#reply: marlow

[tommymaddox]

CLOSED STARTER for @marlownewman Merrock Times office

After having his brain cells fried by Deacon, Tommy eventually finds his way to the office of Merrock Times. He walks into the main doors with a sandwich in one hand and coffee in another, attempting to fuel himself long enough to stay awake. It wasn't the first time he'd been here but given very few knew he was home it was a surprise. Tommy finds Marlow's desk unattended and sits in her chair, eating his sandwich as he looks at the items on her desk for a clue where she might be. Who knew finding the stand in matriach of the Newman's would be so hard?

[homenecromancer]

regarding this post, and the Dune sequels by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson

So I haven’t picked up any of these Dune followups in about twenty years, and for all I know, the books released in the intervening time are much better. And I’m operating off memory here.

But the main reason I’m content not going back is that… they’re not all that good. At best they’re about equal to some of the fanfiction I’ve read lately. At worst, there’s some deeply goofy worldbuilding and plot decisions. I should back up and give a little context.

The books I’m talking about here are written by a team of Brian Herbert (Frank’s son) and Kevin J. Anderson, who has written a lot of spinoff novels. I went to go check out his other work — he did a few Star Wars novels and three X Files novels, among others, and here is a very telling quote from his website, describing one of his original novels:

Unpretentious, unapologetic storytelling that transports busy readers to other worlds for a quick escape and fast-paced entertainment

Which… is both a perfect description of his writing and the absolute opposite of the Dune novels that Frank Herbert wrote. I’ll get back to this in a moment, because there’s another important detail: the Herbert+Anderson team, according to them, work from outlines and notes left by Frank Herbert before he died. So far they’ve gotten seventeen books out of these outlines and notes — Frank wrote six Dune novels.

OK. So. I do not envy the H+A team the effort required to imitate Frank Herbert and live up to his legacy — Dune and its sequels are dense books that interweave science fiction storytelling with politics and philosophy, all in a prose style that’s hard to mimic. I think they’re legitimately trying their best, and working on a compressed timeline compared to Frank. (The original six books were published over the course of twenty years — H+A have put out seventeen books in the 25 years since 1999, and they are not short.)

The problem is that, unless they’ve really switched things up, the H+A team put way heavier emphasis on the storytelling, and almost none on the politics and philosophy. So their Dune novels are much quicker reads than the originals! In my paperback edition, Dune takes about 150 pages of small type until the “action” begins — Herbert really takes his time setting up his characters and setting, and begins to explore his main theme of the risks of political power. And then the main characters find themselves in nonstop life-threatening peril.

I… do not recall the H+A Dune novels having themes in the same way. A lot happens, but like. Dune is constantly saying things to the reader about how, say, carefully-orchestrated plans can easily go awry in tragic fashion, and also there are dozens of memorable setpieces. The H+A Dune novels have memorable moments, but they all feel rather shallow. The deepest thing they’re asking you to consider is gonna be, like, “wouldn’t it be fucked up if weird robots ruled over people?” And yeah, that would be fucked up, but it doesn’t have the staying power of some of the weird ideas in Dune.

Anyway I don’t bear either Brian Herbert or Kevin J. Anderson any personal ill-will. Their Dune books just don’t do it for me the same way as the Frank Herbert originals.

Also Anderson’s writing process is interesting — I can’t seem to make this a proper link no matter what I do (????) but he discusses it on his blog at kjablog.com/dictating-writing-hiking . And that method explains a lot, to me — I don’t know about him, but I would not be able to imitate Frank Herbert’s prose style by dictation while hiking, even if I had the ability to revise later. Makes sense that the text of the H+A Dune novels sounds like Kevin J. Anderson more than it sounds like Frank Herbert.

Oh and fun fact I learned writing this: Kevin J. Anderson lives in my state. Wild.

[boltlightning]

Do you have a favorite minor Psych character?

declan rand :)

it's been long enough that i can admit he was an incredible parallel to shawn and woefully underutilized. he was a delight. i would've loved for him to become a part-timer at psych who drops in to give hints and such; it'd be a humbling experience for both him and shawn, shawn gets to learn to work with an enemy who isn't a powder keg like carlton lassiter, and gus can have someone sane who listens to his ideas in the office for once. but whatever. it's fine.

in a similar way i think abigail gets an unfair amount of flack, but i think her presence on the show revealed a lot about shawn and juliet's relationship that kind of gets swept under the rug, both by fans and the text: shawn can be flippant and hard to pin down, juliet has unrealistic expectations when she cares passionately about something, and both of them can get really really stubborn when either of those things are challenged. a lot of their conflict while shawn was dating abigail was about that, not necessarily jealousy. abigail was only the catalyst.

abigail is such a good look at who shawn used to be when he was young and brash and how he squares it with the man he is now, and she, too, deserved better from us.

beyond that i think the dog lassiter has in the alternate universe episode of s7 should have become a permanent cast member x

[bosspigeon]

🎵 Pyre, 🎵 Jude ?

And I came on a ship on fire To the seas you call your home Climbed down from the highest spire I disappear with the ocean foam

My mother said You don't know sacrifice Do you? My father said Just turn off all the lights And look

[internetkatze]

Marloweee

Marlow has Autistic Detective swag specifically in that if there are Bad Noises Bad Lights Bad Smells Bad Textures she will go rabid insane and try to hide in the dark for a while before she loses it and bites someone. On the other hand if it is quiet enough, or if it's raining, she will fall asleep ANYWHERE. She probably sleeps in her office more than she does at home. We decided Cup Noodles were invented in the 40s for the sole reason of being eaten by her. She is VERY SHORT. She is left-handed. Anika likes her hair color.

She's a fire witch. She doesn't usually share her first name and simply signs it as her initial: M. Marlow. Her birthday is May 18th. She's the youngest child of many siblings. She has tummy hurt ALL THE TIME. She loves astronomy and stargazing. Her secret literary preference is Vampire novels. She's even gay!

Bonus fun fact: She was named after Philip Marlowe of Raymond Chandler fame but spelled without the E at the end to make it more distinctive.

[seenoversundown]

I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

Warnings: Smut (Oral F receiving, sex sex sex)

Word Count: 1.3k

Andrew x Reader (y/n)

The laughter of our friends echoes down the hall as he guides me further and further away from them. We’re hosting the annual holiday party this year for the first time. It was our third holiday season together but the first one in our new home. 

“They’re going to notice we’re gone, we’re going to get caught,” I say while tugging his hand. I can’t help the fit of giggles that follow. 

“Love, we’re only going to get caught if you’re loud,” Andrew replies, and the heat building in my stomach drops. We continue down the long hallway until we hit the staircase. I’m ready to start tiptoeing up them, trying to remind myself to avoid the squeaky stair halfway up, when Andrew pulls us into the small closet built under the stairs instead, causing me to gasp. 

“This is way too close to everyone else!” I hiss under my breath. 

He laughs while tugging me in further. “We have about ten minutes before Marlow comes looking for me; better make them count.” 

