#But the Movie did make her actually Williams daughter. Interesting choice considering the name.

[drunk-on-starlight]

Do you have any evidence that Vanessa is just being manipulated? I’ll admit no one knows exactly what’s going on, but I feel it’s pretty clear there’s at least something similar to mind control present. If the encyclopedia is still valid, it says she was corrupted and then freed from his influence.

As much evidence as anything in this franchise has.

I'm assuming by "Mind Control," you're referring to literal control over mind and/or body? Apologies if you meant something else.

Gonna start with Jeremy (Help Wanted edition), since he's the first "glitchtrapped" character we learn about.

Here's a few choice quotes

"I think it's made worse by the fact that Jeremy tried to tell us something was wrong."-Tape 3, HW

“Jeremy complained of nightmares when he came in this morning. He wasn't talking about it like someone telling a friend about his dreams though. He was pale...looked like he hadn't eaten in days." -Tape 7, HW

"He just stands there like he's talking to someone. Sometimes he [just] rocks from side to side"-Tape 7, HW

"I think Jeremy was too far gone to consider that option though.-They just knew he'd seen something. They needed to discredit him.”-Tape 8, HW

These collectively establish that Glitchtrap (Known here as the anomaly) had clearly gotten his hooks into Jeremy, right? And yet, he was able to injure himself enough to make Glitchtrap back off. Furthermore, Glitchtrap is talking to him in Tape 7. Not only was Jeremy able to legitimately do something Glitchtrap didn't want, he wasn't able to stop him.

Now, to Vanessa. The first relevant quote here; "So, the word compliance by itself isn't going to set off any red flags, but the sentence how to induce compliance in human subjects, and how to induce self-compliance(?)"-"Did you search for 'help' by itself?"-December 2, 2019.

"I was a little worried maybe something is going on with you? One day you're researching flowers and the migration patterns of bees (fascinating, right?) and the next day you type in 'How far can a human being be cut in half before losing consciousness'."-Dec 4, 2019

At the risk of assuming too much, I don't think someone who is mind controlled would need to find a way to induce "compliance."

Then you have "I came by your desk to say hi today and I don't think you even heard me. You had your face so close to the screen"-"I waited for a second to see if you would turn around, but it was like you were in another world. It must be useful to be able to shout out the world and focus like that, I wish I could do it. I thought you were on a conference call at first because I heard voices."-Dec 9, 2019.

Much like Jeremy, Glitchtrap needs to talk to her. If he could just control her, I don't see why he'd need to audibly speak to her(1)(2), or why he'd let her type out help. Or frankly, why he'd let her Google all the other cutsey stuff. Furthermore, she wouldn't need to search how to induce "self-compliance" if he was already controlling her.

Finally, Security Breach's Retro CDs. First up, CD 1-7139

"Yes, of course, you do. Your performance reviews are good, but a routine check of your online history has revealed that you spend quite a bit of time with someone in an encrypted conversation. We have transcripts, and I’ve read them, but it’s not clear what you’re talking about in these conversations. I can’t make sense of it. You must be getting something from these that I’m not getting. Right? Who are you talking to in these?"

Again, a conversation, one in which the therapist here says "You must be getting something out of these."

Next, CD 3-7140. This is where her dad, a guy named "Bill"(3) is first mentioned, along with this "Your dad made you follow instructions, didn’t he? I’m talking about the custody battle between your mom and your dad. Your dad didn’t play it fair, did he? He used to make your mom look bad in court. I’m so sorry that happened to you. Do you want to talk about how that felt? and "He manipulated you. It wasn’t your fault." Keep that last bit in mind, it's not the first time manipulation gets brought up.

CD 5-7141 "Apparently, the IT department has put together a pretty lengthy report chronicling non-job-related communications that have been coming to your computer"-"but what bothers me about what I read is that the messages you're getting seem very manipulative in nature. Do you know who I'm talking about?"

Again, they reiterate Glitchtrap needs to communicate. Further, the messages are described as manipulative. Why would a mind control entity need to do that? And to tie into the previous tape, the therapist says "What you might not know is that this person who's been sending you messages has been hacking into your personal files too. These are the same files I have here. These files are full of details about your life."

The same files the therapist said showed her father being manipulative. In response to being told this person knows a lot of her personal info, Vanessa says "Lots of people know more than I do. Sometimes I need to listen."

Now, CD 11-7145 is where Vanessa says "I can't talk about this. He said he would always be watching. He could be here or there or anywhere in between." to which her therapist responds "Are you talking about your dad?," directly comparing Glitchtrap to her manipulative father. Vanessa also says that Glitchtrap told her that he could be anywhere, which means he's not always with her, and he'd kind of have to be for mind control.

Security Breach itself seems to support this, to some degree. Vanessa makes her entire hunt a game; She presumably knocks Gregory out and locks him in Lost and Found, only to return after dressing up, she skips around the Pizzaplex. She swaps back and forth, none of which is necessary and of which she probably wouldn't do if controlled.

If we look back at Help Wanted, she specifically says (in another example of the one sided conversation) that she can hear him, there's no miscommunication, she understands and that she made the mask herself. She also says "I think you would like it,""I'll be ready" (That she needs to make herself ready is another tally against the mind control) and that "It'll be fun." Honestly, she reads as far more of a daughter figure in HW than anywhere else.

Maybe I'm misreading all this, but it doesn't seem like mind control. It seems like a young woman had serious childhood trauma that left her open to being taken advantage by an experienced manipulator.

[silenthillmutual]

Danganronpa 1 & 2 characters as High School “recommended reading” books I actually read

Makoto Naegi

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee when i read it: 5th grade for fun, 10th grade for English class did i like it? well enough yeah content warnings: thematic & period-typical racism, ableism, and sexism about: Recounts a summer in which Scout and her brother, Jem, watch their lawyer father defend a black man accused of raping a white woman in the south while balancing raising them alone. Other stuff happens, but that’s the most important plot thread.

Sayaka Maizono

Medea by Euripides when i read it: i don’t remember, maybe 9th for drama, 12th for English? did i like it? yep! content warnings: child murder, infidelity, some pretty brutal other character deaths, sexism about: Medea, who has sacrificed everything to be with her husband - even committed treason - has been left by the man so he can move on to woo and wed a princess. And she loses her shit.

Leon Kuwata

The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn by Mark Twain when i read it: 11th grade did i like it? yeah! content warnings: thematic & period-typical racism (use of the n-word), domestic abuse, classism iirc? about: After his abusive dad comes back and demands money under the threat of death, Huck Finn runs away with a fugitive slave down the Mississippi River. Being Mark Twain, it’s a comedy, although Huck’s father is genuinely kind of frightening and his friendship with Jim is kind of heartwarming.

Chihiro Fujisaki

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley when i read it: 10th grade for fun, 12th grade & freshman year of college for class did i like it? I’ve got mixed feelings; i love the book, hate most peoples’ interpretations of it. content warnings: character death, incest (depending on the version of the novel you read), unethical doctors, neglectful parents about: Thinking he knows better than literally anyone else he’s ever met, Victor Frankenstein decides it’s his birthright to play god. He robs graves to build the perfect body, and then, once he’s successful, flips his shit and refuses to acknowledge any part he played in the creation, wrecking the lives of like everyone he knows.

Mondo Oowada

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton when i read it: like 6th or 7th grade, for fun did i like it? i loved it! content warnings: abuse, thematic classism, character death about: Honestly the most obvious choice to make for Mondo. Ponyboy Curits, a greaser, recounts the last few months of his life in which, after being repeatedly harassed and then nearly killed by gang of rich kids, his friend Johnny stabs one to death. In order to keep Johnny out of prison and Ponyboy out of a boys’ home, the two run away. Considering Ponyboy is also being raised by an older brother, this totally fits Mondo.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru

King Lear by William Shakespeare when i read it: twice in college (discliamer: as an english major i had to taken an entire course on shakespeare, so he shows up a lot here between that and having done theatre) did i like it? no content warnings: a surprising amount of gore for a stage play, including a guy getting his eyes gouged out and someone getting beheaded iirc about: The king’s getting up in years, so he’s hoping he can drop the workload off onto his three daughters while remaining the figurehead. His youngest, Cordelia, who he loves best, refuses to kiss his ass by saying that he’ll still have power over her once she’s married, and this pisses him off so he disinherits her. Then her sisters, annoyed with their father and his favoritism, decide that with Cordelia out of the way they can now do basically whatever they want and determine to make his life hell. Since he named them Goneril and Regan, I don’t blame them.

