#((there was a little kid too young for tumblr on the communications doc we made during the whole grand escape to avoid ruining each others)

[showfallmediacameracrew]

Do you know what happened to the others? (Besides Marvin, of course.)

some were brutally murdered before they could jump out a broken window. others might have escaped, but will never escape how screwed up Showfall left them. there is no happiness to be seen here, past the smoke and mirrors.

[wetheformidables]

top 5 WIPs from 2020

Thank you so much for tagging me @phoxphyre, @caitybuglove23 and @foolofabookwyrm! 

So...I have ✨ yet ✨to make my fic debut in the fandom, but I have been working feverishly in the last weeks to change that!  Being part of such a kind, loving and supportive community has been all the inspiration and encouragement I could ask for 🥰

Couldn’t resist posting because 1) I’m a little tease and 2) I need you all to bully me into finishing these p l e a s e , so here are lines just kidding these are more than lines from five of the WIPs I’m most excited about, among countless others, god, truly a disgusting number of ideas languishing together in a google doc. Writing these odd bits and ends and shaping them into proper drafts has made me feel diabolical all this month and so here’s to seeing them properly out in the world in 2021! 😇

the how-the-turns-have-tabled-Simon-is-plotting fic

“Bunce,” he says, and as much as I hate to indulge Simon in anything regarding Basilton Pitch, I must admit he does have that classic vampire look.  Only, now it’s less Dracula and more Nosferatu with those bags under his eyes and a pinched sort of look that reminds me of the shriveled rat Simon once showed me. (He put it in a sandwich bag and waved it about shouting, “Evidence!”)(We were banned from the library for a week.)  

I feel a sudden stab of pity for Basil.  

“I don’t know what Snow is about,” he says, “but you need to help me put an end to his plotting.” I would laugh at the way he stage whispers plotting if I didn’t know what Simon has planned. 

the soft oh-my-god-there-was-no-truce-and-we-meet-again-after-watford fic

It’s a startling realization to find that for all my not-thinking, I have thought of his skin against mine, that this want was somewhere tender and sleeping, because my whole body is awake with it now, thrumming and prickling, the closest thing I’ve felt to magic since losing mine. I can almost smell it, and I wonder how long I have imagined that magic smells like cedar and bergamot.

the mordelia-is-a-menace-and-says-entirely-too-much fic 

The twins are too young to reveal any of Baz’s embarrassing secrets, and the baby only stares sluggishly at me, which is probably why when Mordelia asks if the Chosen One can sit by her at dinner, I look hopefully at Mrs. Grimm and try not to meet Baz’s eyes.

the final-battle-enemies-with-benefits fic 😈

He has never been this eloquent in his life. Aleister Crowley, this is how it ends. With Snow speaking words without magic, that carry an incantation that will set me alight all the same. I want to blame the unsteadiness I feel on the excursion of the fight, yet another fight. There is always another fight. The last night we spent in Mummers House was something like fighting too, but closer perhaps to what we have been spoiling for since we were fifteen.  

I have dreamt of that darkness, that heat, that room these five years, have dreamt of his hands on me, have dreamt of everything he is daring to put into words here and now. When he speaks again, I think I might have been wrong about there being no magic in the words, because I’m rooted to the spot. 

the little-wraith-that-wasn’t fic 

or the real wraiths were the friendships we made along the way

The whole village calls me Stew, because my mum always used to say I was thicker than stew. Which explains how I have gotten myself into this caper, creeping along the back gardens of the Pitch estate—which everybody knows is haunted—and climbing a trellis. I don’t know why I still hang out with the lads who dared me to do it. They know I’m afraid of heights. 

“Don’t look down,” I tell myself, finding a foothold in the wooden lattice.  

God, we’re down to the wire and I imagine everyone has beat me to tagging you for your Top 5s, so consider this not so much a summons if they have, but rather a thank you for making me feel so welcome in the server and this little corner of tumblr 💕 but also because I think you are rad, here’s to another year of chaos! @snowverylost, @otherworldsivelivedin, @snowybank, @unseelieseelie, @banjjakbanjjak, @amphipodgirl, @annabellelux, @nick-eyre (hi 🥺) and honestly everybody damn, you are all so cool, thank you for being you 🥰

[lblwlw]

Hello!

First post here, but I have a long history with tumblr. Tumblr has always sort of been a place for me to escape because few of my friends ever had my URL/followed me. This time it’s a little more important.  

CW: Brief mentions of sexual occurrences with men, brief talk of depression, nothing too serious or graphic

TLDR; I’ve suppressed my gayness on accident for basically my whole life, identified as bi, married a man, realized I’m gay, am now figuring out my life.

Warning, this is a LONG post.

I have always been been fascinated with sexuality, more specifically same sex relationships. I was always interested in the idea of being in a same sex relationship but told myself, “no, that’s not me”. Eventually in middle school I played with the idea of being bisexual when I learned what that meant. I said, perfect. I can tell my internet friends I like girls, too, but I won’t have to tell anyone else and I can just worry about boys then at school and for my parents. I had a few crushes on boys, but the thought of actually dating them terrified me and so I very rarely did more than think about them a lot and just tell my friends that I was “too ugly” or whatever else, or “too awkward.” What they didn’t know was that through MySpace I met a girl and had a huge crush on her. We talked a lot and we said we were dating. I never really told anyone. That eventually fizzled out. 

Over time I got bullied a couple times because classmates found my MySpace and found that I identified as bi. I quickly learned it was something I didn’t want to talk about. I dealt with a lot of anxiety and depression throughout all of school. In high school I steadily crushed on one boy almost all four years, but looking back I think I really just enjoyed and wanted to be his friend. Or I just kind of picked him as the one I liked the most so I had a crush to be a normal girl. I dated two boys the entirety of high school, the first one I broke up with because once he finally asked me out (after I “liked him”) and we did relationship things, like kissing, I was not all about it. It didn’t feel right. I thought, maybe I just didn’t like him. Next boyfriend, I wasn’t entirely objected to kissing him but it wasn’t my favorite. It got more frustrating when he wanted to do more. I wasn’t so opposed to him touching me, but when it came to touching him I was like “this ain’t it”. I stayed with him anyway, hoping I would “get over it” until he broke up with me. I wonder now if he could tell I wasn’t into it.

There was actually a time in which I thought, maybe I should date girls? One of my friends was dating a girl, and I thought that was wonderful. I went to her to tell her that I had been thinking maybe I’d rather date girls. I totally blocked this conversation out of my head until recently.

Once I was done with high school I was discouraged but tried to date a few different guys. None of them went that fantastically. If I met them online, I usually came up with a reason we couldn’t meet. “Maybe this just won’t work” It was fun to talk and flirt but when it came down to bringing it into real life I’d panic because that meant kissing a guy again, and possibly having sex. It made me totally uncomfortable. Finally I said, “I wish I was just into girls, ugh.” Remembered that I was, and that I should try it finally. I matched with this sweet girl that was about a year younger than me. She seemed so put together and so kind. We went on a few dates, getting ramen, fancy cupcakes, riding on a trolly in the city, etc. I remember when I got to kiss her in public and I was SO pumped to be seen doing that! Another time, I believe I drove her home but we parked away from her house and made out in my car. I still remember so much of it vividly. 

