None! fluff!

Word Count: 958 :)

For the past three weeks me and Penhall were at a local high school making a bust on drug dealing. 

It was always fun when me and Doug were put on a case together, he always knew how to make these cases interesting.

After I got a gun pointed to my head by one of the suspects we made an arrest. 

I asked Jenko if I could have the day off and work at my desk. 

“Hey how you doing” Penhall asked pulling a chair next to me. 

“I’m fine…isn’t the first time I got a gun placed to my head”.  

“Hanson, Penhall, Y/L/N in my office” Jenko spoke. 

I took a seat next to Penhall on the couch while Hanson stood up.

“We got a new case apparently somebody is trying to relocate SouthCentral High School one room at a time. Last night was the fourth BE in the same amount of months. No forced entry, no busted windows”. Jenko informed.

“Doesn’t sound like much of a break in” I added. 

“Burglary says to smacks of an inside gig. Like one kid gets a set of master keys, the next thing, half the school’s drinking free sodas, and on top of that, some teachers getting free roses from so secret admirer” Jenko continued.

“Got any suspects?” Hanson asked. 

“Got a couple. My best bet is a guy named Jeffery Stone. Sells everything from hot records to tickets to the Boss’s concerts, third row”. 

“Sounds like a real sales man” I spoke. 

“well Hanson your on this case. Penhall will be your backup in case things go south. Y/N I want you here going over this Stone guys profile see if you can get anything off him” Jenko informed us.

“Not a problem I gotta help Ayoki study for his test anyway”.

The three of us group outside by Hansons desk. 

“So aside from the kid selling merchandise we also got a stalker creeping on a teacher and leaving her flowers” Penhall spoke grabbing a cup of coffee.

“At least she’s getting flowers” I mumbled sitting on Hanson’s desk. 

“Aw come on Y/N I bet you get flowers all the time” Penhall teased. 

I rolled my eyes. 

“What no one’s given you a bouquet of roses?” Hanson asked. 

I look at him. 

“I don’t even remember the last time I got a single flower let alone a whole bouquet. Besides roses are so clique every girl loves red roses. I on the other hand am very different...Would make my day if a guy got me a single white lily my favorite flower”.   

***

It was getting late, Ayoki and I had been doing practice questions for I don’t know how many hours. 

We decided to break for a while and I took it as an opportunity to rest my head on my desk. 

But ended up knocking out instead. 

The sound of a loud book hitting my desk made me shot up. 

“A felon cannot be issued a drivers license” I spoke still half asleep. 

I rubbed my eyes to see a smiling Hanson sitting on top of my desk. 

“Oh it’s just you Hanson” I yawed stretching. 

“What are you still doing here this late” he broke into a smirk.

“it’s not that late it’s only…midnight” I looked over at my watch.

“She was helping me study that is until she fell asleep two hours ago” Ayoki smiled passing by.

“God I am tiered” I rubbed my eyes again. 

“Why don’t you let me give you a ride I’m about to head out anyways” Hanson said. 

I took him up on his offer, and he drove me home. 

“Can I ask you something” he asked staring at the road in front of him.

“Shoot.”

“You know so much about cars yet you don’t own one?” He smirked.

I let out a small chuckle. 

“Yeah well I live about a twenty min walk from the chapel. 

And if I ever wanted a ride somewhere I don’t live that far away from Penhall so I could always ask him for a lift”. 

“From the time I’ve been here not once have I seen you and Penhall come in together”.

“Ok if I’m honest I prefer walking it helps clear my mind”.

“Sounds like a fair game” he glances over at me. 

When we arrived to the front of my apartment complex I thanked him for the ride. 

He stayed and made sure I got inside before taking off. 

Hanson was starting to rub off on me. 

***

The following day Hanson closed the case, and made an arrest turns out the janitor was the one setting up Stone. 

I was at my desk cleaning out my file drawer when I notice someone sit on my desk. 

Looking up I saw a smiling Hanson again.

“Hey Hanson congrats not screwing up your case” I smiled. 

“Thanks…hey I got something for you” he spoke nervously. 

I gave him a confused look before he pulled his hand from behind his back. 

There in my sight was a single white lily. 

“What’s this” I smiled. 

“Well you said  you didn’t remember the last time you got a flower so I took it upon myself to get you one” he smiled. 

“And you got me a white lily” I took the flower from him smelling it.

“What you didn’t think I was paying attention?”.

“Well Hanson no offense but most guys don’t usually pay attention to what comes out of my mouth. But in fact are paying more attention to…well you get the idea” I laughed. 

“Well I just thought you could use something nice to start your day” he smiled.

I got up and kissed him on his cheek. 

“Thank you Hanson” I whispered to him. 

He blushes.

[nickblaine]

season 5 script summaries

links to previous script summaries: season 4, season 3, season 2, season 1, seasons 1/2 cont’d also, check my tht scripts tag for gifs, excerpts, and more details

i got the librarian’s email about season 5 scripts, and even though driving to and parking at WGAW has become a literal nightmare, i said fuck it and flew (crawled in traffic) down there the very next day. i wanted to see what the mood was like during the strike, anyway.

the staff had the library running business as usual, but the energy was high and there were pro-union shirts everywhere. there were a couple of guys on the first floor making literal piles of picket signs. i chatted with them for a minute and they said everyone was mostly out on the streets, picketing at every major studio in the city. rock on WGA ✊

i was on a time limit to beat rush hour, so when i read the season 5 scripts it was only Nick scenes. i searched for all instances of his name and wrote down everything i could. i may go back to read the rest of the season, but i can’t make any promises on when that will be.

before i begin (same as last time):

• everything described here is from the official scripts that are archived at the Writers Guild in Los Angeles. • the scripts i read are final drafts. there is no “writing in the margins.” everything described is from dialogue and script direction that was used on set. (click for an example) • the library has a strict no copies/photos rule in place which is why i summarize what i read. • anything in italics is a direct quote for the sake of clarity. • feel free to ask questions and i’ll answer to the best of my ability. my private notes are pretty detailed, but if i need to do more research i may save the answer for a future library visit. • please do not share this post without my permission. thank you in advance for respecting my wishes.