 My protests quickly fail as he attaches his lips to my throat, my ultimate weakness. He pulls me against him as he pushes the door shut with a soft click. I’m holding on to his arms as though they’re life preservers keeping me from drowning in all of him. I feel the low rumble of his laugh as he peppers soft kisses trailing up to my lips. 

As soon as Andrew’s lips touch mine, I feel myself drown. It’s intoxicating as I spiral from our kiss. I let my hands roam over his arms, chest, anything I can touch. It seems as though he feels the same way with the way his hands are pulling my dress up over my thighs. I can feel his fingers slip over the outside of my thong, looping into each side. With one quick movement, he pulls them down and falls to his knees simultaneously. He looks up through his lashes at me, and god, is it a beautiful sight. His pupils are so blown out that I can barely make out the green of his eyes I love so much. I’m breathless looking at how gorgeous this man is. I feel lucky. 

“I’ve been thinking about you all day, love. I need to taste you.” Andrew sounds desperate as he plants kisses on my thighs, almost like he’s waiting for me to permit him.

“Please,” my voice comes out breathless, almost inaudible, but it’s all he needs. He takes his fingers and separates my folds to give me one long swipe of his tongue. I forget our rules, where we are, for a moment, and moan in relief. Finally, my man is where he belongs. 

“You have to stay quiet, love, or I can’t let you finish.” 

My hands instantly go to the back of Andrew’s head. “Sorry, sorry, don’t stop.”

“My needy girl, what am I going to do with you?” He doesn’t give me time to respond as he expertly finds my clit. I’m focusing hard on not making a sound, but I can’t help the whimper that comes out of me when he inserts a single finger. The scrape of his beard on the inside of my thighs is deliciously painful. 

“More, please give me more.” I’m close, something that always happens fast with him. I feel him chuckle, which just makes my clit hum in pleasure, but he complies. I feel the second finger enter me, and I slowly become untethered. My hands are lost in his unruly curls as I hold him against me, chasing my release. His fingers curl inside of me, and I come entirely undone. It’s hard to remember to stay quiet when he makes me feel this good. When he’s sure I’ve come down, he rises from his place on his knees. 

“I need to feel you,” Andrew whispers against my ear as he turns me around. I hear the zipper of his pants before he shrugs them down his thighs. He places the crown of his cock against my entrance, and I can’t help but push up against it; the anticipation is unbearable. 

“My desperate girl can’t wait for me, can she?” My head shakes in response as I hear him tsk behind me. “You know the rules, babe. Use your words.” He slowly removes his cock so he isn’t touching me anymore. 

“Please, please. I need you. I can’t wait.” He’s right, I am desperate for him. 

I hear Andrew’s low chuckle behind me as he repositions himself at my entrance. He doesn’t give me any warning at all before he’s bottoming out inside of me. The mix of our moans fills the tiny closeted space while he brings up a hand to my neck. With his hand slightly tightening on my throat and the other gripped onto my hip, he starts to thrust. 

“You’re so wet for me. Just for me. God, I love being inside you.” Andrew murmurs in my ear. I feel myself melting for him. I press my ass back and spread my legs even more, trying to get as much of him as I can. 

“You need this too, don’t you, babe? My naughty girl, I love when she comes out to play.” I lightly moan in response to his words when his hand gives a warning squeeze around my throat. 

“My naughty girl still needs to be quiet. Wouldn’t want to be found, would we?” 

“No, sorry, please.” My breath hitches in my throat as Andrew thrusts into me at a steady pace. His hand slowly travels up my side as his languid thrusts continue until he reaches the peak of my breast. My nipple is hard, and I need more from him. I don’t have to say anything as he pinches my nipple and gives me the pressure I am desperately searching for. 

“You feel so good, pleasedon’tstop.” I barely recognize my own voice anymore. I love when sex with Andrew sends me into another dimension. 

“Let me feel you come, love, come undone for me.” My orgasm is right on the surface as I listen to his words, but once his hand deserts my breast and makes its way to my clit I am entirely done for. 

It’s hard not to whimper as I come on Andrew’s cock, and it’s hard not to moan when I feel him release inside of me. It feels as though there’s no more air in this closet, just Andrew and I. He stays behind me for a moment, maybe two, just holding me in our post-coital bliss. When he’s ready, he finally pulls out of me, and I can’t help but whimper at the empty feeling. 

Andrew moves around me and cleans me up with my discarded panties. After  he puts them on the shelf out of view, “I’ll come back for these when everyone leaves.” He says as he presses a kiss to my temple. 

“You better not forget them, I swear, Andrew.” 

“Swear what?” He presses a kiss to my lips. “I know how to get on your good side, love. I’m not worried.” He laughs that glorious laugh; it’s the best sound I’ve ever heard. He unlocks the closet door and looks back at me, “ready to go back?” 

“Do I look okay?” I ask as I smooth my dress back out, trying to look as normal as possible. Andrew takes my wrists and stops my movements. 

“You, my love, are ethereal.” A single kiss to my forehead. “Let’s go.” 

As we walk back down the hallway , the voices get louder and louder, seemingly right on time; a small pair of footsteps is running towards us. 

“Uncle Annndreeeewww!!” Marlow bellows. “I’ve been looking for you! Have you been playing hide and seek?” She erupts into a fit of giggles as Andrew lifts her above his head. 

“Absolutely was, Mar. Good job! You found us.” 

I can’t help but laugh behind them as we walk into our living room to be greeted by everyone else. 

“You two were gone for quite some time.” Our friend calls from the other side of the room. 

Andrew’s quick to cover Marlow’s ears before he responds. “You know me, I would never worship and tell.”

[bucketfullofstrawberries]

The Moon's Teaparty REBLOG CHAIN!!

You're walking down the liminal void of the Paraverse. It's,, pleasant. At best. Not much, but it's certainly there for you to endure and somewhat enjoy.

As you walk, though, you happen to come across something on the ground. Rolling over and tapping against your shoe with a clink, stopping by your feet.

It seems to be a tube of some sorts,,, a scroll, maybe?

It seems like it.

Curiosity gets the better of you. You kneel down and take it into your hands, looking it over -- then opening it up. Before you, you see the following.

" Attention members of the Paraverse! You are all cordially invited to The Moon's Tea Party this upcoming Fall at Hook, Line n' Adventure™️ Grove. There will be food, drinks, and desserts provided free of charge. There is a cottagecore-esq theme to the event if you would wish to match the venue, however there is no strict dress code required. Gifts for the host are optional but appreciated for those who would like to bring one. " " Please reply to this message as soon as possible if you wish to attend this event. All are welcome to join the illustrious Moon on this joyous occasion! "

Three little stars - located near the bottom of the sheet - begin to glow once you've read everything over. A moment or so passes and they beam up what seems to be some sort of holographic-esq image.

You believe it to be the venue.

Now. This certainly seems exciting~

But here comes the question at hand.

Do you accept?

---------------------------------- 𓆩⟡𓆪 --------------------------------------

SO YES!! HI, HELLO THERE!!! GOOD MORNING, EVENING OR NIGHT, WHEREVER OR WHOEVER YOU ARE!!