Hifumi Yamada

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer when i read it: college, but i wanna say i read some of the stories in it for English classes in high school? did i like it? some of the stories i did yeah content warnings: varies from story to story, but i remember unsanitary, drunkenness, and infidelity about: The overarching “plot” as such is that a group of people are making a pilgrimage to Canterbury, and decide that to pass the time they will tell two stories each. Each story is told in-character, and whoever tells the best story has to...buy everybody dinner, or something? I don’t really recall. It’s a comedy, but it’s also unfinished because Chaucer bit off way more than he could chew.

Celes Ludenberg

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe when i read it: 11th grade did i like it? probably, i’m a fan of Poe content warnings: drunkenness, murder about: This one got memetic on tumblr for a while, but essentially this guy decides to get revenge on an old friend of his for some kind of sleight by getting him drunk during Carnival, leading him into the basement, and burying him alive. Poe isn’t one to go soft.

Sakura Oogami

“A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez when i read it: 10th grade did i like it? no content warnings: objectification, something akin to torture about: A family finds an old man with wings lying face-down on the ground and decide to keep him like a pet. People see him and assume he is an animal, and the family decides to start charging admission like their own private sideshow, while onlookers abuse him. One of those extra depressing stories that makes you wonder why the hell you had to read it for class.

Mukuro Ikusaba

The Crucible by Arthur Miller when i read it: the first time, probably in 6th or 7th grade, and then several more times after that for a variety of other classes. it’s a theatre and English class staple.  did i like it? when taken in context, yes. but i’m also fucking sick of reading it. content warnings: infidelity, paranoia bait, period-typical racism & sexism (takes place during the Salem Witch Trials) about: The plot is a witch hunt, in which a girl who had an affair with a married man claims to have been taken over by the spirit of the devil and that all her friends and a variety of other townsfolk have too. It follows the trials as they try to determine who is and is not guilty, who will repent for their sins, and thematically is about puritanical hysteria. It’s about the Red Scare of the 50s, surveillance, the Hollywood Blacklist, propaganda, and tyrannical government. Naturally, teachers fail to provide any context for the play that actually makes it relevant or interesting. Compare to modern day callout/cancel culture. 

Kyouko Kirigiri

12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose when i read it: 10th grade (although i’d already seen the movie) did i like it? yes content warnings: thematic classism & xenophobia about: The jury of a case in which a teenager is accused of murder convene to determine their verdict. All but one man believe him to be guilty. The rest of the play covers his attempts to sway his other jurors into at least casting aside their prejudices to view the case impartially.

Byakuya Togami

The Federalist Papers when i read it: summer before 12th grade for AP Gov. yikes. did i like it? oh god no. i had to have my lawyer dad explain it to me. content warnings: legalese and it’s boring as fuck about: i mean it’s just a bunch of essays to promote ratifying the the constitution. I don’t even remember if we read all of them. that’s how bad my retention of the subject is.

Toko Fukawa

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka when i read it: 10th grade did i like it? kind of? content warnings: bugs, emotional abuse, depression about: A man awakens one day to find he has transformed into a giant cockroach. It’s a metaphor for his depression and what a burden he feels like to his family. If you read anything about Kafka’s life, you’ll understand why he was depressed.

Aoi Asahina

Hamlet by William Shakespeare when i read it: i’ve forgotten when my first time was because i’ve had to read it so constantly. if i had to wager a guess, i’d say middle school, though i’ve read it for fun, for drama class, and for English class. did i like it? yes content warnings: character death, suicidal ideation, incest vibes (depending on your interpretation) about: Hamlet, not over the early death of his father, is enraged that his mother has married his uncle. He’s really bringing everyone else down about it, and then he starts to see his father’s ghost on top of it all. No one’s sure if he’s just mad with grief or if the ghost is for real, but he starts making life for everyone else difficult when he decides to try and expose his uncle as his father’s murderer.

Yasuhiro Hagakure

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller when i read it: 10th grade i think? did i like it? if i believed in book-burning, this would’ve been the first turned to ash in my trashcan content warnings: infidelity, mediocre white men with narcissism, suicide, not sure what else about: An aging father who thinks he was robbed of success by circumstances refuses to face facts that he is a loser by projecting his failures onto a son that now hates him and thinking real big of himself for a wash-out.

Junko Enoshima

Othello by William Shakespeare when i read it: college did i like it? it’s my favorite Shakepseare play, actually! content warnings: thematic racism/xenophobia/Islamophobia, domestic abuse, character death about: A tragedy centering around the planned downfall of Othello, Moor of Venice. He’s relatively well-respected for his heroics and generally being a pretty cool guy, but for whatever reason, Iago wants to see him suffer. And when I say “for whatever reason” - it’s because Iago never gives a consistent one, but at the end he admits the entire thing has been his orchestration and he’s had no issue exploiting peoples’ bigotry as a means to an end. One popular and pretty text-evident theory is that Iago is in love with Othello. But - causing a ruckus, bringing society to its knees, and torturing a man just for shits n giggles? Getting it all done by sheer power of charisma? That’s all Junko ever does.

Monokuma

1984 by George Orwell when i read it: 10th grade for fun, 12th grade for class did i like it? yes but i don’t recommend it. i like tedious shit. content warnings: paranoia bait, sexual themes, torture, probably other stuff i’m forgetting about: Classic dystopia lit in which the government controls the flow of information to the degree of creating its own language (”newspeak”) to explain the technology used to survey its citizens and distill history-changing propaganda. Especially relevant in an era of “fake news.” Where Big Brother Is Watching comes from. Extremely difficult to get into.

Hajime Hinata

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck  when i read it: 10th grade did i like it? yeah content warnings: ableism, implied domestic abuse, character death, animal death, era-typical sexism (1930s) about: Very desolate and depressing novella about the futility of the American Dream to “make something of yourself”. Two farmhands, Lennie and George, arrive at a California farm seeking employment. They just want to earn enough money to open up a farm of their own - a rabbit farm - and things are all downhill from there. Well-written and one of Steinbeck’s shorter works.

Twogami

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald when i read it: 11th grade did i like it? yes! i loved it. but in the way that you love sleazy tabloid rag stories. content warnings: infidelity, car accidents, character death about: Stupidly rich people in New York in the 1920s being fake as hell. It’s about excess and decadence and the idea of having a rags-to-riches story, and it’s very homoerotic.

Teruteru Hanamura

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley when i read it: 10th grade did i like it? one of my top faves tbh content warnings: alcoholism & drug usage, thematic classism & racism (ie that’s the point), sexual themes, violence, non-graphic suicide (like literally the last sentence), character deaths about: You know how 1984 is a very pessimistic dystopia about government surveillance? Brave New World is like “what if everything was a utopia because of government interference?” It’s easier to get into than 1984. It’s about a man from the upper echelon of society discovering the dirty secret of how society is able to able to function the way it does, an outsider into his world to shake things up.

Mahiru Koizumi

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen when i read it: i dunno, summer between 9th and 10th grade maybe? did i like it? yes! i loved it. content warnings: there are a couple of guys who are sort of gross but there’s nothing that bad in it about: An upper-middle class family - more the mother than the father - trying to marry off the eldest of their five daughters. It’s largely character-driven and most of the plot focuses on Jane’s relationship with Bingley, Elizabeth’s relationship with Darcy, and the problems witch judging people based on first impressions.

Peko Pekoyama

Call of the Wild by Jack London when i read it: 9th grade did i like it? fuck no content warnings: graphic animal violence. if there’s other stuff i forgot because i fucking hated this book. about: I think it’s something like a dog getting lost in Alaska and has to learn to be a wolf in order to survive? It’s incredibly brutal and is one of those media where just reading it makes you feel cold. 

Hiyoko Saionji

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams when i read it: 10th grade did i like it? not really content warnings: man i don’t know, but it’s by Tennessee Williams so there’s probably alcoholism, daddy issues, and homophobia about: An overbearing mother embarrasses her son and disabled daughter when an old school friend comes to visit...I’m not sure if there’s more of a plot to it than that. Like most Williams works, it’s largely character-driven.

Ibuki Mioda

If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino when i read it: college did i like it? this is one of those rare exceptions in books where i read it, because i remember having a visceral reaction to it, but i can not for the life of me remember a single damn thing about it other than how stupidly difficult it was to read.  content warnings: it’s metaficiton. about: You are the protagonist. I genuinely can’t explain anymore than that.

Mikan Tsumiki

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams when i read it: 9th grade did i like it? not really, but i’d be willing to reread it content warnings: domestic abuse, rape about: Unstable Blanche DuBois goes to visit her sister, Stella, and meets her appalling husband Stanley. All Tennessee Williams plays seem to have a theme of family tragedy in them, with this being probably the most bleak example. 

Nekomaru Nidai

The Odyssey by Homer when i read it: 9th grade, then again in college for a classics class did i like it? yeah content warnings: your usual classical Greek-variety nonsense, including character death, infidelity, and partying. about: Odysseus attempts to make his way back home after the Trojan War, and has a time of it. Having pissed off Poseidon he’s gotten off-course and gotten lost another ten years, and had a whole slew of other adventures trying to make it back home and save his wife from the harassment she’s been getting since his disappearance.