5x01 - Morning

Nick and Rose’s morning scene in this episode is more or less the same as this early script draft. The only difference is after Nick tells Rose her coffee is good, there’s an additional line that says: “It’s a lie, and they both know it. Rose appreciates the polite kindness.”

5x02 - Ballet

There was a short scene of Nick and Joseph Lawrence having a private chat at the airport before meeting with Serena Joy. It was cut from the episode, but you can see it in the trailer.

In this scene, Lawrence confides in Nick that he’s nervous about the meeting with Serena because - in his words - “You had to let your girlfriend go after Fred.”

Nick assures Lawrence that they’re going to spin it as a savvy political move by blaming the Americans for killing Fred. Lawrence still chastises him for not doing his job. Then the conversation pivots (a little clunkily) to this line from the trailer:

NICK: Serena doesn’t know what happened.

LAWRENCE: Doesn’t matter what she knows. It matters what she believes.

When they meet Serena on the tarmac, she instantly has suspicions that they were responsible for Fred’s death. The conversation is tense until they all see Fred’s body getting rolled off the plane, then Serena needles Nick’s guilt and pokes at it with her “Fred saw promise in you” speech.

As they are leaving the tarmac, there’s a line that says “Nick acknowledges Mark with a nod” and Lawrence notices it. In the episode you can see Nick and Mark exchange looks in the background as they leave, but otherwise Lawrence doesn’t notice.

At the Putnam’s party later in the episode, you may have noticed that after the Handmaids arrive, Esther and Nick share a notable look. The script describes this as a fraught moment in which Nick is filled with remorse and wishing he could do more. It also says Esther remembers Nick from when he and the Eyes arrested her, and she’s visibly pissed about it. As they walk away from each other, “Nick can’t help but be reminded of June.”

While Serena Joy is manipulating the Commanders into broadcasting Fred’s funeral, Nick steps in because he’s moved by her bravery and “attempting to atone for his hand in killing Fred.”

In the secret meeting between Nick and Mark there were a few cut lines of dialogue. Most notable is after Nick tells him he just tries to stay out of trouble, Mark replies, “Catches up to everyone, at some point.“

Opaque, Nick thinks about that. How long does he think he can keep going?

Ok, so the end of the episode when the funeral is on TV in Canada, I’m happy to report that Nick IS mentioned in June’s inner dialogue. The scene describes her recognizing who is onscreen with Serena. First she sees Lawrence, and then... “And finally, most painfully -- NICK.” (Yes, in all caps like that, lol.)

5x03 - Border

Cute June inner-dialogue when Lily asks her if Nick’s a big Jezebels guy: “June doesn’t know how to explain what type of “guy” Nick is.”

The awkward Lawrence residence dinner scene. Commander Mackenzie genuinely loves Rose (”old friend of the family”) and is instantly distrustful of Nick. Serena doesn’t buy Nick and Rose’s relationship as genuine either, and tries to subtly acknowledge Rose’s close relationship with June’s daughter’s parents by telling him how lucky he is. Nick is tense, but then his banter with Rose relaxes him, making Serena surprised to observe real affection in their relationship.

During the dinner itself, Mackenzie is just making everyone extremely uncomfortable by bringing up June. Nothing too interesting in the script here, it’s mostly just dialogue.

There is a cut line after dinner when Nick and Rose are leaving, and she says to him, “Well I wouldn’t say that’s the most relaxing dinner party I’ve ever been to.” (He responds “Yeah. No.”) Then he spots Mark all alone. Script says Rose understands what he’s about to do. “Nick squeezes her hand, then heads over to Mark.”

The script emphasizes here that Nick is unsure talking to Mark is a good idea, but he really wants to be the one to tell June about Rose before Serena does.

Mackenzie scares the shit out of him in this scene, and the “fuck” Nick mutters at the end was originally not spoken out loud (”OFF NICK, fuck.”) but I’m so glad it was.

Alright, phone call scene. One of our few big Osblaine moments!

NICK: June. Hi.

June suddenly feels like everything is going to be okay.

This scene is mostly dialogue. The final product is all the acting that goes into it. It does say Nick is stressed to relay upsetting information about Hannah and Rose. When June hears about Rose, she knew this was coming eventually, but it’s still a blow. It also describes how painful and hard this is for both of them. But at the end of the call, right after June tells Nick to be happy, is my favorite line in the whole script:

It’s an impossible ask, maybe, for these two to be truly happy without each other.

After the phone call, there is a cut scene between Nick and Rose where they simply look at each other.

Rose knows exactly who he was on the phone with, and what he said to her.

She looks worried for him, knowing it wasn’t easy.

He nods to her -- it’s done.

5x06 - Together

According to the script, Lawrence only invited Warren Putnam over to his house to get Nick on board with killing him. Warren repulses Nick so he’s down.

The next scene they’re in is when they execute Warren. (Such a good scene.) After Nick shoots him in the head, the script describes the camera hanging onto Nick and “his soldier’s stoicism.”

Then it cuts straight to Rose in the Blaine home. “She’s disappointed in him and he knows it.”

