#But Daniel really really did make an impact and the more I watch how his chemical reacted with this others

[belethlegwen]

Okay- I gotta know- what is your secret for writing characters? I adore your writing, but above all its your ability to make characters that are just

A) Very real in their environment and the way they interact with others

B) Realistic and "deep feeling"

Do you have a process or a method?? Like ANY character building advice would make me go feral.

God this ask had me reeling today trying to think of answers for you, and also just: aaaaa thank you so so so much for the compliments for real ;-;

This is going to be very much kind of flow-of-thinking writing, and I apologize. It's been a long day and I really can't settle on anything of a clear answer, but I'm gonna do my best.

So my approach to characters, specifically ones that are more of the main/core casts, is to specifically treat them like other, real people. There are some characters that are more background, that are more narrative, and that's not to say they aren't 'real people' within that world, but from the perspective of the story and the characters who we are getting the perspectives of, they are less complex and less deep. An example would be Thorne. We know as much about the man as anyone really truly cares to among the main cast, and given his position and power as it pertains specifically to the narrative of The Stranding, we won't be giving a damn about how the man likes his eggs, unlike with someone like Daniel.

Melanie and Henry as our main characters are ones we tend to get to be deep into the cores of. We're going to be in their heads and seeing through their eyes the most out of everyone, so it's not as much of a surprise that by the end of however-many chapters, you know their favourite colours and foods, what times of the day they like to wake up, and a bit of background things that build up the main gears of their decision-making processes. We're going to be seeing them do the most changing over the narrative and see more deeply how the narrative effects them.

Daniel and Peter we ALSO get into the heads of a fair bit. I'll be honest with you, I wasn't expecting when I started to write The Stranding to ever really jump directly into Daniel's perspective like I do with the others, but the more I wrote for them all and saw how important Daniel was to Peter's whole being-- they both effect each other's decision making processes a wild, wild amount-- it became almost natural to wind up behind his eyes at points.

I think that's where a lot of my character-creation and really getting into the core of people really, honestly comes from. It's thinking of how these characters connect/have connected/will connect with the main characters in the story. Why are they connecting that way, why do they have the effects that they do? There's so many layers of complexities to every relationship that you, as a person have with other real people, that once you have things set up, things just start to click into place.

Henry and Daniel do not get along. Why?

They used to get along. What happened, why did it happen, why are they still carrying these feelings? Why did they get along before? How did they click, where did they chafe against each other, etc.

What flaws are they both portraying that make this conflict worse? Have either of them learned or changed in a way that might have made it better? Can they change in a way that might make it better? How would that have to happen?

It's through these interactions-- big and small, though not in the usual way I use those words haw haw-- that you start to piece together who a character is, specifically by contrasting them against another that you might already know (or that you might think you already know-- those are the fun ones).

Here's a sneak peek at the next chapter of The Stranding, whenever I manage to get around to writing and editing again when everything here has settled down more:

-----------------------------

The sailor eased himself into the chair and groaned as loudly as the planks did while the Pyrrohn adjusted course. “She wasn’t aware--” he tried to barrel out another excuse, this time for her. Daniel was not about to have it.

“Do not feed me horse shit,” the words hissed out of him, and the spots of heat on his face made him hope his rage was obvious. Perhaps if he looked as angry as he felt, the man across from him would understand how serious this actually was. “What she did was tantamount to assault of an officer, and that will be discussed with the weight it deserves once we’re back with the Commander.”

If there was something to be said for Lemuels, it was that he was rarely an obvious man. At least, he hadn’t been back in the older days. Since he had returned, however, his expressions were larger. More varied. Readable in a way they hadn’t been before, but also now like an untranslated poem in a foreign language. Every time Grant believed he was close to understanding what Lemuels was feeling, the man did something wholly erratic in response.

Such as now, while he waited for the sailor to argue. To jump to defense. To find some excuse as to why his fifty-foot menace should avoid any punishment or consequence. Such as now, when he did the opposite.

“You’re right, she will be, and I merely want you to understand that she will be just as upset as you are that any of it happened,” Lemuels explained, a hand coming to brush the loose hairs away from his face. 

“I don’t--” Grant began to snap at the man.

“Daniel, just understand that she already understands that she shouldn’t have. That’s all.”

He wanted to shout at the man in the stupid blue coat. He wanted to demand an explanation, some kind of clarification.

But there it was, that obvious expression again: Henry Lemuels looking tired and bitter-- bitter!-- at the wall of the tiny cabin.

‘He should be preening,’ Daniel thought, shaking what the sailor had said out of his thoughts like a duck shedding water. ‘He always preened and swelled with obnoxious pride after any Naval drill or operation. The man looks like driftwood in the rain.’

“We shall see,” the Captain said tersely, eyes dropping from the sight. “Once we’re back, we shall see.”

-----------------------------

It's their mix of familiarity and strangeness with each other that I feel draws out a lot of their deeper parts. Every person you meet is a gem of many facets, and the light will hit a different side depending on the situations they're in and the other people they're interacting with. In The Stranding, they're seeing some of the old facets they were familiar with before, but also seeing new ones. They're also shining the light on facets of each other that they had been trying to hide or thought they had moved past.

Another thing I really like to do when developing/exploring a character, even for my own sake, is to remember the golden truth of writing.

You are every character you make.

In some way or another, every character is you. You are following your own logic to make decisions for them, to create the paths they're choosing to forge. Lean into this. Let it be you. Even when you're writing a character who's a foil, or someone who's there to specifically act against and conflict with your main characters, your heroes, the goals you want them to achieve... don't distance yourself from it.

You've been a 'terrible person' in your past, from someone's perspective. You've made mistakes, you've been in bad places and you've learned and grown from them. Think back to your past self, think back to the you that made those mistakes and throw away what cringe comes from it; the person you were made the decisions you made for reasons. Try to empathetic of that. Try to understand that everyone around you is always several lessons ahead of you, and several lessons behind you, in a myriad of different categories.

If you need a character, especially a more main-one, to make a decision to push the plot forward and you, yourself can not get into their head enough to find a reason why they would do it-- something with a core, something with a goal, something with a trail that led to it that you could describe as a logic that you understand, even if just a little!-- then you need to step back and rethink what you're hoping to achieve. See if there's another way to get to it.

Something your main characters/audience/someone hoping to reach the end-goal of your story will not like needs to happen, you still need to be able to go 'Yeah Daniel's being a prick, but he has his reasons. He is compelled to do these things because _____', and that core reason? A lot of the time, it can be really simple at a glance, and diving deeper into it you can discover all kinds of new, incredibly nuanced things about the characters, world and story you've created/are creating.

Daniel's core often comes back to doing what's best for The Eastern Coastal Watch. He wants it to be strong, he wants it to be able to continue to operate, he wants it to be good.

When you explore deeper into why, you find out things like the reason he's so attached to the Watch is not just because Peter's in charge and he wants to help Peter, but because he truly believes it's a branch that focuses on helping people, helping the towns and people nearby, helping the kingdom as a whole, whereas he feels the others are increasingly more about expansion, growth, power in ways that lose that noble pursuit of simply being there when they're needed by the people, etc.

Why does helping citizenry in those ways matter so much? Where did that start? These are the fun threads I really like to pull when you're getting to the core of people.

SO ANYWAY, I am sorry if this is just... wild rambling. My head's still scrambled eggs from everything going on IRL, but I really really loved getting this ask and thinking about it, and it gave me a nice chance to drag poor Daniel back out of brain storage to rotate him in the blorbo-rotator again as examples, hahaha. I don't know if this is necessarily helpful, but I hope it is? At least in some weird way? This is the kind of shit I could talk about forever if I had the spoons to go grab a coffee with someone and the coffee shop owners wouldn't be mad that I'd be there for 3-4 hours just yammering.

Whenever I'm actually like, settled and things are stable again, maybe we can connect in DMs or something and chatter about this and pick the process apart together sometime!

Much love always,

~ Belle

[savagewildnerness]

The Score of S2E5/E12 Don't be afraid, just start the tape.

OK, Someone was asking about the repeated piano notes that recur in S2E5 so I thought I’d have a quick go through the episode.

Please bear in mind that I have not listened to the soundtrack for season 2.  In S2E1 I was so profoundly moved by the exquisite violin music in the first 15 minutes that I was totally overwhelmed and I had to watch the first part of the episode several times to take it all in and be composed enough to continue watching.  

The way the music impacted me there, hearing it for the first time alongside the drama, as intended, made me realise I absolutely do not want to listen to the score before watching the whole of S2 and so not feel the emotion from it as intended, alongside the drama the first time I watch the show!  

I’ll spoil myself by analysing every trailer to the millisecond and reading your analyses… but the music: NO.  I even regretted knowing the Come to Me reprise before it was in the show.  

And even the S1 score… I know it well, but I listen to it on CD in the car, so I’m not familiar with the track titles as I’ve never really looked at most of them…. So, that said - this will not be referencing tracks on the score.  Perhaps I’ll return to this in more depth - analysing the music more thoroughly and with reference to the score after the series is over, but for now…

Piano pedal:

The piano pedal and theme recurs 5 times in the episode, and looking at when, I realised it is all related to Louis uncovering his suicide attempt as it culminates (on the fourth occurrence) in the full theme…

I transcribed just the first bit of slow notes, which isn’t very interesting, but here it is:

Musically the theme is just 5, slow pedal C’s the first and last occurrence - bookmarking the delve into the uncovering of memory.

The second occurrence adds an Eb, suggesting it has somewhere it is starting to head towards… but is still just 5 slow pedal notes.

The third occurrence starts the theme for a fair amount the theme and the fourth occurrence is the full theme.

1 - 5 slow pedal C’s. This occurs in Dubai at this point:

Daniel: How often has Armand spared a life?

Louis: Armand could see I was partial to you

I.e. When Daniel first opens up the concept of exploring his and Louis’ memories of San Francisco, we first hear the pedal C’s

2 - 3 C’s, an Eb and a C - 5 slow notes.  This occurs in Dubai

Daniel: I want to know, for me, what happened between us

So, the first two occurrences are Daniel opening Louis up to the idea of exploring what really happened at the first interview in San Francisco.

3 - Slow pedal C’s and Eb’s into the start of a longer piano theme.  This occurs in San Francisco

This is when Louis is talking about Claudia leaving on the train and him staying behind with Lestat and then…

Daniel: And then what?

The theme starts as Louis talks about this first contemplation of suicide and continues through Daniel’s plea to be made a vampire

4 - Full theme in San Francisco

This begins after Louis and Armand’s argument; after:

Louis: I loved her (Claudia)

Armand: But she didn’t love you.  Not like he did.  Not like I have.

Louis: I know

I don’t know if this is on the season 2 soundtrack, but I’ll presume it is, and it’ll be this, full version that continues now in its full form, through Louis going into the sun.

5 - 5 slow pedal C’s in Dubai, as at the start

This occurs when Armand returns, at the end of the episode

Armand: I could see you were partial to him.  I preserve your happiness even when you don’t or can’t.

Louis and Armand: I had a hunch

Armand: Daniel might prove fruitful in later times

The other, creepy soundscape with distorted horror/electronic sounds (YUM!) happens for the first time after Louis’ suicide attempt when Daniel is mentioned and it scores all the horror elements with Daniel and Armand, where Armand is basically torturing Daniel, trying to find out what makes Daniel fascinating to Louis and Daniel is terrified he is going to die.

The first occurrence:

Louis: He’s alive?

Armand: The boy? The fascinating boy.  He’s fine.  He’s just fine.  Oh, he’s fine.  You’re fine.  We’re all fine.

It continues as Daniel recounts what he can remember - the corpse, etc. and develops as Armand seeks what makes Daniel fascinating

I didn’t really delve into this part, but - violins/strings and a more familiar to most episodes, though sparser, predominantly piano and violin score with lots of high and thinner notes than usual return when Lestat is mentioned between Louis and Armand and Armand talks about listening to the tapes and why Louis did the interview.  It’s very pared back, but the “The drum was my heart” theme (Ahh… is that the origin track for the theme?  Anyway - you know the theme dooo doooooo, do doooo dooooooo one!) is there with high pedal strings as Lestat speaks to Louis and it suddenly drops away as Lestat vanishes…

Armand’s “easeful death” talk with Daniel as he eases him to his death also has a more musically full (and  beautiful) theme.  It reminds me a bit of Moonlight sonata and has Armand-romance-theme vibes in its gentleness - beautiful, delicate and simple.  Then a violin comes in and it becomes increasingly poignant and emotional and eventually (I feel) it has a romance to it too, especially from when Armand says “It’s the comfort we all long for” - it sort of resolves to a musical home.

Again, there is more resolved piano & strings music at the end with Daniel and Louis.

OK, so only a little analysis.  I just watched the episode once and made a few notes.  I basically did it to work out if those repeated piano pedal notes had a specific connection.  And they do - it is specifically tied into (at least as I understood it, from my listening) the uncovering of Louis’ suicide attempt.

Let me know if you’d like me to look at the music ever in the future.  I dunno… part of me feels like killing a fairy to analyse stuff like this rather than just experience the magic, but also I find it very interesting.  This is only a first little touch on stuff.  I could analyse and actually think about it…

Gosh, I adore Daniel Hart’s score!  And I love how unusual and differently this episode was scored compared to other episodes…

Let me know if this was daft of me or if you’d ever like me to look into the music at all.

[ellswritings]

Lunatic 1x08

Life has definitely improved for Fallon. The dangerous night in the school didn’t have any long-lasting impacts on her leg, so now she has her cast off. Michael was relieved to know that she wouldn’t need to have it on any longer than necessary. Unfortunately, he did get more strict after that night. She thought she was on a tight leash before, but now she can only go somewhere if there’s confirmation by Melissa or Noah that Stiles or Scott will be there. Hence why she’s now in the woods, following after the two boys, freckles having a large bottle of Jack Daniel’s in his hand.

None of their parents know they left Stiles’ house… but what they don’t know won’t hurt them. They’re all working tonight anyway.

Life was slowly returning to normal, or at least some version of it. She tries to interject in the conversation the two are having ahead of her, but her mind has been too preoccupied with something the last couple of days. Derek Hale. She doesn’t know what happened to him, if he’s truly dead, where he is if he’s not. When she left the school with her father, the only thing she could think about was his Camaro and who would take it. She was tempted, but it would be nearly impossible to hide a whole vehicle from her father.

She grins as Stiles almost begins to slip, the golden liquid in the bottle sloshing around. Each side of the glass gets touched by the Tennessee whiskey, making the bottle itself look more murky than it actually is. How the boy managed to snag a bottle of liquor, Fallon wouldn’t know, she also wouldn’t ask. She was kind of relieved that he brought it. She knows that they’re there to help Scott feel better, but letting loose for the evening would do her some good too.

Fallon runs to catch up with the two, slinging her arms around their shoulders as they walk through the preserve. “Where are we going?” She asks Stiles curiously. “And how much of that are we actually gonna drink?” She questions. “Because if you stole it from your dad, it’s probably not a good idea to drink more than a quarter of it.”

“I am not answering either of those questions.”

Fallon snickers, accepting his secrecy. If he wants to risk getting himself in trouble with Noah, then she’s not going to stop him. Scott’s posture is slouched, hands dug deep into his pockets as he glances at his friends. “We really shouldn’t be out here. My mom is in a constant state of freak-out from what happened at the school.”

Stiles scoffs, waving the whiskey around in the air, “Well, your mom isn’t the sheriff, okay? There’s no comparison, trust me.”

