#richard castle always reminding the love of his life that she is human and can make mistakes and has flaws

[nikki-rook]

Not stupid. Human. - 6x14 / 7x19

[pollylynn]

Title: Selfsame WC: 900 Episode: Kill Switch (7 x 08)

She starts the day thinking it doesn’t feel at all different. It’s an adorably nerdy question on his part, but adorably nerdy and Richard Castle? That’s truly nothing new. And she has to say, Nick and Nora, McMillan and Wife, Turner and Hooch notwithstanding, rolling up to a scene with their wedding bands and their official status is much the same as it ever was. 

She’s not sure how to feel about that, which is kind of stupid. Should she be relieved that getting married hasn’t managed to curse everything? Should she feel like an adolescent idiot for even the passing thought that it might? Or should she be disappointed that everything is not mystically different? She’s not sure of much, other than that last one definitely gets a checkmark in the adolescent idiot box. 

But that feeling of sameness carries on. Back at the precinct, he’s in top storytelling form. It’s not yet 9 AM, and already there are nefarious scandals. Already, the pixelated face that resolves into Jared Stone is the face of a whistleblower, an ally of dutiful government investigator Paul Reeves, and now the life of the last man standing in their bold plot to blow the lid off said nefarious scandal is in danger. 

The adjectives are flowing freely. Ryan is staring in awe at Dad’s unassailable logic, and the role of sourpuss who notes that top storytelling form always seems to go hand-in-hand with top foisting-the-work-off-on-to-someone-else form. It’s any given day of any given week over the last six years. She’s just decided that satisfied is how she feels—damn satisfied that this is their life and their work and there’s not a world of difference in two rings and a handful of sentences uttered in front of a stranger. That’s where she’s just come down on the matter when everything changes. 

Gates is the one to break the news about Esposito, and it’s almost as if he’s there before the words finish leaving her mouth. There’s the breadth of his palm just barely brushing the small of her back for an instant. There is the softest murmur of reassurance in her ear. The two together are the whisper of support she needs to keep her feet, and she’s grateful. She catches his pinky just briefly and feels the smooth arc of his wedding band. It calms her. It’s silly, but it calms her. 

She’s just as grateful for his brisk question, though—Why would Stone take hostages? She’s absolutely as grateful for the way he moves her forward as she is for the warmth of his presence, husbandly or otherwise. When the suicide vest is revealed and she’s inclined to snap that she doesn’t care what Jared Stone isn’t, she wants to know what he is, she has to play catch-up, because he’s already on it. 

He’s on to Stone’s blog posts. He’s approaching the man from the writer’s perspective. Gates raises the specter of radicalization, but he won’t assume. He wants a trigger, an inciting incident. He stays on task when she breaks character to comfort Lanie, to give in for a human moment to the fear and dread if only to cast a little of it out. He works through, and even so she can feel the weight of his frequent glances, the warmth of another minute touch in the exact moment that she needs it bear up under the burden of being the boss who has to question everything, the best friend who has to echo the certainty she’s not at all certain of He’s going to be okay. 

He knows she’s close to despondent, so he reads to her. It’s absolutely silly. He reads her summary lines from government reports. But it’s absolutely sweet, too, because he knows she loves the sound of his voice, whether he’s reading out recipes in an outrageous accent or whispering snippets of dirty poetry in her ear. It’s silly, it’s sweet, but it’s damned useful, too. 

He leads her back to the victim. He reminds her where the story always starts and ends, and that may be the only thing holding her together as Ryan delivers evidence that this is much bigger than any of them understands, as Lanie walks them through Jared Stone’s dire symptoms. 

She white knuckles her own elbows trying to keep it together for the two of them— for all of them—and he’s the one who keeps her together. His voice. His touch. His insistence on the fixed point of origin he has always claimed as hers. 

When the end of the day finally comes, Esposito is safe and will be well. Their hearts—his and hers, Lanie’s and Ryan’s—are battered, but not broken, and she hardly has the energy to think about whether or not any of this feels different. She hardly has the energy to think of that or anything else.

They are in the elevator, riding down. She is leaning on him, he is holding her up.  When the end of the day finally comes, here is where she has just arrived: He is her partner and her husband, her love and her true friend. He is her rock and the irritating pebble in her shoe, the storyteller and the slacker. It’s different at the end of the day. And it’s eternally the same.

A/N: The identity property of the lack of morphousness. 

images via homeofthenutty

[theelliottsmiths]

So anyway, Mein Herz Brennt Making of liveblog, one of my favourites

First of all, I do take any use of piano MHB as a slight towards my tiny hands. -1 point

I really would love to visit this place, it's beautiful

I love that Oli introduces it and then Till is straight in there talking about murder and stabbings. Trust that to be what intrigues him. I feel like 'smells like murder' isn't a direct translation but that's purely because I spent like ten minutes trying to work out what words he says. It rhymes, which is suspicious.

Oh this was before he let his chest piercing reject all the way out in the grossest way

When schneider says Krankenhaus it sounds very Geordie and I'm convinced that kind of thing is why Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was created

Richards eyes light up when he's talking about the room he's in and it's one of those looks where it's just. I would love to listen to anything anyone has to say when their eyes have that sparkle.

"the scavengers had already been here" cue Paul talking about his criminal past thieving from there. See, another example everyone forgets of him being the biggest bastard of them all. The smile is a front.

One of my favourite ever Rammstein things is the combined joy and mockery from Paul when Richard is revealed to be wearing the bird mask and it wiggles as he nods. He looks like a little black cockatoo. Richard looks embarrassed to be wearing it but Paul is having the time of his LIFE.

The way is echoes in his mask makes him sound like he's clucking

Flakes glasses perching in his cone make him look like that sesame Street doctor or scientist

They all suit this make up so much and I wish they'd consider it as a stage look

Peck. Not intimidated.

Considering the nightmares Till has/had, ouch

Richard looks so much like a little vampire prince but like, a character from what we do in the shadows. He makes his own smokescreen entry/exist and everything.

Melanie!!!

Richard has many tendons in his neck huh.

The sounddd. I used to always be curious as to whether or not people in music videos were making the sounds it looks like they're making and now I know and I'm uncomfortable. This and also later when till does the heart

His laugh is never what I expect it to be

That uh. That doesn't look like he's in pain the way the injection sounds implied. At all. Not that I'm complaining but it gives mixed messages.

I'm so sure Richard is the only one I've ever heard use the word quasi. It makes sense for him if true but maybe I only notice because of the tone he uses? His is quite a punchy nasal tone it might just be more noticeable.

Till with kids is always the most adorable wonderful thing. He's really helping to keep them relaxed despite the creepiness of the stuff they're shooting.

"if you look at the cover then you'll recognise a morbidity to the whole thing" till, my darling, do you think people don't already ~see the morbidity~?

I googled and the lady doesn't pronounce renaissance with a g like Till does and that interests me. In fairness I have to assume it's like in Norwegian how words like restaurant are pronounced with a g sound because it's closer to the French sounds? It's not like we in English donut the French way either but the Google translate lady does. This is why I always suspect that when I'm learning a language I'm learning the language wrong and at some point I'll find out there's a Real, For Adults version if the language that's totally different. This is irrelevant. Accents are fun and I like being able to notice them.

It feels so strange seeing this knowing what Eugenio did

Paul taking pictures because he knows better than them

Something about a child saying "ah yes, I know Till and Flake very well" is hysterical.

You can feel the dismay and disapproval radiating off till as he tries to be diplomatic about the Spanish understanding of linear time. He struggles to find a positive and only comes up with the fire walls. "It should have gone out before we filmed anything because they were fucking around with the playback so long but it didn't" is his only compliment.

The German word for French is wild.

Do they know they could have hired an interpreter? Interpreters existed in 2012 I know this

This whole thing with Melanie is beautiful you can't deny that the arm Eugenio made with then was lovely.

Till in the dress with Melanie in his lap. I don't off the top of my head remember seeing it in either video so I simply must assume that it was just what he was wearing that day when he showed up. She's so tiny on his knee I'm glad they're still friends.

"you're left in a state of trauma when everyone stares at you all the time" did this need to get so heavy? It's interesting that he focused more on her voice than her appearance there, though in fairness it's pretty high

They all love her so much and it's totally understandable.

Mit rock n roll und cola trinken

I have to skip the screaming the secondhand embarrassment is too much.

Part 2

Again, this liveblog is so long

Sometimes Oli speaks like his body isn't used to talking.

I want, so badly, to know if Richard was having memories of his dreadlocked youth The tiny cup in his elegant hand is so pleading and then you look left and. It sure is something.

Are they freckles or acne scars across Tills shoulders?...cute. The first set of arm/chest wounds, not so much. I do spy his lil tummy scar

Richard does look like he almost swooped in for a kiss and then changed his mind because of the camera. Paul turns his head that way and then Richard tries to save with a step back and face rub (his own). Just saying.

The fact that a few of them have taken pictures on their personal phones warms my soul it's such a nice reminder that they're good friends outside of work and My Heart

Schneider and Paul ready at a moment's notice to be Dumbasses. J'adore.

What if Zoran was more of a background character tho actually

God, schneider is beautiful. An ethereal, pure beauty that exists no matter how he's being styled.

See okay how is flake almost taller than Oli right now he's not even doing his standard open legs and swan spine thing

It must be so hard to find Oli sized clothes. Flake is also tall and slim but he's a lot more leg, whereas Olis height seems largely to be torso. I have to assume a lot of his stuff is tailored or custom made now.

I always forget about the marks on tills back when he's in the nightmare dress

The child staring with great confusion at a bright red flake reading. I would love to know what his favourite books are.

The childs plural poking and prodding at a very patient Oli, who gracefully bends his spine in ways I've never seen a human do before. I wonder if he's ever dressed up as Lurch from the Addams family.

The actress playing the woman in this half is so beautiful and has a power her younger counterpart lacked when she was threatening him with her weapon.

I am a dummy and was like weird why is Paul speaking Norwegian. I know full well he wasn't saying unnskyld because I've heard Germans say their equivalent before and I assume Entschuldigen either sounds like that fast or shortens so what the fuck, rhi

Till guiding people through him murdering them is truly one of life's greatest pleasures. They trust him so completely. I would like to watch them dance the elegance would be astounding.

Paul lurking watching with what I choose to see as pride as till slaughters an old woman.

Paul being critical (again, as always, rightly so) of the hallway mouthing the lyrics decision.

"for this in prepared to make compromises" he says, hating every bitter word of it

I would like to know what he wanted to say about till and then see him get into trouble over it.

I would like to see till in a bouncy castle. He's adorable jumping into the comfy pit I want to see him in a bouncy castle. Child, utter child.

Paul takes every opportunity to say how hot he thinks they all are and I love that about him. Sometimes your friends are all hot and everybody needs to understand that fact.

Their approaches to pretending to play cello are all so uniquely them. Flake and Richard are taking the time to try and understand what they're being told, whereas Paul just fucking. Lays into it, attracting the weirdest looks from Oli. Richard looks beautiful with that cello and I think he should learn to play. For fun not for work. It's not just that he looks so handsome, but I think that's the easiest way to convince him. I think he'd be good at it, and not being the lead at something might be good for him.

I appreciate that Oli is skeptical because yeah they do all look like they've never held a cello before.

They do, however, all look lovely in their dresses. I'm trying but actually I can't not say that Schneiders little sternum dip makes it seem like he has breasts in that dress and it's a good look for him.

Till singing it in such a high voice, more like his speaking voice, is both interesting and lovely. Oli is trying... So little compared to the others. Laughably incorrect

Why yes, I am laughing at the sheer length of the spikes. They're just... They're so fucking long. So long.

Paul is actually probably the best one there, ironically. They're all comically out of time. They're professional musicians. I know they aren't used to bowed instruments I do understand and I don't want to be uncharitable but also they are struggling. I want to see cellists react to this.

Pretty dresses! And the nightmare but with the most awful and worst fingers! Like the Grinch but goth.

Both Schneider and Richard had the same neverending shoot idea and I am Intrigued.

Till waiting for Schneider with the umbrella :)

Wir brennen! Paul is always so happy to play with fire.

[letterboxd]

Horse Power.

The Nest’s writer-director Sean Durkin talks about creating atmosphere, watching films without judgment, and the best movies of 1986.

Downfalls in Hollywood movies tend to be chaotic, dramatic and a lot of fun along the way. From Citizen Kane to The Wolf of Wall Street, outsized ambitions are realized on screen in castles, exotic holidays, wild parties, sweeping us up in the extravagance of it all, before the inevitable crash. The Nest takes a slower, far more British view of ambition and its effects on family—or, as Charlie writes, “this movie is a reminder that people who call themselves entrepreneurs should instead be stay-at-home dads”.

The new film from writer-director Sean Durkin, the brain behind cult-survivor slow-burn Martha Marcy May Marlene, is less “strap in and enjoy the ride”, more “slow disintegration of all sense of sanity”—a tense psychological drama focused on the person who usually gets hurt the most: the wife. And that horse-lovin’ dream wife Allison, as played by Carrie Coon, is a character to behold (and the subject of many obsessive The Nest reviews on Letterboxd).

Just as Durkin takes time to carefully explore Martha’s vulnerability in his earlier film, in The Nest, he closes in on Allison, as she and their children adjust to 1980s life in an English manor, far from the comfort of Allison’s American home, while wheeler-dealer husband Rory (Jude Law) chases a new opportunity.

There are thematic similarities in both films; a case to be made that ambitious men wreak a comparable mental destruction on their families as cult leaders do on their followers, breaking them down with charm, persuasion, false promises. There’s also something about the juxtaposition of periods in the film—the fifteenth-century manor vs the ’80s bangers on the soundtrack—that adds to The Nest’s unnerving atmosphere (other parts of the soundtrack are composed by Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry in his first film-score credit).

Keen to understand more about Durkin’s influences and memories, Jack Moulton put him through the Letterboxd Life in Film interrogation.

Carrie Coon as Allison O’Hara in ‘The Nest’.

The Nest feels like a very personal film. In what ways are the emotions of the premise personal to you? When I was making Southcliffe in 2012, I was back in England where I spent my childhood and I hadn’t been back in close to twenty years. It really struck me how London and New York felt very similar now but they didn’t when I was a kid. I thought maybe I wanted to make a film about a family that moves in that time and how a move can affect a family. As I wrote the script, I became a parent, so it became as much a reflection of modern adulthood as it did about my childhood in the ’80s. Although it’s a period piece, I wanted to make it feel very close to today to look at the celebrated values of the time and how those are still very relevant.

The mansion the family moves into is the titular ‘nest’, and the use of space and atmosphere contribute so much to the film’s subtext. What were you looking for when location scouting for the house? Was it an easy or difficult process? Yeah, it was difficult. It was like doing an open casting call. I had a very specific idea in my head but [my production designer] was able to put it into actual architectural terms so we were able to find a house that a successful commodities broker would live and commute from in Surrey. We needed something beyond that, but if you go too far, you get small castles. Once we located the right exterior, there were a bunch of [houses] that would’ve been great, but when we got inside, there were no open spaces. I wanted to have long hallways to be able to see through multiple rooms to create that isolation—the opposite of the cozy American house that they were living in before, to really highlight the good life they left behind.

Carrie Coon and Jude Law in ‘The Nest’.