Eventually I realized that if I was seriously dating her, she would want it to be known. I’d have to face my fears and tell my family. For some reason, this absolutely terrified me. It shouldn’t have but it did. I thought through my options, and decided I should just find a nice guy that will love me and spend my life with me so I don’t have to do this anymore. I did the unspeakable act of basically just ghosting her and pursued a guy from work who, realistically, kind of freaked me out. Thanks to good old compulsive heterosexuality, I read this as my attraction to him. Thankfully, he was pretty easily attracted to me. I recall early in the relationship wishing I hadn’t done that awful thing to that girl, and that I wish I was still dating a girl. Nothing was technically wrong with my relationship that I had now, but something felt off. Like I was missing something. I tucked that away somewhere in my head and enjoyed building an amazing friendship with this man. I did love him, and I still do. He’s kind, he’s sensitive, we have a lot of shared interests and he’s taught me so much intentionally and unintentionally. 

We got married last year and while I felt grateful I had this amazing person beside me, I remember a part of me wondering if this was right for me. I had this weird little empty pocket somewhere in my heart. That I had given up my young adulthood maybe, and that I could have experienced being with... a woman, for real. I thought, I wish I could have met my husband later in life, maybe. Maybe then I’d have gotten my desires for women out of the way and then been with him forever. Because I do love him, he’s a good person and deserves to be loved. I enjoyed the wedding as a big party that I got to have with my family, but I just remember wondering where that extreme excitement was that everyone always described. Was I broken?

Now over a year later, I was sitting at home one day feeling lost and depressed. I had been on TikTok and saw all these young people having fun and I wished that I had spent more time trying to have fun in the past, before I got married. I thought, I could do it now, but what if something happened and I somehow I fell for one of these girls while being with my husband? Wait... why would I even think that? I started to really analyze this thought. I thought, if I was bi like I had always identified, why could I not be happy with my husband? Well, I was, but something was missing. This thought popped into my head: Oh no. What if I am gay? 

What?! Why would I think that? That’s crazy. I would have known as a kid like everyone says. Right? That’s how that works. I chalked this up to feeling like I was missing out and tried to stop thinking about it. It was hard not to, though. And so I googled one morning while out listening to the birds, after escaping bed before my husband rose to avoid his intimacy: “lesbian married to a man”

This article came up about a woman who had been married to a man for many years and they had kids. She started to question herself, and her attraction to him. I don’t remember all of it but I remember getting really uncomfortable but also having this weird sense of calm. That finally, I felt like I identified with something. I wasn’t really sure though. I sent a message to the lady who wrote the article. She replied a week later telling me that she had a podcast called Lesbian Chronicles. I said, okay, I need to listen to this. I listened to about two episodes or so when they mentioned this thing called “The Master Doc” and the reddit sub called Late Bloomer Lesbians. I was like “Holy crap, a community??”

I logged onto reddit for the first time ever. I saw all these women posting in similar situations to me. I found “The Master Doc” and “Straight women don’t say...”

It was like a light bulb went off. Oh my god, everything makes sense! Maybe I’m NOT broken! I remembered all the women that I had crushes on. All the times I thought about women but told myself I was just “weird” and tried not to think about it. I always thought, no I can’t be gay because I wasn’t sure of it as a kid. Now I realized that women especially are fed a straight narrative. It’s “normal” to not be attracted to men the way they are to you. It’s normal to not totally enjoy sex with men... When I learned that we’ve been told this, and it isn’t really true... I wanted to cry. Now I was in the biggest “pickle” ever. I have this man who loves me, who I said vows to swearing I loved him the same forever. Did I just accept who I was and what I did and live with it? Did I break up with him? That seemed to harsh. I heard a lot of women in the same position say they spoke to a therapist. I immediately googled therapists in my area that specialized in LGBTQ+ issues, sent an email ASAP, and felt a little bit of relief. I knew this was real because after years of playing with the idea of seeing a therapist, this came so naturally when I needed help with this.

Now I am here. I feel very confident that I am gay, and my dad knows now. I tried to bring it up with my husband but it didn’t go very well. He currently thinks that maybe I’m just a sad bisexual who hasn’t been able to express her bi-ness. I am at a point a conversation needs to happen again. I told myself when my lesbian flag and pin came in the mail, I would talk to him again. It’s being delivered today. I am terrified, to say the least. It feels so wrong to “betray” this man who has dedicated to much time and work to giving us as good a life as he can. But I need to live my truth. It will come. I’m low-key excited for it. I hope maybe this helps someone going through the same thing.

-Anonymous Married Lesbian

[meowvelousmayhem]

LOOKING FOR RP PARTNERS

Hey, you can call me Mayhem or M.M. for short. I’m not new to Tumblr, but I created this account specifically for my OCs and story ideas that I would like to RP. Amid this unique situation where I find myself with more time (as of March 15, 2020), I would love to RP with someone. I’ve RPed on-and-off for about 8 or so years now, first on DeviantArt, and most recently on Google Docs. But now I am looking for a roleplay partner/partners that are chill and just want to write some teen/young adult romance that may or may not be cliche and involve people getting/being famous and stuff or fantasy rps based off of fairytales or Greek mythology. I’m also open to RPing my story ideas or yours!

So, to begin with, I have some rules/things you should know about me:

-As much as I hate to say it, I’m a sucker for cliches. But I also like to develop original ideas, so my plots/stories will be a mix

-I am a college student, and while I may not be in class physically for the next few weeks, I do have class and a job, therefore I will not be available all of the time. However, I will always try to let you know if I’m having a particularly busy day and won’t respond more than three times. Generally, I do have more free time now so that should only happen on a test day or something. I’m in Central Daylight Time.

-I am okay with RPing characters that have gone through mature situations, such as those with histories of abuse, EDs, and etc. However, I will not write explicit smut scenes. I will fade it to black. I am okay with inuendos, flirting, and heavy makeout sessions though.

-Since there could be mature situations, I’d prefer my RP partner to be like 17+

-With my last RP partner, we mostly wrote dialogue. I think my style now leans towards at least one paragraph, or two. In your response basically, just give me something to work with, and not just dialogue all the time (occasionally, this is fine). Honestly, I’m really chill about this. I just want to have some fun romance RP times.

-I like to write romance, preferably f/m pairings, but will also do f/f and m/m. We can discuss how we both want things to go, I’m pretty flexible!

- I don’t normally do face claims, every once in a while I will, but it’s fine if you want to. For my characters, I will have a separate post for each OC with aesthetics (about 6 pictures that I feel like are my characters) and a short playlist of songs, as well as their backgrounds and pertinent info. If you want to RP with me, for your character, I would at least like background info, which you can do in a post or message to me.

- In terms of how we RP, I only am really familiar with Tumblr Messaging or Google Docs. I could do Discord if that’s your preferred. I just have no idea how it works so lol

Secondly, here are some things I like to RP, beyond just my story ideas:

YA RP (preferably older high school/college)

Fantasy RP (whether that be a modern fantasy in the real world, or a totally made up universe)

- for example: Modern Hades and Persephone, anything modern Greek mythology, something inspired by Legacies, mermaids, royalty, something like The Raven Boys, FAIRY TALES

Some tropes I like are enemies-to-lovers, best friends mutually pining but afraid to take the first step, sweetheart with grumpy, sassy energetic character with cold stoic character, and more. Like I said, I’m a sucker for cliches.

Finally, my story ideas:

- One of my ideas centers around a band consisting of four guys. I have a love interest in mind for each and a general idea of how they meet, but the plot can be up to me and my partner to flesh out fully. Generally, I’m up to either rp as the boy or girl, but I have two OCs I definitely want to write for in this story.

So, these characters are college-aged, and 4 boys in a band; the lead-singer, the lead guitarist (my OC Levi), the bassist, and the drummer. They’re gaining a following on YouTube and are planning a tour locally. I envision them at a college near a beach for some reason, preferably east coast since that’s what I’m most familiar with.