I've actually been planning this little event for a while~ and it'a FINALLY HERE !! Some people on Discord have been waiting a good while for me to get it DONE too. HehHAH!! So, if you couldn't tell, this is SUPPOSED to be one of those Reblog Chain Events. And I'm hoping, to whoever wishes to participate, you ALL have fun with it!!

There's no real rules, just simply reblog THIS POST with your goober ( OR gooberS, if you have multiple ) dressed up in some sweet cottage-core-esq outfit. Bring whoever you like and whatever you like, it's all about having a wonderful time really~

Anyway, have a MAAAGNIFICENT rest of your evening~ Mx Marlowe will be delighted to see you there~

[i-only-ever-asked-questions]

Good Omens Through the Decades

UPDATED!

This is a timeline of all the events that have happened related to Good Omens, from its inception to its publication to its future plans; editions, adaptations, failed adaptations and the like.

I originally wanted to have this post ready for the anniversary in May, that didn't work, it just kept getting larger. Then I wanted to do it for the anniversary of Season 2 in July, that didn't work either, for the same reason. So I am just going to post it now, a random date and hope for the best LOL. And guess what? After a fun and fruitful chat with another fan who prefers to remain anonymous, I added a couple of events a few trivia here and there (thank you!). So, a little bit of warning: it is loooong, lots of things have happened in 34 years. At the beginning I was going to put all the references at the end of the post, but they are a lot, so I put them in a document instead.

*Yes, of course I am aware of the allegations. But this is about the history and the world of Good Omens which is so much bigger than one person, even if that person started the whole thing. It is ours now. It is Terry's and Rob's. It is David and Michael's, Douglas McKinnon's, David Arnold's and the rest of the cast and crew. It is Colleen Doran's, Dirk Maggs's, Terry Gilliam's, Vicki Larnach, Jim Hare and Jay James Moody's. It is Stephen Brigg's and Martin Jarvis's. And so many other people who have brought or will bring its many iterations to life. It is the fans'.

1985-1990 - The Book

1985, Jan - Terry and Neil met for the first time when Neil interviewed Terry for Space Voyager magazine after "The Colour of Magic" was published [1,2] *For years they both wholeheartedly believed it had been at a Chinese Restaurant during February. Some time after Terry passed away Neil found his diary for 1985 where the entry said it had been in January at an Italian Restaurant [3]

1987, summer - Neil wrote the first 5000 words of a story and sent it to a few friends, including Terry; "An exchange in Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta, combined with a late night viewing of The Omen and a love of Richmal Compton’s immortal Just William stories, had put a story into my head, about a demonic baby-swap that goes wrong, in which the Antichrist grows up to be a nice kid, with a dog and a gang" [1,4]

1987, Oct - Sandman began and William the Antichrist went into the back back back burner [1]

1988, spring? summer? - Terry called Neil and offered to either buy the idea or write it together; "About a year later I took it out of the drawer and did see what happened next, even if I couldn’t see how it all ended yet" [5]

1988, summer - They wrote it together (do you really need a reference? 😉)

1988-1989 - First draft took about nine weeks. After Richmal Compton's estate did not reply to the request of using William Brown and his world, William became Adam, Pepper and War became female and the book got a new title (Good Omens by Neil) and subtitle (The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry). The second draft took about four months. There were still about five more months of polishing and editing and auctioning and more editing [4,6] *Good Omens was the first Terry book that ever went to auction. It ended up going for £150,000 [7]

1989, Halloween - During the World Fantasy Convention in Seattle, Terry and Neil started plotting what could become the sequel to Good Omens and called it "668 The Neighbor of the Beast" [6,8] *The real-life experience of trying to piece together the plot of a soft porn movie using little free increments from hotels' pay-per-view over time probably made it into the sequel around here [7]

1990, May 10. Book published in the UK - Hardback published in the UK by Victor Gollancz (with whom Terry had already been working) to be followed by paperback by Corgi on May 23, 1991 [8,9] *After the first UK edition was published (Gollancz), several changes were made to the text to make it easier on US readers and to polish it a bit. The new text was used by both the US publishers (Workman) and the UK publishers of the paperback (Corgi). Gollancz was unaware of this alternate text until about 2009. They started using the Workman/Corgi text starting with their next edition in 2014 [9]

1990, Sep. Book published in the US - Hardback published in the US by Workman to be followed by paperback by Berkley on March 1992 [9,10] *UK editions list Terry's name first and US editions list Neil's name first. This was done because Terry was more known in the UK and Neil was more known in the US [7]

1991-2004 - The Movies

1991, Feb - Hollywood Studio Sovereign Pictures hired Terry and Neil to write an adaptation of the book for a movie. The studio had some specific requirements such as Crowley owning a night club, Aziraphale working as a curator for the British Museum, Tadfield with an abandoned pier and a miniature town in it and Satan. They ended up rejecting the script anyway [11] *It was at this point that Terry suggested Buddy Holly's "Every Day" as the theme for Good Omens. In this script some of the angels used for the series got started like Gabriel and Sandalphon and a big sequence had them use their haloes like frisbees inside the British Museum [11,12,13]

1992, Jan. Movie Script - Terry declined to write a second script, but Neil stayed and wrote one. In October the company got taken over and all dreams of a movie died [11,14] *In this script Crowley tries to run away to Alpha Centauri

2001-2002. Terry Gilliam Movie deal - Since about 1999, when he obtained the rights, and throughout the 00's Terry Gilliam tried hard to make a movie. The closest he came to it was in 2001-2002 when he got as far as casting the parts (Johnny Depp as Crowley, Robin Williams as Aziraphale, Mme. Tracey and Hastur, and Kirsten Dunst). But he couldn't get a US studio to invest the last $15M and the movie project collapsed [13,15,16] *Terry had received, back in 1989, a copy of the book asking for a blurb. The letter got lost and he thought the book had been sent as a pitch for a movie [16,17]

2004, Jun 20th - Hill House Publishers created the "Neil Gaiman's Preferred Edition Series" with limited editions of American Gods, Anansi Boys and Neverwhere. As a bonus for the subcribers, Hill House printed the 1992 movie script under the name "A Screenplay." Only 500 numbered and 52 lettered copies were ever made [11,18]

2005-2010 - The Sequel (and the Audiobooks)

2005, Jun - Terry and Neil met at the Audie Awards in New York and plotted a little more of the sequel. This was when the South Downs bit was thought up [19,20]

2005, Dec. Crowley and Aziraphale's New Year's resolutions - The list of resolutions came out sometime between Christmas and New Year's at Harper Collins' website [7] *The well-known idea of Crowley gluing coins to the sidewalk is not in the book at all, it came from this list

2006, Feb 28. New edition - The book was reissued in the US as a hardcover in two different versions. The text is the same but one version has a white cover with Crowley and Neil's name listed first, and a second version has a black cover with Aziraphale and Terry's name listed first [7,21] *This time the explanation for the authors' name order was to make sure the book could be found both under "G" and also under "P"