Now this scene threw me off. It’s written much differently than how Max acted it. Nick is actually a lot more warm toward Rose in the script, much like how all their previous scenes were. Several lines of Nick’s dialogue were changed (”Can I help?” became “You gonna tell me what’s going on?” onscreen) and his body language comes across way more cold and defensive than what’s described on paper.

As for Rose, she isn’t soothed by Nick’s assurances here. And that’s it for this episode.

5x08 - Motherland

New Bethlehem opens with another cut private moment between Lawrence and Nick.

Nick is brooding by the water, “still grappling with the moral and emotional consequences of shooting Warren in the head.” Lawrence finds him and tries to prod, but Nick gives him nothing.

LAWRENCE: You look a little more moody and broody than usual. Really, you sleeping okay?  

NICK: I’m fine.

Lawrence moves on because they have work to do. He reminds Nick he’s counting on him.

Lawrence gives his New Bethlehem speech to the other Commanders. When one of them pushes back, “that’s the cue for Nick, the muscle. Enough carrots, time for sticks.”

After Nick bullies the Commanders and Lawrence consolidates his power, the script describes these two as a “dynamic duo” lol

Okay, brace yourselves, there’s a cut Osblaine scene up next. I had no idea this existed, I don’t think there are any shots of it in the trailer.

It takes place after June visits Serena in the detention center and realizes she can’t help Hannah unless she’s there. If you watch that part you will see her pull out Lawrence’s burner phone as she leaves. But instead of going to Lawrence’s office like she does in the filmed version, in the script she calls Lawrence and just says, “I want to talk to Nick.”

It cuts to the next night at the border wall between Gilead and Canada. June is waiting on the Canada side as flying drone searchlights swoop across the electrified fence. (All described in dramatic detail.) She sees Nick appear on the other side. They look at each other, waiting, and once the searchlights clear they move to meet each other at the fence.

JUNE: I need to know if this is for real. I need to know that Hannah and my family will be safe.

NICK: I know. You will be. I promise.

JUNE: How can you promise that?

NICK: Things are changing, people are scared of Lawrence. I’m in a position now where i can make sure you’ll be safe.

JUNE: I want to believe you.

NICK: June. You can finally be with Hannah, watch over her. Isn’t that what you always wanted?

She nods.

NICK (CONT’D): Then please. Come back.

“To me,” he means. June’s heart is torn.

At this point the searchlights return and they have to separate. This scene is written like a soap opera. “They can’t help but reach out to each other, almost brushing fingertips before they move apart and run back, escaping the lights.”

Photo of this scene from Max’s IG:

Later in the episode, Lawrence is back in New Bethlehem with Nick. Nick asks which way June is leaning and Lawrence says it’s toward yes. The script says here that Nick understands that Lawrence is trying to manipulate him, but he can’t help but be cautiously optimistic at the idea of having June and Nichole in New Bethlehem with him.

By the end of the conversation, Nick is “considering.”

5x09 - Allegiance

We’ll skip to 27 minutes into the episode, when June sits with Mark after the failed mission. Mark catches June off guard by bringing up Nick. She’s taken aback by the revelation that he turned down Mark’s offer, but Mark says she can still persuade him. The script says “June imagines the prospect of Nick in Toronto” which I think you can see pretty clearly on Lizzie’s face lol.

Then we cut to the big Osblaine reunion.

Lots of dramatic buildup in the script leading up to their conversation. I don’t know how to describe it other than to show you:

She looks toward the courtyard. And there he is --

NICK

Waiting for her. Strained.

JUNE

Takes a beat to soak him in. She gets out.

OUTSIDE

June approaches Nick, their eyes locked.

Like, damn. They love building tension with these two.

Anyway, dialogue proceeds as it does in the show. Nick tells June that his wife’s pregnant and June has the wind knocked out of her. She’s described as “appalled by Nick’s commitment to Gilead, but understanding of his loyalty to Rose and their future child.”

And then--

JUNE: I want what’s best for both our families.

They look at each other.

A giant chasm between them now. But they’ve shared so much. So much trauma. So much love. A daughter.

JUNE (CONT’D): Well. This is a fine mess, isn’t it?

This scene is once again described as painful for both of them. “She tries to keep it together. How can they part? How can they say goodbye?”

Before Nick says “I love you” he was supposed to wrap his arms around her, but in the final cut they keep their distance.

5x10 - Safe

Just wanna note that when Nick shows up on the bridge to meet Mark, it was originally written so American soldiers yank Nick out of his car, handcuff him, and drag him across the bridge to Mark. We were deprived.

Also the first thing out of Nick’s mouth here was supposed to be, “How is she?”

In the hospital, Mark is telling Nick what’s going on but, “Nick can’t even speak. Looking at June, with her black and blue eyes.”

Mark gets the hint and leaves Nick alone. An interesting thing to note is that the line “it’s probably better if she doesn’t know I was here” is NOT in the script. At all.

The rest of the scene is sweet and simple.

Nick crosses, sits beside June.

A beat. Nick takes her hand.

Says nothing as he watches her sleep.

And that’s it.

Mark and Nick’s second scene on the bridge is just as short and to the point. In fact it’s almost entirely dialogue, so the emotions you see onscreen came from acting and directing. The only notable difference here is when Mark tells Nick he could’ve run away with June, he was scripted to give actual examples of where. “Maybe not to Canada, but there are -- places you could’ve gone. Idaho, the Westward Territories.” (Hopefully foreshadowing lol.)

At the party, it is scripted that Rose tries to greet Nick when he arrives and he doesn’t even acknowledge her. Like she doesn’t even exist.

There isn’t much description to accompany the punch. There is a line that says if Nick wasn’t pulled off of Lawrence than he’d be happy to keep on whaling on him. It also describes Lawrence as “rattled” and Rose as “humiliated.”