For Levi, the lead guitarist: he and his love interest met on some social media like Tumblr when they were middle schoolers, and didn’t know their true identities, but became friends after some initial misunderstanding. This communication continues for years, and they became best friends. However, one of them ghosted due to personal reasons, and never came back online. Years later, while Levi is in college and the band is becoming super popular, they meet again, but don’t know that they knew each other. Shenanigans ensue. Levi’s character post is here. I could see Levi’s love interest as male or female, your choice

For the drummer, his love interest is my OC, Arden. Arden is the roommate of the female best friend of the four band members. It is their first semester in college. The roommate is super important in getting Arden and her love interest together. In my mind, Arden has a history of emotional abuse from her previous love interest, and has an anxiety disorder and an eating disorder. If eating disorders are triggering to you, but you still want to RP with this character, she can just have the anxiety disorder. She is a photography major. Her character post is here.

For the lead singer, I imagine his love interest to be the female lead singer of another “rival” band. Some kind of twitter fued starts, but then they end up meeting in person. Female is not at all interested in his advances, but he totally has the hots for her.

For the bassist, I imagine his love interest as the female best friend of the band (Arden’s roommate). They’ve known each other for a long time, and both are pining, but are too afraid to approach the topic of becoming more than friends. Their love story might begin after the boys have “made it” and are signed to a record label and go on a world tour.

Other ideas include:

- Sophie is the daughter of a famous musician, and she is also interested in music and becoming famous. In high school, she dates a person who’s a year older than her, but they break up when he leaves for college. She becomes famous through her YouTube channel and immediately after high school is signed to a record label and develops a couple of EPs, with an album on the way. Her success is huge. Her record label decides to have her open for a male famous musician, who resents that she “got famous just because she’s the daughter of a famous musician” in his mind. There are two ways this could go:

1. She gets back with her ex. Neither of them wanted to break up, but he felt it was necessary since she was becoming famous and he just went to college. The famous musician she’s touring with decides to get into a relationship with her simply for the fame and doesn’t tell her, and is abusive to her emotionally and forces her into a world of partying and drugs. She eventually drunk calls her ex, who’s super worried. Lots of struggles and angst.

2. She dates the famous musician. Her ex cheated on her, leading to their breakup. She believes that the male famous musician is a player, as he sleeps around, and has no interest in him at all. At first, he views her as a conquest, since she rejects his advances completely, and he also wants to knock her down a peg. Later, he starts to develop real feelings for her, and she reencounters her ex at some point and musician comforts her.

- Beck is a 16-year old boy who has been adopted by a wealthy family. He was previously in the foster care system, and during his time with one family, he developed a protective older-brother like relationship with a little girl who was one of the other foster kids in the home. He wants to eventually be able to help her out and form a family. His adopted family is best friends with another family who lives right next door. This other family has a child Beck’s age, who is pretty into him. No plot developed yet really.

- this post

So just shoot me a message if you’re interested/have any questions! Mostly I just want to have a fun time and write some fluff, angst, drama and romance!

[randomfandomfamily]

A very long--and I mean really really super duper loooong--post about ROTG 2

So, I’ve had this idea about a second Rise of the Guardians movie for a long time (I mean, who hasn’t, right?). But I thought about it so much that I’ve started a Google Doc to put every new detail down so I didn’t lose anything as the weeks and months passed.

And since no one I know wants to listen to me rant about this movie (again) I’ve decided to share it with the lovely world of Tumblr. And although I don’t necessarily expect anyone to read it all the way through because of how lengthy it is, I still appreciate you even if you read just a singular bullet point.

I did a lot of research from the books, sifting through several websites and even Wiki article or two. I think I’ve comprised a decent outline for a movie, but I am also just an overly enthusiastic fan, so please feel free to call me out on my obsession.

That said, click “Keep Reading” if you feel like exploring over two-thousand words’ worth of crazy frantic writing.

Pitch Black Origin

Kozmotis Pitchiner: Guardian of Innocence

Much like the Kozmotis in the novels, part of his job was to guard a cage full of certain undesirables.

Over time, children started losing their innocence younger and younger, giving Kozmotis nothing to protect or derive any power from. Being a guardian with nothing to protect made him feel obsolete, thus growing angry and bitter.

Like the other Guardians, Kozmotis’ personality reflected the aspect childhood he guarded. He was kind and believed in the good of others, making him gullible at times--and perhaps a little naive.

Since his personality reflects the fragment of childhood he guards, as innocence among children began to dwindle, so too did Kozmotis’ kindness and compassion for others.

In his rage, Kozmotis opened the cage he was supposed to be guarding and caused the Dark Ages. For this, MiM took his title as guardian, making Kozmotis even more malevolent than he already was. This anger warped him and turned him into Pitch Black, an entity of Fear rather than Innocence.

This concept was adapted from the novel, in which Kozmotis releases a horde of Fearlings that posses him. However, in the first movie, Pitch uses Fear as a weapon. They are manifestations he creates himself, and not separate beings that posses him, thus the slight change in the story.

MiM sent the remaining Guardians (North, Bunny, Tooth, Sandy) to strip Pitch of his power, resulting in his disappearance until the time when the first movie is set.

Mother Nature

An ancient spirit and a messenger sent by MiM.

She informs the Guardians of their new mission which, to their surprise, is saving Kozmotis Pitchiner.

Her powers include controlling/ becoming elemental forces, plant manipulation, empathy, and healing.

Her position is one higher than the Guardians’, but lower than MiM.

Though she has never met any of the Guardians face to face, she is very familiar with Jack Frost due to his constant use of the winds to travel and frequent manipulation of the weather. Jack, like the other Guardians, has never seen her before, and is uncomfortable with how much she seems to know about him.

Mother Nature tries to talk with Jack, which makes him suspicious of her, but she genuinely just wants to talk with him. She comes to realize that the reason Jack is so weary of her talking to him is that none of the Guardians had done it prior to Pitch’s attack, so it is understandable that Jack would question her motives.

She is actually infuriated with the Guardians for their lack of contact with the young soul, demanding an explanation from them. Upon hearing several bland excuses--inexperienced, mischievous, never had time--she tells them how much Jack had seen in the past three hundred years, like war and slavery and watching kids grow up around him and passing away.

Though she’s certainly full of sass and attitude, she also plays a motherly role to Jack once he’s more relaxed around her.

Katherine

A tribute to the Katherine in the novels, she is the key to defeating Pitch Black and bringing back Kozmotis, although she doesn’t realize it yet.

She is introduced to the Guardians by Jamie, with whom she goes to school with.

Jack, still sort of a wandering spirit, oftens visits Jamie and his friends. After explaining what’s happening with Mother Nature and Kozmotis, Jamie remembers a friend his, Katherine, who is frequently plagued by nightmares.

Jamie and his friends arrange a secret meeting with the Guardians under the guise of a sleepover.

Katherine is extremely skeptical of Jamie and friends’ story of the Guardians. She, like most children, believes in Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, etc. but the idea of them saving all the children of the world from a villain named Pitch Black seems ridiculous.

After seeing the Guardians, Katherine no longer thought the Pitch idea was so far fetched, but it did take a little time for her to start believing in Jack Frost.

Katherine finally tells Jamie that she will help the Guardians save Kozmotis, especially if it will get rid of her nightmares.

Finding Pitch Black

Mother Nature informs the Guardians that Pitch is still being held hostage by his own fear. Meaning that they are going to have to conquer the Nightmares once again in order to save Kozmotis.

Pitch’s realm has always been in the shadows. More specifically, the Boogeyman was well-known for hiding under beds, leading the Guardians and Mother Nature to believe that path that will lead them to him resides under Katherine’s bed.