Gundham Tanaka

The Tempest by William Shakespeare when i read it: 10th grade did i like it? not especially content warnings: thematic colonialism & racism...not sure what else but it’s hard as fuck to read. try reading it out loud & acting along to it. about: I didn’t totally get it but there’s something about a wizard having been banished and now people are coming back to find him for some reason? the people who exiled him & his brother & daughter have crash-landed on his island and now he might get his revenge. Thanks, TVTropes! All I remember is discussing in one class about how The Tempest managed to predict the “finding” of America and how the English would treat the native peoples. It’s a “romance”, which in that day and age meant it was about magic. Influenced some science fiction works like Brave New World (the title of which comes from a line spoken by Miranda). I should probably reread it.

Nagito Komaeda

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger when i read it: 8th grade for fun did i like it? yeah content warnings: implied pedophilia. i’m sure there’s other stuff but i don’t remember it well enough. about: Perennial troublemaker Holden Caulfield is kicked out of boarding school, and takes a hell of a long time getting home from the place as he complains about his declining mental state, hypocrisy, and loss of innocence. It’s one of those books you either really love or really hate, and has been repeatedly challenged because Holden swears too much and might be bisexual.

Chiaki Nanami

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw when i read it: 12th grade, i think did i like it? yes content warnings: classism about: A linguistics professor makes a bet with a friend that he can take any lower-class citizen and teach them to speak formal English, well enough to pass them off as aristocracy to other rich people. It’s the plot upon which the musical My Fair Lady is based, although it was intended as a deconstruction of the kind of plot whose trope it now codifies.

Sonia Nevermind

“Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl when i read it: 10th grade did i like it? yeah! content warnings: infidelity, character death about: A guy comes home and tells his heavily pregnant wife that he’s been having an affair, and he’s leaving her. She doesn’t take it well. I won’t spoil the rest of it, as it’s a short story, but it’s fun to keep in mind that it’s be the same guy who wrote classics such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Kazuichi Souda

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare when i read it: 8th grade for a book report and then again in....i don’t know. i’ve had to read it a lot. did i like it? sure, it’s got some pretty great insults content warnings: men being douchebags including stalker-y behavior, and a woman falls in love with a man who has a donkey’s head (it doesn’t last) about: Hermia & Lysander are planning to run away to get married because Hermia’s father doesn’t approve of Lysander, and she’s trying to dodge the affections of Demetrius - the man to whom she has been betrothed, because he’s an ass who, among other things, slept with her friend Helena and then ditched her. Which Helena is still hung up on, even though he’s a gross creep. At the same time, a group of actors are trying to get together a play for an upcoming royal wedding, and the King of the Faeries is trying to win back his wife. This all connects because a faerie decides to fuck around.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier when i read it: college, for an independent study did i like it? yeah content warnings: graphic violence, i think some homophobia? about: Kids and staff at a private school take a candy sale way too damn seriously. There’s basically a mafia at the school and some sort of weird popularity contest and hazing going on. 

Akane Owari

“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell when i read it: 9th grade did i like it? i guess so content warnings: human hunting about: A man finds himself shipwrecked on an island, and is then hunted for sport. No, really.

Monomi

East of Eden by John Steinbeck when i read it: technically i’m in the middle of it right now, but that counts, right? did i like it? so far, i guess i do, but it’s mainly i care character who comes up later. couldn’t give less of a shit about adam trask, full offense content warnings: period-typical sexism & racism (set around the turn of the 20th century and published in 1952), implied pedophilia (that gets incredibly glossed over), ableism about: A combination of heavy-handed religious allegory (Steinbeck really just can’t cool it with the Cain and Abel theme naming) and family tree history. Follows the Trask family through Adam’s childhood, tumultuous relationship with his brother, even worse relationship with his wife, and horrible parenting of his children. The end (which is what the film adaptation covers) is more centered on his son Cal Trask grappling with the idea that he might be evil because of his genetics, or something. I think that’s an argument you could make of Monomi, being related to Monokuma (or at least, how i’m sure she’d feel).

[everlarkficexchange]

Prompt 41

Written by: @wendywobbles

Prompt 41: Everlark based off the Hallmark Christmas Movies Meme:  I still going to watch them and act surprised when she falls in love with the small town baker who only wears sweaters instead of falling for the big city CEO? Yes! Does not need to be Christmas time, but definitely end game Everlark                                              

Thanks for the prompt, @historywriter2007!

AN: I hope I do some justice to this for you and put a smile on your face….I’m not sure it’s Hallmark Christmas Movie enough so maybe make some hot chocolate and put on the Michael Buble Christmas playlist to help set the scene!

Peeta Mellark had moved to District 12 to take over his Nana Sae’s bakery.  Running the place had been his dream since he was kid. He remembered how Sae had introduced him to the wonders of baking from a very young age.  She lit a fire in him that time had never diminished. 

His dad, William was an only child and while he loved his mother dearly the life of a provincial baker was not for him so he left at 18 for a Capital college and studied Law graduating top of his class. He worked hard for the firm he started with and was made partner before he was thirty.  He met and married Isabella and together they had the picture perfect life-or at least it appeared that way.  They had three boys Jackson, Davis and Peeta.  Peeta has been a surprise addition and when Isabella had found out she was expecting she was convinced that this was her much longed for daughter.  So when her third son was born she was devastated. She took to her bed and refused to leave.  She showed no interest in the child not even choosing a name for him, but while William fretted he actually did little to help his wife to deal with this situation. Instead he continued going to work and hired a nanny to take care of his youngest child.

When Sae came to visit she could not believe that at three weeks old the child was still being referred to as Baby Mellark. She took her son aside and gave him what for, she visited her daughter in law and gave her what for and then she gave the child his name Peeta James Mellark.  Isabella scoffed but she said nothing else after all what did she care what the child was called really? 

Peeta grew up, aware that he was not like his brothers although he could not figure out why. His mother lavished attention on his older brothers while he was often ignored.  His father was away with work so didn’t see the cruel and spiteful ways Isabella would torment her youngest son, which included sending him out of the Capital to a Boarding School. 

Peeta loved District 12 and spent all his school holidays there with his Nana Sae, he rarely visited the Capital or his family there.  In 12 he learnt old family recipes, invented new ones. He told Sae of his hopes and fears, he told her about his first kiss, his first love (although looking back it was more like lust). It was Sae he told first that he was planning on going to culinary school and not following his brothers to law school.  It was Sae who encouraged him to keep going when his parents refused to pay his tuition and it was Sae who paid them. 

As she got older Sae sat him down and told him she wanted him to takeover the business but before he could he needed to go see the world. So he did. He travelled around Panem and then to Europe and Asia working in small family run  places and large upscale restaurants honing his skills and seeing this he had only ever dreamed about.  He met a girl he thought he’d marry. A formidable chef from London with a lively smile and they shared many of the same interests. They were the perfect couple according to their friends and despite a year of happiness he knew something was missing, the “spark” just wasn’t there, so it was with regret that he decided to part ways with Clove.  He kissed her one last time in Trafalgar Square on New Year’s Eve and knew after five years of travel and adventure he was ready to come home.

He headed first to District 12 to catch up with Nana Sae. He filled her in on all that had happened and plans were set that that he would go home and tie up lose ends before returning to take over the Bakery in 2 months.  Sae meanwhile would oversee the conversion of the floors above into an apartment for him to live.  But as with all the best plans it didn’t quite work out like that. 

Two days after he left William rang to tell his mother there had been a dreadful accident and Peeta was in hospital.  After coming to see his parents a row had broken out and Isabella had raged against her son telling him what a disappointment he had been, how she wished he had never been born. Her words cut Peeta deep, but he wasn’t surprised by them.  He turned to walk away when his mother in a fit of fury picked up a tray of glasses and bottles of alcohol and threw it against the wall. It smashed sending glass flying in all directions one  large piece caught Peeta in the leg and immediately he began to bleed and bleed badly. He heard his father cry out as he ran to his side.  Peeta’s last thought as he slipped into unconsciousness was that he had never experienced true love…….

He lost his leg.

They tried to save it they said.  

And so the move was delayed while Peeta attended rehab and adjusted to life with a prosthetic .

He dealt with feelings of rage and anger. Let them consume him. Eventually he realised that he couldn’t live like that, he sought help and worked through his demons.  Old Peeta was gone but new and improved bionic legged Peeta was ready to get back to his life.

He arrived into 12 on a crisp September morning.  He walked to the bakery and instantly he felt at home.

“Well old lady aren’t you going to give me a hug” he dropped his bag on the nearest table and opened his arms.