At the train station, during June’s goodbye to Mark, she asks him to tell Nick that she and Nichole are safe as a nod to their phone call in episode 3. The only descriptive line here is, “A beat, as Mark clocks the deep and selfless connection between Nick and June.”

The final scene I have notes for is Nick and Rose’s breakup in jail.

There are a couple parts of their scripted conversation that didn’t make it onscreen. Starting with right after Rose tells him a good man wouldn’t leave his wife every time his girlfriend calls, Nick’s response was supposed to be, “she was almost killed.” Then Rose laments that she thought she was lucky that someone like [Nick] would deign to be with someone like [her.] Nick says, “I was the lucky one” and she tells him to shut up.

Then there’s the “You will never let go of her, will you?” line from the show. Nick explains that he tried, but Rose retorts with, “Who knows what that woman will bring to our door. I have to protect our son.” Nick is described as scared now, and pleads with her not to leave.

Now I have no idea if that “our son” drop was supposed to be a legitimate reveal or just hopeful Gilead thinking. The script says nothing else about it and it was cut from the show. But it will be fun to speculate as we wait for the final season.

[aquagirl1978]

What a Difference a Year Makes - Chevalier Michel x Reader (Ikemen Prince)

A/N: Part of the ‘Tis the Season for Love Content Creation Challenge hosted by @xxsycamore and @voltage-vixen

Pairing: Chevalier Michel n x Reader

Prompt: Being the MC/LI's fake date for a Christmas party/ball

Tags: None

“So that’s the favor you wanted to ask of me.”

Sariel looked at the Brutal Beast over the rim of his glasses and placed the empty glass down on his desk. “Yes,” he replied simply. “With the three foreign princes visiting, there’s no one in the palace better suited for the job. Don’t think of it as a date; it’s a job. To protect Belle.”

Chevalier scoffed but did not disagree with Sariel. 

Sariel refilled his drink, the amber liquid shimmering in the moonlight. “Can I offer you a drink?”

Chevalier snorted derisively and shook his head. “I am needed in the gardens,” he said quietly, his gaze focused on the window behind Sariel, the moon high and bright in the darkening sky. The prince rose from his seat; turning on his heel, his stark white cloak billowed behind him as he began to leave the office.

“It starts at 7 o’clock tomorrow evening,” Sariel called out.

“And I’ll be expecting that book.” With a swish of his cloak, Chevalier had left the minister’s office, a pleased smile spreading on Sariel’s lips.

*****

What had he gotten himself into?

When Chevalier had agreed to be your escort, he had not anticipated this.

He stood next to you, his body tall and rigid. His cool, icy glare continuously scanned the room - if one didn't know better, they’d think he was anxiously searching for the nearest exit. 

"Prince Chevalier, would you like to get something to eat? The desserts look scrumptious."

"No, thank you," he refused politely.

"You don't like sweets?" you asked incredulously. 

 "Not particularly," he replied, his eyes fixed on the dance floor, waiting and watching for any sign of trouble. "But you should get something," he added, his eyes twinkling as he smirked at you. "I know you want some."

He watched as you pranced towards the table overflowing with sweets; he could never understand how anyone could enjoy something so frivolous. He leaned against the wall as you picked up a cookie; after only one bite, it was easy to see the child-like joy you got from eating the cookie. 

Chevalier was filled with something, something unfamiliar, as he found himself standing there, watching you sample the sweet treats.

"She seems to be enjoying herself." A dark figure spoke, slithering from the shadows. 

“I am simply protecting her,” he replied, shooting down any potential questions.

Sariel peered at him over the rim of his glasses, his violet eyes flicking between you and Chevalier. “If you say so.”

 "Three men left and headed to the gardens," he commented quietly, his gaze fixed on you as you left the dessert table.

"Your presence by her side warded off any danger."

"Indeed. Your plan worked."

Sariel drained his glass of ale. "I'm in need of a refill, care to join me in a drink?"

Chevalier's protective gaze remained focused on you as you flittered throughout the ballroom. "No. Have Black return her to her room." His hand was on the hilt of his sword as he turned and stalked off, his white cloak swishing behind him. 

But for some strange reason, Chevalier paused. He found you standing in front of the Christmas tree, soaking in its beauty. Nothing was more magical or pure than Christmas, he had heard others say. He looked at you, the lights reflected in your bright eyes, your smile positively radiant. He looked at the tree, and for the first time, found a scintilla of beauty in it. 

He tilted his head, his cold blue eyes meeting your tender gaze. And in that moment, he felt something he never had before - warmth. 

*****

One year later, Chevalier, now King of Rhodolite, stood before that very same Christmas tree in the ballroom. In just a few hours, the room would be filled, music playing as couples danced. 

He spun you around to face him, twirling you in a way that would make the most talented dancers envious. No longer Belle, but now the future queen, he smiled softly at you.  

Warm arms wrapped around his waist, your familiar scent of rose filling his lungs as you pressed a kiss on his neck. He laced his fingers in yours, enjoying your embrace.

“A gift from Four-Eyes.” He handed you a glass of ale; after clinking glasses, he brought the drink to his lips, appreciating why the minister had such a strong preference for the beverage.

You closed your eyes, savoring the smooth drink. “We should thank him for this gift.”