2006, Jul. Briggs Audiobook - ISIS released in the UK an unabridged audiobook read by Stephen Briggs in CD, MP3CD and cassette (it won the 2008 Audiobook Download of the Year by audible.co.uk) [22,23]

2009, Nov 10. Jarvis Audiobook - HarperAudio released in the US an unabridged audiobook read by Martin Jarvis in CD [24] *Martin Jarvis is the same narrator who recorded the Just William audiobooks, a nice Easter egg related to the origins of the book

2010, Sep 23 - Terry and Neil had dinner at a sushi restaurant in Cardiff and decided that the book should be adapted as a TV series and not a movie anymore (as per Terry Gilliam's advice). And if it goes well, the rest of the story, the unwritten sequel, should be adapted too [8,13,15] *It was around here that the idea of the sushi restaurant cameo with both of them being patrons started

2011-2013 - The Stage (and a failed TV series)

2011, Feb. Terry Jones TV series - Terry and Neil agreed to a deal to adapt the book into a four-part TV series made by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott. At the end they didn't quite like the script though [13,25,26]

2012, Jun - Amy Hoff's The Cult Classic Theatre was granted permission to adapt the book to a stage play [27] *One of the conditions was that no footage would be taken/made available and the script would not be shared/sold

2012, Aug- Narrativia was established as the production company that would handle all of Terry's work adaptations. The production of the TV series and of The Watch were then transferred from Prime Focus [28,29] *Narrativia was first revealed at "The Watch Team Interview" panel during the Discworld 2012 convention on Aug, 26th [28]

2013, Mar. Stage Play - Amy Hoff's play was presented on March 20-23 and 27-30 at the Cottiers Theatre in Glasgow [30]

2013, Apr - BBC drama producer Heather Larmour pitched a radio drama adaptation to the BBC [31]

2013, sometime. The Musical - Vicki Larnarch and Jim Hare, "two hippies from Sydney", had met with Terry and Rob about six months prior. Terry's interest had gotten piqued when they showed him The Chattering Order Nuns song and he asked them to come back with a showstopper and a few more songs. They came back with "All Living Things" and they got the green light to go forward with the adaptation [32]

2013, Dec 11 - In a meeting at The Groucho Club, Terry and Neil enter into talks with the BBC to adapt GO to TV [33]

2014-2015 - The Radio Drama

2014, summer - Dirk Maggs adapted the book into a Radio Drama and gave Terry and Neil a cameo as police officers pursuing Crowley [31,34] *In July, Neil advised Dirk to get Terry's recording asap, before he couldn't do it anymore. They did it in the summer and that day ended up being the last day Neil and Terry saw each other [35]. The rest of the recording happened during autumn [13]

2014, Aug - Terry asked Neil to make the TV adaptation of Good Omens, "I know, Neil, that you are very, very busy, but no one else could ever do it with the passion that we share for the old girl. I wish I could be more involved, and I will help in any way I can" [12] Neil, of course, said yes

2014, Dec. BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation - The six episodes aired between December 22nd and December 27th, 2014 on BBC Radio 4 [36]

2015, Jan 15 - Random House UK released the BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation in CD [37]

2015-2019 - The TV series (and some luxury limited editions)

2015, Mar 12 - Terry passed away 😢

2015, Mar 25 - Terry's funeral. As soon as Neil got back home, he started writing the script for the TV series [12] *Sometimes signed copies of the third draft of the pilot (dated 25 July 2015) appear in eBay

2015 - Jay James-Moody joined the team to produce the musical [32]

2016, Aug 1 - First read-through of the series script [38] *The scripts were finalized right before SDCC 2016 which was held July 21st-24th [39]. Both Maggie Service and Tim Downie were present in this read-through [40]

2017, Sep 18 - 2018, Mar 10. Season 1 shooting - Season 1 started shooting at St. James' park (with the 11 years ago scene) and ended in Cape Town, South Africa [13,41,42] *The read-through before shooting occurred on Sept 13, 2017 [43]

2017, Nov 13 - Full development reading of the musical at the York Theatre in Chippendale, Sydney, Australia [32,44]

2019, Feb 8 - The social media campaign to promote Season 1 started with a tour of the Chattering Order of St. Beryl, an acapella choir that traveled to different cities for events and TV shows [45,46]

2019, Apr 25. The Chattering Order of St. Beryl's video - The video "That Brand New Baby Smell" was released in YouTube [47]

2019, May 3 and 4 - Workshop production of the musical at IPAC in Wollongong, Australia. About ten days before the series premiere Vicki, Jim and Jay showed Neil and Rob a recording of this show [32,44,48] *Although a full recording of the workshop exists, they are not allowed to share it until it is finished

2019, May 21. Companion Book - A companion book to the TV series with interviews and behind the scenes photographs written by Matt Whyman was published by William Morrow [49]

2019, May 21. The Script Book - Headline Publishing Group released a script book in both hardback and paperback (The US edition by William Morrow followed on Jun 11th). All editions of the script book include an "Other Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" deleted scene. An exclusive edition for Waterstones included an additional deleted scene (Aziraphale in the 1800). A hardback edition limited to 1000 copies with white cover included four different deleted scenes (thugs visiting the bookshop, Leonardo DaVinci, the televangelist and Crowley clothes shopping) and a series of sketches made on set by Lorna May Wadsworth. On Jan 15th of 2020, a paperback edition with the white cover was released; it contained all five deleted scenes from the other editions and a sixth one (Aziraphale trying to sell a book); this edition does not include the sketches however. [9,50] *The script book was created so the production could pay for the death of Agnes Nutter, a scene (and a character) originally written by Terry which was too expensive to film [3]

2019, May 23. The Illustrated Edition - The Pratchett Estate and Neil agreed on a revised definitive text. It was published in five versions collectively called the Definitive Edition. Two versions were published by Gollancz which they called the Illustrated Edition; a standard hardback with black cover and a limited edition in a slipcase with white cover signed by Paul Kidby, the illustrator [51,52]

2019, May 30. "Unholy Night" - The Chattering Order of St. Beryl's released their album "Unholy Night" on Amazon Music and other digital platforms [53]

2019, May 31. TV Series - Season 1 premiered in Prime Video 😊

2019, May 31. Soundtrack - Silva Screen Records released the soundtrack in CD, vinyl and mp3/wav download [54]

2019, Jul. The Definitive Edition - The other three versions of the revised text were published by Dunmanifestin, the company established by the Pratchett Estate to handle Terry's intellectual property. All editions were limited: The Occult Edition (July 1st) with only 1655 copies in a black clamshell box, the Ineffable Edition (July 4th) with 666 copies in a deluxe box including ephemera, and the Celestial Edition, made to order with only 24 copies [52,55]

2019, Aug 2. The BBC Radio Drama Collectors Edition - A vinyl box set by Demon Records included four LPs printed in black and white in illustrated wallets, commentaries by Neil and Dirk and a set of tarot cards. An Amazon exclusive limited edition of 500 sets also included a print signed by Neil [56]

2019, Aug - Neil pitched Season 2 to Amazon [57]