After finding their way to the Nightmares’ domain, they come to realize that there is no source of natural light that is staying lit for very long. No sunlight reaches the tunnels, a torches burns out faster than it should, and Mother Nature’s bioluminescence fades almost instantly.

However, once Jack joins them in the tunnels, they soon realize he is radiating blue light. This magical light is what gives them visibility on their journey. Mother Nature explains the aspect of childhood Jack protects is what causes the light to appear when surrounded by Fear.

In the first movie, when Jack was overwhelmed by the Nightmares, he actually appeared to be glowing (we can see the blue light shining through the wall of darkness). This detail is a nod to both this scene and his former identity Nightlight in the novels.

This also serves as a symbol to the correlation between Fear and the aspects of childhood that the Guardians protect. While Fear can damage Hope, make us lose sight of our Dreams, and forget the things that make us happy, it also plays a huge role in the aspect of Fun. Activities such as riding roller coasters, climbing trees, swimming in lakes, etc can be enjoyed in spite of being afraid. In fact, most times, it is this adrenaline that makes things fun in the first place, which is why Jack shines so brilliantly amongs all the Fear.

While he can radiate light and use his power over winter at the same time, it drains him to the point of exhaustion (as seen in the first movie), so when confronted by Nightmares in the tunnels he is torn between fighting and illuminating the battle.

Of the five Guardians, Jack is still the one that finds it easiest to talk to children. Katherine is adventurous, much like Jack, and they get along fairly well. He has been the one watching over her for most of the journey. Mother Nature is perhaps the only other member of the group Katherine talks with openly, mostly due to her motherly tendencies.

The Guardians’ Relationship With Pitch Black

When Kozmotis was Guardian of Innocence, he was well-liked and respected by his fellow Guardians. Jack, at first, doesn’t understand why they are helping Pitch Black considering all he had done to them. But his fellow Guardians explain along their journey that it’s not really Pitch they’re helping, but rather a friend they’re saving.

Since Innocence ties in so closely with Wonder, Kozmotis and North were perhaps the closest of the original five.

North, though clearly ready and willing to save Kozmotis, also seems very hesitant to talk about him at all. As close as they were, North never really got over Kozmotis’ disappearance.

The other Guardians are willing to discuss Kozmotis and explain who he was to them, but North simply refuses to do so. His unwillingness to talk alludes to the nesting dolls in the first movie, representing North’s layers--or walls--that he has built up, especially around the subject of Kozmotis.

During Kozmotis’ decline in power he frequently visited Tooth, who was an unending well of optimism, to try and cheer himself up.

Pitch had to have known the power the teeth held before the Dark Ages, otherwise he never would have found out (due to MiM revoking his title). If he visited Tooth while a Guardian, it would explain the knowledge he had about the teeth in the first film, and how he was able to use it to his advantage.

Sandman wasn’t nearly as close to Kozmotis as North was, but the two of them certainly respected each other. Kozmotis communicated with Sandy easily, often interpreting for the others, or alerting them when Sandy had something to say.

The rivalry between Sandy and Pitch doesn’t occur until the Dark Ages. Despite how much they respected each other, Sandy had zero hesitation about bringing him down, which is what made Pitch so afraid of him in the first movie.

None of the Guardians consider Pitch and Kozmotis to be the same person. Sandy explains that as soon as Pitch rose to power, their friend completely disappeared. In their eyes, Pitch using Fear as a means of power was just the same as killing Kozmotis.

Bunny, surprisingly, was good friends with Kozmotis. He would often use Kozmotis’ nativity and gullibility against him in terms of practical jokes. Kozmotis would often retaliate by pulling his own pranks.

Jack is surprised by Bunny’s explanation of Kozmotis, particularly the part where Bunny partook in childish antics with him. It seemed incredibly out of character for him, although we do see those traits returning in Bunny at the end of the first movie (especially in the scene with Sophie).

It is implied that Bunny’s hatred of Jack was never really about Jack’s trouble-making personality (though he was still angry about the Easter that Jack ruined with a snowstorm) but rather, Jack reminded him a lot of Kozmotis

Bringing Back Kozmotis

Ultimately, the key to defeating Pitch is the same as it is in the books: Katherine.

Throughout the movie, she proves herself to be very brave. She is the first to jump down the dark tunnel under her bed and she is more than willing to help fight off the Nightmares.

She isn’t sure how she’s supposed to help defeat Pitch, but she promises to try, no matter what it takes.

Once they find Pitch in the heart of the Nightmares’ tunnels, he doesn’t seem to be in any position to attack them. He is nearly completely incapacitated and overwhelmed by the black creatures he created.

The Guardians do their best to fight off the Nightmares, but they keep returning, fueled by Pitch’s own fear. Admist this chaos, Katherine approaches Pitch. Jack, who is still unable to fight, accompanies her, mostly to make sure she doesn’t get hurt.

Katherine, rather than fight Pitch, opts to sit with the panicking ex-Guardian instead. She actually says very little, which surprises Jack.

He sits with them, listening to Katherine talk to Pitch in hushed tones. She assures him that he has nothing to be afraid of. Pitch replies that he certainly does have something to be afraid of, he is literally surrounded by fear.

Katherine replies by simply that he should get back up anyways. No one ever beat Fear just by sitting down. It isn’t until she directly addresses him as Kozmotis, which no one has done since the Dark Ages, that he does finally decide to join the fight.

The end result is one last battle against the Nightmares, much like the end of the first movie, but with a more definitive end thanks to Katherine.

Pitch isn’t able to do much, but with Katherine and Jack assisting, he is able to banish his fair share of Nightmares, which became increasingly easier thanks to his rapidly dissolving fear.

Throughout the fight, Pitch has less of a dark aura. He becomes less pale and his dark robes become something lighter and more refined.

Pitch Black is gone, and once again replaced by the Kozmotis that the original four knew in the past. He is no longer naive, as that is something that can never be retained, but he has certainly changed. Once they get Katherine safely back home, the Guardians and Mother Nature reconvene at the North Pole to discuss Kozmotis’ place among them.

Man in the Moon makes one last appearance to inform Mother Nature that her duty with the Guardians is done, and to tell them exactly where Kozmotis belongs, which is alongside the other Guardians.

Kozmotis is no longer the Guardian of Innocence, as that was lost long ago. But through Katherine’s influence, he has become the Guardian of something else: Courage. He will never be what he once was, but he will have the opportunity to help children as he did hundreds of years ago.

(hey there! you made it to the end! you are a very patient person, i hope you know that. apologies for the long post, but just know that i appreciate you reading this even if you disliked the idea. i hope you have a lovely morning, afternoon, or night you beautiful human being!)

[comm4000]

Kids All Over the World Choosing to Play Golf... But Why?

For my Tumblr Sports movie post, I decided to watch a movie that I thought I would be able to watch from a neutral but critical lens, without my connection to that sport or any teams getting in the way of that. I came across a documentary called The Short Game on Netflix; a movie that follows the lives of eight 7-8 year olds, prepping for the Golf World Championship for children in Pinehurst, NC. The eight kids come from all over the world ranging from Shenzhen, China to Paris, France.

Jed Dy from The Philippines

I honestly didn’t think I’d get too into this movie (which is what I wanted) but it turned out to be a lot more fast-paced and intense than I thought. This movie showed me that golf is a hell of a lot more than hitting a small white ball across a course. These boys and girls train for hours 365 days a year and are more than dedicated to their sport. I really really also hate to say though that this movie unintentionally confirmed some myths/ideologies and stereotypes that we see continue to exist in not only the sports’ world but in golf specifically. Although The Short Game was a cute entertaining watch, it also reminded me that nationalism and wanting to ‘make your country proud at #1’ exists in all sports, that the American Dream and underdog stories too exist in golf, and lastly that golf, even at the young age of 7 years old, continues to be a man dominated sport.