Tagging: @redheadkittys @alixennial @rhodolitesroseforclavis @atelieredux @kissmetwicekissmedeadly @chaosangel767 @queengiuliettafirstlady @queen-dahlia @devildomwritersposts @talfollowingstuff @kpop-and-otome @kisara-16 @altairring @lucyw260 @lordsisterxotome @violettduchess @umi-adxhira @bellerose-arcana @yarnnerdally @crypticbibliophile @cilokgoang @scorchieart

“Yes, we should,” he said, taking your hand in his. For the drink and so much more.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

i have mixed feelings about summer school. the season finale was much more interesting than the original sin finale in terms of action. but i didn’t like the actual storytelling. i had similar questions as you:

1. what exactly happened between shawn and jen? they spent sooo much screen time on the love triangle but then didn’t even let us see the final confrontation. an extremely poor choice.

2. how did all of the girls’ phone numbers end up on spooky spaghetti? i guess wes had tabby’s - she texted him when he didn’t show up for work - but the others?

3. where were ash & greg?

4. who pushed sullivan down the stairs? why did they make her actually be horrible?

5. what did mrs beasley do to kelly off-screen all of those episodes ago? all of a sudden they are able to have a civil conversation for hours about bloody rose (after kelly locked her up for hours lol)

6. how was johnny going into the freezer so often but didn’t see the bodies as quickly as imogen did?

i’m afraid they are going to rush through some of these answers in a montage like they did in 2x01…

more general issues: i don’t understand why mouse’s grandmother took up so much screen time despite not really having any interesting payoff. noa has not faced any kind of “reckoning” and i really don’t look forward to them dragging jen into next season. nothing about bloody rose really connected to archie and/or the real bloody rose. imogen’s daughter ended up not being that relevant at all…

this season felt all over the place to me. the mrs langsbury and wes team up was satisfying enough because they were two common suspects but for that reason i wasn’t gagged. it just made sense. again, a better finale than original sin but the season overall didn’t do it for me. i’m sorry if this all over the place! 😭

I'm with you! We have a lot of the same questions/feelings.

I did like this finale significantly better than season 1. I will always rather have predicted the antagonists and have their actions make sense (and also have at least one of them present with screen time enough to feel like a real character), than have the reveal be some random side character with no set up and backstory you couldn't possibly have guessed. So that's an improvement, for sure. But it definitely was MESSY af. I knew it was going to be a little difficult to tie all the threads together, and it was. There's a lot of stuff left dangling that I don't think was really on purpose (like I am okay with loose threads if they are there to inform the next season, but I don't think most of these were).

I'm gonna give you my best guesses at all the questions you had, even though they a very much questions I am still asking.

I cannot even begin to explain this one. This just feels like production was wildly off base with how they thought this storyline was going to go over. Maybe the writers didn't agree on how this should be utilized, so they wrote it one way, then changed some stuff, but not enough stuff?

It genuinely makes no sense. These numbers got out right away, so before Henry became brainwashed by the cult (which, btw, very weird they did not explain IF Wes was hiring all these people out of the cult, like how did Henry miss this? Also how did Kelly miss this? and Mrs. Beasley? And Pastor Malachi?), Greg wouldn't have had those numbers, Ash wasn't even in the episode, Christian, Johnny, Jen, and Coach Rhodes all only got 1 persons number and it would have meant all of them betraying the girls. I assume Dr. Sullivan had the numbers and she could have done it, but she doesn't seem to be that type of evil.

lol. Just conveniently not around. I can buy the Greg one- he and Kelly aren't a couple, he and Faran haven't been "together" (flinging?) very long, so no one wanted to tell him. But Ash??? how do you not tell Ash about what's happening??

I have these questions, too. How much of her story about her was true? Why was she separated and tied up by Wes, what was her role in the finale supposed to be? I'm pretty confused on this point.

Again, yes.

The only explanation I've got for this one is that they weren't there all season? Like they were kept elsewhere and intentionally put there later. But this makes waaay more sense if Wes doesn't want to get caught and Jen is working with him. Because then Wes is trying to frame someone else, and gets Jen to plant the "What about Johnny and Christian?" seed with Noa (who, it did not escape me, literally used Jen's phrasing word for word when bringing this up) to send Imogen and Tabby off to investigate their respective boyfriends and find the stuff they've been set up with. Because they have been set up, even if Wes isn't planning on them ultimately taking the fall, but if Jen isn't in on it, then it's just pure coincidence that either of those set ups worked AT ALL.

So yeah, definitely with you on this! I had a really fun time watching this season, and I feel like that might get lost in my "but wtf is happening?" posts sometimes, so- I did actually have a lot of fun. But this was far from perfect and I think there were a few really big misses with the storytelling & I want answers!!

[ponds-of-ink]

Notre Dame AU Chapter 5: “An Evening in The Castle”

Hey, here’s a quick head’s up before we start: Expect two more chapters tonight and Thursday morning.. Unless Ruin news hits me in the head at break-neck speed. Then there’ll be a bit of radio silence until further notice.

..Even if I do end up posting on time, there’ll still be radio silence because Ruin teaser.

Anyway, let’s see how Gregory’s doing before I start making less sense...

A couple of hours passed. The bells rang with a more melancholic air as Gregory sat there in a distant section of the hall. A few visitors came and went, but none were allowed to interact with the boy in the corner. An expected result of his plea for safety.

So there Gregory stayed. Alone. Contemplating the boy dubbed “46”.

...For a couple more minutes, at least. With only one clear audio recording and not much speculation to glean from, the topic was getting dull by now. “If only I could talk to someone,” he thought as his eyes lazily drifted up to the tinted windows. “Then maybe I wouldn’t be so bored.”

He rose to his feet and observed his surroundings. While these windows were not as grand as the church’s, their towering height and naturally sunny glow left an impression on him. Same went for the golden-flamed candles strewn about the walls. Both of these things provided a sense of warmth in this otherwise bleak and cold chamber. “At least there’s something here to keep me busy, I guess,” he thought as he walked towards an empty booth littered with themed attraction brochures and era-fitting props. “I’ve been to every other place in this mall, but I guess a little reading wouldn’t hurt.”