“Okay, you both have got it way easier than you like to pretend to,” Fallon points out. “My dad literally won’t let me leave the house after dark. I can barely leave during the day unless I’m going to school. And he won’t let me out of his sight unless one of your parents tells him I’ll be with one of you at your house for the night,” she lists off her restrictions. “Meanwhile, you have a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and your dad thinks we’re at his place watching a movie.” She sends Stiles a pointed look. “Doesn’t seem too overwhelming to me.”

“Shut up,” Stiles shoves her arm off of him and into Scott. The latter laughs at Stiles’ reaction to Fallon’s words.

“Can you at least tell us what we’re doing out here?” Scott requests.

“Yes!” Stiles nods. “When one your best friends gets dumped–”

“I didn’t get dumped,” Scott interrupts, suddenly getting defensive. “We’re taking a break.”

“So were Rachel and Ross,” Fallon teases with a smirk. “Trust me on this, breaks are never just breaks. The only break there is, is a break-up.”

Fallon’s never been one to believe in the benefits of “taking a break.” She doesn’t deny that it probably works for some couples, but in her opinion, all it is is just a less harsh term for the reality of the situation. A break-up. It allows both parties to live in a fantasy world where they’ll wait for one another until they improve themselves. When that’s never actually the case. Perhaps she’s this cynical because she’s never been in love, and her opinion could be based on nothing but bitter seventeen-year-old thoughts. But until she’s proven wrong, she’s going to stick with her negativity.

“No–”

“All right,” Stiles stops the conversation before Scott gets upset and storms off. “Well, when your best friend gets told by his girlfriend that they’re taking a break…” he lifts the bottle in the air, “you get your best friend drunk.”

Stiles stops in the middle of a clearing, a small rock sitting in the dead center. The tree branches whistle in the wind creating a calming atmosphere for the three. The breeze feels nice on Fallon’s skin as she plops down in the leaves next to Stiles. She immediately leans back, staring up at the sky. As usual, her eyes were drawn to the moon. The harsh reality of the full moon being tomorrow hits her like a truck when she notices the waxing gibbous hanging beautifully above them. She briefly glances at Scott, the same frown he’s had on his face since getting in the jeep still present. She hopes it’s more to do with Allison than his impending face-off with the man in the moon.

Stiles pops the lid off of the liquor and takes a satisfying swig. The whiskey bounces around, the amber color almost matching the small flecks in Stiles’ eyes. She watches as he cringes slightly as the liquid burns his throat, but she can tell by the small smile on his face that he likes it. He holds it out towards Fallon and Scott for them to have some. His grins drops slightly when he notices Scott not making any effort to take the bottle. Fallon wasn’t planning on drinking too much due to not wanting a hangover, but the things she does for Stiles. She makes grabby hands, carefully taking the bottle of whiskey and throwing it back like it’s nothing. Scott and Stiles watch with wide eyes, not expecting her to let loose like that. They’ve seen her drink before but only very little at social gatherings.

Being friends with Lydia and Jackson as well as being one of the best players on the lacrosse team came with things like parties and drinking. Fallon didn’t have an addiction or anything of the sorts, she knows when to drink and when not to and she always does it responsibly. Her first time drinking taught her that lesson. She crashed in Jackson’s backyard on a lawn chair. The next morning she woke up with a gnarly hangover, a terrible case of cottonmouth, and a plethora of mosquito bites. So now when she engages with any form of alcohol, she doesn’t do it to get drunk. Just a slight buzz.

She enjoyed the warmth the whiskey provided her. She likes the burning sensation it leaves as it cascades down her throat, pooling in her stomach. She wipes a drop off the corner of her mouth, licking the excess off her finger before handing it back to Stiles.

The pale boy once again tries to offer the liquor to Scott, but he silently shakes his head in response. Stiles scoffs, taking another large sip before laying down next to Fallon. “Y’know you are sitting here with a giant bottle of Jack Daniel’s, which we got for free by the way, and your two best friends. One of which is a hot female who has apparently kissed you. This is like any teenage boy's wet dream,” he rambles off, the small amount of whiskey he’s had already making him tipsy.

Scott looks at Fallon in shock, “You told him?”

She huffs, “Well– I– yeah…” she shrugs. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. And plus, when I told him, I thought he’d be able to keep it to himself, but I guess I was wrong.” She glares over at Stiles who’s too busy taking another drink to worry about her being mad.

“If anyone should be upset, it’s me,” Stiles puts his finger in the air to emphasize his point. “I’m the only one here who hasn’t been kissed by Fallon.”

“You’re the only other person here,” the brunette points out. “I’m not walking around kissing myself, Stiles. And it’s not like it happened more than once.”

“Well, I haven’t even gotten it once.”

“I already offered to kiss you!” She exclaims, taking the bottle out of his hand. She’s gonna need a lot more alcohol if she’s going to be able to keep up with drunk Stiles. “If you wanna cash that favor in now, I’ll be happy to fulfill my end.”

“Wait, you told him you would kiss him as a favor?” Scott furrows his eyebrows.

“Don't worry about it,” Fallon waves off, gulping down some more of the spicy liquid.

“No,” Stiles denies with an overdramatic shake of his head. “I’m gonna wait. It’s gonna be the perfect moment where you’ve completely forgotten about it when I cash that sucker in.”

“Great,” she holds the amber liquor in the air, nonverbally saying cheers to his statement before throwing her head back to coat her throat once more. “Looking forward to it.”

“Good,” Stiles adds. “And I’m expecting all the works. So you better always have that watermelon chapstick on hand,” he turns on his side to face her. “I want a whole fruit explosion.”

Fallon pauses for a moment. Her eyes soften when looking at him, “You know what kind of chapstick I use?”

The only reason this impacts her so strongly is that he asked what chapstick Lydia wore because he didn’t know before. But somehow he knows hers. How could he know Fallon’s but have no clue about the girl who is his total obsession.

Stiles shifts in his spot, sensing the sincere shift in the atmosphere. He scoffs out a laugh, taking the bottle back from her, “Uh, yeah,” he shrugs like it’s no big deal. “You apply it like every five minutes. It’s either that or raspberry.”

She knows that’s not true, and by the way he sucks down a good chunk of the bottle, he knows it too. But she’s not going to say anything, and Scott’s too depressed about Allison to worry about the odd moment shared between his two friends.

A couple minutes pass by, the three of them just enjoying each other's company. In that time, they managed to convince Scott to take a drink, but it doesn’t seem to be phasing him like it usually does. Scott isn’t necessarily a lightweight like the spaz head next to them, but he doesn’t have a tolerance like Fallon does either. Even then, she’s starting to border the line between tipsy and drunk as well and the bottle is only halfway gone.

At this point, Fallon’s head is resting comfortably on Stiles’ stomach, the boy running his hands through Fallon’s hair. The softness of her locks feels relaxing on his fingers. He looks up at Scott who hasn’t cheered up at all since being here. “Dude, you know... she's just one... one girl. You know, there are so many... there are so many other girls in the sea…” he mumbles drunkenly.

Scott sighs at his incapacitated friend, “Fish in the sea.” He corrects.

Stiles giggles, “Fish?” He asks, confused. “Why you talking about fish? I'm talking about girls. I love girls. I love ‘em. I love especially ones with strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, five-foot-three…”

“Like Lydia?” Scott says, not needing to do much to figure that one out.

“Yeah, exactly!” Stiles exclaims happily until his face falls with puzzlement. “Hey, how did you know what I was talking about… about…” He squints his eyes, “What was I talking about?”

Fallon flips on her stomach and off of Stiles when she notices Scott’s state. She holds the bottle up to him, “You’re not happy, Scotty. Take a drink. It’ll take the edge off.”

He shakes his head, “I don’t want anymore,” he denies moodily.

“Okay,” she smiles at him brightly. “No means no, and we don’t peer pressure here,” she giggles before slapping her hand over her mouth. She stares at the bottle, slowly pushing it away from her so she doesn’t try to drink anymore. As soon as she starts giggling, that’s when it’s time to stop. The next phase is confusing her rights from her lefts and that’s the last thing she wants to do when sitting in the middle of the woods.

“You’re not drunk?” Stiles wonders.

Scott shakes his head, “I’m not anything.”

“That’s very dark,” Fallon frowns. “You are something, Scotty.” She scoots closer to him, laying her head on his lap now. “You’re our best friend, and if Allison is too blind to see that you were trying to save her, then she doesn’t deserve you.”

Scott wants to defend Allison, but he can’t bring himself to do it. He looks at Fallon, and he doesn’t know how, but he can sense the protectiveness wafting off of her. He can feel how much she wants to keep his heart safe. He then takes Stiles’ job, lightly playing with her hair. She closes her eyes and hums, enjoying the feeling of her hair being messed with.

“Hey, maybe it's like... maybe it's like not needing your inhaler anymore, you know? Maybe you can't get drunk as a wolf?” Stiles says, pursing his lips. “Am I drunk?”

“You’re wasted.”

“Yeah!” Fallon rubs Scott’s words into Stiles’ face, reminding the former of a toddler.

“You’re just as bad,” Scott informs her, making the girl pout.

She defiantly shakes her head, “Nuh uh. I can still tell my rights from my lefts,” she then proceeds to raise her left hand when saying right and her right hand when saying left. “See?”

Scott’s lips form in a tight line, “That’s your right hand, Fall. Not your left.”

Her triumphant expression fades, “Damn it,” she grumbles, laying back down on Scott’s legs.

“Come on, dude. I know it feels bad. I know it hurts. I know.” He pauses before realizing his lack of knowledge on the subject area. “...Well, I don't know.” Fallon starts giggling as he continues, “But I know this-- I know that as much as being broken up hurts, being alone is way worse.”

The brunette girl hiccups, still trying to contain her chuckles. “That didn’t make any sense.”

“I need a drink!” Stiles exclaims, rolling over to reach the whiskey. But it was yanked away by a foreign hand before Stiles could even grab it.

“Well, look at the three little bitches getting their drink on.”

Fallon goes to stand up, suddenly much more sober than she was three seconds ago. “What did you just say?”

Scott is quick to pull her back down, the men laughing at her tenacity. “Would you look at that, Unger? Little princess here’s got teeth.”

Scott glares at the two of them, nodding at the bottle. “Give it back,” he demands firmly.

“What’s that little man?” The one they just learned was named Unger says.

“I think he wants a drink,” his friend responds, amused.

“I want the bottle,” Scott responds, his voice steady.

Stiles sits up nervously, pulling Fallon closer to him to keep her safe, “Scott, maybe we should just go…”

Scott glowers at the two older men, “You brought me here to get drunk, Stiles. I’m not drunk yet.” The man holding the bottle scoffs, taking a drink of the whiskey. Scott moves closer to them, “Give me the bottle.” His head tilts down a bit and that’s when Fallon sees a glimpse of yellow in his eyes. A small growl erupts from his throat, “Give me the bottle of Jack.”

She taps Stiles, “He’s wolfing out,” she whispers. “We need to go. Now.”

His fangs slowly start to poke out from his upper lip, the sideburns growing in on the side of his face. They both watch as he digs his claws into his hands, low snarls leaving his mouth. Stiles goes to stand up, “Scott…” he warns.

The man holding the bottle shakes as he doesn’t understand what is going on with the teen in front of him. He fearfully hands Scott the bottle who rips it out of his hand, chucking it across the clearing and smashing it against a tree. The two men take off in the other direction, mumbling things about how the three of them are crazy. Technically they’re not wrong. But the three friends haven’t been sane since they met each other.

Scott starts walking off, Stiles and Fallon following behind him. “Okay, please tell me that’s because of the breakup��� Or ‘cause tomorrow’s the full moon…?” He suggests.

Scott opens the back door to the jeep, Stiles walking in front of him. “Going home now, yeah?” Scott nods allowing Stiles to collapse into the backseat, promptly passing out.

Fallon sighs, “Let’s get out of here.”

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Getting to school the next day was a struggle for Fallon. Her father continuously asked if she really thought she was ready to go back. It’s not that she didn’t mind staying home and recuperating, but she would eventually go stir crazy if she couldn't get out for at least a couple of hours. Besides, now that she has her cast off, she can’t wait to get back to playing lacrosse again.

She heads towards Mr. Harris’s class, internally cringing at the fact there’s a huge test today. When she walks in, she watches as the man menacingly places the tests down on each table. Allison is sitting in the front row, an empty seat next to her. Fallon decides to take the spot, sending the dark haired girl a small smile.

“Hey,” she greets quietly.

“Hi,” Allison smiles, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “How are you feeling after, y’know…” She gestures with her hands to indicate the night before.

“I’m okay,” Fallon answers kindly, turning to face the girl fully. “How are you? I know you were pretty freaked out after Scott left and everything.”

“I was,” she admits with a nod. “But I think I’m good now. By the way, I’m really sorry for being kind of snappy with you during the whole thing.”

Fallon shakes her head, “You weren’t. You were scared, which is completely reasonable,” she reaches over and squeezes Allison’s hand reassuringly. “I don’t blame you. We were all pretty scared.”

“Well, I could definitely use a girls night after all of that,” Allison grins at her. “Maybe some facials and therapy shopping. Would you wanna come with me and Lydia?” She asks hopefully.

“Absolutely,” Fallon nods. “That sounds great.”

Once Harris places a test in front of her, she turns her attention back towards her desk. The last thing she needs is Harris yelling at her for talking. Stiles walks in not long after, sliding a lollipop onto Fallon’s desk, his own hanging out of his mouth. She smiles when she notices its cotton candy flavor. He winks at her and she shakes her head, unwrapping the candy and popping it in her mouth. A few moments later is when Scott walks in, looking completely distraught when he sees Allison. The brunette puts a hand in front of her face as a way of shielding herself from the upcoming awkward conversation.

Thankfully, Mr. Harris asks Scott to sit down before a fight could break out. She lets out a breath of relief before opening the first page of the test booklet. Their teacher moves to the front of the classroom, the same displeased look on his face that he always wears. “You have forty-five minutes to complete the test. Twenty-five percent of your grade can be earned right now simply by writing your name on the cover of the blue book.” Fallon takes that as her cue to write her name. “However, as happens every year, one of you will inexplicably fail to put your name on the cover, and I'll be left yet again questioning my decision to ever become a teacher. So, let's get the disappointment over with. Begin!”

1) An increase in imports of consumer goods is most likely to have been caused by a:

A) Fall in exchange rate.

B) Rise in household saving.

C) Rise in household income.

D) Fall in unemployment

Fallon thinks back to the notes she took in her economics class. The only logical answer would be C. When household income rises, people generally have more disposable income to spend on goods, including imported consumer goods. This increase in purchasing power can lead to an increase in imports. She cracks her neck as she moves to read the next question.

2. Which one of the following statements about price mechanism is correct?

A) Price mechanism is the point which equalibriates supply and demand within a market.

B) Price mechanism allows the price of goods to be decided by supply and demand.

C) Price mechanism formulates fair prices of goods or services according to supply and demand.

The correct answer is B. This statement accurately describes how the price mechanism operates in a market economy because prices are determined by the interaction of supply and demand, without any direct interference from external forces like government control. She circles it with ease before moving onto the next question.

The girl doesn’t even realize how quickly she’s flying through the test until she’s on the third page. She notices Stiles who’s a row over and one seat behind her clicking his pen in a particular pattern which she recognizes. They came up with a system for multiple choice tests where if one of them was struggling, they’d click the pen the amount of times the question number was. Then the person giving the answer would subtly hold up the amount of fingers for which answer it is. He clicks the pen eight times causing Fallon to hold up three fingers for letter c).