“Peeta! I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow” cried Sae as came out from behind the counter and gave her grandson a hug “Let me look at you. You look well. So very good compared to last time I saw you. Now your furniture and stuff arrived and is upstairs. The additional rails have been fitted on the stairs and the bathroom modified”

“Good. That’s good” Peeta was no longer embarrassed by his leg and the adjustments that needed to be made to allow him to live his best life. 

September passed in a blur. Learning the ropes and adjusting to his new schedule took time but by October Sae felt comfortable enough to head to District 4 to visit her old friend Mags and leave Peeta alone.  This amused Peeta no end, he was adult but Sae seemed to forget that sometimes.

Peeta had begun to look at making changes to the place. He added new things to the menu. More variety and choices, specialised one of a kind occasion cakes and the addition of decent coffee had meant that Mellark’s was enjoying something of a renaissance. He had started to get to grips with some of Sae’s quirkier habits and had begun to introduce his own.

This included new opening hours.

Nana Sae only opened the bakery from 8am until the bread ran out, she was a one woman show for most of the time so this was suited her.  With Peeta the hours were 7.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday with 9.30am to 12.30pm Sunday.  He needed staff 2 full timers and maybe 2 part timers and although right now he could handle the baking, but he was considering taking on an apprentice.

He talked to Sae after Halloween, he found that she agreed and so they set to work looking for help and filled the full time positions. Sae suggested he get in touch with Katniss Everdeen out at Prim’s Roses to see if she knew anyone who might be worth considering.   He was vaguely aware of Prim’s Roses.  It was on the other side of town that was part drop in centre and part residential for local college kids. He actually wasn’t to sure what it was -a sorority maybe- but he trusted Sae so he called ahead, explained who he was and arranged to meet with the head of the place, a Ms Katniss Everdeen.

***********************

He arrived for their meeting a little earlier than he needed to be there and parked up in the drive way of a large two storey house with a porch.  The garden was small but well looked after. He looked around taking it in, it really was a lovely place and had a nice feel to it- welcoming and friendly.  He walked up to the two steps and knocked on the door. 

The door swung open and there stood a petite woman about his age he guessed, with long dark hair, currently pulled into a messy bun, she had eyes like liquid silver and lightly tanned skin and smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.  “Yes?”

“Oh hey, my name is Peeta Mellark I’m here to see Ms Everdeen?”

“Oh right, right. Hi I’m Ms Everdeen  come in. I’ll just bring you into the office.  Johanna?”

A short spiky haired woman appeared and raised an eyebrow.

“This is Mr Mellark, I’m going to have a quick chat with him.  Can you keep an eye on things?”

They went into a small room which housed a number filing cabinets, a desk, some mismatched chairs, an old computer that had seen better days and walls that were covered in pictures and photographs of girls in their late teens early twenties, smiling, graduating, some with kids and partners even pictures of  =pets. Each picture was different but  the same, all had a happiness in them that just seeped.

“So what brings you here?” Katniss got straight to the point as she gestured at one of the chairs for him to sit into.

“Well I run the bakery, Sae is my grandmother and I’ve taken over, we are looking for staff some part-time workers and Sae suggested I get in touch.  I guess because you are a sorority-“

“Mr Mellark Prim’s Roses is not a sorority.  We help girls transition from being in the care system and into the  world.  . For some being in care is all they  have ever known and they are wholly unprepared to live in the real world as it were.  Some want to go to college, others go straight to work, some don’t know what lies ahead. Here they get time, guidance and learn life skills” she said back in her chair and looked at him.

“Oh…right…ok…. I take it Prim was a person? And the “Roses” bit of the name is because like a rose  these girls need a bit of extra time and attention to flourish, but sometimes they come across as hard and have an inbuilt natural defensiveness to keep people away, kind of like thorns?” Peeta stopped why on EARTH had he even said that!!!!

Katniss stared at him, he had gotten the point of the name immediately. Most people just thought it was a play on her sister’s name. “Yes well most people don’t think too much about the name, other then to comment on how pretty it is. My sister and I were place in one of Panem’s Community homes after our parents passed away. I was  twelve and Prim was eight. At eighteen I aged out and left the system and the home. I wanted to take my sister with me but a very wise man I met in the Homes sat me down and made me go through my options.  The reality was I couldn’t take responsibility for Prim at that point in time.  I adapted to life outside that routine well but when Prim turned eighteen  she struggled. I was able to help her to get herself organised. For Prim that meant deferring  Med School until she was more confident in making her own choices and decisions. We discussed how useful having a person to help you through the first few months like I had been able to do for her.  And here we are.”

“Prim is currently in her first year of residency at a hospital in District 8 and what started as a conversation over a glass of milk has turned into this place.  When you age out the system, particularly one as controlled as Panem’s even the act of opening your own bank account can seem like huge deal, not to mention the problems from childhood don’t just disappear overnight.  Along with practical skills, like budgeting,  small things learning to change a lightbulb, we help girls navigate the mountains of red tape that exists and can stop them from accessing birth records and passports or even applying for driving licences. We also help them to link in with counselling-for some it’s grief counselling, other may require more long term medical interventions.  We do what we can to help.  We have successes but we also have failures but an old mentor once told me that failures can be viewed as learning experiences, everyone fails at some point, just keep trying don’t let it defeat you.  Granted to an 18 year old this probably seems like an awful motto . So why are you here?”

“Your girls- I’m sorry what should I call them?” Peeta wanted to make sure she knew he wasn’t here  to disrespect anyone.

“Girls is fine, for now” she smiled.

“Ok, would there be any interest in anyone applying for the jobs at the bakery?”

“I think so, part time positions?”

“Yes, initially although who knows what the future holds?” he smiled “I really admire what you are doing here. It’s fantastic really.  If there is anything else I can do to help you guys out please just give me a shout.  May I?” He indicated to a post-it pad and pen lying nearby and with Katniss agreement he wrote out his contact information.

“Mr Mellark, thank you so much for stopping by.  I’ll talk to everyone this evening and have anyone interested submit a CV?”

“It’s Peeta and yes that would be perfect” he stuck out his hand to shake hers, and when then touched he was jolted by something. She pulled back her hand clearly she had felt it too.

“Oww flaming static, I’m always the same” Katniss smirked “and Peeta you can call me Katniss”

They walked out to the front door just as Johanna appeared “Hey Kat, Gale Hawthorne of Hawthorne Electrics has just called. He saw you speak at a charity event and he wants to talk to you about funding”

“Wow Ms Everdeen- sorry Katniss you clearly have friends in high places.  I’ll leave you too it, and next time your in town drop in and say hi there’s a hot chocolate in it for you”

Before she could answer Johanna called out “Promise to Irish that hot chocolate up and I will definitely pop in Blondie”

And that was how Peeta met Katniss.  And Johanna.

********************

In the course of just a few week Katniss and Peeta became good friends, despite the fact that they were completely opposite in many ways:

He liked art. She didn’t see the point.

He was a morning person.  She was not.

She was hot headed. He was calm.

She could sit for hours quietly. He was a chatter box.

He had the patience to complete intricate cake designs creating masterpieces from just sugar, water and food colouring.  She was good at eating his cakes the decorating part no so much he let her once, never again.

He liked tea, she drank coffee.

Her childhood before her parents had passed away had been happy, Peeta’s had not.  Katniss hated that Peeta had had such a rough time but loved that he still say goodness in  the world.

She never wanted to get married. He did.

He wanted kids, she didn’t

She loved Halloween, he loved Christmas, and now that December was on the way he was getting down to the serious business of choosing Christmas sweaters for his staff.

She had the voice of an angel, he did not.

But for each difference they had many things is common.  They were hard workers, kind hearted, generous, giving, they enjoyed 1980’s movies of any kind and a love of Gordon Ramsey that bordered on obsessional.

******************************

Peeta had hired Rue and Glenda-or Glimmer- as she insisted on being called- from Prim’s Roses. Rue was attending college studying Computer Science. Glimmer didn’t know what she wanted to do and quite by accident they discovered that Glimmer has a knack for cooking, even old Sae was impressed. Glimmer had an incredible natural palate and talent that most chefs could only dream of.  Peeta and Katniss helped her to apply for culinary schools, and looked at the various options to fund this for her. She was accepted to school in District 2 but although she had received funding to cover the cost and had received  a small stipend when she has aged out of the system she still had to figure where she was going to live and then work so she should could look after rent and bills.