As he skimmed through the list of locales, one of them seemed to weasel its way out of its holder. His eyebrows raised as he watched it break free and float on its own. He backed up slowly, then stopped. “H-Hello?” he asked the unseen pamphlet carrier, weakly waving. “You, uh, want to read something too?”

The brochure froze in mid-air. It slowly lowered itself back onto the table. Then, after a few seconds of tense stillness, a small door beside the counter quickly opened up. “Hey, wait!” Gregory called out, following after with both papers in hand. “You don’t have to ditch your stuff! Come back!”

Agonia raced up the spiral stairs. “Should not have done that,” repeated over and over in his head until he reached the bell tower. He gripped one of the pillars in a panic, swinging out of a normal person’s view. “What do I do now?” he asked himself in his mind, burying his head in his hands. “It was not supposed to go like this!”

“So do most of your plans, but that’s a given,” quipped a mature voice.

Agonia lowered his hands. “Henry, please,” he snipped towards a man that seemed to be around his age. “I need help. Do I talk to him or run?”

“Well, judging from how fast that kid is, I’d say get ready to start talking,” Henry noted, pushing up his thick-rimmed glasses as he looked over his listener’s shoulder. “Hope you how to use contractions in a sentence.”

Agonia shot back an exasperated look. “But how?” he asked, subconsciously clutching his marred throat. “My voice is–“

“You’ll do fine,” Henry insisted, walking towards the edge of the railing. “Just do that miming thing you’ve been doing with Glitchtrap. Or that funny little letter system you had once.”

Agonia slumped. “I suppose I could,” he murmured as he approached the door. “However: if this goes south, this is on you.”

“Have fun,” Henry smiled jestingly, giving one parting wave. “I’ll be out here enjoying the view if you need me.”

Agonia shook his head as he entered back inside the castle. He listened as he traveled along the maze. “Where is he?” he wondered as he surveyed the empty landscape.

A loud “Boo!” from behind answered that question very quickly.

Gregory laughed as the bell-ringer “yelped” and whirled around. “I got you good, didn’t I?” he grinned slyly.

The other rolled his uneven eyes and bobbed his head to one side. Yes, yes, he did.

The scarer’s smile weakened. “So, um, here’s your thing back,” he said sheepishly, handing out the brochure. “Sorry if I made you think I was going to rat you out to that dumb rabbit guy.”

Agonia placed his hand on top of Gregory’s, then patted it gently. “Does.. that mean it’s all good?” Gregory asked slowly, repeating the gesture with his own hand.

The elder’s face lit up. He nodded rapidly with a wide smile.

“Huh!” Gregory exclaimed while he removed his hands from the bell ringer’s frail grasp. “I did not expect to be this good at ‘Guess What The Ghost’s Trying to Say’! ...N-No offense, of course. I get that your voice must be pretty messed up with.. what you’ve got.”

Agonia nodded despondently, putting a hand to his throat yet again.

“But hey!” Gregory spoke up, walking over to the sad ghost’s side. “You can ‘talk’ with these while you show me around!” He then held up his sliver of paper with a proud smile. “They should have all the words you need,” he continued as he gave both pamphlets to the ghost. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”

Agonia stared down at the papers in his hand. He eyed both titles, then flipped through one of the two. After a few moments of skimming, he motioned for Gregory to start walking.

Gregory quickly started, strolling alongside his newfound tour guide. His head turned this way and that, only stopping when something caught his eyes– Like a random knight in armor or a huge hole-like imprint in the floor. “This must be part of the Princess’ Challenge,” he mused as he looked back at his guide. “I don’t think I’ve ever been up here before, so this is a first for me.”

Agonia lowered his paper for the boy to see. “Really?” he ‘asked’, pointing to the exact word wedged in a lengthy paragraph.

“Yeah,” Gregory admitted casually, shrugging his shoulders. “Didn’t really think it was all that neat. I don’t mind escape rooms, but the description in the ads did not do this place justice. Made it sound like it was for really little kids.”

Agonia nodded with a mutually irked expression. Suddenly, he stopped in front of a tile puzzle guarded by four LED torches. “Wait here a moment,” he ‘instructed’, his finger darting to the words. Once he knew he got his point across, he hobbled over to the tiles. It took a bit of effort, but he managed to move the squares into their correct places. The door thunked as he returned to the dumbfounded boy. “To be fair, these are easy when you know the trick,” the guide ‘explained’, gesturing to the solved puzzle as they passed by.

Gregory glanced at the solved puzzle. He bobbed his head as his eyes skimmed the pattern. Then, realizing that his acquaintance had gone into the next room, he hurried after.

Agonia grinned as the boy rejoined his side. “Did you figure it out?” he ‘asked’ with a wink.

“Maybe,” Gregory confessed with a hint of embarrassment. “Something about some of triangles lining up with the edges of that square.”

“Pretty close,” ‘replied’ the bell-ringer. “But I can’t spoil it for you. It would ruin all the fun.”

Gregory gave a look of acknowledgment, then continued his tour. His observing of this room was very quick, save his curiosity about the two golden doors with the carved arch above. However, unlike the puzzle, neither said anything about them.

Instead, both entered the next room with little trouble. “This is where I was earlier,” Gregory explained, motioning to the ‘bridge’ on the floor. “Somebody already solved this one, so I didn’t have to do anything.”