I really wish that I had enough time to write up little profiles for each one of kids that the documentary followed for months leading up to the world championship, but I would be way over 1200 words if I did that. For the first key point of my argument though I want to explore the ideas of nationalism through a boy that entered the golfing championship; his name is Zamokuhle Nxasana, an 8 year old from Johannesburg, South Africa.

As you can see from the clip above (made two years after the documentary), Zamokuhle or nicknamed Zama, is quite the personality. Another thing mentioned in this small clip though is how Zama strives to support his country. The Short Game only emphasizes on Zama’s culture and pride, but it made me wonder how popular golf really is in South Africa. I was pleasantly surprised to find that South Africa has well over a hundred golf courses, several world-famous players, and its own golf tv, media, and stat coverage similar to how PGA covers it here in the U.S.

Zama and his family were anxious as they awaited the kids’ world championship here though; they had a big family get together before he left for the tournament, where his family performed rituals for him and prayed for success. “Make our country proud,” one of his uncles told him. Little stuff like this reminded me of how in class we discussed the NFL militainment article and how several aspects of patriotism and war are implemented into football games. In a really drastic way, I saw the same ideals; the thing that separated this kids’ golf championship in North Carolina from others was that children golfers from 60 different countries were coming to compete. There was that competitiveness about coming out on top and “putting your country on the map.”

Next let’s think back to the week of myths and ideologies we discussed earlier this semester. One quote from the Chapter 5 Mythology was, “Media and sports scholar Michael Real (1989) notes that “myths arise as community stories that celebrate collective heroes, origins, and identity through expressive rituals”. Thus, an especially important element of mythology is that the stories are shared, and they provide a foundation for a community’s identity,” (pg. 4). I share this quote specifically because it brings me into my next key point of the American Dream frames shown in this documentary. Another contestant that competed in the 2013 championship was Amari Avery.

She was shown as the underdog of the documentary because although her family (just like all of the families in the doc were) was well off, she was shown as almost having a disadvantage. Her father was her main coach and support, but he didn’t play golf himself. It was also highlighted that she was the new Tiger Woods; Amari was even nicknamed Tigress. Her dad shared in the movie that she had the same birthday was Tiger Woods, she was born in the same county as Woods, had the same African-American and Asian background, etc. Planned by her father or not, it’s clear to the audience that Amari has a lot of pressure on her to not only be invested, passionate, and do her best, but to win. Like I mentioned, although her family is clearly well off enough to be able to travel and pay for competition fees, Amari’s father shared that he expects Amari to perform well because he was trying to create a sustainable way for her to be able to afford college and possibly have a career in professional golf. Much pressure is built up for Amari especially in the doc throughout the three days of the championship competition. She does end up winning for her age division for girls, and it definitely is emotional after seeing how much she wanted it and her dad wanted it for her. The critical part of me just feels like because of Amari’s race and gender is why she was shown as ‘achieving the American Dream’ for her family in this documentary.

This leads into my last review point of the documentary, which is how this documentary, acceptable for all ages, perpetuates the idea that golf in the end is intended for males. We typically would already assume this, as when we think of golf we think of upper class males, as not everyone can afford a nice set of clubs. Throughout the movie there are several distinctions between the girl competitors and the boy competitors. As I hinted above, the competition is split by gender; this isn’t shocking in any way, but it’s kind of interesting because golf isn’t a contact sport. Golf takes skill, patience, and mental strength, so it’s interesting to wonder what would happen if didn’t segregate sports by gender. The documentary interviews all the kids from their homes and their daily practices. The boys are shown as being very outgoing and free, while the girls come off as more serious, composed, and having “stage dads”: dads that put way too much pressure on their daughters to perform well. Several examples in the doc such as these made me think about the Cooky article about women’s sports and TV. In the conclusion of her article she states, “For this to happen in a substantial way, power relations and perceptions of gender will have to continue to change within sport organizations, with commercial sponsors who promote and advertise sports, and within the mass media. These shifts in perception will not come about by themselves but will involve changes and pressures from a number of directions.” I looked into who the director of the movie was and what is ties to golf were. I found that Josh Greenbaum, the director of the film was a fresh college graduate when he directed this documentary, and although he’s done writing work for New Girl and other comedy sitcoms he doesn’t have a clear tie to golf. So he is going into this documentary with a lens of being a male and not directly touched or ‘changed’ by female athletes as some women might me.

This leads me to think about the lens I looked at this movie with. Like I mentioned more towards the the introduction, I chose a documentary about golf because I was hoping to be able to look at the sport and the contestants are neutral as possible. Unfortunately that’s just about impossible as everyone has some type of bias. I think my bias leans towards Amari along with the other female competitors. They weren’t going up against the boys, but I felt a strong connection to their fight and struggle simply because I know what’s like to feel like you have to prove yourself. And as we talked in class, when you are a female athlete, you can’t just be good; you have to be the best. And even when you are the best, you will still be compared to male athletes. I also connected and sympathized with Amari even after critiquing the narrative the director put her in through the doc because she was the least “with golf background”. She came off as an average young, middle class girl and I think that makes the audience want to root for her.

I think that this documentary was a cute fun to watch. I think that it was definitely not intended to be too intense as some sports movies are. I do have a lot of critiques about it, especially because I just wondered throughout the movie how all of these pressures and stereotypes were affecting the young children, but I did see that all of them are continuing to play and compete, and wish to play pro one day, just like kids in different sports all over the world do.

Sources

Cooky, Messner, Nextrum. (2013). Women Play Sport, But Not on TV: A Longitudinal Study of Televised News Media. Retrieved from Canvas PDF. 

Fischer. (2014, Dec). Commemorating 9/11 NFL-Style: Insights Into America's Culture of Militarism. Retrieved from Canvas PDF.

Future Champions Gold. (2013). Jed Dy. Picture retrieved from http://www.futurechampionsgolf.com/sdjrmasters2012recap.html 

Golf Digest. (2014, June 30). Pint-Sized Pro’s Zama Nxasana Shares the 5 Most Important Tips to Becoming a Great Golfer. Video retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geo0RcFkLPw 

Butterworth. (unknown). Chapter 5 Sports and Mythology. Retrieved from Canvas PDF.

Unknown. (unknown). Picture retrieved from http://taylormulvehill12.blogspot.com/2015_04_01_archive.html 

‘Xuanya’. (2014, Sept 13). LL Cool J and 8 Year Old Golf Phenom Amari Avery on Kids Do The Darndest Things. Video retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cttzCebYyg 

[ollieofthebeholder]

leaves too high to touch (roots too strong to fall): a TMA fanfic

Read from the beginning on Tumblr || Also on AO3

Chapter 53: Sasha

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“No.” Basira’s voice manages to sound matter-of-fact and authoritative despite being muffled by Sasha’s shoulder blades.

Sasha groans and rolls forward to slap at her alarm clock. “Well, you don’t have to get up, but I have work today.”

“Ugh. I should. I really need to start looking into getting a new job, but…” Basira sighs and flops back against the pillows. “Think I’ll wait until this whole…thing is done. Might be hard to get time off to go chasing down killer mannequins in a taxidermy shop.”

Sasha grumbles wordlessly, then gets up to start getting dressed.