She holds her head in her hand, flipping to the fourth page. The brunette only has the backside of the packet to go before she’s officially done. That’ll give her a solid almost thirty minutes to read her book. Hopefully Harris doesn’t make her sit back down for finishing the test in less than twenty minutes.

Fallon sighs, reading the last question boredly. With one final swoop of her pencil, she finishes the test. As she’s about to stand up and turn it in, Scott shoots up from his seat with his backpack and darts out of the room. Her eyes widen in surprise before grabbing all of her stuff, dropping her test off in front of Harris and chasing after her best friend. Stiles follows closely behind, leaving his own test u finished. Their teacher calls out for them and demands them to come back, but it’s far too late.

“Scott?” Fallon yells for the boy. Her and Stiles glance around the hallway, stopping when they see his backpack just sitting in the middle of the walkway. They walk over to it, Stiles picking it up.

“Scott?” Stiles tries, turning his head every which way.

“Let me call him,” Fallon mutters, pulling out her phone as she presses Scott’s contact information. Her phone rings as she and Stiles try to carefully listen for Scott’s ringtone. They hear the faint sound coming from the boys locker room. When they walk in, they hear the water running in one of the showers. The girl sighs, throwing her head back, “Why do you guys always have to come here when you’re having a crisis?”

Stiles shrugs, not knowing the answer to the question. The duo treks forward carefully, an eerie feeling coming over them. With the full moon being tonight, they are both half expecting to see a wolfed out Scott ready to kill them once again. But once they make it to the back, all they see is their best friend breaking down. He’s standing under the shower head, half naked, gasping for air that never seems to reach his lungs.

Scott turns to them, panting heavily, “I can’t– I can’t–” he points to his chest, trying to communicate his needs.

“What’s happening?” Stiles asks anxiously. “Are you changing?”

“No,” he wheezes. “No, I can’t breathe,” he says, sliding down the shower wall.

This is when Fallon flies into protective mode. She yanks Scott’s backpack off of Stiles, rummaging through it to find his inhaler. The only other time she’s seen him like this is when he’s having an asthma attack, but she knows it’s not his asthma. From the looks of it, she wants to assume it’s a panic attack. Hopefully though with a puff from his inhaler, it’ll manage to calm him down.

She kneels down in front of him, ignoring her knees getting wet from the floor below. She shakes the inhaler and puts it to his lips, puffing it into his mouth. Thankfully, it manages to calm his breathing as his chest stops heaving so aggressively.

Scott looks up at them confused, “I was having an asthma attack?” He asks incredulously.

“No,” Fallon sighs, sitting down next to him. “You were having a panic attack.”

Stiles nods, “But thinking you were having an asthma attack actually stopped the panic attack,” he explains. “Irony…”

“How did you know to do that?” Scott glances at Fallon.

The brunette hugs her knees to her chest, briefly looking at Stiles. She shrugs softly, “Used to get ‘em after my mom died, especially when I had to move to a new place right after. Stiles used to get them a lot too.”

“Why do you think we started the Saturday night sleepovers when we were kids?” Stiles brings up. “It gave us a way to stick together on the weekends when we couldn’t see each other at school.”

“It got easier to not have a panic attack when we were with each other,” she says softly. “They're not fun, huh?”

Scott leans his head against the cold shower tile, “I looked at her, and it was like someone hit me in the ribs with a hammer.”

“Yeah,” Stiles nods. “It’s called heartbreak– about two billion songs written about it.”

“I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“Yeah, and you probably won’t for a while,” Fallon says truthfully. “That’s usually how these kinds of things go.”

“Well, you could think about this– her dad's a Werewolf Hunter, and you're a Werewolf, so it was bound to become an issue…” Both Scott and Fallon give him a ‘really’ look making Stiles shift awkwardly. “That wasn’t helpful.” He sighs, crouching down to get closer to his two friends, “Dude, I mean, yeah. You got dumped. It’s supposed to suck.”

“No, that's not it,” Scott denies. “It was like I could feel everything in the room– everyone else's emotions.”

“It’s gotta be the full moon,” Fallon says, rubbing his back. “We’re still gonna stick with the plan we talked about and lock you up in your room later. That way the Alpha–”

“Who’s your boss,” Stiles adds, cutting Fallon off.

She rolls her eyes but finishes her sentence regardless, “Can’t get to you.”

“I think we need to do a lot more than just lock me in my room.”

“What? Why?” Fallon furrows her eyebrows.

“You mean because if you get out, you’d be caught by hunters?” Stiles asks, also trying to understand what he means.

No… Because if I get out… I think I might kill someone.”

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

One of the only times Fallon is allowed in the boys locker room is when Coach calls a meeting. Truthfully, it’s not even when she’s “allowed,” it’s just when she forces herself to go in there so he doesn’t yell at her for insubordination. It’s happened before. She sits down on the bench next to Scott and Stiles, adjusting her pads underneath the uniform as Coach comes out of his office.

“All right, geniuses, listen up! Due to the recent pink-eye epidemic– thank you, Greenberg– the following people have made first line on a probationary basis– emphasis on the word probationary.” He looks down at the clipboard as he starts to list off all the names, “Rodriguez. Welcome to first line. Taylor, and, uh…” he squints as if he can’t read the name in front of him. “Oh, for the love of crap, I can't even read my own writing. What is that, an S?” Stiles leans forward excitedly. “No, no, that's not an S. That's a-that's a-that's a B. It's definitely a B. Uh, Rodriguez, Taylor, and, uh... Bilinski.”

Stiles’ head shoots up as he hears a version of his last name. He shoots up from his seat, banging on his chest and howling like a monkey. Fallon slouched down, covering her face with her hand to prevent herself from laughing out loud.

“Bilinski,” Coach narrows his eyes, making Stiles stop.

“Yes?”

“Shut up,” the man commands causing everyone in the room to snicker.

“Yes, sir,” Stiles salutes, slowly sitting down so he doesn’t do anything else to jeopardize his new position on the team.

“Stiles,” Fallon tries to talk to him.

“It’s Biles,” he tells her with the most serious expression on his face. “Call me Biles or I swear to God, I’ll kill you.”

Her lips form into a thin line as she nods, “Got it. Biles Bilinski it is.”

“Another thing–” Coach gets their attention once more. “From here on out, immediately, we're switching to co-captains. And since Donovan keeps refusing, we’ll give it to our next star player. Congratulations, McCall!”

Fallon and Stiles seem to be the only ones who are happy about the news. The rest of the team doesn’t even look a little bit congratulatory on Scott’s new promotion. Fallon pats his back encouragingly. She definitely would rather have Scott as co-captain rather than herself.

Jackson storms over to Coach, “What?” He snaps, not taking his new shared position very lightly.

“What do you mean, "what?" Coach shrugs. “Jackson, this takes nothing away from you. This is about combining separate strengths into one unit. This is about taking your unit, McCall's unit... we're making one big unit. McCall, it's you and Jackson now! Everybody else?” He blows his whistle loudly. Asses on the field! Asses on the field!

Fallon, Scott, and Stiles all grab their gear and get ready to head outside. Stiles seems a lot more excited than Scott which confuses the girl as he did just earn a very coveted position.

“Dude, can you believe this? You're a captain, I'm first line. I'm first-freaking-line!”

“Told you you could do it,” Fallon bumps his side. “Even if it is on a probationary basis.”

He points his lanky finger at her, “Do not ruin this for me.”

They push the door to the hallway open, walking out together. They ignore the angry stares from Jackson, not allowing him to ruin the victory for them. Stiles notices Scott’s lack of enthusiasm and frowns, “Are you not freaking out? I’m freaking out.”

“What’s the point?” Scott snaps irritably, making Fallon’s eyebrows go up into her hairline. “It’s just a stupid title. And I could practically smell the jealousy in there.”

“Wait, you smell jealousy?” Stiles asks, intrigued.

“Yeah,” the boy nods. “It’s like the full moon’s turned everything up to ten.”

“Are you sure you’re up for practice, Scotty?” Fallon asks worriedly. “We can always tell Coach that you threw up or something and I’m sure he’ll excuse you.”

“I’m fine,” he grumbles. “Don’t worry about it.”

That’s not going to happen. Telling Fallon not to worry is like telling Stiles not to ramble. Besides with what’s at stake, controlling her worrying tendencies is going to be much more difficult. He confessed less than five hours ago that he would kill someone if they didn’t lock him up. So seeing his brooding demeanor sets off some alarm bells.

“Anyway, back to the whole smelling jealousy thing,” Stiles says with a clear agenda. “Does that mean you can pick up on stuff, like, I don’t know… desire?”

Scott frowns, turning to his male best friend, “What do you mean, desire?”

“Like, sexual desire.”

“Sexual desire?” Scott furrows his eyebrows confused.

Stiles sighs exasperatedly, “Yeah, sexual desire! Lust, passion… arousal.”

“I swear to God, I am gonna smack you,” Fallon narrows her eyes at him. “Please stop talking.”

“Don’t act like you’re not curious!” Stiles shoots back.

“Let me guess… from Lydia?” Scott says unamused.

Stiles pretends he’s appalled by the accusation, “What? No, in general, broad sense– can you determine sexual desire?” He tries to play off.

“From Lydia to you,” Fallon adds.

Stiles throws his hands up, “Fine! Yes, from Lydia to me.” Both Scott and Fallon look away from the boy, a wide array of disappointment and annoyance on their faces. Stiles grabs Scott’s shoulder, “Look, I need to know if I have a chance with this girl, okay? I’ve been obsessing over her since the third freakin’ grade.”

“Why don’t you just ask her?” Scott suggests sassily.

“Well, to save myself utterly crushing humiliation. Thank you, Scott. Okay? So, please, can you just go up and ask her if she likes me? See if her heartbeat rises, pheromones come out…”

“Fine,” Scott practically growls before walking away from his two friends with a miserable look on his face. Stiles is too thrilled by Scott agreeing to ask Lydia about her feelings for the boy to notice the shift in their friend's tone. Something’s off and Fallon doesn’t like it.

“We need to follow him,” Fallon says as she watches Scott walk into an empty classroom with Lydia.

“Wha– Why?” Stiles looks at her incredulously. “We can just meet him out on the field.”

“There’s something about the way he just walked off,” she mutters. “I don’t think we should trust him alone in a room with her right now. The full moon seems to be really messing with him.”

“I’m not worried about it,” Stiles shrugs off. “You can follow him if you want, but I just made first line and I’m not gonna give Coach a reason to take it away.” With that, Stiles takes off leaving the brunette in the hallway.

She can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong about this whole situation. Call it best friend’s intuition, but she sneakily walks up to the closed door to the classroom. What she sees is normal for the most part. Lydia is sitting on the desk, staring at Scott as he asks his question. But the question is clearly not what Stiles had originally wanted Scott to do as the boy hunches over and wraps his arms around Lydia’s waist. Fallon gasps, jumping away from the door as she watches the two of them kiss.

“Damn it, Scott,” she grumbles frustratedly, knowing that there’s no way she can keep this from Stiles.

Making her way out to the lacrosse field, Fallon’s fury rises with every step. How could Scott do that to Stiles? He was supposed to go in there to ask if Lydia had feelings for Stiles. Not make out with her. Lydia is also still with Jackson. She loves Scott, but he is an absolute idiot at times.

“Something wrong?” Stiles asks her as she slides down on the bench, grabbing her helmet roughly from her bag.

She sighs, keeping her head hung low. If she tells him, he’ll be pissed at Scott. If she doesn’t tell him, he’ll be pissed at her later when he finds out she knew and didn’t say anything. The girl internally groans before looking back at the boy. “He kissed her,” she blurts out, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Stiles looks taken aback, “Who kissed who?”

“Scott kissed Lydia,” she explains. “And it wasn’t like a little peck either. It was like full on frenching,” she shakes her head in disgust. “I knew something was wrong with him.”

Stiles pauses, “No,” he shakes his head. “No, Scott wouldn’t do that.”

“Stiles, I saw it,” Fallon scoffs. “With my own two eyes.”

“Then you saw wrong,” he tells her defensively. “There’s no way Scott would do that when I just asked him to see if she likes me.”

“You’re seriously not gonna believe me?” The girl looks at him, feeling slightly wounded by his denial. “I was there, Stiles. Why would I lie about something like this?”

“I don’t know,” he throws his hands up. “Because you’ve always been cynical about love, maybe? You’ve been telling me to get over Lydia since forever. Maybe this is your way of trying to get me to do it sooner because you can’t find someone you like for yourself. So you want me to be miserable with you.”

Fallon flinches at his harsh words. She knows he’s only snapping because he’s aware deep down that she’s telling the truth. But it doesn’t make it hurt any less. Stiles’ face falls when he sees the hurt expression on hers. “Fallon–”

“Don’t.” She stops him, putting her hand up. She slides her helmet over her head silently. “I may be cynical Stiles, but I’m not a liar. I know what I saw. But you can live in whatever fantasy world you want to. Not my problem.”

The boy huffs loudly as he watches her walk off. He didn’t mean anything he just said. He knows the reason she’s not a big love fan is because of her own parents. She limits her belief in true love to her story books simply because her mom and dad had that fairytale romance. They met, instantly hated each other, and then managed to fall in love along the way. According to Michael, the two’s first kiss was standing in the rain outside of a bookstore in London after a big blowout argument. They had one beautiful daughter, and they were all happy. Until one day, Grace left Fallon with her grandmother while Michael was at the military base he was assigned to. Grace left and never came back. They found out later that she had driven herself off a cliff. No explanation, no note, not even a body. That’s when Fallon’s view on love shattered. Because the most beautiful love story she’s ever witnessed broke within an instant. All the happiness, all the memories, gone.

Fallon holds back the tears that threaten to spill from her eyes, putting all of her energy into practice. She’s trying not to be angry with Stiles, but it’s getting harder every time his words ring in her ears. She’s not miserable. She just doesn’t need someone else to make her happy.

The girl gets in line as Coach blows his whistle. She’s the first one there and the man claps, “All right, Donovan! Start us off right. Go out there and kill ‘em, okay?!”

She silently nods as he blows the whistle again. She scoops the ball up smoothly, dodging the boys blocking the goalie. She twists and turns effortlessly as she usually does, shoulder checking the guy on her left roughly, knocking him to the floor. She reaches the goal, faking Danny out by pretending she’s going to shoot right before quickly pivoting on her feet to aim left. The ball slides into the net perfectly earning a round of applause from Coach and the guys standing on the sidelines. Fallon runs over to stand with the group that’s already completed the exercise.

Jackson gives her a once over, “That was some aggressive playing, Donovan. Something on your mind?” He asks almost patronizingly.

“Don't make me castrate you, Jackson,” she threatens lowly. “I’m not in the mood.”

The blonde tilts his head, “What’s wrong?” His tone sounds actually genuine for once.

Fallon looks up at him. She feels an urge to just spill her guts, but after everything he’s said and done these past few weeks, she holds back. “Nothing,” the brunette shrugs. “Just a bad day, I guess.”

When she looks out to the field, Scott’s the next one up. Coach shouts “Let’s go,” before making his whistle chirp loudly again. Watching Scott was like waiting for a bomb to go off. He runs forward but is immediately knocked down by one of the guards. Everyone on the side laughs at his misfortune. Coach bends down to Scott’s level, “Guess some people don’t appreciate your new status there, McCall.” He stands up, ending his taunting before looking back at the remaining line of players. “Who’s next? Let’s go!”

Coach glances at Stiles who’s next in line, “All right, you’re up big boy! Let’s go!” Stiles nods and gets in position to start running, but is stopped by Scott pushing him backwards with his own lacrosse stick. The angry teen takes Stiles’ spot, getting ready to go again. Coach cheers for him, “That’s it, McCall! That’s the spirit! You earn it! Earn it, McCall!”