2019, Oct 28. Blu-ray and DVD - Amazon released the series in DVD, Blu-ray and steelbook limited edition Blu-ray (PAL) for the UK. The US version (NSTC) followed on November 5th in both DVD and Blu-ray, there was no steelbook edition for the US market [58]

2019, Dec - John Finnemore joined as co-writer of Season 2 [57] *In this meeting, John stated that he needed to know the ending before he could write so Neil came up with the ending of Season 2 in about 5 minutes right there and then

2020-2025 - TV Series Season 2, a new Audiobook and some other adjacent projects

2020, May 1st. Lockdown Video - A short video about a phonecall between Crowley and Aziraphale was created by Narrativia and The Blank Corporation for the 30th anniversary of the book. It was released in the the official YouTube account of the Terry Pratchett Estate (@terrypratchett6025) [59]

2020, summer - Neil started writing the script for Season 2 beginning with the opening scene for episode 1 [57] *The last scene written was Gabriel organizing the books by first letter of first line. It was planned as the last scene for Episode 2 but at the end got moved to another place [60]

2020, Sep 16 - Season 2 was officially greenlit (along with Anansi Boys) [61]

2021, Mar 26 - The Hillywood Show announced the Good Omens parody project [62]

2021, Jun 29 - Amazon announced Season 2 in a press release [63]

2021, Oct 18 - 2022, Mar 1. Season 2 shooting - Season 2 started shooting in the Bathgate studio. Some scenes were shot on location in different parts of Edinburgh and other areas [64,65] *The read-through happened over October 14th and 15th, three episodes per day [66], David had to attend via zoom since he was still in isolation from Georgia's covid [67]. On the other hand, Michel McKean (Shadwell in Season 1) was present for that zoom read-through but had to be drop out also for covid reasons [68]. Peter Davison (David's-father-in law) was asked to play Job's part after shooting had started (possibly replacing Michael McKean?) and Ty Tennant (David's son) was cast too after shooting had started but through audition [69]. Maggie Service was in the very first shot of the season and also in the last day, first one in last one out as she said [70]

2021, Nov 2. Full Cast Audiobook - HarperAudio released in the US a full cast audiobook with Michael Sheen as Aziraphale and David Tennant as Crowley. The audiobook was later released in the UK on January 14th, 2022 [71,72] *The original cover for the audiobook was designed by Henry Sene Yee; a lavender background with drawings of Crowley and Aziraphale facing away from each other. After Season 2 was released, the cover changed to one of the promotional posters [73]

2023, Mar 15. Good Omens HQ - The Terry Pratchett Estate and Neil Gaiman created Good Omens Headquarters. The headquarters launched official accounts in several social media platforms and a website that keeps track of collector's items as they are being revealed [74]

2023, May 10. Good Omens Parody - The Hillywood Show's parody premiered in their YouTube channel (thehillywoodshow) [75] *Amazon Video partnered with Hillywood to announce the premiere date for Season 2 within their parody video. Neil, Maggie Service and Daniel Mays appeared as guests

2023, Jul 28. TV Series Season 2 - Season 2 premiered in Prime Video 😊 *As part of the promo campaign two days before the premiere, Amazon screened the first two episodes in cinemas in several cities free for Amazon Prime members

2023-2024 - The Graphic Novel

2023, Aug 1. Graphic Novel - The Kickstarter campaign to fund the graphic novel adaptation with Colleen Doran as illustrator launched [76] *At its closure, 36,867 backers had pledged £2,419,973 (notice it is pounds, not dollars)

2023, Aug 25. Season 2 Soundtrack - Silva Screen Records released the soundtrack for season 2 in CD, vinyl and mp3/wav download [54]

2023, Dec 14 - Season 3 was officially greenlit [77]

2024, Apr 18 - The Graphic Novel Pledgemanager site launches for people who missed the Kickstarter campaign or to add extras to an already existing pledge [78]

2024, Jul 13 - Vicki Larnach, Jim Hare and Jay James Moody appeared as virtual guests at Nullus Anxietas 9, the Australian Discworld Convention 2024 held in Adelaide, to talk about recent push for the musical [79]

2025 - The Future

2025, January - Season 3 is scheduled to begin filming [80]

2025, Spring - Graphic novel is scheduled to be released [76] *The original release date was in July of 2024, however in April of 2024 it was announced that it would need to be pushed to the Spring of 2025 (Update #20)

There should be a special mention of a fan created musical parody for YouTube that was in development in Russia by 62Media. This was completely fan made and not connected to the Pratchett Estate, Neil, the BBC or Amazon (which is why it is not in the list). Unfortunately it had to shut down due to COVID [81]

Fun fact: During the tour to promote the book, back in 1989-1990 the song "Shoehorn With Teeth" by They Might Be Giants became the unofficial anthem of the tour since that is what they always ended up singing when things went too crazy [82]

[countrymusiclover]

15 - Moving to the next Level

Part 16

It’s About Time

Some mature content is in this chapter just as a heads up

Tags just ask - @lover-of-books-and-tea @bvbwestfall @bubble-bluee @liesanddreams @bethanymccauley @skeletonontheroad @ashsallyblue2 @kmc1989

School usually seemed to drag onward throughout the day. And currently at the moment this day felt especially long. I had nervously been tapping my feet on the floor for the last hour not being able to wait any longer. When the last period bell rang I sprang from my seat and outside the classroom finding that Georgie had already found Ryker and Marlowe standing by his locker. “Did you already tell Hannah and Ashley to meet us here too?”

“I simply told them you needed to tell them something and nothing else.” Georgie raised his hands up in surrender.

I heard footsteps coming up behind me in a fast manner. “What did you need to tell us?” Hannah and Ashley both said together.

“So you know the plan I told y’all about where Marlowe and I would fake date to make him jealous and realize his feelings for me. Well I’m happy to report that it actually worked for us.” I moved to stand over to Georgie and he draped an arm over my shoulder mirroring the same grin that I had on my face.

Ryker gasped in shock. “Are you playing with us, guys?”

“Cause you haven’t been telling me anything. You said that he came over to your house to talk.” Marlowe throws his hands around away from his chest.

Ashley wraps her arms around Hannah. “Who cares he talked with her about unless it was to say he has feelings for you.”

“Okay, okay, all of you stop talking so I can tell you the story.” I cut them all off knowing if they kept asking me questions we’d never get anywhere. “So he came over to my house in the middle of the night and basically apologized that he didn’t realize he had feelings for me after all these years.”

Georgie throws his hands up like he was surrendering. “That’s the whole deal so now y’all can freak out or whatever you want.”

“It only took 16 years for you two to realize what we all saw back in 5th grade.” Hannah slapped her hands on her thighs.

Ashley smirked at Georgie and I. “So when should we expect it to be Mr and Mrs. Georgie Cooper?”

“Oh I - um not for a while I’d say.” I felt my cheeks heating up at her question.

Georgie nervously answered. “Eventually we might. I ain’t trying to rush her since we just told her parents but my family doesn’t know yet.”

“Oh I think they already know.” Marlowe chuckled with a smirk crossing his face.

Ryker cursed at his statement. “Damn, he probably ain’t wrong though.”