She follows the smell of coffee and something sweet into the kitchen, where she finds Wade standing at the stove. Sasha’s never been much for cooking—she’s eaten more homemade meals in the last year than she has in the preceding nine put together—and her kitchen isn’t well-stocked, but she laid in a supply of the basics after work on Friday in anticipation of her uncle coming home, and she’d tried to make something for him yesterday. Seeing him standing there trying to cook himself is at once unexpected and familiar.

He looks up and smiles at her. “Good morning, sunshine,” he teases her.

“Morning,” Sasha mumbles. She pours herself a cup of coffee, sweetens it automatically, and downs about half of it in a single gulp, at which point she feels human enough to give her uncle a smile and a hug.

“You haven’t changed a bit.” Wade hugs her back with one arm, then flicks his wrist and flips the pancake he’s cooking into the air before catching it neatly. “Still got it. Your friend doesn’t eat bacon, right?”

Sasha tries not to be embarrassed. She’s a grown woman and this is her flat, and Wade has made it clear he respects her and her choices and she’s allowed to do whatever the hell she wants, but she’s still got the same feeling she had when she was sixteen and he nonchalantly asked if her boyfriend wanted eggs or if he’d already escaped out her bedroom window. “Right.”

“Well then, these are almost ready. Would you rather eat at the table or standing around like a bunch of twenty-somethings in a bad sitcom?”

“I’ll set the table.”

Basira comes out just as Wade is plating the last of the pancakes and greets him with no trace of discomfort; Sasha envies her for that ability to stay calm and unruffled. As they eat, Sasha asks her uncle, “What are you planning to do today?”

Wade looks pleased. “Actually, I have an interview at nine. A gentleman wrote me last week and said he thought there was a position I might be qualified for. I—I suppose he has an eye out for upcoming releases that might have skills he needs.”

There’s a hesitancy there, and Sasha is almost tired enough to give into the static and reach for his secret, but stops herself at the last minute. “You’ll have to tell me all about it after work. Or I can call you at lunch.”

“I’d like that.” Wade grins.

Basira leaves with Sasha twenty minutes later. While she’s in less need of coffee than usual, thanks to her uncle actually making a pot—she really ought to get a programmable coffee maker, but she’s never managed to get around to it—she has a routine and she doesn’t want to break it now. They ride together until Basira has to get off to change trains; she pats Sasha’s shoulder, wishes her luck, and vanishes.

Melanie arrives at about the same time Sasha does, from the other direction but also clutching her usual cup of coffee. When they get down, Tim is having an apparently good-natured argument with Jon about whether he needs help getting his jacket off over the cast while Martin makes the first tea of the day. He glances over his shoulder with a smile that looks a tad strained at the edges. “Morning. How’s your uncle, Sash?”

Sasha returns the smile. “Settling in remarkably well, all things considered. He’s even already got an interview for a job. Seems excited about it. How was your weekend?”

“Quiet,” Martin says after a brief pause.

“Tim didn’t wrap your room in tinfoil or staple all your furniture to the ceiling?” Sasha teases.

Tim holds up his casted hand. “With this?”

Sasha laughs. “Fair point.”

Martin smiles again as he sets a cup down in front of Tim and hands another to Jon. “Seriously, it was a good weekend. Charlie’s birthday was yesterday, so…”

“He came over and helped us with his cake,” Jon tells her. His eyes light up the way they usually do when he talks about the little boy. “Martin found one of those old-fashioned hand-crank ice-cream makers somewhere, and it still works, so we made ice cream, too. Spent the rest of the evening playing board games.”

“Betrayal at the House on the Hill,” Tim supplies.

Melanie frowns. “How old is this kid? Nine?”

“Eight,” all three of the boys say in unison.

“Good. Start ‘em young.” Melanie thumps down in her chair. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

Jon’s smile fades. “Honestly…I think we need to focus on the usual work today. Statements, filing…all of that. I’d—I’d like to have things as much in order as we can, before…”

He trails off, but he doesn’t need to finish. They have a location—Melanie’s been doing a lot of poking around, using skills she honed during her Ghost Hunt UK days, and managed to confirm that the Unknowing will be taking place at a museum called the House of Wax in Great Yarmouth. They have a time; Melanie and Tim’s combined efforts have led them all to estimate the ritual will be going off sometime on the sixth of April, God alone knows why. They even have something approaching a plan, which is a novelty. Actually, they have two plans, sort of. Now all they have to do is…wait.

Sasha hates waiting.

She gives it a go, though. It’s all busywork, it’s a way of marking time, but she knows it means something to Jon, and subsequently she knows it means something to Martin and Tim. Honestly, the three of them are obviously stupid in love with each other, it’s borderline ridiculous. It’s also kind of touching, watching them together—the gentle touches, the small acts of service, the wordless communications, the way they lean into one another when they’re sitting together. The fear on their faces when one of them is hurt or in danger, the relief when one comes home safe and sound, the smiles when they think the others aren’t looking. Add Charlie into the mix and they’re an absolute mess of domesticity and sap.

They’re also scared shitless about what’s going to happen on Thursday night, and she doesn’t need the Eye’s power to see that they’re afraid of losing one another, so if squaring away files they’ve been neglecting will make them feel better, she’ll suck it up and do it.

The four assistants work away at their cluster of desks in more or less silence; Jon’s in his office, but the door is propped open. He’s recording, judging by the rise and fall of his voice, but Sasha guesses they aren’t real statements or he’d have it closed. They’ve all been working away for a couple hours when the Archives phone rings.

“Not it,” Martin says without looking up.

“Not it,” Tim and Sasha say in unison.

“I hate you all,” Melanie claims and picks up the phone. “Archives.”

She leans back in her chair, twirling the cord around her finger and looking for all the world like a teenager from every single nineties sitcom Sasha ever watched talking to her best friend or boyfriend, except that her expression is one of utter disgust. “Yeah. Okay. Yes, sir.” Her Doc Martens thump onto the floor as she leans forward to hang it up.

“Let me guess,” Tim says dryly. “Elias?”

“Yeah. Wants to see all of us in his office, ASAP. He says it’s important.” Melanie’s voice drips with contempt.

Martin sighs and scrapes his chair back. “Jon?” he calls.

Jon appears in the doorway of his office. “I heard. Let’s get this over with.”

They all trudge their way upstairs. Rosie gives them her usual bland, pleasant smile and asks about Tim’s hand, then announces them to Elias and ushers them in. Sasha starts slightly when they walk in to find Basira and Daisy standing there, Basira with her arms folded over her chest and an expression of faint annoyance and Daisy with her hands in her pockets and a look of utter disgust. Elias is watching with that smarmy, oily smile of his that makes Sasha want to set his hair on fire and see how long he’ll burn, like a cheap kerosene lamp.

“Thank you, Rosie, I’ll call if we need you,” he tells Rosie.

“Of course, Mr. Bouchard.” Rosie backs out of the room—reluctantly, to Sasha’s eyes—and pulls the door shut behind her.

There’s a brief pause before Elias speaks. “Thank you all for coming.”

Sasha sighs impatiently. She’s not the only one; they all make various noises of frustration and annoyance. Is Elias even capable of talking like a normal human being anymore, or is he deliberately playing up the Evil Overlord trope? Jon’s lips press into a thin line before he says, “Well, you said it was important.”

Elias flicks his gaze over to Basira and Daisy. “I’m glad you could come as well. I don’t want to take up too much of your valuable—”

“What do you want?” Jon interrupts, sounding tired and annoyed. Sasha sees Martin’s hand twitch and silently wills him and Tim both to keep it together. The last thing they need is for Elias to know the depth of their feelings for one another.

“To help,” Elias says pleasantly. “Do you have your recorder running?”

“Of course he does,” Melanie says, sounding unimpressed.