Agonia faintly hummed in thought, slowly moving ahead of the boy and walking onto the bridge. He stomped his foot on it, then hummed again. “I’m surprised that it hasn’t reset by now,” he ‘mused’, staring at the torches nearby. “They usually do that after someone completes the challenge.”

“Maybe they’ll be reset tonight,” Gregory shrugged as he left the bridge and headed for the door.

“Maybe,” ‘repeated’ Agonia, joining the boy’s side. “In the meantime, this is it. The last section.”

“Aw, already?” Gregory pouted, crossing his arms as his guide propped open the door. “We were just starting to know each other!”

“We can still talk outside,” the bell-ringer grinned as they entered into the porch. “Besides, you need all the fresh air you can get.”

“‘Says’ the guy who doesn’t need fresh air,” Gregory retorted, half-smiling. Both went quiet as they neared the balcony’s railing. The boy took in the sights with an amazed, but wistful expression. The ghost, meanwhile, looked at the world down below with a thoughtful gaze. This silence continued for several minutes, as if both had unintentionally forgotten that the other was still there. Not really surprising since the dawning sunset made everything below look more inviting and pleasant– Empty though the streets currently were.

Gregory glanced over at the clock tower. “Looks like it’s about time for you to ring in the hour again,” he said, breaking the silence at last. “At least you won’t get in trouble for being late, huh?”

Agonia chuckled hoarsely. “Yes, no worries there,” he ‘answered’, nodding to the boy as he limped to the adjacent railing. Without another word, he jumped onto the railing and cautiously clambered back into the bell tower itself.

Gregory watched in wonder as the bell-ringer prepared for his duty. The lantern flickered as Agonia put aside the papers and lifted the rope into his hands. He watched the clock, then the boy. “Plug your ears,” he said aloud, though it was so frail and broken that you’d be forgiven for saying otherwise.

Though the voice took him off-guard, Gregory wasted no time in following that order. He blocked his ears with his hands. His body fought the urge to crouch as Agonia pulled the rope. Thundering clangs followed suit. Their sheer force almost knocked the poor boy off his feet. Seven chimes in total, but they sounded like twelve or more thanks to the kickback of the bell’s clapper. They sounded beautiful, sure, but now Gregory was starting to learn why many people preferred admiring the bells from the ground level.

As soon as the bells finished, Agonia let go of the rope and stumbled into a bow. “I’d clap, but I think those bells knocked all the energy out of me,” Gregory laughed weakly, prying off his hands from his head. “That’s gotta do something to your hearing, right?”

Realizing that they were back to having a proper conversation, Agonia hurriedly scooped up the papers. “Not if you’re a ghost,” he ‘responded’ with a slick grin. “The only thing this bell usually does to me is make me tired.”

”Huh,” Gregory responded simply, gripping onto the railing for support. Before he could form any more questions, he felt himself getting hauled up by the shoulders. He yelped in shock, but the sight of Agonia’s calm face eased him a bit. His body floated as he slowly lowered onto this new floor. “Guess I got you too, didn’t I?” the ringer ‘asked’ slyly, winking for a second time.

“Yeah, you did,” Gregory sniggered as he laid himself down on the stone floor. “Good job repaying the favor, I guess.”

The words “repaying the favor” caused Agonia to look deep in thought for a moment, but he shrugged any ideas off. “I really just did that because you looked so disoriented,” he ‘clarified’, now sitting down next to the boy. “Didn’t want you to faint next to such an unstable section of the railing. You could’ve fallen.”

“Well, thanks for looking out for me..” Gregory murmured sleepily, trying to stop himself yawning. “I had no idea.”

Agonia simply patted the boy on the hand. “How about I teach you some Latin while you try to doze off?” he ‘suggested’ before opening the other brochure.

“That’d be great, but not right now,” Gregory yawned. “I think I’ll stick with.. I dunno.. Maybe a lullaby?”

“But my voice isn’t the greatest. I thought my little warning would’ve taught you that.”

“I said ‘maybe’,” Gregory snickered softly. “Lullabies don’t.. need.. that much.. to..”

Agonia watched as the boy finally drifted off to sleep. He contemplated afterwards, peering up at the pillars and roof just above him. Then, as he looked back at the peacefully-resting child, he sighed deeply. Feeling the need to honor this request, he sung as softly as he could. A simple lullaby, but a lullaby nonetheless.

Gregory heard traces of the raspy-yet-timid crooning, but all went dark before the song finished. He found himself in a dreamless void. Unable to feel the stone floor. Or hear the hum of that ever-invisible air conditioner. An eerily comfortable solitude that flew by.

Slow, metallic footsteps broke through that void.

“Freddy?” he asked groggily, beginning to stir back into reality.

“No,” the same ragged voice answered as a hand lightly touched the boy’s shoulder. “Not Freddy.”

Gregory opened his eyes. The world had now gone from a warm golden light to a cool bluish nighttime. He had also been moved from practically underneath the bell to a doorway right outside the open chamber. The bell-ringer sat beside him, his features showcasing a mix of joy and tiredness. “Look,” the man said slowly, pointing to a corner of the door.

Mildly confused, Gregory got up and looked around that corner. To his surprise, a mishmash of metal and gunk loomed mere inches above him. “What.. is that thing?” he asked uneasily.

“Your way out,” Agonia grinned, patting the robot on the back.

“My way out?” Gregory repeated, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, going back outside this place would be great. But isn’t that.. I dunno.. breaking Sanctuary?”

“I will take the blame for that,” ‘assured’ the ghost, finally remembering to use the pamphlets. “You need to eat, and there’s no food up here– Among other things.”

“I guess that sounds like a good reason,” Gregory shrugged. He cautiously approached the strange contraption. “So, uh, what do I do with it?” he asked, craning his neck to get a better look at its face.