We love the soundtrack; not just the choice of songs but the way that they’re mixed. Can you give us some insight into the song selection? When writing, I build a playlist that I write to. This one was a mix of personal memories from childhood—like Simply Red, which takes me back to falling asleep in the back of my dad’s car—so there’s a way into writing there on a sensory level, and then I build upon it with songs that I love from the time. I was listening to Richard Reed Parry’s Music for Heart and Breath album a lot and he ended up being the composer of the film, so his music was always part of the heart of the movie as I was writing it.

I would spend my drives to set with my assistant talking about music and he would turn me onto some stuff that would make it into the movie. It was a mix of a long-running preparation and things that I pick up in the moment then making that all work at the right level so it feels of the world. Like with The Cure, we actually played that off a tape cassette when Allison walks into the room.

Since your debut feature in 2011, you’ve had a prolific career in television and as a film producer; you’re a founding member of Borderline Films with fellow directors Antonio Campos and Josh Mond. Do you see yourself more as a producer who only occasionally directs films yourself? No, I don’t really consider myself a producer. I’ve produced movies for filmmakers and friends and I help people where I can. I’m not someone who’s out getting properties and thinking about how to put together a film, I’m only thinking about my own work as a writer and a director. Between finishing Southcliffe in 2013 and The Nest in 2018, I had a five-year gap where I was developing lots of projects one after the other—two features and a television show—that were both so close to [being greenlit] but something fell through, which was really bad luck.

What film made you want to become a filmmaker? The Goonies and Back to the Future were those movies as a kid that first made me want to make movies and tell stories, but the moment where I realized what filmmaking is was seeing The Shining. I saw it for the first time when I was eleven or twelve and a friend showed it to me because his older brother had the VHS. It was my first time understanding atmosphere and direction and I just had a sense that I could do it too. It was a really crucial moment, and I kept that thought to myself for a very long time.

Cinematographer Mátyás Erdély shoots Carrie Coon in Soho.

What’s your scariest film that is not technically horror? AKA, your area of expertise. Oh man, scariest? Something I’ve watched recently is The Vanishing and it’s probably one of the most unsettling films I’ve ever seen. It was incredible to rewatch it because I’d last seen it when I was in college—I watched everything back then—and I’d also seen the American remake, so when I watched it this time, I was trying to remember things [that were different] from the remake. I was like “he’s gonna get out, right?—oh no, that’s in the American version!” I find it an astonishing movie. There’s a real human element to the pain of the killer.

Let’s nerd out: what’s your top film of 1986, the year that The Nest is set? [Laughs] I’ve no idea what came out in 1986. Can I look up a list and I’ll tell you? Let’s see, films of 1986… This is fun! Alright, “popular films of 1986” I’m seeing: Blue Velvet, Short Circuit, Stand by Me, Platoon, The Color of Money, what else have we got here? River’s Edge… Pretty in Pink… Ferris Bueller’s Day Off—Ferris Bueller’s gotta be up there. Big Trouble in Little China! That’s it! I’m sure there’s other things, but from my quick search, I’d say Big Trouble in Little China. That was a movie that was always on in my house because it was one of my dad’s all-time favorites.

Which is Jude Law’s best performance? I love The Talented Mr. Ripley so much. I constantly rewatch that movie—it’s perfect. I also loved him in Vox Lux recently.

Sean Durkin and Jude Law on the set of ‘The Nest’.

What is the best film about marriage and why does it resonate with you? Shoot the Moon was really influential for me. I’d say it’s a bit more about divorce and family than it is about marriage but [it depends on] if you take the ending to mean that they’re going to stay together—I kind of do. You could say a separation is part of a marriage. I love that movie for how it finds light in humor. Albert Finney is struggling with his masculinity where, even though he’s the one who left, he still thinks he owns it all, and Diane Keaton is quite liberated by this scenario. It’s like their journey to find language again. I find it very beautiful.

Which film was your entry-point into international cinema? I’m trying to think back to what I would’ve seen, there certainly wasn’t a lot growing up. In college I really discovered Michael Haneke and Michelangelo Antonioni. L’Avventura made a huge impact on me. I think [because of the way] the mystery kind of dissolves and it’s about the journey, not the solution.

What film do you wish you’d made? I don’t. Filmmaking is personal and it’s so much an expression of perspective when done with care and love—though obviously, there’s stuff that’s just churned out. I never see something and say “I wish I made that”. One of the things I find hard is when people critique films and say they would’ve done this differently. I’ve become very sensitive to that over time because every choice you make as a filmmaker is so specific and thought out. I try to consume movies without knowing anything about them or making any kind of judgment. I just let them be what they are and wash over me.

Which newcomer director should we all keep our eyes on? I don’t think I’m looking out for new stuff necessarily. Once I get to see something, everyone else already knows about it. One person I would say is Dave Franco, who I just worked with on The Rental. I was an executive producer and I was a creative bounce-board for Dave through the process. It’s his first film and it’s astonishingly directed. We were getting dailies from the first week and we were like, “This is his first movie? This is insane!” I think he will do some exciting things.

Finally, what’s your favorite film of 2020 so far? I was absolutely blown away by Eliza Hittman’s film Never Rarely Sometimes Always. I miss having retrospectives at local theaters, which I’m always keyed into no matter the city I’m living in. I’ve started watching a lot of Criterion Channel and I watched a movie recently that��s taken over my brain: Variety, by Bette Gordon, from 1983. It’s set in New York City around Times Square, and it’s this incredible journey that this woman goes on that captured my mind.

Related content

Sean Durkin’s Life in Film list

Sean Durkin’s Sight & Sound Top 10

Clarissa’s list of films that burn slowly

Everything Carrie Coon watched during quarantine (and the best of that huge list)

Tracy Letts and Carrie Coon’s 24-Hour Movie Marathon

Follow Jack on Letterboxd

[chicagocityofclans]

Scorpius Getta → Jake Gyllenhaal → Vampire

→ Basic Information 

Age: 1378

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight 

Birthday: December 2nd

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius 

Religion: Satanism

→ His Personality Getta is practical and down to earth with strong ideas about how vampires should be in this new age. He is orderly, organized, systematic and controlled, and once committed there is no stopping him. Getta has a great capacity for loyalty and affection, considering vampire nature. Being a calm and methodical individual, Getta is mostly in control of his emotions. He rarely loses his temper, but has a great capacity for violence when pushed. Getta is courageous and a true survivor, he is the builder and the foundation of the Underground, and his hard work and values paid off; the Underground is booming and he has one of the largest seethes in America. It's also his ‘fuck you’ attitude that links up with his sucess. Getta is unconcerned about being viewed as ‘the bad guy’ and sees his actions as a means to an end. He is often secretive and can be somewhat of a trickster, but is honest and direct. He is headstrong, persistent and passionate. Getta downright refuses to accept authority and has a stubborn belief in himself and his dreams. 

→ His Personal Facts

Occupation: Master of Chicago Seethe 

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Blood with Pepper and Business

Two Dislikes: Vampire Movies and Bananas 

Two Fears: Being Forced to Feed Off of Himself and Naked Zombie Grandmas 

Two Hobbies: Enhancing the Underground and Inventing 

Three Positive Traits: Innovative, Lively, Extremely Confident  

Three Negative Traits: Sassy, Maniacal, Disconnect 

→ His Connections

Parent Names:

Ulfrik Göransson (Father): Getta enjoyed his father and if he had been given the chance he would have changed him into a vampire.

Bon’Ginnever (Mother): Getta doesn’t remember much about his mother beside the fact that she had blonde hair and an unusual eye color. Bon’Ginnever died from an infection. He was sure it was over the loss of Aleigha, his little sister. She was never the same after and death took her months later.

Emmalee (Step-Mother): Getta didn’t approve of his father remarrying. Since Emmalee was around his age, Getta tried his best to ignore her to keep from showing her any disrespect and disappointing his father.

Sibling Names:

Eirikur Ulfrikson (Brother): Eirikur was born several years after Getta. Getta doesn’t remember much about Eirikur as a child but he remembers his little brother all grown up and being a ladies man. Eirikus died mysteriously in his sleep. Getta is now sure he must have caught an STD or something. 

Aleigha Ulfrikdotter (Sister): Just like Eirikur, Aleigha was born several years after her brothers. Getta was nearing his late teens when she was born. Sadly, Aleigha was sold off to pay their debts and Getta still has no idea what faith laid out for her.

Bryleigh Ulfrikson (Half-Brother): Getta was out of the castle when Bryleigh was born. Getta never had the chance to meet Bryleigh. He only knew his name and the random updates his father would send him.

Children Names:

Ulfric Scorpiusson (Son): Ulfric was named after Getta’s father, following the old Nordic practice, before hereditary surnames were introduced. Ulfric grew to be a spitting image of Getta’s father with the same attitude to follow it. That’s probably why they get along so well. Getta turned Ulfric, on his request, into a vampire on his 20th birthday. He is still alive and married with his own seethe in Sweden.

Bjorn Scorpiusson (Son): Bjorn was named after Solveig’s father, following the old Nordic practice, before hereditary surnames were introduced. Getta doesn’t know where Bjon got it from but he is absolutely unpredictable. He was well on his way to become a shadow vampire when Getta stepped in and killed him. Bjon was always Solveig favorite and Getta still mourns the both of them.

Kjersti Getta née Scorpiusdotter (Daughter): Kjersti was named after Solveig’s mother, following the old Nordic practice, before hereditary surnames were introduced. Kjersti was unexpected but wanted. Getta made sure she didn’t follow the same fate as Aleigha and kept her close. She was the 3rd person Getta changed and he doesn’t regret it. She now holds rank in his seethe.

Romantic Connections:

Solveig Pelledotter (Wife): Getta wasn’t in love with Solveig but at the time it was his duty to marry and continue his bloodline. After marriage, they became close friends. If given the chance, Getta was sure they would have eventually fallen in love. Solveig had taken her own life after Getta was changed.

Platonic Connections:

Alva Ebba Getta nee Garbo (Daughter-In-Law): Alva married Getta’s son Ulfric over a thousand years ago. At first he did not approve of her but thought a wedding would be good for overall morale. Over time Getta learned to love her as one of his own. Getta especially likes it when she puts his son in his place.

Geralt Getta (Son-In-Law/Progeny): Geralt was an orphan on the streets Getta fed from. Getta adopted Geralt and he was Getta's first vampiric progeny. Getta sees him more like a brother and best friend than a son, especially after Geralt married his daughter, Kjersti. 

Winona Fili (Progeny): Getta had originally turned Winona into a vampire for his son Bjon. He should have known better because the two hated each other. Frankly, after the way his son reacted Getta knew Winona deserved better. Getta still cannot accept that Winona is gone and is trying his hardest not to fall into a depression. Losing Winona was worse than losing a limb or death itself. Getta still expects her to be there when he turns around or wherever he gets a brilliant idea.  

Aleksander Mazur (Progeny): Getta found Aleksander when Aleksander was at his lowest on the streets of London. Aleksander tried to rob Getta and failed. Instead of killing him or turning him to the authorities, Getta fed him, gave him fresh clothes and offered him a new life as a vampire. They have a well built relationship that is not exactly a father and son type but close enough. 

Raphael Caron (Progeny): Getta saved Raphael's life. Raphael was dying from Leukemia when Getta gave his parents the terms and conditions of vampirism. Their relationship is stronger than ever nearly two centuries later. Getta enjoys Raphael’s creative side and allows him to use him as a test subject.

Fiona ‘Fi’ Marz (Progeny): Getta does not like sharing the story of how he found Fi but she has been with him since she was a 6 years old human. Getta held out on changing her into a vampire until she was mature enough. After living and dealing with Fi for centuries, nearly a millennium, Getta has turned from an overbearing father to a cool understanding brother and to a best friend. Getta can switch to whichever role she needs from him at the time without making it awkward.

Dan Prior (Vampire Son-In-Law): Getta couldn’t hate Dan if he tried nor can he blame Dan for Winona’s death. Dan's first few years were tough on Getta, he was the new master of his seethe, lost his closest companion and progeny, and had a suicidal baby vampire to watch over. Getta feels like Dan and Fili are the only things he has left of Winona. He has been better about separating them from her but something in him always feels like it's snapping when he does.  

Richard Fili (Vampire Grandson): Fili was changed by Winona many years ago. Getta has always been accepting of Fili and even fatherly at times. Getta puts up with Fili’s bullshit, only getting pissed if Fili messes up big time, and he knows that is enough to make Fili grateful and undeniably loyal. Fili seems to be the only one that has taken notice of Getta keeping himself busy and staring off into space since Winona’s death; Fili is worried for him but Getta isn’t ready to talk yet.

Audrey Ann Wallace (Vampire Granddaughter): Audrey was turned into a vampire by Garelt when Kjersti started mourning the loss of ever being a mother. Audrey reminds him a lot of Kjersti and can be mistaken as their biological child.

Petra Chak (Best Friend): Petra and Getta have an unlikely friendship. She had originally come to Chicago to take over Getta’s seethe for her own master but somehow Getta had won her over. Over the years they formed an unbreakable bond and Getta trusts Petra with his life and the lives of their entire seethe. 

Sadie McCoy (Good Friend): Sadie randomly showed up one day… Or at least Getta finally noticed her and was too ashamed to ask anyone who she was or where she came from. Sadie hung out with Winona and by default hung out with Getta. It didn’t take long for him to grow fond of her and to constantly want her around. She became his muse and little soldier girl. She took Winona’s death as hard as Fili, Dan and Getta’s other progeny.  

Morana ‘Ana’ Vickors (Old Friend): Ana was a part of Getta’s seethe before he became the seethe master. She saw the destruction their old seethe master caused and quickly jumped on his support train when he took over. Getta considers her a trusted and loyal friend. Getta is also close to Ana’s husband and daughter. 

Sven (Old Friend): Getta met Sven a few times in Europe and again in the New World. Sven was always a loner and some considered him to be a feared shadow vampire. It took Getta a while but he convinced Sven to join the seethe he was apart nearly 300 years ago. Sven came and went as he pleased but Getta is happy to see that lately Sven has been making a permanent home for himself in Chicago. 

Chiara Ricci (Friend): Getta knew Chiara’s adopted vampiric parents. When he asked them to come teach for them, he was aware that they had changed a woman to be their child but never figured it would be someone with Chiara’s personality. She makes Getta laugh and can retell stories about himself better than he can. 

Hostile Connections:

Nick and Ray Hamelin (Hate): Getta doesn’t hate easily nor does he have a vindictive streak but the Hamelin brothers live to test his restraint. Vampires are not widely liked among the mortal supernaturals and Getta understands that. What Getta doesn’t understand is why the rats are constantly trying to enter the closed section of the Underground or why the rats cannot leave them in peace. After the poisonous gas accident Nick and Ray attacked the Underground killing multiple orphaned and neonate vampires. Getta was tempted to retaliate but put the entire seethe needs ahead of his own. He and Petra have tried to explain that the closed section of the Underground is semi poisonous but their pleads have gone unheard. 