“I…” Jon looks down at his hand, as if he’s just realized he’s holding the official Archives recorder. “Yes.”

“Well, then, I’ll speak clearly,” Elias says. He folds his hands on his desk and meets Jon’s eyes. “You will soon be attempting to stop something few have witnessed and fewer still have survived.”

“Not alone,” Jon says quietly.

“We’re, um—” Basira shoots a sideways glance at Sasha, her expression hard to read. “I think we’re all going.”

“Yes.” Elias doesn’t look all that happy about that, to be honest. “And I believe your plan—ah, simplistic as it may be—does have a reasonable chance of working.”

“Well, thank you.” Jon’s voice is dry as the Sahara, but Sasha sees him stiffen slightly. They’ve known all along that Elias probably knows more about what they’re planning than they want him to, but to hear him confirm it…

“It should work. It doesn’t need to be fancy,” Daisy growls.

“Well, quite. But given that there is every likelihood that one or more of you may end up confronting the Stranger in a rather direct manner, I thought it best you have an idea of what you might encounter.”

Jon and Martin both throw identical quick, pained looks in Tim’s direction; Tim doesn’t seem to notice. Sasha sighs. “Oh.”

Elias reaches into a drawer—not, Sasha notes, the one containing his gun. If his gun is still in there. “Detective Tonner was kind enough to bring me Gertrude’s tapes, as soon as her superiors released them.”

Startled, Sasha turns to look at Daisy. Basira, too, is looking at her with raised eyebrows. Daisy ignores them both. Jon doesn’t look at her. “Of course they did.”

“There is one I feel it may be wise for you to hear. All of you,” Elias adds, his gaze sliding over Tim and Martin in particular—or is that Sasha’s imagination? He places a loaded tape recorder on his desk. “May I?”

There’s a chorus of sighs and groans. Elias is really laying it on thick. “Fine,” Tim mutters.

Elias presses Play.

Sasha feels the familiar sensation of the statement flowing through her. Like with every other one of Gertrude’s tapes she’s listened to, it’s not as satisfying as most and doesn’t fill her as thoroughly as even an older statement. She’s always assumed that it’s because it’s more…regurgitated, that it’s empty calories in a way, but with what she knows now, she wonders if it’s just that more of the energy from Gertrude’s tapes goes to Martin. If their family connection makes their connection through the Eye stronger as well.

She banishes the thought ruthlessly from her mind and listens. She’s heard of Wolfgang von Kempelen and his Mechanical Turk, of course. One of her papers in uni was on the history of automata and artificial intelligence, so of course she’s heard of it. At least those details that are known to the general public…

Suddenly, with a jolt, it occurs to her that she knows where this statement is going, where it ends up. At first she thinks it’s the Eye granting her knowledge, but then, suddenly, she remembers a conversation with Gertrude Robinson she had once regarding the papers she’d included in her portfolio when she first applied at the Institute, including the one mentioning the Mechanical Turk, and she remembers a later conversation where Gertrude asked her to come down to the Archives and spent an hour picking her brains for everything she remembered from her research, then handed her a letter and said I thought this might interest you, my dear.

She’d been flattered. Gertrude didn’t call anyone my dear.

The tape clicks off, almost making her leap out of her skin. There’s a beat of silence before Jon says, slowly, “Right.”

“Is that it?” Basira demands.

“It’s unlikely to be identical. The stranger is not known for its…consistency.” Elias stows the recorder away.

“But something like that?” Basira presses. Sasha’s come to know her well over the last few months and she knows Basira likes facts, good solid things she can sink her teeth into. She doesn’t do well with maybes and we-hopes. “We can’t trust what we see.”

Elias nods sagely. “The familiar may seem strange, the strange familiar.”

“One long category error,” Sasha muses.

“Well, isn’t—I mean, that’s what the Stranger wants, isn’t it,” Martin says. It’s not a question. “For us to doubt everything.”

Jon brushes his fingers against Martin’s for the briefest of seconds. Sasha hopes Elias hasn’t seen, but at the same time, what can he do about it at this point? “No one ever said it was going to be easy.”

Which is true. The Primes have never underestimated the danger they’re going to be in. Elias looks pleased. “Brilliant. I have been doing my best to prepare you, Jon, to see. You should have an easier time of it than the others.”

“I doubt that,” Jon says, a bit acerbically.

Elias eyes the four assistants skeptically. “Well, it should, I hope, give you an edge. Otherwise I would never suggest you going yourself.”

You are such a terrible liar, Sasha thinks but doesn’t say. Aloud, she says, “Well, I guess we’ll all find out, won’t we?”

“No,” Elias says. “I understand you will be taking Detective Tonner and Basira with you?”

“We’re going with them,” Daisy growls, and the rewording speaks volumes.

“Quite. Then honestly, Jon, I think you have all you need. Your…assistants should remain here.”

“Wh-what?” Martin sputters. “No, no, we can help—”

“Too many will attract attention,” Elias says. “And while I know your team have been…acquiring abilities, shall we say, none of them are on your level, and Melanie doesn’t even have that.”

“Melanie was planning to stay behind anyway,” Melanie says with false brightness and gritted teeth.

Elias nods as if this was all his idea. “And of course, Sasha, I would expect you wouldn’t want to risk death or…worse. Especially now.”

At those words, Sasha freezes and her blood runs cold. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Your uncle seems to be settling in well. I’d imagine he’ll do well here, but of course you wouldn’t want him to worry.”

Sasha’s eyes widen. “What. Do. You. Mean.”

“He didn’t tell you?” Elias’s smile broadens. “Well. I certainly wouldn’t want to steal his thunder, so to speak. But nevertheless, I should think the last thing you would want to do is worry him, or risk leaving him so soon.”

Sasha hasn’t been planning on staying…but honestly, she’ll be a liability if she goes, she rationalizes, and even if he’s being a smarmy arse about it, Elias isn’t necessarily wrong. “Fine. I’ll stay.”

“So the five of us—” Tim begins.

“No,” Jon says firmly. “Elias is right, it’s going to be—I can’t put you all at risk like that. It’s too dangerous.”

“Tough,” Tim says bluntly, his face tight with anger. “We’re not risking you. You don’t want to take all of us, fine, but you’re not going alone. Either Martin goes or I do.”

“I…” Jon looks stuck. Sasha bites the inside of her cheek. So far this has been going exactly according to plan, but she doesn’t think Tim is faking that anger. She files that away to ask him about later.

Martin puts a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “I—I think you’re right, Jon. I’d be more of a—I’ll stay behind. But please take Tim.”

“I’m not sure how much help Tim will be with his hand in a cast,” Elias says with a raised eyebrow.

Jon’s lips thin. “I will take that under advisement.”

“Fine.” Elias appears to give up the fight. Sasha doesn’t trust it. “Now, unless there was anything else…?”

“Not if—no,” Jon says finally.

“Excellent. Well, it’s a three-hour trip up to Great Yarmouth,” Elias tells them. “When do you plan to leave?”

“We think the ritual is going to be Thursday,” Jon answers.

“Perfect. I’ll be in touch with you on Wednesday to confirm the arrangements.” Elias beams. “Now, if you’ll excuse me?”

It’s a clear dismissal, and they all file out quietly. Rosie watches them in undisguised interest as they pass her desk, but they leave the office and head down the stairs in total silence, Daisy and Basira accompanying them.

The second the door to the Archives closes behind them, Basira asks, “Do you think he bought it?”

“We’ll talk about this later,” Martin says, flicking his eyes towards the trapdoor.

Jon nods. “Do, ah—can you two come back later? Say around four?”

“I’m off today,” Daisy growls.