All our friends had valid points about his family. Missy had definitely already figured out what was going on between us. But my mind certainly wasn’t thinking of marrying him yet since we had only been on one date. “Hey y’all, there’s some stuff I gotta take care of. So I’ll see ya later. Bye darling.” Georgie kissed my forehead waving bye to our friends before he headed out to the parking lot.

Ashley patted me on the back a few seconds after he had gone out the door. “So do you know what he has planned for the next date night?”

“Nope. He wants to keep it a surprise.” I replied to her.

Ryker gave me a raised brow when Hannah came up to me holding me by my shoulders. “Do you know what that could mean?”

“He might want to sleep with you.” Marlowe finished her sentence.

Even though my face turned a little redder again I wasn’t worried about that happening. Hannah and Ryker had done it in the past. In fact she told me and Ashley about it the very next time we were together, just the three of us. “Pfft I’m not all that worried about it. I mean Georgie wouldn’t force me into it.”

“That’s not the point. Y/n the question is would you want him to take your virginity?” Ryker asked almost bluntly but I knew he meant well.

I smiled looking down at my shoes for a minute taking it all in and they all waited for my response to what he had just asked me. “He’s the only guy I’ve liked for a long time. So yes.”

“Well you better tell us what happened the next time we’re together.” Ashley gave me a hug and I fist pumped her. That was our own little agreement between us.

Finishing up my homework and getting done with my shift at Dale’s sporting store I parked my truck in the Cooper driveway seeing Georgie leaning against the driver door of his Mustang he had finally saved up enough money for. “So do I get to see whatever you have set up for tonight now or not?”

“Get in the truck and I’ll show ya.” He tilted his to the side as a gesture and we got in the car together where he drove us out to the old tiny cabin that we had found. He parked the car as close as he could, helping me out and covering my eyes when we walked to the front door.

“Don’t let me trip, Cooper.” I chuckled until he stopped and he pushed the door opened walking me inside, not uncovering my eyes till we stopped walking. He dropped his hands smiling when I gasped at what he had done in front of me. “Georgie, I - I can’t believe you did all this.”

The fold out couch was covered with pillows and some blankets we had brought here when we would camp out with the gang. There were a few fairy lights hanging on the back wall by the old metal stove and a lantern hung above the bed providing more light.

“So what do you think?” He asked, shrugging his shoulders while wearing blue jeans and a red tea shirt tucked inside his belt buckle.

Spinning around on my feet I quickly hugged him and he slowly hugged me back until I pulled back from the embrace. “It’s really cute. Thank you.”

“Good I was worried you ain’t gonna like it.” He smiled resting his hands on my hips moving one to point to a cooler in the corner. “Before I forget I also scored some of my Memaw’s leftover brisket that we can heat up in the stove cause I found some matches too.”

I giggled, wanting our lives to always be like this. Not regretting that it took us away to get to this moment. “You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

“So do you wanna eat?” He asked me.

“Actually I was thinkin’ we could do something else first if you’re up for it.” I lightly smirked up at him.

Georgie asked curiously. “What did you have in mind? - oh yeah we can do that.”

I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my lips against his.

He kissed me back passionately and he gently dropped me down to the bed. My back hit the soft silk sheets before I rose up from the bed staring at him softly and brought a hand to his cheek stroking it softly. He leaned into my touch and he lifted his shirt over his head and threw it to the ground.

“I'll go slow with you.“ He reassured me, grabbing my hand with his. “We can stop anytime if you want. I know we’ve only been on one date.”

“I want to do this.“ I said, wishing my heart would stop beating so rapidly like I was scared.

My best friend still silently looked at me, slowly kicking his boots off. “You’re sure you wanna do this?”

“Yes. I want you to be my first.” My hands started to trace his form, I began to run his fingers up and down his chest softly while I began to feel his hand start to crawl underneath my shirt. He lifted my shirt off my head, throwing it to the ground only once breaking the kiss

He hovered over me and brought his lips down upon mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and embraced more into the kiss. I felt a hard rock positioned at my lower religion, he placed his member at my center and looked up at me. “Darling, this will hurt a little. Just tap my shoulder twice if you want to stop.”

He nodded and aligned himself against me before thrusting into me softly , I hissed out in pain as I felt him breaking through my wall, tears began to well in my eyes. “If I’m lucky enough I’m gonna marry you someday.” He moved slowly against her, I bit down on my lip hard trying to bear through the pain.

Within moments I felt the pain suddenly vanish and began to feel pleasure. I began to move against him and leaned up pressing my lips down upon his. I came moaning out loudly as I felt a wave of pleasure come over me. He came seconds later as I felt him emptying inside of med, both moaning and groaning until we fell back onto the mattress together.

“I’d say yes if you proposed.” I whispered cuddling up into his chest and we fell asleep under the camping blankets he had put on the bed.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[tommymaddox]

closed starter for @marlownewman saturday directly after his volleyball game

"We wooooon!" Tommy announces in a deep voice as he encircles Marlow's shoulders with his arms, pulling her close on instinct. His mind far from the events of last month, too caught in the hype of the game he'd just finished. The sight of them must look comical as he engulfs her in his muscles, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a towel around his neck. Whilst he had wiped himself off his hair was still wet with sweat, body hot from the lingering summer sun. "They made us work for it but we kicked their ass." By we he means Landon and him, the long time friends having been in the same game. "I could go for about ten drinks full of ice and some food. You in? What do you want, short stuff?" He cheekily grins down at her, blue eyes lit with only the good things today.

[homenecromancer]

@fishmech well good, bc i just finished the first draft and it’s like… 1600 words >:3c

(and then i immediately had to go do a writing-intensive training session, so i can’t edit it until tomorrow lmao)

[thebigolbee]

hello i am here to say two things

i want marlow as a companion so badly please let us know if you make a mod i'd cry/pos

Please tell me anything about your ocs one of my favourite things is hearing about people's ocs or what they're interested in. just rant at me like you've got a red string conspiracy board if you'd like

1. Ahhh you are just the sweetest! Sorry it took me a bit to reply, I really appreciate your words!

2. Thanks so much for giving me an opportunity to share things about Richie. I’m don’t know the best way to put OC lore out there so these kinds of asks help a lot! More to read below :)c

A fact about Richie is that he tried isolating himself in the Glowing Sea before his long trek out to the Mojave Desert. He had just cut all ties in the Commonwealth and heard the earth-shattering news that Mr. House was still alive. He thought the tough conditions in the Sea might calm him down and set him straight, but it turns out manifesting about the man who doomed you in a twisted hellscape isn't very healthy. His time spent there only turned his heartbroken anger into a full blown revenge quest. Surely killing an old flame would make him feel better...right?

The fact of the matter is, even if he hadn’t passed the point of no return in the Sea itself, it would have happened somewhere else eventually. His steady decline was inevitable because he is just... so hard on himself, refusing to accept any kind of help or prolonged companionship. Under his confident exterior, the guilt and grief is eating him alive, and sadly all this self-destruction leeches out onto his friendships and lovers as well.