Fallon watches nervously as Scott charges forward with a newfound vigor. He slams into the two opposing players, knocking them a few feet away from him. Her heart drops when she sees him go after Danny, smacking the goalie’s helmet with his lacrosse stick and practically shoving him out of the way. Danny hits the ground hard, causing the rest of the team to run to his aid. Scott stands off to the side, ripping his helmet off angrily.

Fallon storms over to him, pushing his chest lightly, “What the hell is wrong with you?” She snaps.

“He’s twice the size of me,” Scott says just as snippily. He grabs her wrists and roughly pushes them away.

The brunette glares at him, “So much for being team captain, huh?” She scoffs. “Leaders don’t act like that.”

“I don’t care,” he rolls his eyes, turning away from her as Stiles comes running up to them. “At least I had the guts to actually take the position,” he says snidely.

Without putting much thought into her next movements, Fallon surges forward and tackles Scott to the ground. She wraps her arm around his neck, putting him in a chokehold which ends up earning the attention of everyone else on the field. “I didn’t take the position–” she grunts as she holds him in place, “Because I didn’t want to deal with assholes like you.” She releases him from her grip, but only because Stiles started pulling her away. She shoves Stiles’ hands off of her before shoulder checking him as she walks off, “Don’t touch me.”

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Pulling up to the McCall house was a difficult decision for Fallon to make. After everything that happened between the three of them at school, she wasn’t really sure if she wanted to help either of them. Unfortunately, their many years of friendship won out the internal battle she was having in her head. Plus, she couldn’t leave Stiles alone with Scott. Not when he’s acting like a complete menace.

She jumps off her bike and is met with the loud rickety noises of Roscoe. Stiles looks surprised when he gets out of the jeep and sees her waiting by the door. He slings the black duffle bag over his shoulder and walks up to her. “You came…” he says softly.

“Yeah,” she nods stiffly. “I did.”

Stiles sighs, “Fallon, I–”

“It’s fine, Stiles,” she brushes off, trying to keep her emotions at bay. “I already know you didn’t mean it.”

“It’s not fine,” the boy argues. “What I said to you was not fine. It was mean and rude and I literally wanted to punch myself in the face right after I said it,” he rambles. “Look, I should’ve believed you. I know he did it. I guess I just didn’t want to believe it,” he looks down at his feet, suddenly finding the cracks in the pavement very interesting. “I’m really sorry, Fall. And I understand if you hate me and everything, but I still love you and I don’t want to fight with you anymore.” His amber eyes finally meet hers again, “When you pushed me away at the end of practice… I freakin’ hated it. I can’t stand the thought of you doing that again.”

After listening to his monologue, Fallon mulls over his words. She can hear the sincerity in his voice. The girl sighs, pushing herself off the wall and wrapping her arms around Stiles’ neck. He physically relaxes, looping his own arms around her waist as he holds her tightly. “You’re forgiven,” she mumbles. “Let’s see if Scott decides to take the apologetic approach, shall we?”

Stiles slides his key into the lock on the front door. She wanted to ask when he had that made and why, but figured it was because the last time when they snuck in through the window, Melissa almost beat them to death with a bat. When they walk in they hear said woman call out for her son, “Scott?” She rounds the corner and jumps in surprise when the shaggy haired teen is not who just walked in.

“Stiles.” The boy grins with a wave.

“Fallon,” the brunette jumps in, finding the whole situation slightly humorous.

The mother’s eyes fall to the golden key in Stiles’ hand, “Key,” she points to it.

Stiles nods obliviously, “Yeah, I had one made so…”

“That does not surprise me,” Melissa admits. “It scares me, but it doesn’t surprise me.”

“He has one for my house too,” Fallon adds nonchalantly. “He just chooses to climb through my window.”

“That also doesn’t surprise me,” she says, shaking her head. That’s when her eyes fall to the large black duffle bag Stiles carried in, “What’s that?”

The two friends share a look, “Uh, school project…” Fallon spits out quickly, patting the bag. She cringes when the quiet sound of metal clanging is heard. Thankfully, Melissa doesn’t seem to question it.

They go to head up the stairs, but Melissa stops them, “Guys… he’s okay, right?” She asks, worried. She senses something’s off with Scott.

Fallon’s heart pangs with sympathy. She smiles softly at the woman, “Yeah. He’s all right.” Although it’s a lie, Melissa doesn’t need to worry about Scott and the supernatural world.

“He just doesn’t talk to me that much anymore,” she admits heartbrokenly. “Not like he used to.”

“Well, he’s had a bit of a rough week…” Stiles tries to come to Scott’s defense.

Melissa nods, “Yeah. Yeah, I get it.” She tries to push down her concerns for her son as she grabs her purse to head to work. “Um, okay. Uh, be careful tonight.”

“You too,” Fallon says as she gets ready to go up the stairs again.

“Full moon.”

Stiles and Fallon whip their heads towards the woman, “What?” They both say simultaneously, completely alarmed.

“There’s a full moon tonight,” she elaborates. “You should see how the ER gets– brings out all the nut jobs. Be grateful you haven’t had to work the nightshirt, Fallon,” she jokes with a small grin.

The girl laughs awkwardly, “Oh. Yeah, yeah, dad tells me some of the crazy stories.”

Melissa nods, “Yeah, he’s gotten some weird cases. You know, it’s um, actually where they came up with the word lunatic.” With that final thought to chew on, Melissa closes the front door, allowing Stiles and Fallon to let out a breath they didn’t even know they were holding.

The two of them finish their journey up the stairs, walking into Scott’s room without much thought. Fallon flicks the lights on as Stiles sets the bag down.

“Oh my God!” Stiles exclaims with a jump.

Fallon turns around, confused by his sudden shout. She jumps up with a yelp when she sees Scott staring at them from the chair in the corner of his room. His expression is completely blank, a certain darkness swirling behind his eyes.

“Dude, you scared the hell out of us!” Stiles tells him. Your mom said you weren’t home yet.”

“I came in through the window,” he says monotonously.

Fallon stays in her spot by the door, keeping her distance from the boy. After what happened between them at the lacrosse field, she doesn’t trust herself to get too close. Besides, she has a better vantage point just in case he tries something.

“Okay. Uh, well, let’s get this set up,” Stiles crouches down to open the bag. “I want you to see what I bought.”

“I’m fine,” Scott’s face is still completely blank. “I’m just gonna lock the door and go to bed early tonight.”

“You sure about that?” Fallon questions, eyes narrowed. “Because you’ve got this crazy look in your eyes that tells me you’re gonna go all serial killer berserk the second we leave you alone.”

“I’m fine,” he all but growls at her. “You guys should go now.”

Stiles can sense the tensions rising, “All right, we’ll leave,” he says calmly. He sends Scott a pleading look, “Well, look, would you just at least look in the bag to see what I brought? You know, maybe you use it, maybe you don’t. Sound good?”

The way Scott walks over to Stiles makes the hairs on Fallon’s neck stand up. She moves from her relaxed position against the wall and takes a step closer to Stiles. The boy subtly reaches back, placing his hand around her ankle to reassure her that he’s fine. Scott doesn’t notice and proceeds to open the duffle bag, pulling out a long chain.

He looks at it with the utmost distaste and hatred, “You think I’m gonna let you two put these on and chain me up like a dog?” He asks, voice low and gravelly.

“Actually, no,” Stiles responds before swiftly bringing out handcuffs he no doubt stole from his dad. He pushes Scott up against the radiator in his room, locking his wrists in the harsh metal. Fallon helps Stiles to his feet as he clambers backwards.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Scott screams at the two of them, grunting as he tries to pull his wrist free.

“Protecting you from yourself…” Stiles answers. “And giving you some payback… For making out with Lydia.”

Fallon places her hand on Stiles’ back. Scott silently pleads with her to help him out and she shrugs with no remorse. “You know how he feels about her and you took advantage of it. Not to mention, you were a dick to me at practice. So don’t expect any sympathy from me.”

“You came at me!” He snarls.

“Because you practically ran over Danny!” She scoffs at his words.

Stiles turns her body so she’s just facing him. He takes her hand in his before escorting her out of the room. She growls under her breath and Stiles huffs, “I know, I know. But this isn’t him.”

“Still doesn’t change the fact I want to push him out of the window,” she glares back at the door to Scott’s window.

“I think I have an idea that might make you feel better,” Stiles smirks. “I’ll be right back.”

He runs downstairs and the girl sits patiently for his return. She glances periodically towards the room, hearing Scott struggle against his restraints. The best friend side of her is telling her to go back in there and let him go, but the angry side of her wants to keep him locked there for the next three full moons.

Stiles climbs back up the stairs, a water bottle in hand, along with… a dog bowl. A wide smile makes its way onto her face. “You wouldn’t…” she whispers daringly.

“Oh I would,” he huffs out with his own smirk. He walks back towards the room, Fallon following behind. “He wants to act like a dog, I’ll treat him like one.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever loved you more, Biles.”

Stiles strolls into the bedroom, hiding the bowl behind his back. “I brought you some water,” he holds the bottle up before smugly pulling the bowl out, pouring the liquid into the container. Fallon has to look away to prevent herself from cackling. Scott simply glares at the two as Stiles sets the bowl down in front of Scott.

Stiles and Fallon go to leave once more but are stopped when a cool substance hits their backs. The dog bowl crashes down at Stiles’ side, “I’m gonna kill both of you!” Scott shouts aggressively.

This makes Stiles snap. He whips around, anger burning behind his eyes. “You kissed her, Scott! Okay? You kissed Lydia. That’s, like, the one girl that I ev–” he sucks in a deep breath. “And, you know, the past three hours, I've been thinking, ‘It's probably just the full moon,’ you know? He doesn't even know what he's doing, and tomorrow, he'll be totally back to normal. He probably won't even remember what a complete dumbass he's been– a son of a bitch, a freaking unbelievable piece of crap friend–”

“She kissed me,” Scott interrupts. And the sad part is, he’s not wrong. When Fallon watched it happen, she came onto him first.

“What?” Stiles’ face falls, making Fallon want to kick Scott’s ass all over again.

“I didn't kiss her– she kissed me,” he reiterates cockily. “She would have done a lot more, too. You should have seen the way she had her hands all over me.”

Stiles tries his best to act unaffected, but she can see the way he’s holding himself back. She’s not sure if he wants to kill Scott himself or cry. Maybe a mix of both.

“She would have done anything I wanted. Anything!”

Stiles clenches his jaw before turning to Fallon, “I’ll be right back,” he whispers before storming out of the room.

Fallon stays in her spot by the door. Her arms are crossed as she leans her entire body weight on the door. A frown is etched on her face as she watches Scott stare her down like she’s a piece of meat. “What?” He asks tauntingly. “Something got you upset, Fall?”

She ignores him. Her expression remains hard as she tries to keep her cool. She doesn’t want to snap at Scott like she did out on the field. He might be losing control, but that doesn’t mean she has to. Fallon keeps her eyes trained on his wrist, making sure he doesn’t try to rip his own hand off to get out.

Scott glares at her, growing more angry by her lack of a reaction. “You're a real piece of work, you know that?” He growls. “You’re really gonna stand there and act like you know what’s best for me?” You’re nothing but a–”

“Careful Scott,” Fallon cuts him off, her voice laced with warning. She’s not going to let him say something he’ll regret later. “You don’t want to finish that sentence.”

He snarls, pulling harder at the chains. “Oh, what are you going to do? Put me in a chokehold again? You got lucky earlier. If Stiles hadn’t been there to pull you off, I would’ve–”

“Would’ve what?” She challenges him, taking a step closer, her chin held high in the air. “You think now that just because you’re all furry and fanged that you’re stronger? It doesn’t change who you are, Scott,” she shakes her head. “It just makes you more of an ass.”

Scott’s eyes flash yellow as a twisted smirk forms on his lips, “You think you’re so tough, Fallon. Acting like you don’t care, like nothing gets to you. But I know you. I know you’re just as scared as the rest of us. That’s why you fight so hard. You’re just trying to prove something.”

She feels a pang in her chest, but she pushes it down, refusing to show any sign of weakness. “Don’t project your issues onto me, Scott. You’re the one who can’t handle what’s happening to you.”

He leans forward, the chains creaking under the pressure. “And what about you, Fallon? When are you going to stop pretending like you’re fine?” He pauses before slicing open a wound he knows will make her bleed out. “We all know what happened to your mom, how she—”

“Shut up!” Fallon snaps, her composure cracking. She takes a step back, her breathing uneven. “You have no right to talk about that.”

Scott laughs, the sound bitter. “Yeah, keep hiding behind your anger. But guess what? It’s not going to bring her back.”

Fallon’s fists clench at her sides. She knows he’s not himself right now, that the full moon is messing with his head, but that doesn’t stop the words from cutting deep. “You’re just saying this because you’re scared and upset that Allison dumped you. You really think hurting me is going to make you feel better?”

Before Scott can respond, the door swings open and Stiles rushes in, his face flushed with panic. “Fallon, don’t listen to him! He’s just trying to get into your head, okay? He’s not himself.”

But Fallon doesn’t move, her eyes locked on Scott’s. “Yeah, I know, Stiles. But that doesn’t make what he’s saying any less real.”

Scott’s eyes flicker for a moment, a brief flash of regret before the anger takes over again. “You think you’re so much better than me, Fallon? You’re just as messed up as the rest of us. You think your mom didn’t know what she was doing? Maybe she couldn’t handle being around you anymore.”

That’s the final straw. Fallon feels like she’s been punched in the gut. She blinks rapidly, fighting the sting of tears. “Screw you, Scott.”

Stiles steps between them, pushing Fallon back gently. “That’s enough, Scott.”

But Scott’s still glaring at her, his eyes wild. “I bet she couldn’t stand you. Who could? You’re always pushing people away. It’s no wonder—”

“Shut up, Scott!” Stiles yells, cutting him off. He turns to Fallon, his voice softer. “You don’t have to stay here. Go get some air. I’ll deal with him.”

Fallon hesitates for a moment, then nods, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah. I need to get out of here.” She gives Scott one last look before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

As she walks down the hallway, she takes deep breaths, trying to calm the storm raging inside her. Scott’s words echo in her head, but she forces herself to push them away. She knows it’s just the full moon taking its effect. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Fallon took off from Scott’s house, heading to her own. Thankfully, Michael wasn’t there to ask any questions as to why her face was caked with tears. She walks into her room, grabbing a jacket before storming out of the house. If she gets grounded for being out after dark, so be it. But she needs to go on a walk to clear her head.

Scott’s words replay over and over in her head, the hurt occurring all over again. Her eyes water, causing her to silently curse under her breath as she wiped her cheeks. But the tears just don’t stop coming. She knows she can be a bit stubborn and a hardass at times, but she didn’t think she made a habit of pushing Scott and Stiles away.

Hiding behind her anger was something she tried to steer away from. Her father has told her multiple times that’s a sure fire way to hurt her friends and herself. Her headphones are plugged into her ears, loud music blasting through the buds as she tries to drown out her emotions. She’s not looking forward to having that conversation with Scott when he comes down from the full moon high he’s on.

Her footsteps echo across the sidewalk. She walks past the town grocery store and keeps going. The brunette doesn’t even pay attention to which direction she’s walking in, all she wants to do is just escape for a little while. Normally, she would turn to her books in a time like this, but that would remind her too much of her mother.