“R-right. Right. We’ll…reconvene then. Go over the plan one last time. Confirm a few last scheduling details. Thank you.” Jon manages a smile, then turns to Tim and Sasha. “In that case, I’m sorry to have delayed you two so long, but you can go ahead and get your lunch.”

Sasha’s a bit startled. She’s honestly lost track of time. “I’m not actually hungry right now, but thanks, Jon. I’ll just keep working. Someone else can go.”

“It’s Monday,” Martin points out. His cerulean eyes are wide with worry—almost fear. “You and Tim always go to lunch on Mondays.”

Sasha’s about to remind him of all the times they didn’t take their lunch together when Tim nods and takes her elbow with his good hand. “That’s right, it is. Feels like it’s been a week this morning. C’mon, Sash, let’s go.”

“O-oh! Sure,” Sasha says, surprised. She grabs her jacket off the back of the chair and follows Tim out the door.

It’s a nice, moderate day, exactly Sasha’s kind of weather. There’s a fish and chips shop just across the nearest footbridge they usually go to on Mondays, and they walk in an unusually charged silence. Sasha waits until they’re settled at the table opposite one another before she says, “You didn’t forget it was Monday.”

“You were going to duck out,” Tim counters.

“I didn’t realize you needed this so much.”

“I don’t necessarily. It’s routine, though. It’s a ritual. That’s important to him.” Tim’s face softens. “When Jon left for Beijing…Martin told me he and his dad had this ritual they used to do the night before he left on a voyage, and the last time his dad left, he fell asleep in the middle of it. And then his dad didn’t come back. I guess he’s a little superstitious, but I’m not going to argue with him. It matters to him. So yeah, if it helps him feel like we’ve done everything we can to make sure this goes off successfully, I’ll go to lunch with my best friend.” He gives her a pretty good impression of his signature cheeky grin. “It’s a sacrifice, but I’ll manage.”

Sasha flicks a fallen bit of batter at him, pinging it off his cheek. “Arse. Well, then, while I’ve got you as a captive audience—what’s wrong?”

“Do I really need to spell it out for you, Sash?”

“Yes. I’m keeping my eyes firmly inside my own head and out of yours, so I don’t know what you’re actually thinking. And you’re impossible to read. Also, I don’t think you were altogether acting in Elias’s office.” Sasha points a chip at Tim, then pops it into her mouth. “So. Spill.”

Tim sighs. All traces of false mirth disappear from his face. “Just…can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course,” Sasha says, a bit bewildered.

“Look after them for me, will you?” Tim evidently sees the look of confusion on her face, because he elaborates. “Jon and Martin. Wh—if I don’t come back from this, if I die—”

“I thought the plan wasn’t going to have you anywhere near the actual ritual.”

“The timing on the—we’ll have to talk it over with Daisy, but I think it’s going to be tight. There’s a risk I’ll be bringing the building down on my head,” Tim says. “It’s fine. I’ve come to terms with it. It’s worth it if it keeps them safe. Just promise me that if it does happen, you’ll look after them for me. I-I’m sure they’ll be fine without me.”

“The hell they will.” Sasha sets her packet of fish and chips down on the table a little harder than necessary. “Tim, I don’t need the Beholder to know how you three are, it’s as plain as the nose on your face. It will devastate them if they lose you. Just like it would devastate you to lose them.”

Tim looks away. “It’s not the same.”

“It’s exactly the same! They’re not going to let you go in there with a death wish.”

“I don’t want to die, Sasha,” Tim explodes. At least he’s keeping his voice down. “I’m just saying, if I do…please. Just…just make sure they’re okay. Make sure they don’t…break.”

Sasha doesn’t want to, she really doesn’t, but she also knows this is important to Tim, so she nods. “If that happens…I promise I’ll do my best for them.”

Tim relaxes. “Thank you.”

“But,” Sasha stresses, “you have to promise to do your best to live. Especially if, as I strongly suspect, you’re not discussing this with them. Because I swear to God, Timothy Stoker, if you die I will be telling them that we had this talk, and I’m sure you don’t want them furious with you.”

“Duly noted.” Tim grins, but doesn’t meet her eyes.

Sasha is about to push him when her phone rings. A quick glance at the display screen, and she flinches. “Sorry, Tim, this is Uncle Wade. I’ve got to take this.”

“Go ahead.” Tim breaks off a piece of cod and stuffs it in his mouth.

Sasha thumbs the CALL button. “Uncle Wade, hi, I’m so sorry, I was going to call you but—”

“It’s fine, it all worked out.” Wade sounds like he’s barely keeping a lid on his emotions. “I only just got out myself.”

“Of your interview?”

“No, no, that—that was over hours ago. Sasha, I got the job! He hired me on the spot. We did all the onboarding paperwork then and there, and I actually got to start today. I’ve been spending the last couple hours getting set up, learning the ropes, all that sort of thing.” Wade says all of this in an excited rush she hasn’t heard from him since she was thirteen. “Someone just popped in to let me know I could go take a lunch break. I just got so into it I forgot about food. I was hoping you’d be on your lunch break and I could talk to you.”

Sasha smiles, relieved. Her uncle’s adjusting to freedom a lot better than she had feared he would, and it’s good to hear him so much like the man she remembers. “That’s great! What are you going to be doing? Where do you work?”

“You are talking,” Wade says proudly, “to the Executive Director of Information and Operations Technology at the Magnus Institute.”

“So your job title is the E-DIOT?” Sasha teases, and then her mind catches up to the last part of what he’s just said. “The Magnus Institute?”

Tim snorts his drink out of his nose. Wade still sounds delighted. “It surprised me, too. Did you know the Institute doesn’t have a proper tech department? I mean, of course you do, you’ve worked there seven years now. But yes. Mr. Bouchard wrote me last week saying that he knew I was getting ready to be released from prison and that he’d very much like to interview me about the position. He wants me to integrate all the systems in the building, troubleshoot programs and technology, that sort of thing. It’s just me for right now, but once I give him a list of what needs to be done and what resources I’d need to do it, I might have a staff to work with. We’ll see.”

“That’s…that’s wonderful, Uncle Wade.” Sasha can’t bring herself to dampen his enthusiasm by pointing out how terrifying an organization this is.

“I know it’s a bit—I know what you’ve told me about the Institute,” Wade says, as if he’s reading her mind. “But quite honestly, in my position, I can’t afford to be all that choosy about a job. The pay’s good. The pay’s great. He’s offering me way above the industry standard. And to just walk out of prison and walk straight into a high-paying position? In my field?” His voice softens. “Plus, I get to work with you. That’s worth a lot to me.”

“And to me,” Sasha says. She smiles warmly. “So what’s your next step?”

“This afternoon I’m going to start going round the different departments, talk to the heads and staff and whatnot, figure out what they need in terms of tech. What they need as an isolated system, what it would help to have integrated with what other departments.”

“Brilliant! Definitely come by the Archives today. I want you to meet the rest of my family.” Before it’s too late, Sasha adds mentally. “We’ve got a meeting at four, but—”

“Say no more. I’ll be there at three, how’s that?”

“Sounds good. See you then. I love you, Uncle Wade.”

“Love you too, Puddle-Duck.” Wade pauses. “And don’t worry. I won’t call you that in front of your friends.”

Sasha laughs and hangs up.

Tim watches her seriously. “He was interviewing at the Institute? Is that what Elias meant?”

“More than that. He’s already been hired.” Sasha rubs a hand over her face. “Guess that’s as good a reason as any to stay back. At least I won’t be in any danger. Probably.”

“You’ll be fine.” Tim knocks back the last of his drink. “C’mon, finish up and we’ll head back. Loads to do before we save the world.”