“Climb onto its back.”

Using the railing like a step ladder, the boy clambered onto the machine’s shoulders. “Okay, now what?” he questioned again.

Agonia placed his hand on the thing’s head. He shut his eyes. Purple sparks flashed from its rabbit-like ears as he vanished into thin air. “Hold on tight,” it answered mechanically, looking back to the boy with its violet pupils.

Gregory wrapped his arms around its neck for dear life. The robot climbed up the nearest pillar like an acrobat ascending a large ladder. It steadied itself once it was on the roof. Its head swiveled this way and that as it crawled near the edge of the roof. Then, once its analysis proved satisfactory, it swung itself down onto a ridged side of the building. It looked back at the still-clutching Gregory, nodded to itself, then proceeded to climb down.

“I don’t mean to break your concentration or anything,” Gregory piped up quietly, “but I gotta ask: Have you done this before?”

The machine stopped, carefully shook its head, then kept descending– even as Gregory quietly griped “well, that’s comforting” directly into its ears. It continued its descent until the ground was merely a few yards away. “Going to jump,” it explained calmly. “Stay close.”

Without any other warning, the robot leapt off the building’s facade like a squirrel. It twisted its body mid-air, ensuring that it cushioned the impact of its land from the alarmed boy. Its body thumped onto the astroturf with a metallic rattle. “You are free now,” it said warmly, getting up onto its feet gingerly. “Go.”

Gregory got off the rabbit-like being’s back. “Thanks,” he replied, shaking it’s hand. “Maybe after I get everything cleared up, we can meet up back here. Hopefully with less chaos for you to deal with.”

Agonia sniggered, his voice filtering through the robot’s box. “Maybe,” he answered as he began his ascent back up the wall. “We shall see.” He paused to give one last parting wave, then kept climbing.

As Gregory hurried off into a nearby alley, the bell-ringer-turned-bunny reached the clock tower. He leapt off the railing and landed on the stone floor. His body quickly sprinted to the other side of the chamber. He leaned over the edge. Relief entered his soul. It was only thirty minutes to nine.

As small lights dotted the streets below, Agonia ensured everything was returned to normal. The bare-bones robot was put back in its place. He cheerfully returned to his duty of watching and waiting for the hour to strike. The lantern itself had its ever-glowing flame restored. Though this meant that the day filled with both misfortune and merriment was almost over, these things also meant that nothing else was going to interrupt his routine– And, more importantly, Gregory’s bizarre mission.

Of course, as he completed his task, this was a bit too much to ask with three hours left. Somehow, someway, he fumbled into a living person. A person with armor plating, no less. “So, apart from bumping into me, how are you doing?” she asked with a chuckle, brushing back a loose strand of blonde hair. “I’m looking for this boy named Gregory. I think you saw him at the festival earlier?”

Agonia double-checked the lantern. It was currently flickering, which deprived him of one concern. The other concern, however, had to be dealt with a bit more.. forcefully. At least more than the other knights that dealt with him while Gregory was being chased. He couldn’t afford to make that same mistake here.

Carefully moving around the intruder, he walked back inside the maze room. He listened as Vanessa nervously followed, but his plan was already in motion. His footsteps stopped in front of the guarding suit of armor on display. With some effort, he pried the sword off the dolled-up mannequin. He held the blade defensively as he faced the knight. “Sanctuary,” he mouthed, tilting his head towards the spiral staircase. “Out.”

Vanessa raised her hands in front of her chest. “I know this is a dumb thing to say, but you really do need to relax,” she answered, backing towards the entryway. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just here because of Freddy. That’s it.”

Agonia lowered his sword. His eyebrows raised. Freddy? What did that have to do with..?

He raised his sword again. He shook his head.

Vanessa drew out her own weapon in response, but still watched her step as they descended. “It’s not a bluff,” she insisted as calmly as she could. “You can see the reports for yourself later. Freddy’s worried about Gregory just as much as you are.”

Agonia swung his sword, but Vanessa countered. Both stood on their respective steps, anticipating another try. However, Vanessa had something else in mind. “If you don’t believe me, then how about this?” she prefaced as she slid her blade back into its sheath. “The only reason why Gregory called for Sanctuary in the first place was because I made him. It was the only way I could save his life.”

Agonia’s eyes widened. He glanced over at the twitching hand, then back at her weary expression. He nodded slowly, then retreated up a step. “Still an out,” he reasoned solemnly, letting his arm drop a little. “Sorry.”

Vanessa bobbed her head as she turned away. “Just tell him that Freddy says he might stop by later,” she relayed, her eyes focusing on the rest of the staircase. “Something about upper management making him do one final check before the mall shuts down for the night.”

Agonia gave a sign of affirmation as he started back up the staircase. However, Vanessa’s final words made him stop right before reaching the top step: “Hey, while you’re at it, tell him he’s pretty lucky. I know I’d be if I had someone like you around defending me like that.”

He dropped his sword and whirled around, but Vanessa was gone. Dumbfounded by the compliment, he picked up the sword and put it back in its slot. He shook his head as he processed the words. There was no chance that he was actually defending someone like some genuine knight of old... Was there?

Feeling even more worn out than before, he hobbled back into the bell tower. He leaned against the railing and thought back on his day. In a span of several hours, he became: a king of jesters, an object of pain and ridicule, a subject of interrogation several times, a tour guide, and now a supposed protector of the innocent. His body slumped as he gazed at the night sky. Perhaps, in a few hours more, all he would be was a bell-ringer again. While gaining new titles had been fun and all, the amount he gathered from this day alone was a bit too ridiculous– Even for him.