Eventually, greenery ends up surrounding her rather than the industrial town. A small sniffle escapes her nose as she wipes the snot off her upper lip with her jacket sleeve. She doesn’t even know how long she’s been crying. Clearly a while since she somehow managed to end up in the woods.

The sound of a twig snapping manages to infiltrate her ears despite the loud music playing. She freezes in her spot, realizing going on a walk late at night, alone, was the dumbest idea she’s ever had. Especially since she didn’t take the time to tell anyone where she was going. She pulled one of the buds out of her ear, analyzing the area around her. She doesn’t see anything at first until a tall shadowy figure appears in the distance. An odd amount of fog conceals the individual's identity. Fallon squints her eyes, trying to determine who it is. Normally, she would’ve taken off and started running in the other direction, but something about the shape of the person seems familiar.

A gasp leaves her lips, “Derek?” She calls out in complete shock. She cringes at her own voice as it sounds raw from crying.

He comes out from behind the fog, his hands in his pockets as per usual with his signature leather jacket. He looks completely fine. No sign of a whole in his body from Alpha claws, or any broken bones from being thrown into a brick wall.

He steps closer to her and she simply stares at him, mouth agape. “You… You’re alive.”

Derek raises an eyebrow, “You sound almost disappointed.”

“No, I’m just—” Fallon stopped herself, realizing how close she was to falling apart. She had always been good at hiding her emotions, at putting up a tough front, but tonight… tonight she felt raw. Exposed. “I thought you were dead, Derek. You just disappeared, and with everything that’s been happening, I…”

She trailed off, her hands clenching into fists as she tried to push down the tears that were threatening to spill over. Derek was watching her closely, his expression softening ever so slightly as he noticed the wetness in her eyes. He took another step closer, close enough now that she could feel the warmth radiating off him, even in the cool night air.

“I’m not that easy to kill,” Derek said, his voice low but steady. There was something almost comforting in the way he said it, as if he was trying to assure her in his own stoic way.

Fallon looked up at him, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. “Yeah, well, you sure as hell looked like it,” she muttered, trying to inject some of her usual sarcasm into the words. But even she could tell it fell flat.

Derek’s gaze softened just a fraction, and he tilted his head, studying her more intently. “Something happened,” he states rather than asking. “With Scott.”

Fallon huffed a laugh, though there was no humor in it. “That obvious, huh?”

“You’ve been crying.” Derek’s voice was blunt, as usual, but there was a note of concern buried in it, so subtle that anyone else might have missed it. But Fallon didn’t.

“Yeah, no duh,” she sniffles, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Are you gonna tell me?” He stands there, patiently waiting for the story.

The tears in her waterline make her eyes glisten under the moon’s pale light. She cranes her neck to look at him. Her chest tightens just thinking about the boy she’s been best friends with since the third grade. “He– he just said some things. Crappy things. But I’m fine,” she assures.

Derek’s expression darkened slightly. “And you let it get to you?”

Fallon’s eyes snapped to his, her stubbornness flaring up despite the pain she was feeling. “I didn’t let it get to me. It just… it was a lot, okay? We fought earlier, and then he said something about my mom, and…” She broke off, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

Derek’s jaw tightened. “He shouldn’t have said that.”

“I know,” Fallon replied, her voice barely above a whisper now. “But he did. And I can’t just pretend it didn’t hurt.”

They stood there in silence for a moment, the tension in the air palpable. Fallon was painfully aware of how close Derek was standing, the way his presence seemed to ground her even when everything else felt like it was spiraling out of control. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed him these past few days, how much she’d worried.

“I’m sorry,” Derek said suddenly, the words catching her off guard.

Fallon blinked up at him, not sure she’d heard him right. “For what?”

“For not being around. For letting you think I was dead.” He paused, his gaze intense as he looked down at her. “For not protecting you from this.”

Fallon’s breath hitched at the sincerity in his voice, and she felt something in her chest loosen, just a little. “You’re not responsible for what Scott says, Derek. That’s on him.”

“But you’re part of this now,” Derek countered, his voice firm. “Which means I am responsible for you, whether you like it or not.”

Fallon’s lips twitched into a small, almost sad smile. “Since when do you care about responsibility?”

“Since you almost got yourself killed,” Derek shot back, his tone more heated than she expected. His eyes bored into hers, and for a moment, she saw something there that took her breath away. Fear. Not for himself, but for her. “You need to be more careful, Fallon.”

She opened her mouth to argue, to tell him that she could handle herself just fine, but the words died in her throat. She was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of pretending she was okay when she wasn’t. So instead, she just nodded.

“Okay,” she whispered, her voice gentler than she intended.

Derek’s eyes softened at her response, and for a brief moment, Fallon thought he might reach out, might actually touch her. But he didn’t. Instead, he took a small step back, creating just enough distance between them to remind her that Derek Hale was still Derek Hale. Closed off. Guarded.

“You should go home,” Derek said after a moment, his voice reverting back to that cold, distant tone she was used to. “It’s not safe out here.”

Fallon wanted to argue, wanted to tell him that she could take care of herself, but she didn’t have the energy. Not tonight. “Yeah,” she mumbled, glancing down at her feet. “I will.”

Derek didn’t move, didn’t say anything else, just stood there watching her, waiting for her to leave. But Fallon found herself rooted to the spot, unable to walk away from him just yet.

“Derek…” she started, not entirely sure what she was going to say. Maybe she just wanted to thank him for being there, for listening, for not pushing her away when she felt so raw.

But Derek didn’t give her the chance to finish. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he said, his voice softer now, almost gentle.

Fallon looked up at him, surprised by the tenderness in his tone. “I never do.”

Derek’s lips quirked up ever so slightly, the closest thing to a smile she’d ever seen from him. “Could’ve fooled me.”

There was a beat of silence, and then Fallon nodded, more to herself than to him. “Goodnight, Derek.”

He didn’t say anything in response, just watched as she turned and started to walk away, her steps slower than usual, as if she was reluctant to leave. And maybe she was. Maybe, despite everything, she felt safer with Derek than she did anywhere else.

When she was finally out of sight, Derek let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He hadn’t meant to run into her tonight, hadn’t wanted to see the pain in her eyes, the hurt that he knew wasn’t entirely Scott’s fault. Fallon was strong, stubborn, and fiercely independent, but she was also vulnerable in ways she tried so hard to hide. And Derek had seen that vulnerability tonight, had felt an inexplicable urge to protect her from it.

But he couldn’t. Fallon was her own person, and no matter how much he wanted to keep her safe, he knew he couldn’t shield her from everything. Not from Scott, not from the supernatural world, and certainly not from herself.

So he stayed in the shadows, watching the path she’d taken until he was sure she was gone, before turning and melting back into the darkness. Alone, as always.

*ೃ༄ tags˚◞♡ ⃗

@iamaslytherin0 @famousrunaway1329

[aizenat]

This episode was the first full episode where we don’t have Claudia’s perspective to corroborate anything being said. And while her perspective is limited at times, if it aligns with what we’re seeing, it helps to discern truth from embellishment. But without it, this episode was messy in the sense that we got a lot of info but almost nothing to help us discern the facts. So now we have to rely on context clues and what we’ve learned so far, and let’s be forreal with how a lot of yall are NOT up for the task with this.

My biggest personal example being how quick you all were to believe and align with Lestat’s pov. Lestat the drama queen, the man with an admitted temper remembering how he watched Louis clutch at the air desperate for something to grab and stop his fall, who went across the ocean to step on stage and condemn the supposed love of his life to death. The Lestat who watched Claudia die on stage, and would have done the same with Louis on stage had Armand not did what he did to “save” Louis. But because he did it while crying, yall just buying everything he said? What?

Lestat is just as unreliable a narrator as Armand. And even Louis revealed this episode that he’s always going to remember himself in the worst light—or at least pursue that portrayal without argument—much more than Lestat and Armand because he carries his guilt with him in a way they don’t. He BLAMES himself for a lot of things they don’t blame themselves for. I believe Armand feels zero guilt for what he did to Claudia; just irritation it may have affected his relationship with Louis. Lestat doesn’t regret his actions, just that they sour his relationships with his paramours and result in him being alone again.

They regret the impact their actions have on them personally but not the result of their actions. Louis can be selfish too, but he feels the hurt he’s given fully. He feels how he failed Claudia, Grace and Mama Flo, Miss Lily even, and of course Paul. Even when he asks Lestat if he did something to cause Paul’s death, he always wondered because he likely blamed himself for bringing Lestat into their lives if Lestat had been responsible. Even if Lestat had done something, Louis would have found a way to make it his fault.

There’s a lot influencing this, but this episode really hit for home to me that Louis’ issues with guilt and shame, taking on the blame for things that aren’t his fault, also make him an unreliable narrative. Not because “oh he’s making people around him look worse so he looks better,” but actually because he makes excuses for them. He denied Lestat was abusive towards him, sympathizes with his tears of apologies and sob stories both after the fight last season and again at the trial, and he makes excuses for Armand’s inactivity. Even jumps to forgive him the second Armand implies he should carry some of the blame in situations too: he didn’t hesitate to believe he agreed with Armand on what to do with Daniel during that be apology scene. Louis runs to take blame in situations. It’s like he knows ifs hard to reconcile these men who claim to love hurting him so bad, so if he takes some of the blame for their actions, he can understand it.

It’s also, honestly, part of why he is quick to say things that he knows will go for the jugular. So he can say in the aftermath that he said horrible things “too,” as if they will mean he would have deserved what they do to him.

But it’s never that deep and words don’t ever excuse the level of violence and manipulation and control Lestat and Armand have used towards him. And the show is trying to emphasize that. Daniel not buying Louis’ excuses for Armand, insisting Armand sold Louis out despite being his boyfriend at the time; a betrayal that doesn’t justify 70+ more years of marriage. Claudia calling the audience (and subsequently the iwtv audience) out on gleefully accepting Lestat’s apology but not even giving her the opportunity to make one herself. And then I see fans do exactly that, using what Lestat says happened to undermine what we’ve seen so far.

Like all this hard work for the writers to make this shit plain for y’all to miss it every time.

[heavenjadwiga]

Claudia

I haven't wrote about IWTV here before but episode 2x03 really made me see that Louis is a selfish parent. Throughout season 1, in the same way as Claudia I saw Louis as the kind and loving father but I am seeing how wrong I was. I am a Louis girl but that man is selfish! He is quick to call out Lestat for his flaws but Louis just has a better way of hiding his. Yes, Daniel has called him out before about him choosing Lestat over Claudia time and time again. But Louis does that with Armand too. And it's not like Louis has known Armand for a long time yet while they're in Paris. It's crazy.

Louis goes and spills the truth to Armand (trying to lie and say that Claudia was not involved but Louis is a shit liar) and does not go home to tell Claudia what he has done. It puts her in a more dangerous path because she does not know that Armand knows the truth and thus his coven can know or suspect. Yes, Armand's affections for Louis protects Louis but it does nothing for Claudia and as a parent her safety should be a priority for Louis but it is not. He is too busy missing Lestat and flirting with Armand even when Armand tells him upfront that Claudia will not be here long! My guy! He just threatened the life of your kid! Even Armand checking Claudia about her making eye contact with him without his permission in the start of the episode in front of Louis did not sit right with me cause Louis does not call him out to not speak to his child like that.

Louis is selfish. He can bitch about Lestat only caring about himself but that would make him a hypocrite. And something this episode has sadly made me realize is that Louis was not the better parent for Claudia, he just had the emotional intelligence in knowing how to approach her at times. *They both were awful parents to Claudia*

1. It was Lestat who did not want to turn Claudia into a vampire because he knew it was wrong to sentence a child to years of vampirism. To not be able to grow up physically when her mind was. But Louis begged him to and out of fear of losing Louis, he did it. It was Louis' selfish need to make up for causing a riot that made Claudia. He was not thinking of saving her but how if she lives, he would be less guilty.

2. Claudia killing Charlie. Lestat made her watch him melt (which was cruel) but in his own messed up way (he is also a product of abuse) he was trying to teach her a valuable lesson. Not getting close to mortals, especially romatically because it will always end badly. This is a lesson he has tried to teach Louis numerous times. Lestat could have been nicer but in his mind he had to make her understand. He saw in that moment that the seriousness of her actions and tried to correct it instead of coddling her like Louis. He was actually trying to parent her in the best ways he knew how.

3. Him warning her that other vampires can be "vicious" and seeing that she already met one. Him telling her other vampires are vicious was not to keep her scared but to protect them. He is still their Maker and despite it all, he wouldn't want his fledglings to die. It is not until Lestat believes he will truly lose Louis if Claudia leaves that he threatens to kill her himself. His love for Louis is greater.

But how has Louis shown he loves Claudia? His words/promises fall flat. He choses others over her. He choses his happiness without regard for how it will impact her. He loves her but only in the ways that suit him and takes away his loneliness. "My light. My Claudia. My redemption."

[kutputli]

I have been bullied, outright bullied, I say, into finally watching Interview with the Vampire. Apparently Delhi boy Arun is the way to persuade me over my gore squick.

So three years late and several hours after the train has passed - my episode by episode live-blog. (These will probably be shallow reactions because I know all the meaty meta and analysis has already been written. I remember reading it back when I was an innocent parasocial of your gifsets.) Also, I am coming into this with a series of biases; I've been completely spoiled by way of seeing gifs, reading meta and going through the book summaries. This is also not my genre; I don't enjoy gothic or horror, I was never into the vampire mystique, and I learned vampire lore via Buffy and Angel fandoms back when. So I am predisposed to watch this for the specific angle of how to intersect with my friends' interest in the characters. Disclaimers out of the way...

Season 1 Episode 1 - Mmmm, I see what people say about the art direction. This is a very very beautiful show. Very deliberately staged historicity, very artfully selected colour palattes and design. I imagine watching it on a big TV would be rewarding (I'm on a laptop.) But actually, more than the quality of the design, I think what I am enjoying is the quality of the actors. Because I have been forewarned, I realise all the cast is serious scenery chewing theatre rats. But the energy they bring to their scene work is palpable even through the screen.

Louis for instance, is oddly not beautiful. I can think of several other actors who would look far more physically arresting. To be frank, I don't see what Lestat saw in him, that moment did not have an impact on me. But what Louis is, because of Jacob, is intensely watchable. He brings such commitment to the character that my admiration for the actor translates into sympathy for the character. And of course, the Theatre Voice. Absolutely A+ choice to choose Shakespeare trained actors to deliver what I imagine must be quotes from Anne Rice's original florid prose?

It's a dangerous risk to use that sort of of heightened textual narration, which can work on a page, to sit against the visuals we are already seeing. I remember how Good Omens season 1 did so much quoting from the book to disasterously flat effect. But it works here, and that is, I think, because Jacob delivers the lines with so much integrity to bringing us back to the Dubai penthouse as we watch the New Orleans scenes.

I really enjoyed Daniel Molloy, who I remember finding rather delightful in the gifs even before we all knew his importance and where he was headed. I love grumpy irascible characters and he's lovely at being surly and sardonic. And physically deteriorating and mundane and ordinary, which makes him such a good foil to -

my precious little murderboy Armand! I really do want to watch things unspoiled, so I carry some regret about going into this so very equipped with hindsight. But I did giggle as the very first vampiric contact we see is a cup of tea being placed by Unnamed Brown Guy hand in front of Daniel. That's the love of your life, dude! Give or take a few divorces and deaths. I was watching Assad very closely to see what choices he was making - if there were any clues to pick up on. He was pretty stoic during the hand burning.