Peeta remembered an old buddy of his had a place in  2 and put in a call.  Cato immediately offered up a solution. He was short staffed so she could work at his bar/restaurant part time. Initially a waitress position but he could give her some kitchen work as well.  Katniss called Enobaria Lewis who she knew ran a similar project to hers in District 2 and explained the situation.  A couple of days later she had a room in a shared house to offer Glimmer.  The other tenants were of similar age and background. Sae paid for Glimmer to out to meet Enobaria and the other girls to see if they “clicked” after all she was moving so far away. Sae had a huge soft spot of Glimmer and she was worried “her baby girl” would get there and everyone would hate each other and Glimmer would be stuck. Luckily they all hit it off. College didn’t start until January but Glimmer decided to move to 2 more or less straight away she could start work full time, earn some cash, get to grips the with city and be completely settled in by start of the course.                                                                                      

*************************************************

Right now Peeta and Johanna were sitting in the living room of the Prim’s Roses house listening to Katniss practice the presentation she would be delivering in two days to the Board of Hawthorne Electronics. 

Gale Hawthorne had been in touch and then arrived into District 12 for a one to one meeting with Katniss three days after Peeta had met Katniss to discuss funding for Prim’s Roses.  Katniss was taken aback by the gorgeous man that stood in front of her.  He was tall, had dark hair, grey curious eyes and when  he smiled his face changed so much he looked younger more, carefree.

 They had quickly got down to business he told her the Hawthorne Electronics was interested in providing her and her organisation with funding to help her grow,  They needed new equipment, additional space and to increase the supports to the service users and  they would like to back them. Gale had a quick mind and asked all kinds of questions but Katniss was able to answer them. 

“Katniss, you present like this it the Board and I can’t see how they can refuse you. They will love you”

Katniss was beaming and then Gale has asked her out. She said yes.

Gale was the perfect partner for Katniss. He loved the outdoors and hunting so the house was well stocked with meat for the coming months. He had a drive to match her own. He loved his family and they were the main driving force for him to succeed.

Although sometimes he wasn’t the most observant  and didn’t really listen. Like the time he bought her a new jacket to replace the old leather one she wore. She thanked him but politely told him to take it back , explaining once more that her current jacket belonged to her father and she wasn’t ready to let it go just yet.

When he kissed her, Katniss first thought was “Well this is nice” her second was “Who describes their first kiss with her boyfriend as nice?” she brushed it aside.   Katniss relationship with Gale was easy she knew not every relationship was fireworks and drama. They lived so far apart and they weren’t  living in each other’s pockets that it suited Katniss. Sometimes their only contact was a few text message a few times a day, but that was normal right?

Now with days to go before the big presentation Katniss was a ball of nerves.

“Katniss you will be amazing. They will love you.  You speak from the heart but you have all the facts and figures, research results and testimonies to back up what you’re trying to do.  If they pass up an opportunity to partner with you then they are fools” Peeta stood up and pulled her into a hug, again they were blasted by static.

“Mellark! Will you take off that awful polyester Christmas jumper when you touch me me it’s like hugging an electric fence”

Johanna snorted “Ah leave him alone I happen to think he looks positively festivetastic in that”

A knock on the front door interrupted them.  Katniss answered it and there stood Gale a large bunch of roses in his arms. “Hey babe” he said as he leaned in to kiss her “I thought maybe you could come to the city with me a day early let me show you around before the meeting? Here these are for you. Roses being your favourite after all” he gestured round as he said this.

“Erm Gale I can’t just leave. I have things that need to do before I go. I’m sorry but this was a wasted trip for you”

“Can’t Jo look after things?” Gale dismissed her concerns.

“No. Absolutely not.  Gale if you have free time why don’t you stay in District 12 and then travel up with me tomorrow night?”

“Great idea babe, I’ll grab my stuff”

“Gale you can’t stay here.  Seriously, we’ve been through this, it isn’t appropriate while I live under the same roof as the girls. Book into the hotel in town I’ll swing by later if I get time if not I will meet you for breakfast” she leaned up and kissed him.

“Fine” Gale snapped and walked away.

Katniss looked at the roses and then at Johanna “Please get rid of these.  I absolutely hate the things”

Peeta laughed at her “Poor fella, he should have just brought you some dandelions they are your favourite after all. Right to the kitchen we have a cooking class to teach” Peeta had taken to giving lessons to anyone interested in learning to cook.  He was teaching them how to make nutritious meals but that were low cost. He was also showing them some no cook ideas.  They classes were proving a hit.  Even Katniss was learning something.

****************************************

The presentation went better than planned and plans were in motion for funding to start in the New Year. 

The night after celebrating Gale told Katniss he loved her.  She was stunned. Did she love him? She respected him, enjoyed his company, they had fun, kissing him was ok and the couple of times they had “made love” as he insisted on calling it had been nice-he didn’t make the earth move but so that stuff was overrated right(if she was being honest no man she has ever slept with had rocked her world) Maybe it was love? So she smiled and said “Ditto” he laughed and told her she was so cute.

****************************************

With a week to go to Christmas District 12 was blaze of festive colour. Peeta had gotten the local vendors to agree to contribute money toward new lights and  to put  a giant tree being up in the town square. Shop fronts were painted, there was Carollers singing  dressed in what she assumed was Dickens style clothing all bonnets and hats.  In Katniss opinion it looked like Christmas itself had vomited on the town.

Gale and her were walking along hand in hand stopping here and there to look at this and that, and Katniss was content.  Gale was the perfect boyfriend, everyone said so.  Prim who was in town for a few days was bowled over by the charming, educated, wealthy Mr Hawthorne and declared he was a vast improvement on Katniss last boyfriend Darius.  They were heading to Mellark’s to grab some hot chocolate before heading back to the house.   Gale was particularly keen to get back to the house. 

When then entered the bakery Katniss was overwhelmed by the scent of ginger and cinnamon.  It smelt just like Christmas should.  She waved to Rue and Diana, who had replaced Glimmer. Peeta had opened up the interior a bit more since taking over so people could sit and have coffee. He told Katniss he planned to do more as time went on but for now he was happy at the pace things were going. Peeta came through from the kitchen with fresh cookies and Stollen muffins, he nodded at Katniss and Gale. Gale returned his nod Katniss waved and asked him if he had a minute.

“Hey guys how are you?” Peeta walked towards them Katniss noticed he was limping slightly.

“We’re good but you by the looks of things haven’t been looking after yourself properly? Are you getting enough rest?  Did you fall asleep last night without taking your leg off? “Katniss asked.

Gale’s head swivelled to look at Peeta “You have one leg?!” he blurted out

Peeta snorted laughing “Yep, you didn’t know? I’m part bionic so don’t ever challenge me to a race I’ll easily beat you”

“Stop teasing him Peeta and let me introduce you to Primrose my sister” she waved to Prim would was currently shoving a muffin in her face.

“Oh my god Katniss…this stuff is amazing…”

“Thanks glad you like it. I’m Peeta the maker of those amazing muffins”

They chatted for a bit until Gale cleared his throat and told Katniss they needed to go.  As they turned to leave Rue whistled and pointed about Peeta’s head  where a piece of mistletoe was hanging.  “You know the rules” she giggled.

Gale laughed and kissed Peeta on the check, then Diana called out to Katniss “Come on you’re more under it then Gale give Peeta a kiss”

The was absurd thought Katniss but she leaned in and went to place a kiss on his cheek, Prim was laughing and pushed Katniss, she stumbled and her kiss landed closer to his lips then she intended.

And there it was that spark of static again but this time with the jolt images that shot through her head: a wedding, laying in a meadow with Peeta plaiting her hair, two children one dark, one blond, she pulled back from Peeta the confusion she felt was mirrored in his eyes.

“Ok, well bye” they both said at the same time.

Peeta practically ran back to the kitchen wondering what the hell had just happened?

Meanwhile Katniss walked out the door wondering exactly the same thing.

*****************************

When they got back to the Prim’s Roses house, Gale was giddy like a child and Katniss was distracted.  He sat her down and began a speech about although they had only known each other a short time, he was certain she was “the one” and he wanted to give her something.

“Hmmmm what sorry Gale? What’s one?”

“Aren’t you listening  I said you’re the one. The one for me. We are physically and emotionally compatible and well I don’t see the point in waiting I am a man who goes after what he wants. So Katniss Everdeen will you marry me?” Gale stood there with a yellow gold ring with a huge pear cut diamond.  It was beautiful but it wasn’t her. She looked Gale in the eye and shook her head.

“I’m sorry Gale no, I can’t if I accept I will be condemning us both to live half a life. You are wonderful, truly wonderful but you need to find someone who makes you spark. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes. I think I do” he sat down beside her “On paper we’re perfect but the reality is not so good. I think we might be better friends than life partners”

Katniss laughed “Gale, that exactly my point I don’t want to be a “life partner” it all sounds a bit businessy when you say it.  You deserve the world and you won’t get it with me. As your friend though can I give you one tip? They next time you propose to someone and you have to describe the two of you “as physically and emotionally compatible” stop and run away. They are not the one for you either”

He looked at her and the two of them burst out laughing.