The sorrows of a man who needs to feel love to be okay, but snuffs it out before it can grow...

[bosspigeon]

saw this on the character design prompt list but

“stillness: How does your OC act while still? Are they fidgety? Do they have any common gestures or tics? Does their clothing affect how they hold themselves while at rest?”

for your oc’s?

Gonna do my TCM boys since they're my newest ones in need of some developing!

Jude plays with his hair a lot! tugs it, twists it around his fingers, runs his fingers through it. he's always got one curl hanging in his face bc he's always messing with it. he tries not to fidget so much otherwise, bc he's a big guy and when someone his size fidgets, people notice. and, yeah! clothing plays a big part in it! he prefers loose, kind of shapeless stuff, and likes to be As Covered As Possible, weather permitting, he's usually wearing multiple layers and long pants, though he will wear tanks and things in the summer if it's too hot. not too fond of restrictive, form-fitting stuff, mostly bc it's hard to find formal/semi-formal/business clothes that are his size that fit him well, so there's always too much tension in like the waist/shoulders 😩

Larimar ALSO plays with his hair a lot. they also resist the urge to bite their nails by spending like an hour on fancy acrylics. he also fidgets with his phone or a compact mirror a lot, kind of constantly checks their reflection, adjust hair/makeup. ofc gotta have that like... tinted lip balm, so they have an excuse to constantly reapply. and YEAH clothes absolutely affect how he holds himself, bc Larimar's appearance is Everything to them, so what he's wearing is something he puts a ton of thought into. helps w their confidence to Look Good, standing as tall as they're capable of (platforms help), typically posed in a Very Deliberate way! when he's at home, tho, it's time for comfy shorts, no makeup, and relaxation, and god help you if you try to come over during chill time

Frits Is A Pen Clicker. he's usually pretty still when he's resting, but his hands usually aren't! drums his fingers, clicks a pen, taps it against surfaces. if he's really antsy, his leg jiggles. when he's working on something particularly focused, it's just Constant Pen Clicking good lord. it's a good thing he mostly works from home, bc he is INSUFFERABLE if you've got to be near him and you also want to get work done. he's at least able to be fairly relaxed no matter what he's wearing! takes a lot to ruffle him. he's also the type that NEEDS to get up and get dressed like he's going somewhere even if he's working from home. keeps his brain in the zone. and the second he's Off The Clock, it's Time For Sweatpants

Lux is actually like... Eerily serene? If he's relaxed, he's basically perfectly still, though he's very observant and likes to people watch, so he's usually looking around himself! if he needs to fidget, he's usually on his phone, maybe playing a puzzle game, or reading! And like Fritz, he's fairly comfortable no matter what he's wearing, but his bearing does change if it's like... more casual wear or his "work" attire (ie lingerie or leather >:3c) bc Lux off the clock is a very sweet, friendly person, and Work Lux is still fairly gentle, but stern and focused

Koli is literally NEVER still or quiet. Humming, mumbling to himself, tongue clicking/popping, foot tapping, fingers drumming or snapping. if he's trying to keep still, he is mauling his nails or chewing the inside of his cheeks or lips raw. If he's really nervous, he's got a bit of an issue with skin-picking, too. He also tends to wear As Little Clothing as he can get away with, and when he's gotta be fully dressed in Normal clothes he gets more fidgety than ever. He likes flexible, comfortable, and soft clothes, and scratchy/stiff fabrics drive him insane, and make it so he can't really focus on anything around him

[internetkatze]

dont actually know that much about em so

🖊 anika and marlowe

Anika never talks about their past except to drop some very vague-yet-alarming statements sometimes and then move right along like they never said anything weird. They LOVE costumes and dressing up and already had a detective coat ready to go just in case a Real Detective ever dropped out of the blue to offer them a job (isn't that convenient!!!). Speaking of which they love fictional detectives and have read a metric ton of detective novels. We decided The Great Mouse Detective was released in the 40s for the sole reason of being Anika's Favourite Movie. They easily fall asleep in moving vehicles. They're the kind of person who says "oh, I know a place!!" and takes you to the roof of an abandoned building. Actually they love walking into random shops and restaurants just to see what they'll find there, so they know every hole-in-the-wall hidden gem in the city. They are friends with rats and pigeons and won't hesitate to pick them up off the street and gush about how cute they are. Their birthday is September 5th. Tax fraud creature.

Already did Marlow but bonus Marlow fact: Y'know all those detective novels Anika reads? Marlow doesn't know a single one of them. She's vaguely aware of Sherlock Holmes, and that's about it.

[shkatzchen]

I feel bad if my Sims have to reread the same books all the time, especially when I'm using the romance books to hold off the "single and loving it" lifestyle (honestly, can't my sims be both romantic and waiting for the right person rather than having romantic interactions with everyone without the game thinking they don't want a relationship?). So I made some clones of the romance books (which provide a flirty buff) and added some 16th-19th century love poetry with a nice cover and voila! A collection of nine new books sims can buy to indulge their romantic side.

Just what poetry will you and your sims be reading?

Queen Elizabeth I "On Monsieur's Departure"

Shakespeare's Sonnets (featuring 116)

Christopher Marlowe, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"

Sir Walter Raleigh, "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd"

Anne Bradstreet, "To my Dear and Loving Husband"

Robert Burns, "A Red, Red Rose"

John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester "A Song of a Young Lady to her Ancient Lover."

George Gordon, Lord Byron "She Walks in Beauty"

Elizabeth Barrett Browning "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways"

Base Game Compatible.

Download from SimFileShare here.

Made with S4S.

[ellieluvr420]

We meet again, darling pt.6 (detective Abby Anderson x criminal reader)

Synopsis: Abby Anderson is a skilled detective that's never let a criminal escape her grasp, until you. You've infiltrated every part of her life and she still can't get you. As she grows more and more intrigued by you she finds herself descending further into darkness until there's no way back. She takes your hand and follows you as if your presence is the only thing giving her life knowing that you are the most dangerous thing for her. Her life will never be hers again and she will stop at nothing to keep following you down your path of corruption.

You're standing over a very bruised and bloody Luke as you wipe the blood off of your knuckles with a white handkerchief. You had only ever used white as the sight of it slowly being stained red gave you a sense of satisfaction. You had ambushed Luke while he was in his apartment, he let you in happily as they all do, unsuspecting of why you're actually there. It never fails to surprise you how clueless your men are to your role in all of this. They only put two and two together when they're sitting in the same warehouse and state as Luke. Both his eyes are swollen shut and his nose is crooked and bleeding. He's wheezing for air through his swollen lips as blood trickles from them down his neck. You bend down to be at eyeline with Luke and he starts to squirm in the chair he's tied to.

"Come on Luke, you've tried that. We both know you're going nowhere."

You drag your knife down his cheek hard enough to draw blood as he begins to scream once again.

"Let it all out. No one's coming Luke."

"Please I'm sorry. I'll take the prison time. I'll stop giving names."

"Too late, Luke. Because of you. Marlow is going to prison, and Marlow is loyal, he's sitting in a room right now knowing he's going to prison and he's still being loyal. Because that's what you do Luke. Do you know why that's what we do?"