Pets:

None

→ History Scorpius Getta was born Göran-Skorpionen Ulfirkson. He changed his name to Scorpius Getta after he was changed into a vampire and a widower. He no longer wanted to associate with his human past and this was especially so after changing all of his biological children to vampires also. Getta travelled the world, finding those he bonded with or those he thought deserved another life and changing them. → The Present Getta plans on expanding the Undergrounds and opening an above ground full service Hotel made especially for vampires. The only thing holding him back are key features and trusted human or supernatural construction workers. The key features are shutters and windows that completely block out the sun which are currently out of reach. Getta has already begun employing witches and warlocks to help, and his dreams seem closer to reality. Getta plans on naming it Hotel Winona. 

[theyearoftheking]

Book Thirty: The Dark Half

“Stark reached out, not physically, but with his mind, and seized that disappearing tail of Thad’s mental probe. In the eye of Stark’s own mind it looked like a worm, a fat white maggot deliriously stuffed with offal and decay...”

So, let me tell you about the dark half inhabiting my house... a little over a year ago, we decided to get Waverly, our beautiful golden rescue pet angel, a friend. She loved spending time with her dog cousins, and would sink into a deep depression when we’d bring her back home again. Seriously. Look at this beautiful face. She is truly an angel in dog form.

So, we found a rescue beagle (my daughter’s alleged dream dog of the week). 

Y’all.

I was not prepared for beagle life. Biscuit Beast tore through two different cages, pooped (and smeared it!) everywhere, and chewed up everything from Legos, to Ugg boots to video game controllers. And the sight of a pom-pom on a hat makes her crazy with uncontrolled chewing fueled rage. She was an absolute menace. We tried everything from melatonin, to CBD oil, to just flat-out not leaving the house. She is a lovely, cuddly dog... but her mouth gets her in trouble every time. 

And then quarantine happened. Biscuit Beast has been thrilled to have her people home with her 24/7 all day, every day. Lots of cuddles, walks around the neighborhood, and all the personal interaction a beagle could ask for. We even left on two short jaunts, and she didn’t chew anything. She received all the praise for being the best dog in the world.

And then yesterday, I walk upstairs to find this. She gnawed my copy of The Dark Half like it was a t-bone. And it made no sense. We had been home with her all day, she had a long walk around the lake, and plenty of attention. But her dark half just can’t be tamed. Oh, Biscuit Beast. To know beagles is to love them. 

Biscuit Beast may destroy everything she can wrap her strong little jaw around, but at least she’s not violently killing people, and threatening lives everywhere she goes, unlike George Stark in The Dark Half. I guess I’ve got that going for me?

The Dark Half was fun. It was my first time reading it, and you could almost hear Steve whispering, “Wouldn’t it be funny if Richard Bachman came to life and became my murderous alter-ego?” The author’s note actually reads, “I’m indebted to the late Richard Bachman for his help and inspiration. This novel could not have been written without him.” 

It makes you wonder what the relationship between an author and his pseudonym is like. Is it dark? Does it take you in directions you don’t expect? Do you end up resenting the pseudonym for contractually forcing you to write books outside your comfort zone? Steve had created an entire biography for Bachman, and seemed almost gleeful about killing him; not unlike Thad Beaumont, the main character in The Dark Half. 

The book opens with child Thad, who is suffering from horrible headaches and seizures. He goes in for surgery, and the neurologist finds remains of a fetus in Thad’s head: an eye, part of a nostril, three fingernails and two teeth. *Shudder*

Thad grows up to become a relatively famous writer, and we find him reading a People magazine article discussing how he “killed” his pseudonym, George Stark. The article even includes a picture of Thad and his wife, Liz, standing on Stark’s grave. His gravestone reads, “Not a Very Nice Guy”. Thad seems equally amused and embarrassed by the article; and quickly brushes it to the side in order to help his wife care for their adorable twins, Wendy and William. 

Then, shit gets weird. The police show up on Thad’s doorstep, ready to arrest him for a brutal, local murder they’re confident he committed. After all, his fingerprints are all over the crime scene. There’s only one small problem: Thad has an iron-clad alibi for the night of the murder, with witnesses galore attesting to his presence. 

The police are thrown. 

Meanwhile, several more brutal murders are committed in New York City, including a young man who had figured out the Thad/George connection, and was attempting to blackmail him. Written in blood on his wall is the phrase, “The Sparrows are Flying Again”. The other murder victims are all people who were associated with the People magazine article. Very strange. 

But Thad is starting to put some pieces together. In his office, he also finds the words, “The Sparrows are Flying Again” randomly scratched on a piece of paper. It reminds him of when he was a kid, and the sounds of birdsong would precede one of his bad headaches. He has his suspicions about who the real murderer is. He makes the logical jump that it has to be his pseudonym, George Stark. Because, who else would it be?

Spoiler: It’s George Stark! 

George calls him from one of the murder scenes to gloat, and basically tells Thad he’s not ready to be dead yet. And Thad needs to get started on his next Stark novel. George doesn’t have a lot of time left... his body is starting to deteriorate into a gross mess, and unless Thad starts writing, George is going to (literally) waste away. 

So, George ends up kidnapping Liz and the kids, and takes them to their Maine cottage, where he holds them hostage until Thad starts working on his next novel. Thad starts writing, which causes George to heal, and Thad to take on George’s ailments. There’s some negative, co-dependent symbiosis going on here. Eventually, Thad stops writing, and summons billions of sparrows to bust in the house and peck George to death, before carrying him off to the depths of hell. 

Why sparrows? Well, because they’re psychopomps of course! For those not versed in ancient Greek, psychopomp means, “guide of souls.” According to Thad’s fellow professor, Rawlie DeLesseps, “...those who conduct. In this case, those who conduct human souls back and forth between the land of the living and the land of the dead... Gatherings of sparrows are rather more ominous... sparrows are said to be the outriders of the deceased... which means their job is to guide lost souls back into the land of the living. They are, in other words, the harbingers of the living dead...” 

 Y’all... there is so much going on here. Is George a metaphor for Steve’s drug addiction? Think about it... the more it took over, the sicker Steve got. And it kept him from doing the kind of writing he always wanted to do (novels like this, compared to dung-heaps like The Tommyknockers). Once his addiction was banished and dragged back to hell, he was reunited with his family and kids. Maybe a little bit of a stretch, but thought provoking. 

I really liked this novel; it was tightly edited and well written, it kept my attention and it gave me a glimpse into Steve’s crazy brain. And it had some fun Castle Rock mentions... like that time George Bannerman helped solve that string of nasty murders (The Dead Zone), only to be taken out by a rabid dog (Cujo). Rest in peace, George. 

No Dark Tower or Wisconsin mentions, just good, clean, Steve fun. 

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 24

Total Dark Tower References: 22

Book Grade: B+

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

The Talisman: A+

Misery: A+

Different Seasons: A+

It: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

The Drawing of the Three: A-

Nightmares in the Sky: B+

The Dark Half: B+

Skeleton Crew: B+

The Dead Zone: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

Cycle of the Werewolf: B-

Danse Macabre: B-

The Running Man: C+

Thinner: C+

Dark Visions: C+

The Eyes of the Dragon: C+

The Long Walk: C+

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Rage: C

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Roadwork: D

Christine: D

The Tommyknockers: D-

Next up is Four Past Midnight, another collection I’ve thumbed through. Four Past Midnight contains classics like The Langoliers and Secret Window, Secret Garden; which was an excellent movie. When I started reading The Dark Half, my husband told me what a great movie it was. I asked him for the plot, to see if it was similar to the book, or a Lawnmower Man type situation. He then proceeded to give me the entire plot of The Secret Window. And tried to convince me they were basically the same story. I’m going to reserve judgement. So, stay tuned for that. I hope everyone is staying healthy, washing hands and wearing masks. 

Until next time, Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Rebecca

[oldstonedjenny]

For the killer queen always wanting more. The lioness licking her chops of the blood of her enemies. When all you see is enemies, you have to hold onto your pride. For hair grows back. A Cersei Lannister playlist.

Link in the picture.

Playlist

Apex Predator - Barret Wilbert Weed //

Like a lioness Only with less fur Do not mess with her She’s the apex predator

Oops!...I Did It Again - Britney Spears //

  Oops!... I did it again I played with your heart Got lost in the game Oh, baby, baby Oops, you think I'm in love That I'm sent from above I'm not that innocent

Evil Woman - Electric Light Orchestra //

Hey woman, you got the blues 'Cause you ain't got no one else to use There's an open road that leads nowhere So just make some miles between here and there There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in You took my body and played to win Ha, ha, woman, it's a cryin' shame But you ain't got nobody else to blame

Devil Woman - Cliff Richard //

  I drank the potion she offered me I found myself on the floor Then I looked in those big green eyes And I wondered what I came there for

Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates //

  I wouldn't if I were you I know what she can do She's deadly, man She could really rip your world apart Mind over matter Ooh, the beauty is there but a beast is in the heart

bad guy - Billie Eilish //

  I'm that bad type Make your mama sad type Make your girlfriend mad tight Might seduce your dad type I'm the bad guy

you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish //

  You should see me in a crown Your silence is my favorite sound Watch me make 'em bow One by one by one One by one by one

Primadonna - Marina and The Diamonds //

  Primadonna girl, yeah All I ever wanted was the world I can't help that I need it all The primadonna life, the rise and fall You say that I'm kinda difficult But it's always someone else's fault

Power & Control - Marina and The Diamonds //

Women and men, we are the same But love will always be a game We give and take a little more Eternal game of tug and war

Hot N Cold - Katy Perry //

We used to be just like twins, so in sync The same energy, now's a dead battery Used to laugh (Used to laugh) 'bout nothing ('Bout nothing) Now you're plain (Now you're plain) boring (Boring) I should know (I should know) that you're not gonna change

Blank Space - Taylor Swift //

So it's gonna be forever Or it's gonna go down in flames You can tell me when it's over, mm If the high was worth the pain Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane 'Cause you know I love the players And you love the game

Fancy - Iggy Azalea // 

I'm so fancy, you already know I'm in the fast lane, from L.A. to Tokyo I'm so fancy, can't you taste this gold? Remember my name, 'bout to blow-oh-oh-oh

Glamorous - Fergie ft. Ludacris //

(If you ain't got no money, take yo' broke ass home, you say it!) My daddy told me so ("If you ain't got no money, take yo' broke ass home!") He let his daughter know (He said, if you ain't got no money, take yo' broke ass home, you say it!)

You’ll be Back - Jonathan Groff //

You’ll be back, soon you’ll see You’ll remember you belong to me You’ll be back, time will tell You’ll remember that I served you well Oceans rise, empires fall We have seen each other through it all And when push comes to shove I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!

Black Widow - Iggy Azalea ft. Rita Orta //

You used to be thirsty for me But now you wanna be set free This is the web, web that you weave So baby now rest in peace (It's all over with now)

Death by Diamonds and Pearls - Band of Skulls //

You got your figure all nice But your heart stays colder than ice You got 25 grand on the bubble And you're the one telling me that you don't think you're in trouble

Hope in the Air - Laura Marling //

There's hope in the air There's hope in the water But sadly not me Your last serving daughter

Mordred’s Lullaby - Heather Dale //

Guileless son, each day you grow older Each moment I'm watching my vengeance unfold For the child of my body, the flesh of my soul Will die in returning the birthright he stole

Cold As It Gets - Patty Griffin //

I know a cold as cold as it gets I fight a war I may never see won I live only to see you live to regret Everything that you've done

My Medea - Vienna Teng //

For I have made her prison be Her every step away from me And this child I would destroy If you tried to set her free

King Nothing - Metallica //

Then it all crashes down And you break your crown And you point your finger But there's no one around Just want one thing Just to play the king But the castle crumbled And you're left with just a name Where's your crown, King Nothing?

Power - Kanye West //

Thinking no one man should have all that power The clock's ticking, I just count the hours Stop tripping, I'm tripping off the powder 'Til then, fuck that, the world’s ours

Emperor’s New Clothes - Panic! At The Disco //

I'm taking back the crown I'm all dressed up and naked I see what's mine and take it (Finders keepers, losers weepers), oh yeah The crown, so close, I can taste it I see what's mine and take it

King Of The World - Porcelain and The Tramps //

My pain-filled drama queen Is always creeping at your back Getting ready to buy you out 'Cause we all know What goes around comes around You shoulda known what I was all about Do not test me

Killer Queen - Queen //

She keeps a Moët et Chandon in her pretty cabinet Let them eat cake she says, just like Marie Antoinette A built-in remedy for Khrushchev and Kennedy (Ooh, ooh) At anytime an invitation, you can't decline (Ooh, ooh)

Bitch - The Plastiscines //

I’m a Bitch, in disguise

I’m a Bitch, who never hides

I’m a Bitch, did you realize?

I’m a Bitch, every time

God Save the Queen - Sex Pistols //

God save the queen The fascist regime They made you a moron Potential H-bomb God save the queen She ain't no human being

Fire Meet Gasoline - Sia //

So come on now Strike the match Strike the match now A perfect match Perfect, somehow We were meant for one another Come a little closer

Burn It Up - The Offspring //

Tonight this hood will be a pyre I'm going to set your house on fire I'll dance around the pretty flames

Such a wonderful game!

GRRRLS - AVIVA //

I can't fake it, I'll just make it on my own (on my own) I can't blame them, I'll just maim them on my throne (on my throne) I can't fake it, I'll just make it on my own (on my own) I can't blame them, I've just got to get to my throne

Monster - Kanye West //

Gossip, gossip, nigga, just stop it Everybody know I'm a motherfucking monster

Kingdom of One - Maren Morris //

All you can give, all you can bear Look to your heart, but nothing is there When nothing is sacred, no one is safe

Hollow Crown - Ellie Goulding //

You know you’re fighting in a losing battle Making a noose out of your hollow crown I hold a match up to your paper castle And watch it all burn down, down, down

The Ballad of Sara Berry - 35 MM //

You taste the silver, Sara! You taste the crown You thirst for blood from the roses in hand Whoa, you spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance As they crown you Queen of High School Land

[alien-from-pluto-writer]

You think you can hide it - you can’t.

Apologies if the ending is terrible - my mental state collapsed. Anyway, enjoy @alexprompts !

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The Wind tells me things no man nor woman was meant to know. Of secrets and whispered lies, it hummed in my ear, filling my body with warmth at its recurring presence. The Wind was an old friend, and I loved it like one.

Spying in the courts of kingdoms filled my brain with drugs so powerful it took hours to come down from the high. The thrill was enchanting - eyes always watchful, taking everything in, and heart constantly pounding beneath my ribs.

Lurking in a darkened corner, I watched as two women weaved through the crowd towards each other. At least they weren’t complete idiots and made small conversations on the way, small diversions that hid their goals to everyone’s eyes but mine.

A true scandal, especially for this kingdom where those of the same gender may not share a bed nor tongues. The act of their ‘defying of ancient tradition and stepping into hell’ would surely cause a divide within the empire.

Shocking how something as simple as love could be twisted into the strongest weapon against an empire.

They slowly made their way to each other, slight blushes on their cheeks, shy smiles quickly hidden by bitten lips. If this were a dramatic moment, they would’ve leapt at each other, sweeping each other into their arms, twirling and spinning as they kissed and were re-united.

But it wasn’t, and the Wind told me they were aware of the ever watchful eyes around them – hard not to when men constantly peered at women they passed as if imagining what was hidden beneath their dresses.