A short time later Gale got ready to leave. He  told Katniss he would be in touch regarding the funding and he would like if possible to look at bringing the Prim’s Roses model to other areas to help young men and women adjust to life after care.

News of the break up spread, Katniss wasn’t too upset.  Peeta asked her about it.  She felt weird talking to him but she told him the truth that there just wasn’t enough between them to grow a relationship.

Things continued as they had always done Peeta helped out when he could, Katniss regularly visited for free hot chocolate. They didn’t mention the kiss at Christmas time . Rare night off together were spent watching Masterchef US and bad 80’s movies.  With the additional funding Katniss was able to hire some new staff one of her first hires was a young Social Worker called  Leevy who was one of the first girls to come through Prim’s Roses doors.  She was a great fit for the place.

Gale rang Katniss six weeks after the break up and told her he had met someone.  She laughed when he told her that when they kissed for the first time he would swear fireworks were going off.

On the night before Valentine’s Day Katniss sat on Peeta couch watching that most romantic of movies “The Goonies” and she realised how absolutely content she felt, she reached to grab some popcorn just as Peeta did and their hands touched, there was that jolt again only this time she didn’t pull away and neither did he.

 The never made it to the end of the movie.

But Katniss did discover that night that with the right person the earth really can move.

As for Peeta  well Peeta finally experienced true love firstly with Katniss and then three years later when their twins were born, a raven haired girl and a little boy with a mass of blond curls.

[wolfpawn]

When Ghosts Come For Us

Chapter 44

NOTE This is based on the movie Crimson Peak, so if any of the subject matter in that was uncomfortable for you, you will find this similar. I will *NOT* be describing incest in this, it will only be implied, same as the movie.

As I have stated already, my laptop is broken at present so please excuse grammar mistakes and the lack of GIFs and pics.

Also, I do not own any image or gif used in this story.

HERE is the link to Chapter 1 on Ao3

Rating - Mature

Charlotte walked up to the building, looking at it as she did so. The butchers that Mr Carson, their foreman’s brother and Joanne’s father made his living from at the front, no doubt the family lodging in the back. She walked around to the side where Mrs Davies informed her was the residence entrance and stood in the doorway before inhaling deeply and rapping on the door sharply.

There were a few noises from within before finally, a woman answered. “Yes?”

“Forgive the late hour intrusion, Ma’am, but I was wondering if I could speak with Ms Joanne Carson?”

“I’m afraid Ms Joanne is not in the way of receiving company at present.”

“I understand, yet it is greatest of urgency that I speak with her.”

The woman seemed unsure for a moment. “I will speak with her and see if she will listen. Who shall I say is wishing to speak with her?”

“Lady Charlotte Sharpe of Allerdale Hall.” Charlotte declared.

The woman behind the door opened it further and her eyes widened as she realised that indeed, it was the wife of the baronet that stood in front of her. “My apologies, Lady Sharpe, had I but known…”

“It is quite alright, Ma’am. I take no insult in it.” Charlotte kept her smile polite as she walked into the home. “But I must speak with Ms Joanne, regardless.”

“I will see if I can rise her.” The woman bowed slightly and walked away, after indicating for Charlotte to enter a particular room. Inside, she studied it. The walls were filled with paintings, crude and imperfect but most interesting to look at. After hearing mumbling female voices for a few minutes, she heard a single set of footfalls on the stairs before the woman returned to the room she was in. “I fear Ms Joanne is not willing to receive anyone, Lady Sharpe, not even you.”

“Would you be so kind as to tell Ms Joanne, that not the police constable, the armies or even the King himself will not cause me to leave this house until this matter is in some manner spoken of, and I swear to all I hold dear, I will speak with her this eve.”

The woman’s eyes became saucer-like in appearance. Few saw the side of Charlotte that showed the formidable woman she was destined to be. The one that fought for her life against her parents, for her sanity against their actions and against her foes for her money. She spoke with neither aggression nor disrespect but kept a tone that indicated she was not taking no for an answer. “Of course, Ma’am.” With that, the woman left once more and repeated her previous journey. Again, Charlotte heard voices, though this time one seemed far more angered before not one but two sets of footfalls struck the stairs.

She turned and waited, not having to do so for long before she was facing Joanne Carson, her face filled with both anger and torment. “Your Ladyship demanded an audience.” There was almost a hatred in her tone.

“I have no choice, as my request for one was declined.”

“So you come to my home to torment me now, instead of simply going to his.”

With little or no information as to what Joanne was referencing, Charlotte decided to get to the situation at hand. “And what tormenting is it you reference?”

“I do not know what has happened previously between you and Edward, but it is clear there is something and the shame on his face when I confronted him with regards it, and the manner he spoke with you and Sir Sharpe…”

“There is a long-standing knowing between Edward and I, I see no reason to deny such. Though I cannot fathom as to why he did not tell you such himself.”

“So, you are confessing, there is something of a peculiar relationship between you and a man that is not your husband?”

“I…” Charlotte’s head cocked to the side slightly before she realised just what it was that Joanne was implying. To the shock of the butcher’s daughter, the woman across from her erupted in laughter. She was forced to wait indignantly for a few moments before Charlotte was able to cease. “Oh, dear.” She looked Joanne directly in the eye as she spoke her next words so to show how genuine they were. “I fear to be the one to tell you that you are very much making ridiculous assumptions with horrifically incorrect information.” Joanne’s brow furrowed. “I am not the in the least manner inclined towards Edward in such ways.”

“Whyever not, he is handsome, loving and kind. Are you declaring that such traits have no place?” Joanne became offended in the manner in which Charlotte dismisses Edward, seeing that she did indeed have no inclination towards him on a romantic manner from her talk.

“He is,” There was no denying that she thought such. “And so much more than you can imagine. I have no doubt he has showered you with nothing but unbridled love and affection and behind it all, you do not even realise that he holds back even more.”

“What do you mean?” Joanne half demanded.

“Edward did not tell you, to the detriment of his relationship with you. You do not know it, Joanne Carson, but Edward has never loved any woman bar his family, until you.” Joanne swallowed. “While I was carrying my son, I came to town with my husband. You may recall that day, I had Blake with us?” Joanne nodded. “I saw you together, before our meeting, and to say that Edward was smitten beyond words is an injustice to him. The first time I came to his home here in town, I sat waiting for him to come back from a call, and I spoke to the wonderful Mrs Davies, and she teased him, in my presence, by merely mentioning your name. He blushed and tried to dismiss it, but there is no denying it. He loved you before you ever even realised him.”

“I...why would you take heed of this?”

“Because Ms Carson. I felt it my duty.”

“But why, why do you care so much for him if the bond between you is not a romantic one?”

“Before I married Thomas, I was wed to another, one who died before I could truly call myself his wife.”

“Yes, I know this. The whole county knows this. A rich merchant sailor.”

“Actually, the owner of the merchant company, but yes, a seasoned sailor also. His name was William Hamilton, a man almost fifteen years my senior. I had been informed I would have only one duty as his wife, to continue his family name. An easy duty really. I was young and healthy and what other use would I have had. But I extracted something from the bargain, something that made William see me different to any other woman that had attempted to become she who would be Mrs Hamilton, I stated I would do it all willingly, for one thing in return. To fund Edward’s medical training.”

Joanne’s confusion and annoyance turned to outright bewilderment. “What?”

“I asked him to pay for Edward to attempt his schooling. And he did, so I wed him.”

“But...that makes no sense on any level.”

“Not really, no. But I was privy to something no other was of Mr Hamilton, I knew a less than acceptable woman held his heart and I agreed to say nothing of it and accept it but at the cost of educating a young man and giving him the chance of the life he deserved.”

“Why though?”

“Because, Ms Joanne, that is what do for those we care for, is it not?”

*

Thomas looked at Edward in utter repulsion. The stench of the room was revolting, and that was after Charlotte had spent time cleaning it. The foul odour of sweat, vomit and urine culminated with old food to make a smell that was like nothing Thomas thought possible and yet there was Edward, asleep in the midst of it, drunk beyond words. He wanted nothing more than to leave the room and ignore the man who loathed him entirely, but he had promised Charlotte he would ensure nothing occurred with Edward until her return. He was seething in anger when he saw her face as she descended the stairs after her talk with her brother but she had dismissed it. Still attempting to mend his relationship with his wife, he obeyed, though he insisted on leaving Thomas Jr with Mrs Davies, very much away from the situation.

The sound of mumbling and groans from the bed told him Edward was between worlds, neither fully conscious nor fully comprehending the world around him. He kept his distance and watched studiously as the other man rolled over in the bed.

“I must be in Hell, there is no other place I would find you of all people,” Edward moaned as he tried to sit up, but finding the room spinning, he crashed to his pillow once more.