But that silent service thing going on - that's definitely something that packs more of a punch if you imagine him learning that from childhood as a human. I've got all kinds of headcanons going on for him, which I've been discussing with @quark4561 and I think his backstory can be a heartbreaking foil to Louis's, in terms of service, and sex work, and segregation.

Speaking of race, I know much of the fandom adores Lestat, but I thought the great thing about casting Sam Reid, is that he isn't the kind of drop dead gorgeous version that Tom Cruise might have been (never seen the film) and so he comes across right from the very beginning as ordinary except for the priviledge of his power. We know already that his power is vampirism, but because of the casting choices, it also becomes the power of whiteness. Lestat isn't some idealised homosexual awakening for Louis, or at least, that wasn't the way I read it. Lestat uses money, whiteness, physical force and vampirical power to get to Louis, and that sets their relationship on a dark, abusive path from the get-go.

In contrast to this was Louis's relationship to Lily. I loved her and the gentleness of their bond. The needless cruelty of Lestat killing her (thankfully offstage, I do not need to see Black women murdered any more), hammers in that this is a person who is selfish and cruel (beyond the ordinary carnivorous murders that one expects of the vampiric genre).

I'm not sure I understood why Louis's brother killed himself. Were we supposed to believe Lestat fucked with his mind? Were the voices he heard a sign of suicidal delusions?

But seeing both of them hoofing together - and I am so glad we didn't see Lestat lurking about then, it was a Black wedding and needed to be closed to the community - was so moving. It made me feel Louis' love for Paul more than his monologue narration. I'm not Black or USAmerican, but I did feel that the Black experience of these characters was respected and integrated into the storytelling choices, from writing to casting to design to cinematography, in a way that really worked for me.

I'm looking forward to spending time with Louis and his assistant, and the grumpy old fart interviewing them.

[nalyra-dreaming]

As a big fan of Daniel I’ve mixed feelings about the finale. Absolutely it was fun to see Daniel serve c*nt, loved his glasses and leather jacket. Very fun - I also feel his very energetic vibe definitely affirms that journalism/writing/publishing books that have an impact is his drug (as a certain maker affirmed earlier). But, where is his story going to go now???

Like I feel SO cheated at not only not seeing him being turned, but not seeing him having to adjust at all or struggle/cope with being a vampire? Time skips freaking sucks. Like that is a big change, and I wouldn’t expect them to do it in as much detail as Louis (good TV writers wouldn’t repeat themselves like that, and it wouldn’t be good writing) but I expected something? Like I already was feeling a bit annoyed at how Daniel’s trauma in San Francisco basically just become all about Louis’ and Armand’s dynamic. I didn’t expect DM to happen there (and I loved the episode) but I thought the emotional fallout would be bigger. Like Daniel gets half-a-scene(!) of being upset and devastated, and then the writers very transparently just uses this to make Daniel aggressively suspicious of Armand and as a way to foreshadow the level of Armand’s deception. Like Daniel was obviously angry, but even that was basically only shown as it was useful. I hate when plot is done at the expense of character. Of course when plot and character go hand in hand that is the best, but this wasn’t it?! Like if Rollins meant that Daniel was one of the two who needed the second interview to happen it barely makes sense. There’s only closure in the most shallow sense that Daniel got to find out that he was traumatized and that this did have a negative impact on his life (by an event he couldn’t consciously remember but feel). I presume that is what Rollins meant? It feels really(!) underwritten. Nothing wrong with the idea, but again basically just stated in explanatory dialogue about his exes and kids. Happy to hear a better take on this if anyone has one though? I want to be convinced to be more positive! Of course Daniel isn’t the main character, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask that he’s still treated as a three dimensional character.

I don’t know, I just feel upset now at the thought that Daniel’s mainly been turned at this point to become a vampire-chronicler for plot reasons… Like if DM had happened I would expect them to leave us a substantial hint. I’m freaking begging any higher power that Armand’s revulsion at creating a fledgling means something (and is not a red herring like the “you should fear the other one”). And that we’ll revisit it. But I just don’t have faith anymore… Praying that I’m wrong, but if Daniel spends the next season as only a narrative device I’m out (I don’t mind him being a narrative device if he also gets to be a character outside of that - to be clear). Waiting four years for any kind of plot to be resolved after it’s been introduced is too long frankly….(if they aren’t addressing this until season 4). So if we aren’t finding out about the turning or worse - there’s nothing more to it and we’ll get an independent DM plot which begins in pure spite then, I’m freaking sad!

I’m really sorry for the downer post, I just feel I needed to express some of my worries and frustration. Would love to hear what you think, as I’ve often found some comfort reading your blog <3 A more positive take is warmly welcomed! There’s a lot to like about this season, but I just feel a bit lost now… I just wish there was something substantial to hang on to (and the Alice stuff ain’t it)

He is not only turned to be the chronicler. Reread the interviews with Eric re Raglan James, too 😈

There will be a LOT going on. And I just shared the link to the ATx festival, where they also talked DM. Might be worth a watch?^^

It‘ll be alright. I would bet real money on it. They just do it their way.

[five-rivers]

like giving candy to a baby

Ghosts did not have obsessions in the way human ecto-scientists meant when they used the term.  They did, however, have patterns, ticks in behavior, impulses, habits, that were nigh impossible to break.  Carryovers from their lives, or, in many cases, their deaths, impressed upon their thought patterns.  Easy paths for them to follow.  

In Daniel’s case, the pattern was curiosity.  More specifically, the indulgence of it.  

To be sure, he had made himself into a tutelary, a protective spirit, and the more he followed that narrative, the more he would fit his chosen role.  But, like any other person, living or dead, that was not all he was.  

Curiosity was what had killed him.  Such an event would, naturally, either burn the feeling out of him altogether, or render any other, lesser deterrent meaningless.  

If one were to place Daniel, unsupervised, in a room with an interesting object, he would interact with it.  Examine it.  Touch it.  Smell it.  Taste it.  See if it turned on or off.  Not indiscriminately, mind, there were various variables involved, and it was true that thinking beings, when underestimated, tended to seek out simulation, however unpleasant.  One might also argue that the environment in which Daniel was raised made him less cognizant of certain risks.  

But it was also true that if the object in question looked remotely edible, it would wind up in Daniel's mouth long before hunger could be said to have any impact on his decision making.  

As such, Clockwork was very careful when it came to the items he left Daniel alone with.  

Over the ages Clockwork had spent as the Observants' solution to everything even remotely inconvenient, he had collected a vast array of cursed objects.  It was only right that he should bring them to bear against the latest problem they'd dumped in his lap.  On the whole, he thought a series of subtle curses was a much more elegant and ethical solution than assassination.  

Letting Daniel walk himself into curses was easy to the point Clockwork almost felt guilty about it.  

Almost.  

He knew Daniel did not want to become Dan, either, after all, or blunder into any of a number of other bad futures.  Needs must.  

.

Danny floated into Long Now, Clockwork’s lair.  He’d been visiting Clockwork regularly ever since the incident.  He wasn’t sure how that had really happened, but it had, and every time Clockwork seemed pleased to see him.  

It was a little strange, but Danny didn’t want to question it too deeply.  

“Ah, Daniel,” said Clockwork, warmly, switching from old man to infant, “I am in the middle of something, but if you can sit there for just a moment…”  He nodded to the sitting area.  

“Sure!” chirped Danny.  He really was just here to hang out.  Maybe take a nap.  Didn’t need to do anything in particular.  

He floated over to the couch and let himself drop.  He laid there for a few minutes, contemplating his place in the universe.  Introspection, however, was boring, and maybe he didn't want to sleep as much as he thought he did.  He sat up and looked around instead.  

Last time he was here, he'd had a good time checking out all of the statues Clockwork had in this room.  They were pretty cool.  

But today Danny's attention was arrested by the huge decorative hourglass sitting on Clockwork's coffee table. Ruby red sand floated slowly from the top lobe to the bottom one, twisting and swirling on their path down.  He stroked the silvery metal casing with one finger, liking the texture.  

It was pretty.  A conversation piece?  Danny couldn't think of any other reason Clockwork would have it out here.  He flipped it over and watched the sand run the other way for a while.  There was a lot more sand in one bulb than the other.  With how slowly the sand was falling and how big the hourglass was, it'd take forever even to get that little bit.  

He flipped the hourglass over again, wondering if the pattern the sand moved in would change at all, then shook it, testing the way gravity behaved on sand in all areas of the glass.  He flipped it again.  He wanted to see if it would do anything special when the sand ran out, but given the speed it was moving at, even that would probably take years.  

"So, Daniel, what have you been up to?"

Danny jumped, but turned to face Clockwork with a smile.  "Oh, you know."

"I do," said Clockwork, "but I'd like to hear it from you."

.

Clockwork carefully transferred the hourglass from the table to its case using telekinesis and being very careful not to tip it over.  Having gone through the trouble of getting Daniel attuned to it, he didn’t want to carelessly break that attunement.  

A few hundred years ago, the Observants had cracked down on tools one could use to reduce one’s age or extend one’s life, but the hourglass was easily the least obvious.  Clockwork estimated it would take Daniel nearly a year to notice that he was aging backwards.  

It wasn’t a complete solution, but if Daniel didn’t grow up, he wouldn’t grow up into that.  

.

Danny spun the top edge of… it looked a bit like an ancient rubix cube.  The metal squares had symbols instead of paint, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out the internal mechanism.  Then again, he didn’t know what the internal mechanism for a regular rubix cube was, either.  He should take one apart when he gets home.  It’d be fun.  

But it’d be even more fun if he could compare it to the mechanism in this one.  

The last row of symbols clicked into place, and all the sides were made of the same symbols.  Danny spent a few seconds admiring his work.  He’d never managed to solve one of these before.  

The cube fell apart.  Danny yelped, propelling himself over the back of the couch then peaking over the top of it.  It was just cubes.  Little dice.  No internal mechanism at all.  Huh.  

“Don’t worry,” said Clockwork, “it’s supposed to do that.”

Danny nodded and put himself on the couch again.  He prodded one of the dice, half worried that it would fall apart, too.  It didn’t.  It simply rolled over to a new symbol.  

His fingers felt… tingly.  He flexed his hands.  If Clockwork said it was supposed to be like that…

“How do I put it back together?”

.

Putting a limit on Daniel’s powers was a must.  If he wasn’t strong enough to destroy the world, then he couldn’t do it.  

The Box of Spes existed to seal ‘troubles.’  Pandora had made it long ago.  In this particular case, the troubles were Daniel’s powers, neatly bound with each piece he put back into place, the potential curtailed.

Most of them were powers Daniel hadn’t even touched yet, or that he had only used once, and Daniel was notoriously forgetful about his powers.  He would do just fine without the stranger, more dangerous ones.  

But if he did ever need to reach further, all Clockwork needed to do was open the box.  

.

Danny eyed the goblet Clockwork had put down…  Was it twenty minutes ago, now?  It was a pretty metal goblet.  Silvery black.  Fruit and chain designs sculpted into it.  Filled almost to the brim with purplish-red juice.  

Danny licked his lips.  He was… curious.  He’d never seen Clockwork eating or drinking anything before, and he wanted to know what it tasted like, what it was.  It smelled tasty.  Sweet.  

He wanted it, but he knew that drinking someone else’s drink was the absolute peak of rudeness, so he was not going to do that.  

He was also wondering what Clockwork was doing that was taking so long, but he’d learned better than to go looking for Clockwork after last time.  At least, he thought he had.  He definitely still wanted to know…  Just, he didn’t want to walk in on anything like that again…  That had just been weird.  

So.  He waited.  And waited some more.  And (inside his head only) wished he’d brought a book.  Or a rubix cube.  He’d taken one apart and solving them was a lot easier now…

Waiting.  More waiting.  

He really wanted to know what it tasted like.  

A tiny sip wouldn’t hurt.  

He slid over to the goblet and picked it up.  If it was wine he’d be so mad at himself.  Cautiously, he sipped at it.  

It wasn’t wine.  It tasted a lot like cranberry juice.  A little bitter, but also sweet.  It was nice.

He carefully put it back down on the table.  Because he definitely hadn’t done that.  Nope.  

…  But then, Danny had never been successful at keeping things from Clockwork.  

Actually, Clockwork probably already knew.  

Ugh.  Danny really had to work on his impulse control.  

.

Pomegranates were a traditional medium for curses in the Ghost Zone, but the addition of the Stygian Goblet would make the natural effects of them much worse.  Protective spirits were especially vulnerable to them.  They wanted them, on some level.  Wanted that security.  

Bindings.  Tethers.  Chains.  Like the ones that brought Persephone back to the underworld every winter.

For now, the one linking Daniel to Long Now was weak.  But Clockwork could make it stronger… or shorter… as needed.  Reel him in.  Keep him close.  Keep him out of the way.  Keep him safe.

And bring him in when Clockwork needed to add another layer to the curses.  

Yes.  It really was almost too easy to curse Daniel.  

But it was the way things were meant to be.  

[yesloulou]

i cannot stop thinking about your gorgeous art for so close, we combust! i'm wondering if you can give us a little director's cut about it? like how you chose the images, anything that you want to share? it makes me want to launch myself into space and eat the moon like cheese.

em im so honored by this ask and i too want to eat the moon like cheese bc it sounds like a very fun activity ❤️‍🔥

soo basically the first pic was my inspo bc it was just so so SCWC (so close, we combust by @officialmood) coded. it had an imbalance to it. for starters we can only see max looking like he was about to explode from fondness while daniel had his back turned and we can't see his face. and like. everything was straightforward for max. the genuine affection for daniel came so easily to him. it was so transparent. but since they were hugging daniel had no idea max's face looked like that when he hugged him. and based on what we know about cool cocky nonchalant RB daniel, one is likely to assume daniel wasn't equally affected by it – and i think they would be right. that hug was at daniel's last race with red bull. there were walls of ppl lining up to congratulate him and send him off. and max was at the end of this line. by the time daniel got to him the impact of it would've been softened by all those that came before. it was like. daniel was saying goodbye to the whole team in one sitting and max was only saying goodbye to daniel. all the imbalances here really remind me of the first part SCWC, where daniel was aware of everything, yet more or less took it for granted, so used to being on the receiving end of max's attention and affection. SCWC daniel "didn’t know at the time that this would be the kind of memory he would turn over and over, trying to cut himself against the sharp part", canon daniel likely also underestimated how rare and precious it was to have the whole team (and max) adore and support him like that.

and it was all about to change. the hug (2nd gif) after AD 21 was a whole other dynamic. it was a much more reserved hug. there were so much complicated emotions that went into it: before daniel went up to max in parc ferme, he had just witnessed max overtake lewis during the final laps of the most dramatic recent f1 season to take his first world title. and since daniel had been lapped by both max and lewis, he literally had to watch it all unfold right in front of him, first hand. and now max, his old teammate, the reason he had to leave his team, the one he on some level saw as a younger sibling, the one ppl said he ran away from, was a world champion before him when that exact wdc dream had slipped further and further away from daniel, who in fact had just had the most bizarre season in his whole f1 career.

it was just a lot of complicated emotions for daniel at that point. i think it must've taken effort for him to feel happy for max at all, let along going up to him and congratulating him right then and there. but daniel did it anyway. and it was a painfully hasty hug imo esp compared to how it went with lando and carlos. it was even a lil awkward bc you can tell max had both of his arms up but daniel didn't plan on going in with a full hug. but still, he wanted to congratulate max and he did.

it wasn't a fun moment to recall as a daniel girlie but it also has such a nice echo with the second part of SCWC. they were hugging/hanging out like all those times they hugged/hung out before. but everything had changed. max looked like a whole different person now (both in scwc and irl in the gif set), and he became comfortable being in control. and for daniel, this time he was the one with all those emotions going into it. neither scwc pt. 2 daniel (in max's apartment) or 2021 canon daniel (in parc ferme) was all that comfortable, but they were both there anyway, looking for a shred of reality that vaguely resembles what he and max used to be, holding on to the hope that a part of them survived despite everything.

anyways, basically as soon as i had the first pic as inspo i decided that i wanted the second pic to also be one of their hugs but with a completely different dynamic, just like in pt1 and pt2 of scwc they were doing the same things (hanging out) completely differently. and then i just thought of that second hug. and with hugging being the subject there is also the sense of like, the closer they came, the more the reality sank in, that max had won before him, that all their conflicts had come to a boiling point, that the deal had been sealed. it's just like what the title says, came so close we combust.

idk if im making sense with everything here but hopefully this has been a fun read :) ty for this ask em and again ty liza for blessing us with SCWC!!!