It was an almost awkward thing to watch, the two lovers stood for a moment unsure what to do, before giving each other what I’m sure they thought was a quick, friendly hug. They parted after a few moments, one of the women’s hands lingering on the other’s waist before they realised what they were doing and pulled it away.

A man walked a distant away from me, weaving his way through people with a glass of champagne in his hand. His dark hair was slick back, wearing a black suit that made him appear more muscled than he actually was. His grey eyes watched me with a look that told anyone nearby exactly what he wanted to do to me.

Not safe, Wind whispered, concerned perhaps.

As he came closer, walking close enough I could smell his cologne, I put my foot out and merely watched as he stumbled. Sadly, he didn’t fall on his face, regaining his footing in time, turning to face me with angry eyes. I smiled widely and snorted when he stomped away like an incompetent child.

I turned back to the lovers.

“How is Jack?” one asked – Florence, the Wind whispered – brushing a strand of wavy blond hair out of her face, and discreetly smoothing down her elegant light blue dress. Her pale skin was still slightly flushed and her eyes took in the other with dedication.

“He’s doing great, he misses you dearly,” the other – Lena – said, grinning. Her black hair was pulled into an elegant bun, dark skin glowing under the chandelier lights. Her red dress fitted around her bodice before it flowed to the ground.

Lena’s face lit up with what could only be an idea, Florence watching carefully, a sweet smile appearing on her mouth. “We should have lunch again so that you can see him.”

“That would be lovely,” Florence said, chuckling slightly under her breath as if she expected it to be something more extreme. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to survive without seeing his handsome face.”

The Wind tells me that the man standing near them listening thinks they’re talking about a lover, of how Jack must be the love of her life that she would rather die than be without. He thinks he’s smart for putting it together.

That makes me want to laugh.

He’s right in the regards that Florence loves Jack dearly and her life would be miserable without him, but not about who this Jack is. If only he knew they were talking about a dog rather than a human.

Florence and Lena continue talking as they make their way to one of the archways leading to the castles halls, each grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. Their grins are infectious to each other, their eyes shining and full of unspoken promises and desires.

I look away when they slip out into the halls and go in search for an abandoned alcove. I hope that for once the Wind won’t tell me of what they’re doing.

We have more important things to worry about today, the Wind whispers, reminding me of why I’m here in the first place.

My eyes stop on a man walking in the entrance, deeply breathing in the excitement of the people gathered – an attempt to disguise how he had been running. His cheeks were red and his eyes were alight, the glass of liquor in his hand acting as an easy explanation.

It’s him, the Wind whispered. I bit my lip to hide my wild grin, my heart pounding in my chest – finally.

As he walked closer, unbeknownst to where I was, I let my eyes roam his clothes. The dark black of the fabric went with his dark brown shoulder length hair, everything embroidered with a fine gold thread only the richest could afford. His suit looked as if it were the work of a local tailor, Bathilda Gruns, elegant and charming. Only the wealthiest could afford her.

The one thing that revealed him as the true psychotic bastard beneath his mask, was a small speck of blood on the sleeve of his shirt. That, no doubt, was from the body the Wind told me had been shoved into an alcove earlier. Though what he did in-between that unfortunate turn of events and entering the ball, neither of us knew.

Strange.

The man walked in my direction, eyeing up men and women he passed like a predator stalking his prey, or perhaps his look could also be compared to a serial killer looking over his menu. There was no doubt in my mind that he was planning to kill another tonight, and it wouldn’t be long after that when he disappeared back into the swirling darkness of hiding and no one would be able to find him.

I don’t want that to happen, but they said I couldn’t interfere. What utter bullshit.

His eyes linger on a man drinking deeply from a glass of whisky with curly blond hair. The unknown man has a wide grin, his whole face practically glowing with happiness and the influence of alcohol.

The women in the alcove has blonde hair, the Wind whispers.

So he has a thing for blondes, creepy.

The Wind laughs in my ear, a soothing sensation that sends shivers down my spine.

The man continues walking, though he sends a few glances back to the blond haired man, steadily getting close to me.

I still haven’t gotten what I came here to do, and leaving without them would be idiotic and pointless. That’s not even taking into consideration the certainty of getting lectured for hours by them if I do. And their lectures make you want to simultaneously take the closest gun and shoot yourself from boredom and curl up in a ball.

I can’t leave without getting a closer look – a hand print if I’m lucky.

My heart pounded as I thought of what I was going to do – it was stupid and reckless, most likely going to end up with me shoved in an alcove with my throat slit like the other woman, but that made it all that much more fun.

You’re complete disregard for danger amuses me, the Wind whispers, and I can picture them smirking in my head. Bastard.

I step out from the edge of the room, a pitiful man startling as he just notices my presence. Gliding out among the people like a wraith, my dark blue dress swishing around my ankles, I make my way towards him.

The one thing they forgot to mention was his name. They had said it wasn’t important, an unnecessary detail that wouldn’t assist nor hinder her mission. Which, when thinking about how she had to practically befriend him and talk to him directly, made no sense.

Henry Acklson, the Wind whispers, also agitated at how little we are told.

When Henry pauses his scanning to talk to a red haired man, I walk closer, plucking a glass of whisky from a tray moving past me. I bring it to my lips, eyes looking casually around the room though I focus on what they’re saying. It’s nothing interesting – talk about new estates and gossip – though I remember it anyway for when they ask me.

I get closer to him, now only a few steps from being directly behind him, and bring the glass once again to my lips – a perfect way to hide the stupid and reckless thing I’m about to do. If they knew, I would definitely be dead.

Now directly behind him, I whisper with a deeper voice, so that only he can hear.

“I know what you did,” I see him tense from the corner of my eye as I pause to smile at a passing man. His teeth are yellow and moustache is disgusting – I choose not to look at him again.

“Henry, did you hear about Lucinda? Her mother claims she got sick again, my mother thinks she’s only doing it to get money out of Richard.” The red heads voice is shrill and sounds unnaturally like a mouse, and Henry nods along, humming his agreement.

“What a strange place to hide a body I must say,” I say again, knowing he won’t turn when he’s talking to the red head but will the moment he gets the opportunity.

Moving away from him quickly, I discard the whisky on a tray and grab a glass of champagne – a much more innocent drink that the women of this court consumed than the ever so manly whisky.

Quickly devoured by the crowd, I weave my way to the edge of the dance floor, nothing but a sweet woman swaying to herself as she watches couples dance.

He’s coming, the Wind whispers. This will be fun.

When a hand touches my arm, I jolt out of my reverie of watching the dances, turning to look. The hand is large, and veins run across the back and lead under the sleeve of his shirt, and just with one look, I know those hands have been wrapped around someone’s neck.

“Can I help you?” I ask, eyes wide in innocence and cheeks filling with a rosy blush at the contact – I throw in a quick glance at his large chest and sculpted face for good measure.

Nothing like acting innocent when you’re guilty. He’s probably familiar with that.

“I am sorry to disturb you, I was just wondering if you had said something to me earlier, I heard someone talking behind me.” His voice was smooth, a charming smile on his lips. If I wasn’t gay I’d find him attractive. Both the men and women around me send him sneaky glances from beneath their lashes or the corner of their eyes – do they really want to fuck a serial killer?

“Oh, no, I didn’t say anything, should I be flattered that you think so, sir?” I glance shyly at the ground, a small smile on my lips, eyes filled with an affection that made my insides recoil.

“I apologize, though now that I’ve started talking to you I want to continue when sadly I can’t, may I expect to see you later?” He asks, his hand on my arm starts to move up to my shoulder.

I hold back the shiver of disgust.

“Most certainly.” I blush at how desperate I sound, when all I am desperate of is to get away.

“What is your name?” he asks, sending an appreciative look at my body, “I would like a name to put to such a beautiful face”

I scream inside my head, but on the outside I blush, “Abigail, and what may your name be, sir?”

“What an exquisite name for such an exquisite woman,” he smirks as my blush deepens, “My name is Henry, and I apologise for having to cut this lovely conversation short, but there is something I must attend to.”

Probably the body, I hope it’s a pain to get the blood out of the groove of the tiles.

His hand trails down from my arm to my hand, lifting it to his mouth. He places a kiss, his lips smooth, and smiles, “Until we meet again.”

He lets go of my hand, and with a final nod and smirk, he disappears into the crowd.

I wanted so desperately to let the innocent act drop, to make the pathetic blush disappear, to wipe away the bugs that crawled on my skin from his touch – but people were watching and sending jealous looks out of the corner of their eye.

The wind whispered in my ear, telling me of Henry’s hurried footsteps towards the exit.

I shouldn’t follow him – I got what I had to – but I couldn’t stop my body moving.

I weave through people, smile and blush disappearing with each step, the mask tucked away in a far corner of my mind. Flashes of bright dresses and dark suits are like a sea whipping all around me, a dizzying tornado and whirlwind of music as it reaches its crescendo. The air is heavy under the weight of hundreds of lungs, the floor pulsing with the heart beats of lovers and loners.

The chandeliers cast shadows on the walls, cheeks of smiling women and eyes of men capturing its warm glow. Exquisite paintings of angels and demons on the ceilings grin down at me, snickering to themselves as I spot Henry.

The predator has returned to the surface, his shoulders tense and head high. He stalks through the crowd, focused on one thing – the blond haired man from before.

The blond turns the corner, sending a quick departing wave to his friends that turn the other way, unaware of the killer yapping at his heals that already is dreaming of his demise.

If I’m to do anything, it has to be now, even as stupid as it is.

I have his hand print, I’ve seen what he looks like and can identify him – my mission’s officially over. But he’s on the prowl, steadily growing close to the man he intends to kill.

I’m meant to leave, get in a carriage and ride to the hotel down the street where I can tell them everything. But that man is about to die if I don’t do anything.

Growling at my own stupidity, I turn down the corridor and in the direction of Henry and the blond haired man, hoping like hell I don’t get killed because of this.

[rheawindsor]

⌜   DEMIGIRL, SHE / HER / THEY / THEM   |   home by x ambassadors & machine gun kelly & bebe rexha, ravenclaw, intp   ⌟    ⏤   meet RHEA LYNN WINDSOR ; a TWENTY year old who kind of resembles CHLOE BENNET, don’t you think? they originally hailed from LONDON where they lived with their parent, PRINCE JOHN (   ROBIN HOOD   ), but word is that they’ve been continuing their pursuit of their veterinary surgery degree at WDA for the past year. they’ve always been pretty ENTHUSIASTIC & ALTRUISTIC, but have gotten way more HEADSTRONG & LOQUACIOUS since they woke up. maybe their power of SOUND MANIPULATION can help in taking down the dome. you can check out her stat page HERE & her pinterest board HERE.

q.   does your body ever ache with all the PEOPLE you will never be?                           a.   always, always.

part one of two : the backstory.    (   trigger warnings for death during childbirth, abuse / mental & physical, death... in general.   )  

born imelda innes on the 28th of august, 1998, in a liverpudlian maternity ward. her birth mother, esme, had always planned on placing her into the system ; and at just a few months old, prince john and his wife, duchess elizabeth, chose her for their family.

she was the third of three, at that point in time, with two older siblings - jackson, and meghan.

john = a terrible father. elizabeth = a wonderful mother. neither had thought it possible for them to have biological children after being told as much by the castle doctors, so adoption had seemed the natural route to secure an heir. rhea was two when this changed, and her mother fell pregnant.

complications led to the worst. baby stephanie, the fourth and youngest, was happy and healthy ; but as she had entered the world, elizabeth had exited. their young lives were forever shaped by this event.

john resented them all, and by god, did they know it. jackson, by grace of being the eldest and HEIR APPARENT, only had it mildly better than the rest. and rhea suffered. 

for much of her young years, it stopped at words. john had a way with them. rhea was nothing but a nuisance ; a reminder of the goodness of his late wife’s heart. he reminded her, almost daily. she would have been nothing without him, just a poor little orphan girl, forgotten to the system - and he could take it all away, if he wanted. 

whoever said that words would never harm them was wrong. rhea’s whole being was formed upon them, and who could wonder why she ended up the way she did - when your worth is called into question every single day, it would have been amazing if she had come out the other side fine.

she had only some reprieve. her siblings were everything to her - her only peers, her only friends. she looked up to jackson and meghan, and she cared for stephanie ; sharing a room with the youngest from the time she was born until such a time as john decided that it wasn’t suitable, anymore. and then there was her uncle ; her darling, dearest uncle. king richard had only grown more humble in his old age, and KIND - and rhea took a particular shine to the man who was more a father to her than john ever was. when john lost his head and ordered rhea away, it was richard who overturned it. when he took her favorite things as misguided punishment, it was richard who replaced or found them. 

and then she got older. and things complicated, when john began raising his hand to her. there was just one thing that richard couldn’t step in and save her from - and john soon learned what that was. 

each of the windsors being sent to walt disney academy was a richard idea, and it was one proposed many a time that john would promptly shut down. he liked to be in control of their lives, you see, and had no guarantee of the same if they were gone. it took years to break him down - and one very solemn reminder that richard outranked him at every turn, so long as he lived beneath his roof - for john to relent.

wda was the first taste of freedom that rhea had ever had. catholic all girls schools had made way for homeschooling after a certain point, so she had to adjust to the way things worked in america before all else. but she took to it - more than she had anything, and it helped that she was out from beneath her fathers thumb.

with her freedom, she set her sights on her dream - becoming a veterinary surgeon. and she adopted pets. too many of them, really - but each one of them dear to her heart. she’d tried to have them before, only for john to do what he did ; taking them away.

things were going WELL. of course, she almost died in the earthquake - but she took it, much as she could, within her stride. things only took a true turn for the worst when rhea’s uncle died. it happened while jack was visiting home ; and not one of the windsor siblings believes it was natural causes. the kings death placed his brother on the throne, and john wasted little time in exerting his power over his family - the only ways he knew how.

part two of two : what u missed on glee.

a whole lot more happened but frankly . i don’t care. ANYWAY ! 

after what happened with calder - them being together, him leaving - rhea went through an obligatory sad girl patch. he was the first, and honestly, only person to make her feel like she was worth something, or pretty. she really liked him, and it hurt a great deal when he left. but she powered through. it was the first real heartbreak of her life, and it’ll always be the one that hurts the most, really - but at least she wasn’t dead, right? small victories.

fueled by everything that was happening at home, and now, what had happened at school, rhea began the long search for her birth family - convinced that with them she would find something she had been missing for her entire life. a dna kit led her to the realization that a chunk of her own dna isn’t even human ; leading her down another rabbithole that paused, momentarily, as the rest of her life took precedence. 

almost immediately after, however, rhea caused a scene at a dinner that john was throwing for her siblings and the families of each of their betrothed. it had been boiling up for a long time - ever since she had found out about cain’s existence, really, but mostly since they’d hung out some on their supervised walks in the gardens and whatnot and he’d started to annoy her. one thing led to another during the course of the evening, and after one wrong word from john, she had snapped. she said some things she didn’t mean - and mostly things she DID, and the next day, word came back to john that cian’s family were unhappy with the betrothal and were calling it off. he was furious, but rhea was already on her way back to school ; she hasn’t seen him NOR her ex-betrothed since.

she made out with felicia schreck at a party, which in turn led to her becoming comfortable in labelling herself as pansexual - something she’d never entirely been sure on, and hadn’t been given the space to think about. this self discovery has led to a lot more, and rhea is really becoming... a lot more comfortable within her own skin, as late. miles to go and all that, but progress isn’t measured the same as anything else.

dated kaven murdock for a while, and what a MISTAKE that was. she kind of... fell into that relationship, really, on the tailend of all her troubles. in a lot of ways we could say that the stoic hero type reminded her of a certain someone - not the best way to begin a relationship, for sure. they worked together at the shelter, and both of them wanted it to work. the trouble was, kaven has, perhaps always will, be more focused on saving the world than he is his partner at home ; and after dozens of arguments related to him forgetting their dates and her not being able to understand why ( they never reached the ‘i love you’ stage - probably good for both of them - and he never told her about being a vigilante ) they broke up. it wasn’t meant to be, but it certainly helped her on her journey of discovering self love.

she had been distracted by most everything ; a rebound relationship, etc - and she had let herself think of other things than her search, but since she called it quits, she’s been back on that road. she wants to know who she is - and what, but that’s neither here nor there - and we’re picking up at a point where that is really something that takes up ... a lot of her free time and thoughts. 