“I think if you were in Hell, you would have Lucille and your father looking at you, not me,” Thomas retorted.

“You are not wrong, perhaps.”

“I do not think I am, on this account at least.”

“So, my sister forgave you. Bigger fool her.”

“As she forgave you, for never even considering to go with her, to not be there for her.”

“Why would I be there for the woman that chose you over our family? To give you a son rather than be there for us.”

“Because she is your sister and she loves you beyond words. You are her blood, the last of it outside of Thomas and you cast her aside without second thought.”

“I think you to be confusing which sibling you reference, Sir Sharpe, because I distinctly remember my sister abandoning us, our family for you.” This time, Edward did sit up. “God, I hate you.”

“I think that clear before this evening.”

“I hate you, I hate that house, I hate your murdering sister, I even hate that stupid black hair on your head.” Edward declared, his tone filled with the hatred he felt, his inebriated state allowing the words he thought flow so clearly, though a little slurred.

“I loathe how you hurt Charlotte. I do not care about if you hate me, that is nothing really. I am indifferent to it but how you are acting to Charlotte…how you throw her love for you back at her, simply because she chooses to love me too, that I cannot bear to stand.”

“She cannot love me and you.”

“Yet she does.”

“No, she chose you and that...thing.”

For a moment, Thomas thought Edward to be referencing Lucille and almost scoffed, but then he realised that the other man was referencing their son and became angered. “You call yourself a man of medicine. A healer, a caregiver, and you reference an innocent child in such a manner? A child of your blood, of your sister’s blood, as though it is a mere louse. He is our son and you will never reference him in such a manner again.” By the time he had finished speaking, Thomas was in Edward’s face. His slightly taller frame standing over him. “Thomas is everything to Charlotte. She would die for him, in a heartbeat. For you and I, she would do so without question, but for Thomas…”

“I cannot believe you named him after yourself, you vain bastard.” Edward chuckled. “Stamping your seal on them both all the more.”

“I did not think of the name, she did.”

Edward’s grin fell. “All the more proof that she is a fool and cannot love me as a brother.”

“Because she loves others also?”

“No, not others, you.” He pointed at Thomas. “And your seed. The child you put in her.” For the first time that evening, the baulking sensation that Edward was trying so hard to suppress was not alcohol induced, but a direct result of thinking of his sister lying with Thomas, the man that had been a part of something as sinister as he had.

“At least I never put a hand on her, I have that over you,” Thomas growled. Edward’s nostrils flared in anger but his eyes filled with shame, telling them both his anger was directed at himself and not any other. “She dismissed it as an accident and for that, I have to listen to her but part of me does not want to.”

“And where is my darling sister in all of this. Why is your pathetic skin here instead of her?”

“She is on an errand.”

“At past nine in the night?” Edward scoffed. “What sort of errand is that?”

“She is making amends.”

“With who, for what?” Edward demanded. But when Thomas gave no verbal answer, he realised what the other man was suggesting. He shook his head violently. “No.”

“Yes.”

“No, she cannot. Stop her.”

“She is your sister, you know no one can stop her when she decides to do something.”

“If this gets out…”

“What?”

“Our parentage.”

“Then you go from being a doctor in a small village, to a doctor in a small village.” Thomas dismissed.

“No, stop her.”

“She is gone with the most of an hour, no one can stop her at this stage.”

Edward began to hyperventilate.

Thomas was unsure as what to do with him and found himself almost relieved when he could hear Charlotte speaking downstairs. When she rose the steps and to the bedroom, he studied her features to see them filled with even greater determination than when she left. “Did you…?”

“I assume by the noise, he is awake?”

“Yes.”

“Then please, Thomas, be so kind as to go to the kitchen with Mrs Davies and Thomas.” Not sure whether his wife was truly safe with her brother, especially after their earlier altercation, Thomas lingered for another moment before nodding slightly and walking out of the room and down the stairs. When she walked into the bedroom, she was relieved to see her brother had not drowned in his own vomit, as she feared he could. For all too long, they simply looked at one another in silence. “How much do you hate me, Edward?”

Edward looked at his sister and held his head shamefully. In truth, he could never hate her. She was his sister. He merely hated her choices. “Charlotte…”

“I came to love Thomas, I have carried his child, I hope to carry more,” He looked at her in disgust at that confession. “And I cost you her.”

“Don’t you dare…” He warned, a finger raised and pointed towards her.

“I am sorry, Edward. I am so sorry that your attempts to protect us from all of this cost you so dearly. I am sorry that you have had to endure as you have. It is not fair. You are the most incredible man I have ever been fortunate enough to know and I get the immense honour of getting to call you my brother.”

Edward could not hold his heartache in at her words and began to sob again. Charlotte rushed over to him, embracing her brother against her. At first, Edward wanted to push her away but the need to have someone hold him, to let go of his woes overrode that and he held his sister to him. “I just want to be happy, Charlotte.”

“I know, I know.” She held him close. “Edward, you need to tell her.”

“No.”

“You must. I was going to, but it needs to come from you. You must tell her the truth.”

“She will reject me for it.”

“For being my brother?”

“For being a bastard.”

“Edward, she loves you. I see it as I see your love for her. I do not think for one moment that she would discard you for that. You are the son of Elizabeth Thompson, the woman to raise her son without bowing to societal expectation. She did not discard you, she did not abandon you, she raised you to be a man of good honour and impeccable manner, and any woman that does not see that having her for your mother and not being influenced by that foul maggot of a man we must call our father, then she is not worthy of you, Edward. And I would ask that you never mourn the loss of such a woman.”

Edward listened to his sister’s words. He thought of his mother. The woman that had been shunned by her family for carrying him. The woman that worked harder than a field horse to ensure he had a roof over him and warm food in his stomach at night, no matter what the personal cost, and the pride she felt, when she heard his sister had secured him a position in a medical school, she had been ill then, a large lump had formed in her chest and was weakening her, she became so ill she could not leave her bed, but she made him swear, on her life, to do the training and become a doctor, to be everything he was supposed to be. By invoking Elizabeth, Charlotte had forced him to think again of the strong woman that he called his mother and pulled himself together. His mother would be ashamed of him for his behaviour of late and for acting as he did with Charlotte. He looked at her face and frowned, noticing the red mark that still marked her cheek. “I...”

“It was an accident.” She dismissed. “I will hear no more of it. You would never harm anyone intentionally, much less me.” She cupped his face with her hand. “Speak with her.”

“I am fearful.”

“I think you have little reason to be.”

Edward sighed and put his hands behind his head. “We will see tomorrow.”

“We will see tonight.” Charlotte corrected.

“Tonight?” Edward scoffed. “Charlotte, I am in no fit state to speak with her. I would stumble there.”

“Well, you seem capable enough of accosting my husband verbally and argue this with me.”

“I am not going to her home like this.”

“I never asked you to go anywhere. She is waiting downstairs.”

Edward stared at his sister in shock. “What!?”

“You heard me, Edward. I did not stutter. I went to her, spoke to her a little and when I saw that this would all be sorted with a small confession, I insisted she join me here. Clean yourself a little...please and join us downstairs.” She ordered.

“I am not even shaven.”

“It suits you. Perhaps you should consider growing it.” She smiled. “If Joanne thinks the same, of course. Do not dally, Edward.” With that, she left the room and went downstairs. As soon as she entered the room, she noticed her husband standing in a corner looking at her to ensure she did not receive any further strikes. When she looked at him and smiled, he gave a slight nod in response. “Edward will be joining us shortly.” She declared before going to Thomas and taking their son. “I am not sure you realise you are overdue a meal.”

“He seems content to simply rest,” Thomas agreed, looking at their son.

“I was talking to you.” She smiled back. “Where is Mrs Davies?”

“In here, Lady Sharpe.” Mrs Davies walked out of the kitchen. “Some broth?”

“Please.” Charlotte’s face showed her gratitude. “Thank you.”

Thomas took some also, knowing that his wife would badger him until he did eat it, thanking the housekeeper for it as he did so.

When Mrs Davies looked at Joanne, she simply shook her head. “I would eat if I were you,” Charlotte suggested. “He will be a few minutes cleaning himself up,” Joanne said nothing in response and Charlotte did not push it.

It took all of ten minutes for Edward to come down the stairs, his hair was not tidied back as he usually had it, instead, it was loose, his face unshaven, but not in the same soiled clothing as before, looking incredibly sheepish. In truth, it made Charlotte smile slightly, it was him truly laying himself as he was to the world. He always dressed impeccably, his hair slicked back and clean shaven, to see him without his attempts to hide himself was better for his situation, she believed.

Joanne inhaled as she looked at Edward, taken back by his less than pristine appearance, something she had clearly not seen him as before, as well as the clear indication that she liked his current look. Her loud inhale was what brought Edward’s attention to her. He swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Joanne.”