Luke looks at the floor and you hear him start to sniffle.

"Because Luke, this is what happens to rats. You kill them."

At your words his head snaps up as he starts frantically begging for his life.

"Too late Luke. Your father would be very disappointed in you." As you finish your sentence you remove your gun from its holster as Luke screams and cries. His screams only stop when he slumps in the chair as you shoot him once in the head.

"Hm what a waste." Richter comes to stand next to you passing you some ice for your hand and a fresh handkerchief to wipe your face. "Are you okay to deal with this? I need to go clean up."

"Yeah, where you going?"

"Got a date." You notice Richter's face of disbelief. "Oh don't give me that look, it's strictly business."

You begin walking out while pressing the ice to your knuckles as John calls out to you. "Have fun!"

"Do one!" You call out to him chuckling and rolling your eyes.

As you pull up to Abby's building you pull out your phone and ring her.

"I'm here. Black jag. Don't keep me waiting." You hang up the phone before Abby can say a word and within a couple of minutes she's knocking on the window. You nod to your driver, Jeremy, and he unlocks the doors.

"Hey." You don't reply instead eyeing her appearance. She's wearing a similar suit to the one on the night of the party but without a tie this time. You notice the outline of her collarbones poking out from where her shirt's top buttons are left undone. Her hair is pulled back into a neat bun at the back of her head and you can see the sharp lines of her jaw and cheekbones. You drag your eyes away from her to look at the city zooming past you.

"Don't say you're still mad at me for this morning?" You can hear Abby's playful tone but you ignore her still as you pull a cigarette out of the carton in your purse and place it between your lips.

"Do you mind if I smoke?"

"N-no not at all." Abby seems a little panicked by your tone as she rubs the back of her neck while staring at the back of your head, willing you to turn and look at her. You don't.

"You smoke? I've never seen you smoke before."

"Only when I'm stressed."

"You're stressed?"

You keep your face turned away from her but side eye her through narrowed eyes.

"No. You want one?"

"No thanks, gotta keep my lungs healthy to chase after all your friends." She smiles when she sees a small grin playing on your face.

"Cops care about their health?"

"Yeah, obviously."

"Oh so that's why cops have some of the highest rates of liver related diseases out of all the occupations?"

"Is that true?"

You turn to her with a devilish grin and blow some smoke directly at her face, you laugh at her trying not to wrinkle her nose at the smell. "I don't know. I made it up. I wouldn't be surprised if it is though." You chuckle while keeping eye contact but blowing smoke out of the car window this time. She bites her cheek and smiles while shaking her head playfully at you.

As you reach the restaurant, your favourite for years now, Abby hops out of the car like an excited child as you wait for Jeremy to open your door for you. He offers his hand and you take it as you thank him. As Abby joins you in front of the restaurant she pauses, looking you up and down. "Wow. It pains me to say because you're evil but you are a smoke show."

"I know and thank you." You loop you arm through hers and walk her into the restaurant where you're immediately greeted by the owner.

"My love! I'm so happy to see you again! Follow me, follow me you're tables all ready."

"Thank you, Emilio." He leads you through the restaurant to a private booth in the back and takes your drinks orders as you sit. Abby opens the menu and her eyes immediately bulge out of her head. You assume she's looking at the prices and laugh. "The dinner is paid for Abby. Stop panicking."

"No, no, I can cover my part."

"It's not necessary. I don't pay here, the owner is a friend of mine, been on the payroll for years, it's covered."

"Oh, okay."

You both exchange small talk over dinner, you find yourself enjoying your time with Abby so much that you almost forget why you're here. Almost. You're sipping your drink when you pause taken back by her next question.

"So what got you into this business?"

You don't look at her as you continue drinking. You place the glass down as you continue avoiding eye contact. "If you're expecting me to have some sort of sad backstory that helps you sympathise with my line of work, you're going to be disappointed."

"Can't I just be curious?

You look at her for the first time since she asked her initial question and you keep intense eye contact as you speak. "I grew up in a typical suburban family. My parents were together, they argued of course, but they loved each other. I have a brother, he's 2 years older. My parents didn't like us very much, I think they only had kids because they felt like they had to. Different times back then, you know. But me and my brother were always very close, he cared for me."

She nods at your answer and thinks for a second. "So do your parents know what you do for work?"

"No, they're dead."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." You take another sip of your drink and turn back to her with a grin. "I killed them."

Her face drops and her body goes stiff. "You- you killed your family?"

"No, just my parents." You say it so matter-of-factly Abby can't help but let out a small, choked chuckle.

"So where's your brother?"

"In the city, he works with me, you've met him. Briefly." You look at her, waiting for her to put two and two together.

"Your brother- is your brother Richter?"

"Gold star for you detective."

"Wait, but-" You cut her off.

"We killed them together. We needed to fake our deaths and we needed to get our parents out of the way so we set the family home on fire. Killed two birds with one stone. As far as the records are aware, we all perished in that fire."

Abby's jaw is hanging open as she looks at you with a look you can't quite make out.

"I was 18, Johnny was 20. We left and moved here and we've been building the business since."

"What's your real name?"

"Why does that matter?" You scowl at her for a second.

"It doesn't."

"Good, like I said. My backstory was never going to make you gain sympathy for me. I'm sorry Abby but no matter how much you try and rationalise your feelings-"

"My feelings?"

"Yes, your feelings. Don't deny what we both know is true. No matter how much you try to rationalise what you feel for me. I am not a good person that's been scorned and pushed through adversity. I am just a bad person with a knack for running an illegal business."

Abby sits quietly considering everything you said, she should be disgusted, terrified at the monster sitting opposite her but instead she feels drawn to you like you're dragging her along by a rope attached to her heart. You watch her carefully, studying the look on her face and when you know she's still firmly in your grasp you continue talking.

"What is the name of the officer you spoke to about Luke?"

"Why?"

"Doesn't sound like a name." You look at her unimpressed.

"Ellie Williams, why?"

"Is there just a random y on the end or what?"

"Don't be a dick, why do you want to know her name?" You pull out your phone and text her name to your IT guy and return your attention to Abby.

"To keep an eye on her, can't have anyone getting suspicious of you can we?" Abby thinks back to Ellie's demeanour and her questions but pushes it to the back of her mind. You and Abby continue talking until you begin to stand up.

"Fancy heading back to mine?"

"What? I thought you were giving me the stuff for mission take over?" She winces as she hears herself call the plan that stupid name you started.

"Ha! I knew it would catch on. I am, its all at my apartment."

"Why'd we come out to dinner then?"

"First, ouch and second, thought I'd wine and dine you this time before I take you to bed." Abby coughs at your words but immediately starts standing up. You smirk at her eagerness. "Let's go then."

psa: Hi! Reader is a bad girl! I wanted to emphasise in this part that this is not supposed to be a heartwarming story, reader is a bad person, all of the characters are really (you'll see). Sorry these were some pretty wordy chapters but im setting up for shit to go down, I'm sure you can imagine what's coming next ;)