[legendary-defender-of-fandoms]

Disney/Pixar Movie Night for Team Voltron

(Headcanon for how the Paladins and the Alteans feel about Disney. Mostly focusing on the animated movies, but will throw in a few of the standout live-action movies. Might add Lotor if anyone asks.)

Shiro:

- will suggest a Disney movie night for the team to help them unwind, clear heads, relax after a rough period (may also make it mandatory when he becomes commander of the Atlas)

- tries to let the team decide, but will step in if they start fighting over various movie merits

- loves the classics, admires hand-drawn animation, also enjoys feel-good movies

- May shed a few tears; if a movie brings up painful memories of his year of enslavement, time in the Void, or being controlled/attacked by Haggar, he may step out of the room. Keith will follow to see if he’s ok, Hunk will pause & suggest putting in a different movie

- hums along with the songs during the movie, belts them out in the shower when he thinks he’s alone (and doesn’t realize everyone is standing outside, listening & cheering him on)

- Top 5 favorite Disney/Pixar movies: Sleeping Beauty, Up, Mary Poppins, Lady and the Tramp, Monsters Inc.

Keith:

- totally doesn’t like kids’ movies, obviously, but won’t object if someone else should suggest a Disney movie night (hint hint)

- a Disney purist - will be the first to correct someone if they misidentify something as Disney

- Lance loves to annoy Keith by calling Anastasia a Disney Princess, or telling everyone his favorite Disney movie is Shrek

- definitely doesn’t cry during movies, but will sound a bit choked up if someone tries to talk to him after an emotional scene

- not really a singer, but he will nod along, maybe tap his foot. Enjoys listening to the others sing along

- Top 5 favorite Disney/Pixar movies: Brother Bear, Lion King, Treasure Planet, Lilo and Stitch, Tarzan

Lance:

- as the youngest in his family & the one most often put in charge of watching his younger cousin, Lance is quite the Disney connoisseur

- tried to get Allura to agree to a Disney movie date night, but she missed the implication & it turned into a group thing

- definitely a Disney Renaissance man, but also enjoys the new Golden Age movies

- will sing along with the group songs if it’s him, Pidge, and Hunk, but will let the two have the main stage for the duets

- “Lance, are you crying?” “What? No. It’s just . . . my allergies are acting up again. The space dust is everywhere.”

- Top 5 favorite Disney/Pixar movies: Aladdin, Tangled, The Little Mermaid, Coco, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Hunk:

- TOTAL Disney nut! Knows all the movies by heart, used to visit the Parks with his family when he was a kid, even sings some of his favorite Disney songs when he’s cooking in the kitchen or working on the Lions

- will watch by himself if everyone’s busy, but prefers to watch with a group (most often with Pidge, but Lance will join them every once in a while)

- when the whole team gets together, Hunk loves to make specially themed snacks for everyone to enjoy during the movie (Mickey head cookies, treats found in the movie itself, cupcakes decorated to look like the main characters, etc)

- tries to keep quiet when he knows someone watching with him hasn’t seen the movie before, but will sing along with Pidge (and Lance) when it’s just the two of them (or the whole Garrison Trio)

- cries unabashedly, and always brings extra tissues for the members of Team Voltron that swear they don’t cry but always tear up (aka, everyone)

- Top 5 favorite Disney/Pixar movies: The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, The Toy Story movies (loves all of them, but if you twist his arm & force him to choose he’ll say 2), Hercules, Ratatouille

Pidge:

- used to watch Disney movies with her family back on Earth - glad to share this tradition with her space family

- tends to get frustrated by the faulty science in some of the sci-fi movies (Treasure Planet frustrates her to no end)

- has a lot of Disney theories - likes to try to connect all the Disney movies in a shared universe (but won’t cite Descendants or Once Upon a Time in her theories because she says they’re corporate cash-in fan fiction)

- she & Hunk are pretty flexible with the singing roles when it’s a duet - Pidge may sing Rapunzel’s part in “I See The Light,” then take Hans’s part in “Love is an Open Door” (but since Hunk is the one who usually starts singing first, he usually gets to sing the princess part)

- keeps insisting she doesn’t cry during Disney movies, but always finds herself tearing up & stealing Hunk’s emergency tissues

- Top 5 favorite Disney/Pixar movies: Wall-E, Big Hero 6, Mulan, The Incredibles 1 and 2 (counts them as one movie), National Treasure

Allura:

- initially confused when Lance or Shiro suggests watching a Disney movie, but instantly blown away by the magic of hand-drawn animation

- “Can all princesses on Earth speak with animals? I thought my ability to understand the Mice was because of our time spent together in the cryopod, but maybe some of your Earth magic rubbed off on me.”

- doesn’t approve of the movies where the girl waits for a prince to save the day; has 10 escape plans Cinderella could’ve used to get out of her room without waiting for the mice to get the key, 15 defensive techniques Snow White could’ve implemented to disarm the Huntsman, and could fill several books with all the ways Maid Marian could’ve deposed Prince John and ruled England while King Richard was away

- shy about singing when there are others present, but she may find herself humming a few of the more memorable songs when she’s in her room with the Mice

- often caught off-guard by scenes that make her cry - sometimes it’s moments that remind her of life before the War, sometimes it’s just the right combination of music & animation

- Top 5 favorite Disney/Pixar movies: Frozen, Pocahontas, Atlantis, Moana, Inside Out

Coran:

- fascinated by these slices of human culture, might think some of them are true

- “Are you sure Kaltenecker didn’t miss out on any early development? These cows are quite articulate, and can even sing & dance!” “Coran, those are cartoon cows. They’re not real.”

- loves the super-trippy movies, and the movies with anthropomorphic casts (also has a hard time believing animals can’t talk, sing, or serve as cops)

- will sing the Disney working songs while he’s working on the Castle. Everyone can hear him three floors away

- on a scale from 1 to Hunk, Coran is a solid 7 on the crying scale

- Top 5 favorite Disney/Pixar movies: Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood, Dumbo, Zootopia, Bambi

[kimnamjooonz]

Blank Space - Episode 3

Ready For It

Song Used In This Episode:

Ready For It - Taylor Swift

'Baby let the games begin'

A couple of weeks later, Amanda was back in Caernarfon but everything was different. She was in the countdown for living the most amazing experience of her life. Her parents and Clint were over the moon when she told them what had happened. More than everything they wanted her to be happy and successful. Taylor was a bit under the weather. She wanted to spend the last three weeks with her boyfriend but from one day to the other she had found herself being contacted but all kinds of management agencies basically begging her to convince Amanda (by her stage name of Morgan Llewellyn, of course) to sign with them. On a sunny Sunday morning, they were on a pretty tea shop near Caernarfon Castle discussing future projects. ''I got sent pictures of the place you're staying in NYC.'' Taylor handed Amanda her iPad. Amanda whistled. She thought that she was going to stay in a hotel. Instead she was getting a beautiful place that looked just like Taylor Swift's dreamy apartment that she had seen on her old Instagram posts numerous times. Now she had one just like that. Sweet. ''Look at this place. In normal circumstances I would've never been able to afford even a room in NYC.'' ''And there is more'' Taylor handed her a paper. ''Here's your contract. You'll sign it once you're in New York.'' then she pointed to a string of numbers at the bottom. ''This is your salary.'' Amanda had been too wonderfully happy with getting the lead role of an important movie that she had forgot about the money. Until now, that she was seeing the numbers. ''Hell... eight numbers...'' she laughed out loud. ''I'm a bloody millionaire!'' Some people heard her and looked at her as if she'd had gone crazy. ''You're getting paid a share of it once you get there for your expenses. They'll give you millions, believe me. And that without counting the money you'll make for publicity deals.'' she handed Amanda another paper. ''There you have all the agencies that want to represent you. I suggest you have one here in the U.K and another in New York.'' she pointed to a name on the list. ''This one represents all the big names in Britain: Benedict Cumberbatch, Emilia Clarke, Felicity Jones, Tom Holland and many more.'' ''Sign me'' ''Okay...'' Taylor wrote something down. ''And in New York I think you'll like this one'' she pointed to another name. ''It represents someone you really like: Chris Evans.'' Amanda felt proud of herself at this moment. ''Sign me up. Now.'' ''Okay. And IMG Models wants to sign you too.'' before Amanda could say something Taylor kept talking. ''You'd get good deals with them. They think that in less than a month you can be the face of Chanel, Cartier, Hugo Boss, all the brands that you like and you could never afford. They told me that you'll get those contracts with ease. They told me something about your very rare eye colour and how it reminded them of Elizabeth Taylor's. The brands will go crazy for you and your classic Hollywood look.'' It was true. Since she had started acting she always been told that she had something of classical Hollywood actresses like Vivien Leigh or Elizabeth Taylor. Maybe it was her looks or the grace with she carried herself. ''One thing'' Amanda's mind had wondered off. ''Don't ever make me date anyone for publicity. Not even my co-star or anyone else. If I date someone, let it be real.'' Taylor had to laugh. Amanda was talking as if she knew a lot about relationships when she had never had a serious one. Three dates with the same guy, her co-star in Richard III, was her record and she had kept calling him Richard when his name was Michael. But Amanda in Hollywood was a real danger and she'll have to keep an eye open for her. ''Just don't become a public serial dater. If you want to do it, do it lowkey. I don't want to deal with it.'' ''I won't be a serial dater. When had I been something like that?'' It seemed like it was the time for Taylor's daily 'roasting Amanda' session. ''You don't date people here because no one is on your level'' Amanda had to admit she was right. ''But you'll meet handsome and famous people that you're going to like. What happens when you meet Chris Evans or someone similar? I don't doubt it he'll be interested and probably you too. The problem is you'll probably ghost him if you ever get a chance with Stan.'' If that improbable scenario happened, it wouldn't be the first time that Amanda ghosted someone. That had happened so many times before that it was impossible to count. ''You're talking as if I'll knock Chris Evans off his feet. Thank you for your faith. And Sebastian has a girlfriend now'' no matter what, Amanda was still bitter about that. ''I don't have chance.'' ''Do you even believe in what you're saying? Or are you being fake modest? You're Hollywood hottest newcomer and the poducers are hyping you and your mesmerizing deep blue eyes up to the roof. And he is on the list of candidates to be your co-star. Just please, don't be a homewrecker.'' Amanda almost spitted out the tea she was drinking. ''Oh. My. God. I can't believe this. A homewrecker? Really? He's not married, you know? He's been with this chick for two weeks, if so. I don't even rememeber the gal's name, just saying. But 'homewrecker' may be one the best things you ever said to me.'' She grabbed a cookie, dipped it in the tea and ate it. ''The best is probably 'Soul-crushing excuse of a human being'. Which you are when you want.'' ''If you're worried...'' Amanda went bact to the topic of his co-star. ''Thimothee Chalamet is probably getting the role. I think Sebastian can't do it because of his agenda. I'm not complaining, I like Thimothee. And I got the lead role in an important movie. Why would I want Sebastian?'' she asked with raised eyebrows. ''Because if you have the slight chance of getting both, the lead role and Sebastian,  you're going to go for it. I know how your mind works and it's dangerous. If you end up working with the guy just be decent and keep your distance.'' Amanda glanced at her cup of tea. ''I promise I won't get into any kind of trouble'' she said with all the innocence in the world. Taylor could have sworn that she had seen a subtle smile on Amanda's face for a second but when she looked back at her, she was still looking at the cup of tea. Maybe Taylor was imagining things.

The day before Amanda and Taylor left to NYC, Amanda's parents made a nice farewell dinner for them at the farm. Her brother Clint and his wife Lila were there, as well as Josh Barrowman, who was Taylor's boyfriend, with his brother Adam and Taylor's parents and two sisters. Amanda was using his usual spot on the table, at the head of it. She's been sitting there since she could sit on a chair without falling. She wasn't talking with anyone, just listening to Josh Barrowman's loud laugh. She just hoped that with time and distance Taylor made up her mind and dumped Josh's local ass once and for all. Both of her parents were talking to Taylor's parents about hers and Clint's academic achievements. ''They got five GCSE's'' her dad said, with quite a defeated voice. ''But this is quite decent'' said Taylor's mum. ''Taylor got seven. Just two more than Amanda.'' ''Five between both of them. Clint got two and Amanda three.'' Amanda had never been brilliant in nothing academic related. She was smart and she liked learning but she hated studying and she hadn't had time to study for her GCSE's as she was rehearsing for a role she had got at the Shakespeare Globe. It was a miracle that she had turned up to most of the exams and even more of a miracle that she had passed three of them ''That's scandalous" said Josh with his loud voice. ''What are you going to do with your life, Amanda?'' She looked pensive for a second. ''I don't know, Josh. Maybe... star in a movie, work with the best people in Hollywood, be the face of luxury brands, earn millions and someday win an Oscar.'' she shot him a venomous smile. ''I don't need math for this. I'm an actress not an accountant.'' Josh couldn't thing of any useful comeback. After all she was right. Her life was the shining lights, the fame, the thrill before going on stage, the influential people and the applause, not a normal life working 9 to 5 in a normal job. Taylor just wanted Josh to shut up. ''Who needs good grades.'' said Clint with the same venomous smile as his sister. ''I was a disaster at school and now I'm a successful rugby player. I'm on the Welsh national team and I'm leaving Cardiff to London because I got signed by the last league champions, the Saracens!'' The three Ward-Prowse cheered. They were in a good moment with Amanda getting her first lead role and Clint playing for the most important rugby team in Britain. ''We're taking on the world'' Amanda was quite proud. Then she looked at Lila, who didn't look as happy with the prospect of leaving Wales. The word 'local' formed in Amanda's mind. But she didn't say anything. There was no bad blood between the two sisters in law but there was not much love either. Lila had always been of the opinion that Amanda was immature, calculating, egomaniac, chaotic, frivolous and had a diva demeanour that was very unsettling and intimidating. On her part Amanda was of the opinion that her brother could do better. It was the same feeling she had with Taylor and Josh. If the idiot hadn't been so eager to marry young Amanda could have settled him up with one of her future actress or model friends that were going to be as glamorous and dazzling as Amanda herself. Lila was not going to miss Amanda's chaotic presence any time soon. Good luck to the New Yorkers at handling her. At some point along the night Amanda quietly left to her bedroom without almost anyone noticing. She was a bit overwhelmed by the situation. She was leaving in less than ten hours and she couldn't wait. Only Adam Barrowman noticed her absence and he told Clint. ''Your sister left.'' ''She's leaving tomorrow. She needs to rest.'' ''Clint, if I ask her out when she comes back, do you think she'll accept?'' For a moment, Clint thought that Adam was joking. ''You don't get it, don't you?'' Adam shook his head. ''She's epically out of your league and she's not coming back any time soon. She's just starting her career and I bet you all my money that she'll stay in New York for a long time. But forget it, she won't be living here anymore. Next month she'll be befriending glamorous people and leaving fancy places holding hands with Captain America. That will be her life from tomorrow onwards.'' This silenced Adam for a while. These Ward-Prowse had the special ability of shut up the Barrowman brothers whenever they wanted.