[lestappenforever]

I’ve just watched a couple of the TPs post race reactions, as well as saw the strategies that the teams used and we can conclude a couple of things from it:

The Mercedes power unit had quiet a noticeable presence today, especially with Williams, who fun fact, also take a lot of the legal components that they are allowed from Mercedes, according to James Vowles (Zak Brown, where did you dip to now). Alex and Logan both had the pace, and could have been in points today. But the power units on both the cars, in addition to Logan’s steering wheel caused them the race. But the issues were not only in the Williams, Mercedes themselves had issues, with the batteries not working properly or dying. Mercedes, what is wrong with the power units after securing multiple multi year contracts?

You can take the man out of Ferrari but not the Ferrari out of the man (Laurent Mekies I’m looking at you). The way RB handled today’s race was actually shit. Again this team was close to points, even closer than the Williams with Yuki P11. But the way they handled the race, and especially in those last few laps, just proves that Laurent still doesn’t have the handles of how Red Bull teams work, he’s, you could say, still stuck in the Ferrari haze. The car is actually good, which we saw in testing and the data, but the team handling was just shit today, and with this, Red Bull could overlook both of them, even drop one of the 2, for Liam, who was promised (maybe even signed?) a seat for 2025.

Nico is absolutely unlucky, and that is a ghost that is hunting him down. Man had a good start, but that collision with Lance cost him his race, which he could have finished in the point. Also, that Haas has pace, it’s not so bad. Let’s see if the absence of Guenther and the presence of a more technical TP is going to impact the team.

Zhou is impressive. He gained quiet a lot, with gaining 6 places and the car is not that great. I did not know his game.

Ferrari pulled a Ferrari. That’s all that could be said. Charles was very confident yesterday. He even was visibly very upset with the fact that he got P2, to today. Like, yes we don’t know if there was something, but fucking it up to the extent that the car is dangerous to even stop. This man just signed a fucking multi year contract, don’t make him regret it.

And finally, we now understand Red Bull’s runs. The runs that were only (or mainly) on C1, C2 and C3 only. They were able to properly visualize the race. And the fact that we saw how everyone in Red Bull expected the car to be slower shows that they have cooked (Adrain Newey, looks like you did it again). And the fact that these runs of Free Practices and Testing showed correct data of this track, not really focusing on topping the time sheets or any of that shit. They put their heads down and focused on the time sheets that mattered, focusing one race at a time, as well as visualize how the car is going to be and how it will work and react, gathering the data needed for checking the car (in football terms: partido a partido).

So yeah, these are kind of my initial post race analysis. Still want to geek more, but I guess this is enough for now?

(I wasn’t going to be able to sleep until I got this off my brain or I would have been overthinking all night long)

I love this analysis so much.

The way VCARB fucked Yuki over by forcing him to let Daniel overtake and proceeding to not even being able to overtake the fucking Haas in front of him is absolutely appalling. I know Yuki has some temper issues he definitely needs to work on when he's in the car, but I fully support his anger this time. The move was completely uncalled for, and VCARB desperately need to realize that they can't put their eggs in the wrong basket. No matter what his die-hard fans say, Daniel is not the future of F1 and Red Bull.

With the exception of Max pulling a very Max race and being superior to the rest of the grid, my favorite part of yesterday's race was definitely Zhou. He did so well, and it was such a pleasure to see him finish P11. I really hope this season will be good for him because I so desperately want him to succeed.

Ferrari being Ferrari was, sadly, not even remotely surprising. But, it's only the first race of the season and Charles still being able to drag that broken fucking car to P4 is impressive as hell.

Red Bull has handled testing and the first race weekend masterfully, and their 1-2 finish yesterday was truly deserved. I have a feeling this season will be a good one for them, even if their domination might not be quite as extreme.

(I hope you've had a great night's sleep, lovely. ❤️)

[jackoshadows]

Rosamund Pike on Moiraine, season 2. (Google Translated from French)

PREMIERE: At the end of season 1, Moiraine loses all of her powers... In what state do we find her? ROSAMUND PIKE: Moraine is no longer the same woman. She is traumatized and lonely, like a wounded animal that pushes away everyone close to her. In this world, being cut off from the One Power for a woman is one of the most painful traumas, equivalent to the loss of a child. You will therefore see how a hitherto incredibly powerful character will attempt to face her enemy without her greatest weapon. What new aspects of his temperament have you discovered? PIKE: She seems much more vulnerable. She feels like she's missing a fundamental part of her identity. And that doesn't happen in the books, it's an exploration by our writers. I was a bit appalled: I liked Moraine for who she was and I didn't want to see her suffer. So it was a challenge, not entirely pleasant, but very interesting. Losing the Unique Power means losing the link with his Champion. How is Moraine and Lan's relationship impacted? PIKE: Their dynamic takes a hit! In this world, the Aes Sedai and their champions are linked psychically but also physically: this link allows them to stay longer without sleep, without food, but above all to feel what the other feels. Suddenly, Moraine and Lan find themselves in a deafening silence, cut off from each other. They never needed to communicate because they always had this intense connection that did it for them. So Moraine starts to establish a distance, she doesn't feel worthy of him, she pushes him away and becomes very cruel. Daniel and I were apart for a lot of Season 2 and we missed working together... Are we going to delve deeper into the mythology of this universe? PIKE: Oh yes, and it's amazing! The first season allowed to establish the rules, and season 2 deepens them. We go further in the exploration of the characters: there is a new enemy of size, the Seanchan, a people who come from the other side of the sea. They enslave the women who can channel magic, and the use as weapons of war. Their aim is to dominate the world: we see them seizing cities, terrorizing the inhabitants. But there are also some very interesting new female characters like Elayne Trakand, a new novice to the White Tower and future Queen of Andor. She meets Egwene, and their personalities collide. Finally, wouldn't the main theme of this series be sisterhood? PIKE: 100%. This is one of the great attractions of The Wheel of Time. And that female power is portrayed in an eclectic way, there's not just one example of what it should look like: in Season 3 that we're shooting right now, there are two incredibly powerful roles played by women from 70 years. And then we celebrate women, but not only! We also play with genres, creating fluid characters. Our casting director is always on the lookout for bright and unusual faces that are unrecognized by the public. I won't be very interesting when you get to season 3 because there are so many exciting new characters! (Laughs.) What can you already tell us about season 3 of The Wheel of Time? PIKE: With the third season, we open the field of possibilities. We're currently doing an episode that's really avant-garde, almost psychedelic. We have the possibility to push things this far thanks to the support of the studio. I think we're making a series that I hope will be watched in 20 years. The goal is not to just reach our time, but to do something timeless.

Very possible they were filming Rhuidean for season 3 before the SAG-AFTRA strike.... One of the best parts of the books IMO, so I hope they do it justice!!

[hxrnyforsturns]

the best part C.S

fluff, making out, brief nudity

a/n: my second fic!! it's a small little story i was in a fluffy mood so i'm writing one of the most romantic things in my opinion. this is like my dream lmfao.

orange chris

pink y/n

--------------------------------------------------------

4:37 am

today was the day i have dreamed of since i was a little girl. no not my wedding but i have always wanted to go on a sunrise date with my dream boyfriend. i'm glad to say i'm finally fulfilling this with chris.

i put on my- i mean chris's favorite dark green hoodie ,that was oversized on me,on with nothing but a black bra under, along with my grey sweatpants and my sneakers. i put on my glasses knowing i didn't have the energy to put on contacts this early in the morning. i grabbed my car keys and flipped my hood over my hair to hide the fact i didn't style it.

hey ml im omw to ur house rn

should be there in about 4 mins💞

i'm up and ready baby i'll be waiting outside for u❤️

--------------------------------------------------------

before i went to chris's house, i picked up a chocolate donut for him and a strawberry for me along with two iced coffees. i put on me and chris shared playlist. playing my favorite song, the best part by daniel ceaser. it reminded me of chris so much.

i pulled into the driveway and he almost immediately jumped in the passenger seat.

"hello my sweet boy!"

"hi my love! you got me my favorite!"

"only the best for my baby"

"oh nice sweat shirt where did you get it"

"it's so comfy you can't blame me"

"well it looks better on you anyway"

i could tell he just woke up because his voice was still groggy. he was rubbing his eyes trying to wake up. he was wearing nike grey sweats with a purple hoodie. we shared a quick kiss as i ran my fingers through his hair. one of my favorite things about him is how he lets me play with his hair. i remember he used to be sensitive about his hair and didn't let anyone touch it. we continued to sing our favorite song by daniel ceaser.

--------------------------------------------

we arrive to our spot. he asked me out here, he apologized to me here, he took pictures of us that are currently his wallpaper here. it was a very special place to us. it was still a bit dark out as we were waiting for the sunrise. we brought blankets and cuddled up in them. i brought my speaker and continued to play our playlist. we got our drinks and donuts and shared them together.

"have i told you this is my dream date"

"only 5 times "

"stopp! you don't understand how much this means to me."

"i couldn't be happier to share it with you."

chris grazes my thigh with one hand drawing little shapes. the other hand he was stroking my cheek.

"I just wanted to say thank you"

"anything for you."

he pulls me into a kiss. his soft fruity flavored lips gently press against mine. little moans escaping my mouth. I explained to him earlier that i didn't want this to be to sexual so i knew he would just keep this at making out. i run my hands through his hair,while in passionate kissed we whisper "i love you " back and forth to each other as we slowly catch our breath. i pull my sweatshirt over my head exposing my black bra.

"i thought we weren't"

"we aren't. i'm just hot"

he left one hand caressing my cheek and the other placing his hand on my almost exposed breast.

"i can feel your heart beat"

"it gets like this whenever around you. wow you don't realize the impact you have on me do you"

"i guess i don't, but you do know you make my heart beat faster whenever i see you."

"really?"

"yeah, your the most amazing person i've ever met and i'm so glad i'm spending my life with you."

happy tears start to flood my eyes as i pull him in for another kiss with chris. he pulls me in to cuddle as we watch the sunrise and get into more conversation. i wish i could spend the rest of my life with him.

--------------------------------------------

the sunrise was the most beautiful i've seen. we took more amazing photos. we drove back to chris's house and took a nap together.

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

Beyond Hope chapter 2

here it is or read it down below

Daniel thinks about it and thinks about it.  

While he does, his condition worsens.  It’s only a few weeks, but it’s a rapid decline.  He tries to hide the difficulty chewing and swallowing.  It’s fine; he doesn’t need to put much food in him anyway.  He’s having issues using the bathroom.  He’s lucky to piss twice a day, in the morning when he wakes up and at night before he goes to bed.  

He starts acting out his dreams while asleep.  One night, he makes it out of his room and falls down the stairs.  The impact wakes him, the pain searing through his entire body.  He’s tangled in a pile of limbs at the bottom of the stairs, left arm twisted at an odd angle and his shoulder blade feels like there’s glass under the skin.  His right ankle throbs and when he tries to push himself up, he can’t.  

He’s an old man who has fallen and can’t get up.  Daniel tries, again and again, but his stiff muscles refuse to allow him to rise.  After what feels like hours, hot tears spill from his eyes.  

Daniel does the only thing he can think of, and mentally calls out to Lestat.  Armand used to be able to hear him call out like this from nearly anywhere.  But then, he and Armand had the blood connecting them.  

Lestat arrives within the hour.  When he sees Daniel he rushes to him and helps him to stand.  Daniel can’t support his weight on his right ankle and nearly buckles.  Lestat sweeps him up in his arms like some princess and carries him to sit down on the couch.  He talks to him, but Daniel isn’t really listening to what he’s saying.  The pain is too much.  

Lestat calls an ambulance for him and sits with him to wait for it to arrive.  He asks what happened, more gently than Daniel knew Lestat was capable of being.  Daniel finds it’s difficult to speak, his speech slurring.  It’s happened on occasion, here and there, but it’s gotten worse now.  He sounds drunk.  So he explains it mentally, trusting Lestat to read his thoughts.  

The ambulance arrives a little less than twenty minutes later.  Lestat berates them for taking so long and insists on riding with Daniel to the hospital.  Daniel closes his eyes and when he opens them, he’s in a hospital bed with a IV in his arm.  Lestat is standing near the foot of the bed with an Asian woman in her mid-forties in a white coat.  He’s explaining how he’s been taking care of his poor sick uncle, and found him tonight when he returned from an evening out.  

He’s taken for X-rays, and poked and prodded, and questioned.  In the end, he has a dislocated shoulder, a broken wrist and a sprained ankle.  The doctors seem more worried he hasn’t been eating like he should.  And that he hasn’t taken a shit in a week.  Dr. Park wants to keep him overnight for observation, though Daniel objects.

“Nonsense, Daniel.  If the good doctor says you are to stay, you’ll stay.”

Daniel glares at Lestat.  Lestat glares right back.  

Dr. Park glances between the two of them and says “I’ll give you two a moment of privacy.”

As soon as she’s gone, Lestat is by Daniel’s side.  Daniel’s lower arm is in a cast and his ankle is in a brace, and his damn shoulder is still sore from where they reset it.  Lestat eyes his injuries, then looks him in the face.   “Your condition is worsening.  You need to decide.”

He’s silent for a beat, then says “I don’t want to watch you die.”

“I don’t wanna die,” Daniel says.  

“Then you accept my offer?”

Daniel hesitates; thinks of Armand just for a moment.  He’d be furious if someone else turned Daniel into a vampire.  But then, he had never loved him enough to offer him the dark gift.  Lestat barely likes him and offers it.  

Lestat isn’t the best vampire mentor; he’s learned that from Louis.  But before he met Lestat, he thought him nothing but a monster.  Now he knows there’s a softer side.  It doesn’t justify the things he did or make them okay, but it makes him easier to forgive.  Besides, people change.  He’s hardly the same man he was fifty years ago.  And the thing about immortality is you have forever to get it right, to keep trying to be better.  

Daniel nods.  “Yeah, I accept.”

Lestat grins.  “I knew you would see reason, mon ami.” He surprises Daniel by giving him a loud smack of a kiss on the forehead.  “Once you are out of this hospital, we will make preparations.  You must get your affairs in order.  Take the time to say your goodbyes.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Daniel says.  He doubts his daughters will even speak to him.  

Lestat rises to his feet.  “I’ll go gather your things for tomorrow.  You’ll need fresh clothes to wear home.  Rest now, Daniel.”

Daniel falls asleep not long after Lestat leaves.  

It’s afternoon before he can leave the next day.  The doctors want to put him in a care facility.  It takes forever to convince them that Daniel can be released to his own care.  They only relent then when he tells them his nephew has been staying with him to care for him.  He has to call a car service to get a ride home.  Once there, he settles on the couch and spends the day watching trash television.  