Amanda was in her room, packing some last minute things and watching an old episode of Doctor Who. One of her cats were lazily sleeping on her bed. No matter what, a part of her was going to miss the peace and quiet of coming back to her room after a long day and cuddling her cats with a cup of tea and the company of Doctor Who. ''Amanda, are you here?'' it was Taylor who was calling her. ''The door is open'' Amanda was packing a graphic shirt with the picture of a Dalek and the word 'Exterminate!' on it. ''I can't believe you're taking this thing with you'' she pointed at shirt. ''I'm not leaving it. You know I love my shirts with messages.'' No one could rock a graphic shirt with high waisted pants, a leather jacket and impossible high heels like Amanda. ''Whatever you say. I can picture all the world stealing your look and wearing shirts with Daleks on it. But I wanted to tell you something.'' Taylor braced herself. ''Josh proposed to me.'' To her surprise, Amanda didn't say a thing. She just opened her deep blue eyes. ''That is up to you. If you want to marry him, go ahead. But there's no way in hell I'm taking Josh to New York. This is not a field trip, this is my career. I'll just have to find a new agent.'' she rolled her eyes. ''Great. Fantastic. I'll be your maid of honour if I don't have to film this day. Or go to an award show. Or a date with a hot actor. Or... anything of the sort.'' The subliminal message of her rant was 'Go and ruin your life while I live my dream. You had a chance of sharing a little bit of my fame but you chose Josh Barrowman instead. What a pity, bye.'' ''Amanda, just shut up for a second. I didn't accept his proposal. I told him no.'' Amanda, who didn't have a drop of empathy in her body when it came to relationships just smiled. ''Well done! Now you have your job back. I hope you dumped him in the process so you're a free agent once again and I can set you up with someone really interesting that's on your level.'' ''Can you stop being so insensitive for a second?'' Taylor didn't got offended anymore with Amanda's crudeness. She had got used to it many years ago. ''We're taking an break that I don't know how much will last. You words got into my head. I don't want to settle down yet. I want to go to New York and see the world.'' ''You'll fall in love with it. You'll never want to get back here with Josh.'' ''Is it bad that I'm not even sad? I'm relived, to be honest. Oh no, maybe I'm becoming a creature like you'' she look at Amanda as if she were some dangerous alien. ''You say it as if it is a bad thing. Let me remind you that you were the one that got proposed by Josh Localman not I. This creature still wins''.

Her mother woke her up at six a.m the next morning. Amanda was still cuddling her cat and Doctor Who was still playing. ''Am, it's time to go.'' her mother shook her a little and Amanda immediately jump from the bed. ''Your dad already has your luggage on the car and Taylor is waiting for you.'' she noticed her mother's hand shaking a little. She was perfectly dressed in just a few minutes, with her make up flawless and wearing a perfect 'airport outfit' that consisted in skinny jeans, high heels, a chic white shirt and a leather jacket. ''Do you realise that after an eight hour flight you're going to feel like trash with those heels and jeans?'' asked Taylor when she saw Amanda. Taylor was just wearing comfortable leggings with a shirt and trainers. Comfort was always first for her. ''I'll smile through it.'' Amanda was saying good bye to her two Corgies, Captain Jack Harkness and Doctor River Song. She had said goodbye to the cats already. ''I'll miss my two babies.'' ''You haven't said goodbye to the sheep yet.'' her dad told her. Among all the sheep her parents had, she had a favourite. ''What I'm going to do without you, Lady Macbeth?'' she hugged the animal for a long while. ''She lost her mind'' Taylor mumbled. After the goodbyes to the animals, they went on their way to Anglesley, that had the nearest international airport. It was just a thirty minute ride that went by too fast. ''Call us when you get there.'' her father hugged her tightly. ''We'll miss you lots. Next time you come you'll be a star.'' ''Am, just be careful. Don't cause any scandal and don't break too many hearts.'' her mother kissed her forehead and hugged her. ''You girl...'' Clint gave her a bone crushing hug. ''...are going to conquer New York and become its Queen. I want to see you in every magazine being praised for your talent and beauty. If someone breaks your heart, break their necks afterwards.'' ''Clint!'' their mother shouted. ''It was just a joke, mum. Amanda won't murder anyone.'' Taylor was a river of tears while saying goodbye to her parents and Amanda basically had to drag her towards the check in. ''Take her of each other!'' her mother shouted. ''We will, mum!'' Amada shouted because Taylor was crying so hard that she couldn't speak. Amanda comforted her with coffee and bagels and after a while she was better. ''This is the worst part but when we get into that plane it'll be better'' said Amanda. ''Probably you're right'' Amanda was basically freaking out when she found out that they were travelling in first class. She immediately installed on a seat and before taking off she already had her Spotify playlist ready. Taylor just wanted to sleep. She was terrified of flying and the best was to sleep during most of the way. ''Tay, I guess we should start getting used to my stage name. For now on is Morgan and just Morgan.'' ''Even between us?'' ''Yeah. At least in New York. You don't want to slip my real name in front of people.'' ''Okay, Dear Morgan.'' ''That's better.'' Amanda curled up on the seat listening to the soothing voice of Ed Sheeran. Taylor fell asleep almost immediately.

At some point during the flight Amanda may have fell asleep because she suddenly woke up with Taylor shaking her. ''Amanda... sorry... Morgan, we're landing in twenty minutes. Sort yourself because you look like a mess.'' With shaking hands she retouched her make up and tidied her hair. Then she went on to look through the windows. ''I can see New York.'' she was taking pictures. ''You know I hate heights''. Thankfully for Taylor, the ordeal didn't last and in ten minutes they were safely on firm earth. Amanda couldn't stop talking while they went through customs and during the whole process of leaving the airport. ''Morgan, you made it. We're here'' Taylor said when they had taken one step out of the airport. ''Welcome to New York.''

P.S. Happy New Year!! I hope it brings great things to me and everyone that’s reading this. I wish I can get Morgan’s life in 2019 lmao. 

I’ll post the next episode next Monday. 

[allthephils]

Repose

Read on ao3  

Word count: 3592 Rating: M (language, adult themes, drinking, mentions of sex, sleeping beauty au)

Chapter 4

It rained the whole way home. Phil watched the water dribble down over the window. He was glad the sun had disappeared behind grey clouds. It’s exhausting being sad in good weather. Louise was kind enough to let him alone on the drive, except for the occasional pat to the knee when she noticed him wiping a tear. Phil felt so much grief, like he was walking away from Dan forever. He’d already been through this process and those old wounds stung in a new, deeper way.

When you’re in love with a member of the royal family, you don’t have to try to stay abreast of that person’s well being. Phil had actively avoided any news about Dan but he still had constant reassurance that he was was alive and well. Now, there was no guarantee that Dan would be either of those things. If all this curse nonsense was true, one of those eligible women could well be his destiny. The royal decree had been clear, whoever delivered the kiss that woke Daniel from his sleep, had the right to marriage and all that entails. The other possibility was that none of those women were Daniel’s true love and he would stay locked in sleep forever. There was a third option as well, that there was no curse and Daniel was just in some sort of unusual variety of coma. He could be lost before they even knew what was happening, and not to sleep, but truly lost. Phil couldn’t fathom the last one, but he honestly didn't know which of the first two was worse.

Louise had to get home to Darcy. She gave Phil a tight hug at the curb with promises to check in and reminders that he could call her anytime, day or night. He tried to tell her how grateful he was for her but the rain came down and they were cut short. Phil brushed his teeth and took a shower. He really just stood under the water, trying to feel something other than grief and sadness and frustration. Phil just wanted to climb into bed but it was only 3 in the afternoon and he didn’t want to risk causing himself a sleepless night in the state he was in. He pulled on his Star Wars pajamas and went to grab t-shirt from his drawer. He dug to the bottom to find a really old, soft one. When he saw the green pattern, he wondered which shirt it was for a moment until he realized it was Dan’s Versace. It had been left behind in the laundry but Phil always thought Dan left it on purpose. He knew Phil hated that shirt. It was hideous and spending over 100 pounds on a t-shirt was just wrong. Now though, as he slipped it on, it felt precious to him.

Phil padded in socked feet down to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. He carried the mug to the sofa and turned on the television. He couldn’t be bothered to put in a DVD so he scrolled through amazon video and played Jurassic World. Watching Chris Pratt flex and fight dinosaurs sounded like an ideal distraction. Just as he pulled a blanket over his legs, his phone rang, like actually rang. He almost ignored it, completely unwilling to take on human interaction right now, but he didn’t get many calls, it could be urgent. It was Phil’s brother, Martyn.

“Hey Martyn.”

“Hey buddy.” His voice was overly kind.

“What’s up Martyn, I’m kinda busy.”

“Yeah I see you’ve had a busy day. You’re quite the hero on Twitter and Tumblr. Mum’s not loving it but I think she is secretly a little proud.”

“Excuse me?” Phil wanted to throw the phone across the room. Couldn’t he get one day off from all of that? “What are you on about?”

“Phil, I saw the video of you at the castle gate. It’s pretty impressive, I have to say. I don’t want to say I’m surprised but I’m surprised. You stood up for what’s right. The hashtag was bound to happen, it’ll blow over.” Martyn talked to someone on his end for a moment. “Cornelia says to tell you she ships it.”

All at once, Phil remembered, #Phaniel. He hadn’t told his family about Dan, he couldn’t. They knew he had had a boyfriend and that it ended badly. Martyn had come to see him in those dark post break up weeks. As far as Martyn was concerned, Phaniel was no different than Phimmy or Philirific. There was a knock at the door, a merciful interruption. It was the first time in his life, Phil had been happy someone was at the door, except all the times Dan had knocked of course.

“Thanks Martyn and tell Corn I love her. I’ve gotta run, someone’s knocking on my door.”

Martyn tried to argue but Phil hung up, pretending not to hear. He got up and hoped whoever was at the door was ready for the stunning outfit he was sporting. It was a courier of sorts, or was it a process server? “Philip Lester?” He asked, looking down at his clipboard.

“Yes?” Phil felt a twinge of nerves, what was all this about? He really hoped he hadn’t been sent a stripper as he was really not in the mood. They handed over a rather impressive looking envelope with Phil’s name and address written in beautiful calligraphy. The clipboard was shoved into his hands, “Sign for receipt please.” Phil was baffled but he signed, hesitating a moment because he almost wrote amazingPhil. The courier nodded a thanks and turned to leave.

Phil closed the door behind him and sat on the sofa. He turned the envelope over in his hands. There was an honest to god wax seal on the back. He peeled it away, opened the flap, and pulled out the letter. The paper felt wonderful in his hands, it was weighty, and soft to the touch. He held it up to the light and saw the fibers of cotton dispersed throughout. The black ink was deep and rich and Phil marveled that the letter was hand written. He expected some kind of royal decree, an order to cease and desist, or maybe even a restraining order, but that’s not what he read.

Mr. Lester,

It has come to our attention that your presence at Prince Daniel’s bedside may have had an effect on his well being. The queen requests your return to discuss your visit with the royal physician. Your continued involvement may or may not be desired by her majesty and any further invitation will be extended at a date and time yet to be determined. A car will be sent for you tomorrow morning at 8.

With regards,

Virginia Richards

Senior Secretary

to her Majesty the Queen

Phil snapped a photo and sent it to Louise, who responded simply, with WTF? After Jurassic World, Phil watched an episode of Black Mirror and ordered Thai food. He went to bed early since he’d be getting up in the morning like a normal adult human, for the second day in a row.

Sleep came easy and he dreamed of dragons and enchanted swords, of thorny vines that wound their way up and over Windsor Castle. He saw pink roses, the color of Dan’s lips, bloom between the thorns. Phil, in his dream, approached the gate, his sword dragging behind him, and the thorny tangle unwound and opened to him. He walked through and climbed a winding staircase, dropping his weapon somewhere along the way. Dan lay in repose in a tower surrounded by an artificial night, the moon shone down on his face, and stars drew constellations around him. Phil leaned over to kiss him and Dan’s lips felt cold against his. As Phil stood, Dan’s arm dropped off the bed, limp at his side. Phil woke with a start and checked the time, 6am. He didn’t feel rested, he felt like he’d run a marathon. Nevertheless, he got out of bed and into the shower. He made coffee and forced some cereal down. He took his time dressing but wore his usual plaid shirt and jeans. Phil had no idea what was ahead but he wasn’t feeling particularly eager to please. Seeing Dan again was his only incentive to cooperate and he held on to a sliver of hope that maybe Dan was doing better, maybe he could help him.

Louise practically bounced in her seat, Phil’s phone in her hand. Opposite her, Phil was stress eating, inhaling pizza. He was already on his 3rd slice.

“You have him programmed into your phone as Dan?”

“He told me to call him Dan! What was I supposed to put, Prince Daniel, Duke of Cambridge, future king of England, the one with the nice arse?”

“That’s more accurate, so yes.” Louise thought out loud, “He’s clearly into you. You need to seem interested but not overly excited. He probably gets all kinds of crazy attention.”

“What do you mean, clearly? We said 2 sentences to each other and I was a bumbling mess. Anyway, he said he hoped we’d be friends.” He started on slice 4.

Louise looked Phil dead in the eye. “Are you serious? So you think a prince who has been skirting gay rumors since he was 16 gave his bodyguards the slip and stalked a super cute guy with a matching haircut because he wanted to be friends? You think he hands his phone number out to strangers on the regular?”

Phil blushed, “Guess not.” Louise hit send and handed the phone back.

“Oh my god, you sent it!?"

Phil: Hi Dan, It’s Phil, from the bakery. Sorry you had to run. Can we pick up where we left off?

The phone vibrated and Phil jumped, slamming it face down on the table with a small yelp. Louise rolled her eyes and picked it up, reading aloud.

Dan: Phil! You texted me! I wasn’t sure you would. Does this mean I get to see you again?

Phil put his head down on the table to hide his burning cheeks. He was terrified and giddy and insanely flattered. Louise leaned over and shook Phil by the shoulders.

“Oh. My. God. Philip!”

Phil played it as cool as he could, saying he’d love to hang out but he did have a lot to do this week. This was an absolute lie considering Phil had literally no schedule and no one to answer to but himself. Dan told Phil that he’d be spending the next 2 days in Hackney, helping primary school kids plant a vegetable garden, but that Saturday would be a perfect night to meet up.