All he can think is that soon, he’ll be a vampire.  He doesn’t know whether to be anxious or excited.  

That night, Lestat is later than normal.  Usually he shows up not long after sunset and generally leaves when Daniel decides to go to bed.  Daniel assumes he’s feeding, seeing as he likely interrupted him the night before.  When Lestat does arrive, he knocks on the door, something he never does.  

“Come in,” Daniel calls, not wanting to get up and open the door.  It’s hard to hobble around on the crutches the hospital gave him.  

There’s a moment where Daniel thinks Lestat must have forgotten where Daniel hies the spare key, then he hears the door open.  Lestat comes into the living room and his smile is more of a grimace.  “I don’t want you to be angry, but-”

He doesn’t finish his sentence, just gestures behind him as Armand rounds the corner.  

Daniel’s heart skips.  It’s been over a year since he last saw Armand.  He had given him the amulet before he left, and had told Daniel he would wait for him.  Daniel’s chest feels tight looking at him.  He feels frozen in place, unsure of what to say or do.

“Hello, Daniel,” Armand says and just hearing his voice sends a thrill down Daniel’s spine.  

Daniel looks to Lestat.  “What’s he doing here?”

“Ah, you’re angry.  I told you not to be,” Lestat says, as if that makes any kind of sense at all.  

“Lestat!”

It’s Armand who speaks.  “Lestat contacted me yesterday and told me what happened.  I came right away.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have wasted your time.”

Armand glances toward Lestat.  They hold eye contact for a moment, then Lestat nods and leaves the room.  Daniel watches him go with mounting anxiety and irritation.  He thought Lestat was his friend, and he pulls shit like this?

“Lestat told me what he plans to do,” Armand says, arms folded over his chest.

God, he looks good.  His hair is slicked back and he’s wearing that dark eyeliner that makes his eyes stand out.  His silk shirt is white, as are his pants.  Daniel always did like him in white.  

“And what, you’re here to stop me?” Daniel scoffs.  “Fuck off.”

Armand sighs and comes to stand in front of him.  “No, Daniel.  I’m here to offer you what you always wanted.”

“Huh?”

Armand looks away, then moves to the edge of the couch.  There’s no room to sit–Daniel has to prop up his ankle–so he perches on the armrest.  He’s doing that little self-soothing motion with his thumb.  Daniel realizes that Armand is nervous to be here.  Armand is so rarely nervous.  

“Lestat knows that you’re mine; that if anyone should make you like us, it should be me.”

Daniel doesn’t know what to say to that.  A hysterical sort of laugh bubbles up from his throat.  “What?  Someone else is going to give it to me, so now you want to?  Thought I wasn’t good enough for immortality.”

Armand closes his eyes and takes a breath.  “It was never about that, Daniel.  You have always been enough.”

Daniel’s heart aches and he has to blink back tears.  “It never felt like it.”

Armand isn’t looking at him, eyes focused somewhere over his shoulder.  “That’s my fault; I…apologize if I made you feel lacking.”

Daniel shakes his head.  “You didn’t love me enough to turn me then; what’s changed?  Or did you just call dibs?”

“What’s changed?”  Armand repeats softly.  “I suppose I have.”

Daniel waits for him to go on.  Armand  meets his eyes and Daniel can see they are swelling with tears.  Daniel hates to see Armand cry.  “Don’t cry; it’s not fair.”

“You say I didn’t love you enough to turn you; I say I loved too much to do so,” Armand says, eyes boring into him.  There’s a desperate edge to his voice, like he needs Daniel to understand something. 

It’s a sentiment he’s shared before, but Daniel never believed him.  How could he?  Except now, he can see it’s true.  It’s irrational and frustrating, but it’s true.  And Daniel thinks he can understand it now, after talking to Louis and Lestat and hearing their stories.  These vampires treat what they are like a curse.

“So why now?  Because you don’t want to share your toys with Lestat?”

“It would be a lie to say that has nothing to do with it.  His decision has forced my hand,” Armand says.  He rises and moves to kneel next to Daniel and grasps his hand.  “And why?  Because I’m a coward.  And I love you too much to let you go.”

It’s a cold triumph, after all these years.  “And why does it have to be you?  Why not Lestat?”

Armand’s free hand curls into a fist and his eyes flash.  “Because you are mine, Daniel.”

“Not anymore, boss.”

After a long minute, Armand nods.  “Perhaps not.  Nevertheless, I am yours.”

His cool hand reaches up to cup Daniel’s face.  “I would have you be mine.  My fledgling.  The only one I would break my vow for.”

Daniel feels warmth spread through him.  “Would you offer, if not for Lestat?”

Armand’s mouth curves into a sad smile.  “I told you, I’m a coward.  I could not watch you die.”

“Then what have you been waiting for?”  His own tears well and spill over.

Armand’s thumb strokes over his cheek, collecting his tears.  “Oh, Daniel.  I’ve been waiting for you to return to me.”

Stupid, that it should make him want to cry.  But Daniel is weak; and Armand feels inevitable.  Knowing that Armand would have given it to him is nearly enough to have him forgive him of all his past sins.  Still, he has to know.  “And if I didn’t?  Would you have just let me die?”

“I don’t know; I’ve been avoiding the thought.”

Daniel gets that; he’s been trying to avoid it too.  “So what now?”

“Now you may choose your maker,” Armand says.  “Lestat or I, the choice is yours.”

His hand is still pressed against Daniel’s face and Daniel realizes how cool it is.  Almost icy.  Armand must have come straight here when he heard the news without stopping to feed. He’ll be like that soon, like Armand, like Lestat.  One of them will be his maker.  

“You’ll really do it?” Daniel says.

“Say the word, my love,” Armand says and presses their foreheads together.  “I’ll do it.  We’ll be in hell together after all.”

Daniel thinks of the long months of loneliness, of wanting and missing Armand.  He never planned to act on it.  But now Armand is here.  Armand is here and giving him what he always wanted.  Armand still loves him.  And despite it all, he still loves Armand.  He doesn’t know how to stop.  

“Would it really be hell, if we’re together?”

Armand draws back and kisses his forehead, both his cheeks and finally his mouth.  It feels like coming home.   Daniel clutches him to him with a hand buried in his hair.  Armand pulls back, but only enough to speak.  “Then you’d have me do it?”

“Yeah, yes,” Daniel says.  “I want to live forever with you.”

Forever with Armand.  There’s still a lot of things they have to work out, fights that have to be fought, conversations that need to be had.  They’ll have to learn how to be around each other again, how to make these new versions of themselves fit together.  

Luckily, they’ll have all the time in the world.

[ladystormcrow]

❄️Share a snippet from a WIP of your choosing.

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP.

❄️From the currently-being-worked-on second chapter of Trio Sonata:

Meg laid a hand on her shoulder. It was meant to be reassuring, but as Christine’s anxiety started to rise, it felt like a threat.

“Please tell me what’s really going on, Christine.” Her dark eyes were wide, intense, imploring. “Are you in danger? Is the Phantom threatening you?” She paused. “Did he do something to the vicomte?”

“No!” She flinched away from Meg’s touch. “It’s not like that. No one’s in danger.”

“Then why won’t you tell me?”

~~~

☔ I've mentioned in past asks that if I were to go back to my Megamind fanverse fics (Life Is What Happens and The Storm And The Stars), there are a number of things I would change that would probably require rewriting the story from the beginning.

The biggest ones involve Wayne/Music Man's relationship with my OC Danielle Dymond. I know it's a popular headcanon that Wayne is somewhere under the LGBTQ umbrella, and I would want to incorporate that more into his thoughts and backstory, and how it continues to impact him now (since being involved with a cis woman like Danielle doesn't make him straight). I would also choose to keep the Scott parents alive, since I feel like killing them off pre-story as I did missed out on a lot of plot potential for them finding out their son is alive, and exploring how they'll interact with Danielle and her family (not just the racial and social class differences, but how the Dymonds are a loving and supportive family, while the Scotts are ... not so much). I also wasn't a believer in ACAB when I wrote the original fic, and I would change Danielle's ending so that, instead of rejoining the police force, she stays at the community center and starts training volunteers for a neighborhood watch-esque organization.

One other big plot idea for these two that I planned to explore in a future fic involves Danielle unexpectedly getting pregnant. She does want the child, so Wayne, terrified that a potentially superpowered fetus might kill her, goes to Megamind and begs him to find a way to shut off his powers so she can safely carry the baby to term -- including offering himself up for Megamind to experiment on. Megamind then has to deal with the awkward, complicated feelings of finally discovering how to weaken his former rival, but not being able to enjoy it like he once would have.

~~~

🌤️ From Katabasis (which is still technically a WIP, thought it really is almost done), the whole coversation between Kira and SilSol in Chapter 8 is one of my favorites, but these lines in particular:

“... No apology can undo the harm my kind have done,” he said, after a long and weighted pause. “But I want to offer one anyway. Kira, I’m sorry. I’m so terribly sorry. Not just for what my dark shard did. For everything.” 

Kira lowered her wings, her shoulders tensing as she looked up at him. “And what? You want me to say I forgive you?”

SilSol did not answer, but the way his corona flickered suggested that was exactly what he’d been hoping. 

“Well, I don’t,” she snapped. “You’ve done nothing to deserve forgiveness. You killed people, you ruined our world, and as soon as you were one again, you ran away and left Jen and me to clean up your mess.” 

His corona dimmed abruptly. “That was never our intention. We feared bringing more harm to Thra if we stayed! We believed you were the rightful guardians of your world’s Crystal.” 

She thought of the ragged, wheedling Skeksis who had confronted her and Jen, desperately insisting he only wanted peace. How, as soon as it was clear they wouldn’t fall for his lies, he had tried to murder Jen and had given Kira to the others to be killed. “Did you truly believe that? Or were you just too afraid to face what you’d done?”

“Would you have wanted us to stay?” His tone was still calm, but there was an edge to it. 

Kira’s eyes narrowed in anger. “You could have at least done something. All you did was go home and try to forget everything.” She didn’t know this for sure - it was a guess based on their earlier story - but from the way SilSol’s corona turned gray, she knew her words had struck a nerve. “And you’re only here now because your own world’s in danger. You don’t care about Thra, or any of us.” 

“That is not true!” The glow in his eyes brightened like a flaring ember. “You are not the only one who worries for Jen now, Kira. I may have been skekSil the Chamberlain, but I was also urSol the Chanter. I raised Jen with urSu and the others. I loved him like my own child, and I still carry that love now. I want to save Thra not merely because it’s right, but because it means saving him!”

[philhoffman]

This week’s Monday Philm is PSH’s only animated feature, the Australian claymation Mary and Max (2009), dir. Adam Elliot. Big year for animated!Phil—his episode of Arthur came out just a few months later!

I think this is only the second or third time I’ve watched Mary and Max, but I always need a bit of an adjustment period to get used to the style. I enjoy animated films and I especially appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating these lengthy stop-motion pieces (especially after watching the little “making of” doc with director Adam Elliot), but I don’t mesh at all with Elliot’s self-described “chunky-wonky” style. Visually one of the more challenging films for me to watch (probably because I am a bit like Max!).

A very good story, though. Ugly and beautiful, I said last time. Both Mary and Max’s stories dig around uncomfortably deep in my own head and childhood and memories. A lot of themes I connect with but don’t really feel like elaborating on right now. I’m listening to the late, great Daniel Johnston as I write this and Max reminds me of him, lol.

I was going through some old interviews this morning and found one where Phil said he recorded basically everything for Max in a single day, from a recording booth in London while Skyping with the director and crew in Australia. I’ve been thinking about that all day—he put in a few hours of work one day in 2008 and 15 years later it’s still having a deep, visceral impact on so many. I’ve read a lot of reviews from people who really cherish this film and honor it as the underrated gem it is. It’s not my favorite movie but it does represent autism and anxiety and loneliness and depression in a surprisingly real way, which I suppose is one of the advantages of animation. Maybe it’s easier to be truthful with complicated themes when you can literally shape them frame-by-frame with your bare hands.

“He had the most beautiful voice of any modern American actor. (Really, listen to it—it's amazing),” Tom Carson wrote about Philip in 2014. Whether it’s Lester Bangs’ vocal fry or Allen Mellencamp audibly caving in on himself or Lancaster Dodd’s commanding speeches or Phil’s own real voice—sort of slow, low, mumbling, gears turning in his head, until he catches the thought and it practically bursts out of him, chasing after it, voice raised, often booming, easy to laugh, a slight New York accent, such a unique inflection you can hear his tongue punctuate certain words and sounds so clearly—it’s one of his most outstanding trademarks. That’s what really makes Mary and Max special to me, is hearing PSH use that deep, lovely voice to explore a new medium. It’s almost easy to forget it’s him and I totally understand how people watch it without realizing he’s in it. Tbh I might love what he does in Arthur even more—it’s so camp—but he’s got such a rich voice, so good for any kind of voice acting, and it’s neat he got a taste of it doing this film. 

Always thinking about that Esquire interview when Phil said, “I don't think I've made anything my kids can watch until they're like 40... It's funny, because I did a voice in an animated movie called Mary and Max. And a guy, like, kills himself in it. The one animated movie I make is for adults.”

[supermaks]

i really don’t mean this as a gotcha or anything!! but maybe helps add context/daniels reasoning. an espn article basically said (so his team lol) that daniel left renault bc the leadership was terrible and the whole organization was run shockingly poorly (so bad that they didn’t even know if they were gonna continue as a team/their future in f1). so i think the mclaren move was just his best available next step “up”

No pls ty for ur addition.🌷I like having these discussions and context always matters. This is just my opinion on the whole thing yk its perspective u can disagree!!. Ik I'm heavily biased because when started watching danny ric was kicking ass in yellow lmfao. Like u said, alpine, or renault at the time, wasn't exactly a dream come true. Alpine has very good engineers, a lot better than most people realize, but their factory is kind of a fl0p and literally the leadership is run super sloppy. In the danny ric era the car itself seemed to have hit its ceiling early on and it wasn't progressing fast enough ((especially before he announced he was gonna leave after that it was sailing upwards which like ok I get the covid thing and information was difficult hindsight etc etc if u wanted to make that decision u had to sh00t in the dark but ... Why not invest a just lil bit more time in this team that is very clearly investing in u.)). But yk they are A factory team, and they did build a competitive car. Thats not nothing we cant just ignore the car and be like oh but they are a lil icky like no😐 the car is the most important thing. The car had potential. And after Ocon came in the setups were stabilizing and they were having strong weekends and learning a lot. About the 'they didnt even know if they were gonna continue in f1' thing, which its true, cud have had a much bigger impact than I realize, but honestly bro to me its just like French team heritage like Renault was always involved in some type of bs that means they have to leave because they like committed a crime in 1980 or whatvr. Cyril, and Renault, wanted to build around Danny ric and they made that super clear all the time ((cyril literally got booted for failing to do so.)). Now what did mclaren offer that early? What did they promise that wud have materialized in a 'step up'? How did he look at a midfield, customer team, wid a driver like Lando and a boss like Zak, in a grid thats operating under a new cap, and thought that was gonna be 1. a better environment than he had 2. a better car ((the new merc engines were promising but again it’s the same risk regarding how the car is gonna be built)) 3. a garage that wud support him in case the car failed 4. a teammate he cud easily outmaneuver for feedback. Like no. Mclaren had been courting him since rbr because they wanted an experienced vet landito could play wid and, imo. Which is worth what it is. Danny ric picked an easy jump that was financially lucrative and the other aspects just didnt matter sm