Saturday night at 8:30, there was a knock at the door. Phil looked in the mirror, repaired his splinges, and unbuttoned his top button. He opened the door and waved stiffly at Dan who waved back in a sweet attempt at breaking the tension. He followed Dan out the front door to a waiting car. A strong looking guy in a suit held the door open for them and they climbed in. Phil recognized him from the bakery and Dan introduced him as Dennis. Dennis did not say hello, but leaned in and handed Phil an Ipad. “Standard non-disclosure agreement, sign with your finger please. And I’ll need to see your ID.”

“Nice to meet you too, Dennis.” Phil snarked. He pulled his ID out and showed it to Dennis, then signed the screen. Dennis shut the door and walked around to the front passenger seat.

“Sorry about him, he really is a nice guy.” Dan said.

Sometimes, YouTube sent cars to take Phil to events. He tried to pretend this was no different, that there wasn’t a bodyguard in the front seat and a prince sitting next to him.

“So, where are we going?” In an effort to avoid staring longingly at Dan’s beautiful face, Phil watched the scenery go by through the tinted window. It was going to take some time to see him as flesh and blood and not the heartthrob Phil had been stanning for months.

“Knightsbridge.” Dan said, “A few of my friends are having a party in this amazing apartment. You’ll love it. There should be food there if you’re hungry.”

Phil liked a very particular kind of party, the kind with a few close friends playing board games and eating pizza. What Dan was describing sounded like Phil’s own private hell. There’d be weird food he’d never tried, expensive furniture for him to spill drinks on, and loads of new people to judge him for looking awkward and uncomfortable the whole time. Normally, these types of parties wouldn’t be a problem because Phil would never be invited to one but now he had unwittingly agreed to attend. He was just going to have to be brave, there was no way he was giving up this chance to spend time with Dan.

They pulled up in front of a smart looking building. Dennis got out, exchanged some sort of secret lad handshake hug with the doorman, then leaned against the hood of the car and lit a cigarette. Phil followed Dan into the building and to a private elevator. Dan punched a code into a keypad on the wall and they went up. And up. And up. Phil leaned on the railing and closed his eyes as his stomach traveled into his throat. He took a few deep breaths to recover from the elevator induced motion sickness and straightened himself up. The doors opened onto an opulent lounge the size of Phil’s entire apartment. The longest sofa he had ever seen stretched along the length of two walls, dotted with couples and clusters of people. The sofa was white and Phil vowed to stayed far away from it. A huge wall of windows revealed a balcony with a firepit in the center. Across the lounge, there was a banquet table covered in food. Phil took a step closer to Dan, who leaned in to his ear. “Don’t worry, I hate parties too. This is just one of the few places I can be without hiding. Let’s go loiter by the food.”

Phil exhaled and the two of them hurried through the scattered crowd. They grazed on tiny cakes and Dan served up some strong smelling punch. They drank and chatted about nothing and soon the party disappeared. It was just Dan and Phil, not a prince and a YouTuber, just a couple of dorks debating which is the best Mario Kart. Phil refilled their glasses and eyed a small card set on a plate of hors d'oeuvres.

“Dan, what exactly is an artisanal pickle? And why does it need to be said that it’s gluten free?” Dan laughed, covering his mouth to keep from dribbling. ”Don’t ask me mate, I’m a royal not a hipster.” He handed Phil his glass, moving in close enough that Phil could smell the cherry vodka on his breath. “I need to powder my nose. Be right back.”

Phil watched Dan walk away with perhaps just a bit too much attention, but soon snapped back to realize he was stood alone, at a party, full of posh people he doesn't know. He backed himself into the kitchen and leaned on a counter, staring into his punch. There was a couple making out against another counter but the kitchen was so big, it didn’t seem an issue. Phil began absentmindedly playing with a set of crystal salt and pepper shakers next to him, naming them Dan and Phil, and walking them down an imaginary aisle. Just as he said the second I do, someone sidled up next to him and he jumped, shoving the shakers away so fast, one tipped and spilled.

“You’re amazingPhil.” He was as tall as Phil with a mop of curly hair that hung down into his striking green eyes. Phil was hastily brushing salt off the counter into his hand. He threw a bit over his shoulder to avoid angering any malevolent spirits and let the rest fall to the floor.

“I am. Hey.” He really hoped this guy would walk away but that didn’t happen.

“I’m PJ, so good meeting you.” He shook Phil’s hand briskly and spoke just as fast. “Love your videos. You came with Dan, yes? Dan and I met in grammar school. He’s a grave disappointment to his parents as am I, so we bonded right off the bat. Can I pick your brain about YouTube? I find it fascinating.”

“Hi PJ, It’s eh, good to meet you too but I feel like I should see where Dan ran off to.”

“Oh Dan? He’s right over there.” He gestured over his shoulder. “He got ambushed on his way back from the loo.”

Phil looked over to see Dan talking to a very pretty young woman in tiny shorts and a bolero jacket. Her heels were so high, she could look Dan right in the eye. Her right hand rested on his forearm and the other gesticulated wildly, spilling drops of her drink onto the cream colored rug. Dan caught Phil looking for him and he rolled his eyes and grinned before going back to feigning interest in her non-stop talking.

“So,” PJ drew Phil back in, “you guys a thing then?”

“Me and Dan? Oh no. We only just met. We’re just friends.”

“Really? Hmm. Didn’t look like friends over here canoodling in the corner.” PJ crunched a tiny pickle.

“Canoodling? We weren’t… he’s not interested in me like that.” Phil moved to get himself more punch and PJ followed, standing beside him.

“You see the girl he’s talking to? That’s Iris Spencer. She comes from just the right sort of family and has been educated in all the right schools. If Dan’s father could choose anyone for him to marry, she’d be it.”

“Marry? He not even 19.”

“Well, they’d wait till after university of course. To call her Dan’s ex-girlfriend would be a stretch so let’s just say they’ve spent some time together and she’s not accustomed to being turned down. Anywho, she’s been talking his ear off for a good 20 minutes and he hasn’t taken his eyes off of you.” PJ slurped from his cup of punch to drive his point home. “He’s into you.”

Phil kept his head low but glanced up, trying to discreetly watch the interaction. Dan nodded occasionally but his eyes stayed fixed over Iris’ shoulder, across the room, on Phil. Their eyes met and and Phil bit his lip to keep his smile from spreading too wide. He looked at PJ who grinned and slurped again.

“He’s out of my league.” Phil said, shaking his head softly.

PJ leaned in close and whispered, “Phil, he’s looking at you like you’re a damn buffet and he’s not sure which end to start on. Go. Get. Your. Man.”

Phil sputtered a laugh and looked at PJ with wide eyes. He couldn’t argue with that so he tipped back the rest of his punch and stood up as straight as his nerves would allow. He marched right up to Dan and took his hand.

“Phil! This is… Oh!” Dan was cut off mid-sentence as Phil pulled Dan along with him, never stopping.

Iris fumed, “Oi! Dan!”

Dan looked over his shoulder, “Sorry Iris, got a better offer!” They drew some attention as Phil led Dan out onto the balcony. Phil spotted a huge tub of beers and grabbed two. Dan did the same. They followed the balcony around the side of the building and squeezed past a stack of extra patio chairs to find a few feet of blessed empty space. They both sunk to the ground, giggling. Dan popped the tops of his beers on the slats of a chair and handed one to Phil, who held his own two beers up, “Great minds,” he said as he put them aside.

The clinked their bottles together and Dan opened his mouth to give a toast but paused, “I just realized all the toasts I know are dirty, I don’t want to offend you. You got one?”

Phil though for a second, cleared his throat, and said, “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me then a frontal lobotomy. Cheers!”

Dan chuckled and drank. “Phil, I’m sorry I brought you here. I wanted to go somewhere I could be myself but this scene is garbage, I know that.”

“I dunno. I’m actually having a really good time, Dan. I met your friend, PJ. He’s… interesting. He’s actually pretty cool. I don’t care where we are as long I’m...” Phil stopped himself just in time but Dan wasn’t gonna let him off that easy.

“I’m sorry, what?” Dan stared at Phil, eyebrows raised, hand over his heart. “Phil Lester, were you gonna say, as long as you’re with me ?”

“No. I mean, that’s weird. We just met. I… I just...”

“You were gonna say that!” Dan was getting such a kick out of Phil’s utter embarrassment. “You cheesy mother fluffer. You were playing it so cool, but I broke through, didn’t I? Admit it, you like me? You think I’m fit.” The emphasis Dan put on the word fit had Phil completely flustered. He put his forehead on Dan’s shoulder and groaned. Dan laughed a little to loud.

“It’s ok, Phil.” Dan’s voice softened, “I like you too.”

[pollylynn]

Title: Superhuman WC: 900

“You ever regret it?”  — Richard Castle, Habeas Corpse (7 x 19)

She is not good at everything, whatever he says. Whatever he has always said, it’s simply not true. Their back and forth on the topic of her universal prowess has covered a lot of ground over the years, from the early days when it was more accusation than assertion on his part to the way it’s been these last few years, where he says it—he believes it—and she limits herself to a resigned shake of the head most of the time, because there’s no point in arguing with him. 

Except lately, she wants to argue with him. Lately she feels like she should. Lately, she feels like she might, at any second, yell for him to shut his stupid face, because she is not good at everything. She doesn’t yell, though, because for one thing, his face isn’t stupid. Or it is stupid, it’s just also very sweet and she’s also stupidly in love with it. For another thing, she can’t imagine the shock it would be to him if she were to suddenly revert to the earliest of early days and embark on a litany of things she is not at all good at, just for the wrong-headed Brer Fox satisfaction of contradicting him. 

It would simply be too bizarre. It would invite far too many questions she is not interested in answering, so in the end, she probably won’t yell in his face. More importantly, she probably won’t just confess to this one specific thing that she is not good at. She probably won’t do the sensible, grown-up, obvious thing and tell him that she is not at all good at singing in front of people. 

She sits with that two-pronged reality: She is not good at singing in public, and she is not going to own up that. She doesn’t have much choice, but to sit with it, given that she can’t sleep, she can’t eat, and it’s all she can really do to keep her mind on the case. And given the amount of back-and-forth trash-talking going on at the precinct, she doesn’t really even have the luxury of not having to sit with it at work. 

The situation gets desperate enough that she does own up, to Martha at least. And as it turns out, she inadvertently owns up to him at the same time. Or maybe it’s not so inadvertent. Maybe it’s just . . . unconscious. She knows damned well that privacy in the loft—in so far as it exists at all—is a polite fiction they all mutually maintain. So maybe it doesn’t even qualify as unconscious. Maybe she is just chicken. 

That’s what it comes down to. Or that’s at least what the crisis, made to order by her psyche, is swirling around: This is not a failure of ability. She’s not good at everything, and she’s fine with that. She’s . . . sort of fine with that. The truth of the matter is, she is not generally inclined to try things she might not be good at. She is generally inclined to feign distaste or lack of interest in things she suspects she might not be good at. 

For most of her life, she has feigned lack of interest in singing in any capacity other than “along with the radio.” Until him—until the courage his sweet, stupid conviction that she is good at everything—karaoke was utterly unthinkable, because what if she wasn’t good at it? What if people laughed or threw beer bottles or yawned or used a giant Gong Show hook to pull her right off the stage. What if people actually died because she was not good at it? 

But there’s him. There has been a lot of karaoke, and she’s good at it. She has a better than average voice and the two of them together have stage presence. But she won’t—they won’t—in a non-karaoke context. She’s stupidly sure of it,  and that’s what this comes down to: A failure of courage. 

There should be some heroic third act once she realizes this. There should be a montage, and some tissue-paper-thin reason why she and she alone must not only compete but win the competition to save the community center, the theater space, the neighborhood from the wrecking ball. She should pull a garment bag from the back of her unmarked the very second after they slap the cuffs on Archie Bronstein, and the two of them should race into the benefit just before Jimmy Kimmel is about to bestow the cup on the winner. 

But none of that happens, and she is fine with it. She is better than fine with it, though she shrinks into herself when she has to face the fact that he knows this is a failure of courage. She has to deal with the heat in her cheeks and the strong, if fleeting, desire to dig a hole in the world and pull it in after herself, but she’ll take it. She’ll take his sweet declaration that it’s not stupid, just human. 

In fact, that gives her an idea, and a very good one at that. She is human. She isn’t good at everything. But she happens to be great at a number of things—practically superhuman, in fact—and tonight is a great time to remind him of that. 

A/N: This is all a lie. Beckett is good at all things. It’s not a thing that there’s a thing she is not good at. Once again: Not a thing. 

images via homeofthenutty

[regnumrp]

WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM, ALLIE! YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO SEND IN YOUR BLOG. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!

OOC INFORMATION

Name/Age/Pronouns/Timezone:

Allie/20/She/Her/EST

Activity

6, probably? I’m a full-time college student on top of being a dance teacher, so I’m pretty busy during the day. However, I can typically get at least two posts on Tumblr a day, if not more, depending on my motivation and free-time. 

IC INFORMATION 

Have you met [The Druid]? Introducing [Reuben], the [32] year old [Lord] of House [Alistair]. He is a [Warlock] and bears a striking resemblance to Richard Madden.

Biography:

 Reuben grew up in a house of magic between himself, his younger sister, and his mother. He has always been happy in his home, though he disagrees with his father’s methods more often than not. Despite their differences, he has always tried to get along with his father and he knows that his father is proud of what Reuben does to help the kingdom. When it comes to his sister, Reuben has always been protective of her, despite her own magical abilities that even he admits make her more than capable of taking care of herself, however, after the death of their mother, the protectiveness only grew. He knows that she wishes he would marry, that he would focus all of his attention on The Peacemaker, but he can’t bring himself to leave his sister to her own devices regardless. 

He doesn’t remember when, exactly, he became aware of his magic. It seemed to be something that he has always had, a part of him just like the freckles that appear on his arms when he’s spent too long in the sun. He does, however, distinctly remember the talk his parents had with him, explaining how he had to be careful of using his abilities in public. He also remembers the pride he felt that he was allowed to be included when they had had to explain the same to his sister. 

He and the Peacemaker have been engaged since he was 16, and at first, he found that he did not have a particular opinion on the matter aside from slight indignation that he would not be able to choose whether he even wanted to marry or not. However, as time went on, he quickly grew fond of the younger girl and they became fast friends. Once they reached an age that their parents deemed acceptable for the two of them to travel together, they set out to various places around the kingdom, wherever her kindness and his magic were best suited to help. He’s known for a long time of the Peacemaker’s feelings for him, but while he’s always enjoyed her presence, it wasn’t until a few years ago that he began to match her feelings. Now, he cannot imagine a life without her by his side and hopes that, unlike his father, he will never have to experience it. 

Relationships:

I’m really intrigued by all of the characters, so I would love to just see what relationships form as the story takes place!

In Character Questions

What are your thoughts on being brought to the castle?

Reuben dipped his head with a grin. “I am very honored that such an invitation was extended towards me,” he said. “Though I know we are here for a very solemn reason, I will certainly enjoy the time spent with my family and my fiance.” 

Are you interested in winning the crown? Why or why not?

“Well, I certainly would not turn it down if it was offered,” he replied readily. “I believe my fiance and I have many ideas that could help the kingdom. However, I would be just as satisfied if someone else were to win, so long as they did not abuse their power.” 

Do you think the magical beings should stay hidden or join the humans in the open?

Reuben was quiet for a moment, absentmindedly biting his lip as he thought. “I see no reason why they should stay hidden,” he said carefully, “so long as both they and the humans are willing to live together peacefully. However, if it’s just going to lead to unnecessary bloodshed, then perhaps it’s just as well that the two groups stay separated.” 

Writing Sample (Optional)

Here’s a post from an RP thread that I have! 

Tris’ shaking hands lifted to grasp his wrists as she stared up at him with tear-filled eyes, unsure if she was trying to pull him closer or shove him away. She wanted both, in a way that made no sense and perfect sense all at once. Her body, with its shaky breaths that morphed to gasps for air and a tingling that spread through her limbs causing her to feel like she wasn’t even truly there, wanted nothing more than to shove him as far away from her as possible, wanting to move, to run, until there was nowhere else to go. But her mind… her panicking, jumbled mind, needed him close, if only to remind her that she was safe, that he was grounding her, that she wasn’t going to die as she felt she surely would if she didn’t have him. 

 She could feel the tears trail down her cheeks as a sob finally escaped her lips, shoulders shaking as she freed her face from his light grip only to press herself against him, arms wrapping around his waist as she pressed her cheek against his chest to still allow herself some semblance of being able to breathe. 

“Promise you won’t leave me,” she said pleadingly when she was finally able to control the cries that wracked through her slight form. “Never again. Please.” 

Anything Else?

Fun fact about me: I’m writing a book! Or, trying to! My best friend got me into writing seven years ago and between my interests and personal experiences, a book idea bloomed to life. It has a long way to go, but my dream is to one day have it published. 

[spideytorchbigbang]

2017 Second Claims

Due to interest and the number of artist sign-ups, we’ve decided to open a second round of claims for the 2017 Spideytorch Big Bang. If you were unable to claim to a story in the first round, or you simply want to claim another, please e-mail spideytorchbb@gmail.com with your pick!

Summaries repeated under the cut:

JAILBREAK

Universe: AU [616-based] Rating: M Warnings: college rejection/dropouts, morally grey decisions, breaking and entering, involving a teenager in illegal things, dubious consent due to alcohol (not painted in a good light), manipulation, sexual regret, mentions of canon compliant character death, shady and illegal government organizations, prison Summary: When Johnny Storm is fourteen years old, Reed Richards and Ben Grimm move next door. Due to his sister’s strange attraction to them, and his intense love for his sister, Johnny finds himself sucked further into their world, until one night Reed decides to steal a spaceship and bam – along come the Fantastic Four. At first, the F4 are heroes, but they soon take a menacing turn, and it takes a chance run-in with Spider-Man, the new kid on the block, to remind Johnny that he can be a hero again. But when things take a turn for the worse, Johnny is left alone in a world of heroes, desperately fighting to find his family (and maybe even himself). Or: the Fantastic Four are well-meaning but evil, SHIELD is generally shady, Johnny kisses boys he shouldn’t, Peter Parker has a hot girlfriend and a motorcycle, and Spider-Man is always in Johnny Storm’s corner. 

FAMILY

Universe: 616, but current canon is more of a suggestion than anything Rating: Mature Warnings: Kidfic (but not mpreg), Peter Parker’s Poor Decision Making Skills, Tentacles, Implied Foggy Nelson/Matt Murdock/ Kirsten McDuffie , HEAVILY Implied Venom Symbiote/Flash Thompson Harry Osborn/Flash Thompson and Venom/Harry/Flash, child illness, Johnny Is Shirtless All The Time Because Reasons Summary:   Peter always thought he’d have more of a say over when he had a kid, that it would be something decided between him and his hypothetical lover some time down the line. But between his board of directors insinuating that the public doesn’t trust a single and child-free CEO, and a rather insistent alien queen wanting him as some kind of stud male to save her people,  Peter’s ‘someday maybe’ plan has ended up becoming 'no time like the present’ when said alien queen gifts Peter with an egg. Inside? A baby made up of his and Johnny Storm’s DNA, because name dropping Johnny Storm to get out of hot water was never a good idea. In the face of Johnny’s depression over his still missing family, Peter decides that Johnny could never know the baby was his, too. Instead, Peter invites Johnny to live with him as the baby’s nanny, because living with the guy you have over a decade and a half of repressed romantic feelings for and raising your daughter together under false pretenses is a plan that can’t possibly back fire. Good Job, Pete.

WOLF

Universe: MTV-Teen-Wolf-inspired AU Rating: Mature Warnings: secondary characters’ deaths including a police shooting scene, bullying incidents, scenes with Peter in chains, mild horror content (a wild werewolf chasing and threatening Peter), expletives (swearwords), animalistic characteristics of Peter in some scenes, shapeshifting into a werewolf, violent incidents, some scenes are heavily influenced by the Teen Wolf series Summary: When Peter gets dragged by Gwen into the Central Park in the middle of the night to look for a body he doesn’t expect to be bitten by a werewolf (it’s not like they exist, right?), but that’s exactly what happens. His life takes rapid turn, he’s lost his uncle, a crazed killer alpha werewolf is trying to get to him, and he can’t even control his own body. To make the matters worse the fate seems to like playing with him as it turns out that the only person who can calm him down is none other than Johnny Storm, a self-absorbed cheerleader who seems to embody everything that Peter hates. But maybe being a werewolf won’t be as bad as Peter thought…

SPIDER

Universe: AU Rating: M Warnings: violence, drug addiction as a minor plot point (Harry Osborn), alcoholic parental figure/legal guardian, a lot of bruises and visible physical injuries on Peter, one usage of a homophobic slur, one usage of a racial slur, heavily implied child abuse (and child abuse is discussed), very minor Peter/Flash is sort of there technically, perceived relationship between an adult and a minor, keep your eyes wide open and you’ll still probably miss it but it’s definitely in there reference to canonical childhood sexual abuse, a brief Spanish language conversation that while is not google translate bad I also am not very strong at Spanish, and I think that about covers it Summary: Possibly the worst part of being a superhero was dealing with villains such as the notorious and mysterious Spider. But Johnny has bigger problems to deal with. His girlfriend just left him for some twerp named Peter Parker. He meets the kid and he sort of gets the appeal. Oh god, no. Of course Parker has no clue what Johnny’s talking about when Johnny calls him out for stealing his girlfriend. The Spider has nothing on this sort of terror. Or: AU where Peter Parker chose to be a super villain instead. Featuring Johnny not knowing jack about Les Mis, Snitch the teddy bear, the magic of criminal profiling, “Dorrie Evans? Isn’t she gay?”, and a completely made up super villain origin story.

Additional Information from the author: In this fic Johnny and Peter are both Latino. To be more specific Johnny is Mexican and Peter is Puerto Rican. I felt that was something an artist should be aware of going in.

MULTIVERSE

Universe: Main Universe: 616, Guest Universes: Fant4stic, World’s Greatest Heroes, an original universe or two Rating: T or M Warnings: A character dealing with intense grief over an AU character’s death Summary: Johnny’s been hopelessly in love with Peter almost as long as he’s known him, but he’s never told Peter how he feels. During his lengthy stint in a Negative Zone prison, he promised himself that he’d finally tell Peter the truth if he ever sees him again. He’s been back a few weeks, but he still hasn’t been able to work up the courage. When he and Peter step through the Inhuman Eldrac, a magic door, he and Peter are jointly sent on a trip through the multiverse, where they encounter version after version of themselves, all in different stages of their lives…all of whom are deeply in love. Could Eldrac possibly be trying to tell them something? Featuring mutual pining, angst, babies, weddings, old marrieds, a widower, and tons of Peter being his usual oblivious (and possessive) self.

MORNINGSTAR

Universe: AU Rating: E Warnings: Canon and fairy tale typical violence, references to self-immolation, brief sexual assault (a forced kiss) in an encounter with the villain. The explicit rating is due to consensual sex between Johnny and Peter. Peter is a giant talking spider for part of the fic. Summary: When Johnny makes a deal with the monster that lives in the woods – himself for his sister’s happiness – he doesn’t expect the giant spider to take him to a beautiful castle, or to reveal himself a cursed prince. There’s only one catch: he’s only a man in the darkest night, and Johnny can never see his face. Still, they grow closer, and Johnny is happy with their strange arrangement – until a visit home ruins everything. Now he must travel east of the sun and west of the moon to reclaim Peter from the Goblin King. An East of the Sun, West of the Moon/Polar Bear King-inspired AU.

BARK

Universe: no clear universe, it’s a mashup (character-wise, I follow Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker pretty closely, but Johnny is also a bit of a mashup based on how I see him) Rating: Teen Warnings: canon-typical violence, kissing, injuries, brief nakedness (when Johnny gets turned back to human), Johnny is a literal dog for most of the fic, underage drinking (Johnny is nineteen), cursing (including at least three uses of the f-bomb), animal violence and abuse (dog fighting ring), non-consensual drugging (chloroforming Johnny while he’s in dog-form) Summary: A witch turns Johnny into a yellow lab, effectively leaving him in the middle of New York City with four paws, no way to communicate, and oh yeah - a dog that can flame on isn’t exactly inconspicuous. All his instincts scream for him to run home, but to his confusion, his paws aren’t leading him to the Baxter Building. Aka Johnny Storm turns up at a run down apartment near Empire State University only to discover that the apartment belongs to one Peter Parker. Only problem is, Johnny doesn’t know that Peter is Spider-Man, and Peter doesn’t know that Johnny is a dog.

CIVILIAN

Universe: AU Rating: Teen Warnings: canon-typical violence, identity porn Summary: Peter Parker meets and starts dating Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four, which is unusual, as Johnny is a super-human super-star and Peter is…not. Competing with an adoring public and the frustration of being stuck on the ground while Johnny is up in the sky makes Peter wonder if he fits in with Johnny’s spectacular life. Then he gets a bite from a certain spider and becomes Spider-Man! Problem solved, right? The only issue: Johnny hates Spider-Man. Misunderstandings and hilarity ensue.

This post will remain up until the 20th or until all summaries have been claimed a second time.

[thereadingbee-blog]

Review: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Rating:★★★★★

The last paragraph left me confused, I don't know whether I should stop crying or not but I can't. Review on The Reading Bee's Bookshelf

TW: Abuse, Suicide

"Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak Whispers the o'erfraught heart and bids it break." How can I feel so much joy and so much sadness at the same time?! This is a brilliant book, and I expected nothing less from the author. I have been following her for quite a while as a blogger before she was an author. I have waited for so long for this book to be published and so long to finally have it in my own hands, and it was worth it. Although I wish it had been published before I began my senior year at college, it would have made my Hamlet experience much less traumatizing, and because that never happened, I was so angry at almost all the scenes that had/was influenced by Hamlet. Anyway, have I mentioned that I am in utter shock by that ending? Well, I am! I am so sad and the world seems so unfair. And I don't know how to move past this. I don't know how to stop thinking about that ending. I don't know how to stop being angry, but I think my sadness is taking away some of the anger. The book began in the middle of life, it kind of reminded me of Iris Murdoch, whom I love. But, it also had a rocking start and I was kind of bored until they started discussing Julius Caesar. That is my all time favourite Shakespearean play, and I literally lived all that they had discussed in class. And I love discussing literature, I love the peculiarity of Shakespeare and I love how everyone has his own version of understanding Shakespeare! I love how Shakespeare can still be intertwined within our modern world, it has been 400 years and the man is still rocking the world, I FUCKING LOVE HIM!! IS THIS REPETITIVE?! I DON'T CARE, IT IS TRUE! #WillyShakesFTW Leaving Shakespeare aside (but not entirely), I cannot get other people's reviews who complain about the characters "unrealistic" immersion with Shakespeare from stage to their real lives!! If that hadn't happened, then it would have been unrealistic. When you surround yourself with something that takes a huge part of your life (studying/work/obsession/a book), it becomes your life. I studied philosophy and trust me it is hard to find one true form of yourself when you read too much of it, it ticks your brain. So yeah! For real now, I will try to talk about the book. The plot, for me it was predictable, I knew who would die and I knew who had killed him at the same moment they were all at the dock. How? It was the guilt. I can smell guilt from miles away, I know that stench and it was obvious in the writing, anyone who has ever felt guilty about something would feel it too. That, however, did not lessen the shock value when everything was reviled because it was so fucking emotional!!! Nor it did it make the rest of the book boring because the writing was beautiful, engaging, and thrilling. The thing that shocked me the most though, was that fucking reveal at the end; it destroyed me...Then, I read the last paragraph, and I still don't know how to feel about that, I want more, I wouldn't believe it unless I read it, in an extra chapter, or a novella... The characters. I can't stop wondering that if this was a Shakespearean play, who would have been the tragic hero? Oliver or James. They are so much like Brutus and Caesar, without the backstabbing betrayal. Oliver is not free of flaws, but his goodness makes him seem that way, does that make any sense? He has done numerous mistakes throughout the book, logically speaking, but they don't look like mistakes because he is so humane and good. James, I fucking love him so much, so fucking much that it hurts to think of the ending again. I think he is one of the most conscientiousness characters I have ever had encountered, he low-key reminds me of James Carstairs, one of the noblest characters alive. I loved how he was built, with a little bit of mystery, brilliance, and full on literary. He is the sort of character I would be friends with or even love in real life. I loved him and Oliver and that is why I AM NEVER GETTING OVER THAT ENDING! And, I don't get Oliver's reaction to the news!! It should have been more, I guess.... Now, Richard. He died early on in the book, much like Caesar, but was he?! I kinda understood him and I did love him instantly. I loved his confidence, his success, and his ambition. Like that, he was a Caesar. But, he was also abusive, scary, and a sort of tyrant. Also, like Caesar. The characters were wondering if what had happened to him was because of Julius Caesar, but I think it was Macbeth. He wasn't Macbeth, he wasn't the lead, he wasn't the main focus, he was dethroned. Yeah! I get his cruel behavior because of that, but I do not approve it. Just as I get why that did what they did, but I do not approve it. I can't approve of that, as it was one of the saddest most heartbreaking ways to go; death by friends. I was so sad when he died, I forgot all the bad that he has done at that moment. I just find it unbelievably inhumane, and disgusting to let someone die. I think it was normal what Richard did. They took away from him what made him, HIM. It was a normal reaction to be angry, he has become estranged from the successful man that he is, he was suddenly pulled out from the center of the stage; his anger was understood and I couldn't stop thinking that he would have become "normal" again in time. Everyone does. On another note, I cannot not deal with these characters as if they are not real. Which makes the book even better, and my misery a lot worse. These characters feel real, I feel like I have known them like I was there at the castle with them. The loss feels real. As for the rest of the characters, I liked them all equally but they didn’t have much impact on me as much as these three. I like how all the seven characters just fit together like a puzzle, they are all sort of an enigma and the darkness surrounding them makes them more interesting, more villainous. It’s as if you can never figure them out exactly, just when you think you have them figured out, there will always be another layer beneath them. They are intricate and someone to be admired. This book made me sad, angry, happy, worry, scared, and frustrated. It was brilliant, and definitely on my top 3 books of 2017. I will continue the review soon because right now I seem to be repeating myself and I am too emotional and incoherent to write anything coherently! And I sort of want to make a comparison between all the characters and Shakespeare's characters, specifically that of Julius Caesar and Macbeth.

Buy from Amazon, Book Depository.

Find me on Goodreads ,Instagram and WordPress.