“What is going on here?” Joanne did not hesitate to get to the point. “This is utter madness, being called from my home, a woman going up to your rooms alone…”

“Joanne, I fear I have not been entirely honest with you,” Edward began. Joanne silenced and listened to him, her arms folded. “I led you to believe I was from a better family than I am, and for that, I must apologise.”

“I do not think that to be the crux of this situation if I’m honest,” she dismissed.

“No, but it is the start. I told you of my mother, Elizabeth?” Joanne nodded, having been told many a time of his mother. “I never really mentioned my father, not at length.” Again this was true, when she asked him of his father, the norm was for him to say little or nothing of the man, his demeanour would suggest that he was uncomfortable with the topic so she had long ceased asking. “My father was a man of less than pleasant demeanour.” Charlotte huffed a small laugh at that, something not missed by Joanne or indeed Mrs Davies. “He was a horrid and evil man, to say the least. He...well, let us just say, he was a man of few if any morals and was not wed to my mother.” Edward toyed with his hands, unable to look at Joanne in shame. “After that, he went on to marry a woman of a similar disposition to himself and had two daughters, one died at aged at just turned seventeen, the younger is standing across from you.”

Joanne’s eyes widened before her gaze, one of pity to Edward at the horrible confession he had just made, turning to shock at the second revelation before looking at Charlotte, who was studying her reaction. “You are…”

“Siblings, yes. Though not fully, and because of the manner in which Elizabeth came to carry Edward, we do not advertise such publicly,” Charlotte answered.

“So...this is all because you are his sister?” Joanne wished to clarify.

“Correct.”

“The one to give him that?” Joanne pointed to the grandfather clock on the far side of the room.

Charlotte smiled fondly. “For his getting this post. Being a doctor in an area such as this was something of a hope of Edwards, I wanted to give him something befitting his station.”

“Was this planned, him coming here and you marrying Sir Sharpe?”

“No, I had not met my husband when Edward got this post. He was given a choice of a few positions and here paid well and came with a home and housekeeper, so he took it. It genuinely was not planned.” Charlotte looked at her brother. “And I cannot put into words how happy I am it came to be.” Edward gave a small scowl at Thomas.

“But the argument, between Edward and Sir Sharpe?”

“I fear my husband and brother are not overly fond of one another,” Charlotte commented. “It leads to them arguing when allowed they are too long in each other’s company.” She glared at both for a moment. “Edward more than Thomas, but he is simply being my older brother, no man is good enough for me in his eyes.”

“So that is what all of this has been about?” Joanne looked at Edward for confirmation, noting he had said little on the matter. He bit his lips together and simply nodded. “Why did you not just say? All of this is nothing, yet you allowed it to ruin everything.”

“I did not want you to think less of me.”

“For having a sister live close by, for her to be the wealthiest woman in the county?”

“For me being a…” he could not finish the sentence.

Joanne thought over that part of Edward’s confession. “She did not consent, your mother?” He shook his head. Joanne nodded slightly at that information. “If she did not consent, why would you feel ashamed of it, she never did it to make a shame of herself and the way you talk of her, you clearly love her deeply.”

“I do,” He confirmed.

“Then that is all that needs to be said on it. I do not want to know more. It is clear that you both do not want to talk of it.”

“No,” both siblings stated in unison.

Joanne nodded again as she processed it all more. It was then she took note of Mrs Davies. “Did you know?”

“Yes, Lady Sharpe and Edward are very similar in many ways, it was easy to notice if you spend time in both their company.” Mrs Davies smiled.

“How long have you known?”

“Since the day Lady Sharpe walked in the door of this house for the first time, though it was not confirmed until a later date.”

Again Joanne processed everything for a moment. “I cannot believe the fuss this has all been.” She looked at Edward again as she spoke. “You thought me some shallow fool to discard our happiness over something you could not control?”

“It would alter many people’s opinions of me.”

“And you think me one of them?” It was clear Joanne was hurt by such a thought.

“I did not wish to risk it. I thought you not to think of it as such, but I was fearful of if I was wrong.”

Joanne walked over to Edward, who looked fearfully at her, unsure of if she would reject him. She gave him a small smile and looked at his appearance. “You are never to lie to me about siblings again.”

“I only have two, one deceased and one here...or I hope that is all there is. If there are any more, be sure of the knowledge that I too know nothing of them.”

“And you are never to drink yourself into a stupor if you are in situations that are less than favourable.”

“I thought I had…”

“Never, Edward.” Joanne cut across him.

“I will never do such again,” He swore.

“I like your face like this, a beard could suit you.”

Charlotte wanted to say she agreed but remained silent.

“Perhaps I should grow it out and see.”

Seeing that the house could be burning around her brother and his beloved and them not know it, Charlotte simply looked to Thomas and nodded, him following after her immediately. Mrs Davies opened the front door for them as they left. “Thank you for everything, Mrs Davies, if there is anything else, do not hesitate to have us called for.”

Mrs Davies could not contain her grin. “Of course, Lady Sharpe. And thank you for your wise counsel this evening.”

“None of it would have been required if I had not caused these issues to begin with, hopefully, it will all right itself now. We had best get home and relieve Mrs Phillips for the evening, she will be quite confused by the situation. Mrs Davies, please do not feel the need to lie to Mrs Phillips, but I must ask if you would be so good as to keep what you have learnt between you, it would do my brother no good to have people gossip of his coming to be when it has nothing to do with the fine man he is.”

“I assure you Lady Sharpe, the sun will rise in the North and rain will fall upward before I become a gossipmonger.”

“Thank you, Mrs Davies.” She smiled as she and Thomas left the house and returned to their carriage. When Mr Parson closed the door behind them, Charlotte placed Thomas Jr to her breast to feed. “Thank you, for defending us.”

“You are my wife and son, how could I not?” He looked at their son, his image and heir as he suckled, content knowing his wife could depend on him to defend them when he had failed to do so before. “I always will.”

TAGS: @texmexdarling @ilovekingt @lokiloveheart @sigridlaufeyson @perpetual-fangirl @lokilover9 @wolfsmom1 @whovianwookie86-captainxev

[arisefairsun]

What books and/or other works of Shakespeare do you recommend for someone who is undeniably obsessed with Romeo and Juliet and fascinated with Macbeth?

Ah, these are my two favorite plays! Let’s see now. 

You might enjoy the following Shakespearean plays if you are undeniably obsessed with Romeo and Juliet (it’s a beautiful feeling that, isn’t it?):

Antony and Cleopatra. It is no coincidence that Juliet’s mother is dressed up as Cleopatra in Luhrmann’s movie. The play is filled with unrestrained sensuality, with a very strong-minded woman as one of its leading roles. (Cleopatra is also the female character with most lines in all of Shakespeare’s plays.) It also offers an interesting insight into gender roles, which are to an extent subverted again. Moreover, the deaths of the protagonists resemble those of Romeo and Juliet in that they die partly as a consequence of misleading circumstances: Romeo and Antony believe their lovers to be dead, so they lamentably commit suicide. Coleridge himself thought that Antony and Cleopatra should be ‘perused in mental contrast with Romeo and Juliet’, so do give it a try!

Othello. It is similar to Romeo and Juliet in that Desdemona and Juliet both defy the conventions of their world in marrying a man who is not socially acceptable for them. Though their love stories evolve differently, both couples are very affectionate, inherently good to each other—but they are lamentably destroyed by social oppression. Othello is one of the most sorrowful and sublime stories I have ever read, so I truly recommend it!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I’m not that into the comedies, but I believe it would also be a good read. Both were written around the same time and share numerous themes. For instance, the story of Pyramus and Thisbe is considerably relevant in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, something that clearly echoes the love of Romeo and Juliet. The play presents, again, patriarchs refusing to acknowledge their daughters’s liberty; but it’s a comedy, so nobody dies for once! ;)

Richard II. Yet another play that’s especially preoccupied with language.

The sonnets. They are a must read if you wish to read more about love.

“The Phoenix and the Turtle”. It is a beautiful poem about ideal, perennial love, capable of merging the lovers so profoundly that they become a single entity. It is quite obscure, though, but you will find a lot of analyses on the Internet.

As for non-Shakespearean stories, it can be interesting to have a look at the various versions of the Romeo and Juliet story through the centuries:

La Divina Commedia (Purgatorio VI, vv.106-108) by Dante. He mentions the feud between the Montagues (Montecchi) and the Capulets (Cappelletti).

Novellino (33rd story) by Masuccio Salernitano.

Hystoria novellamente ritrovata di due nobili amanti by Luigi da Porto.

La sfortunata morte di dui infelicissimi amanti by Matteo Bandello.

Histoire troisième de deux Amants by Pierre Boaistuau (translated from Bandello).

The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke. This one is particularly interesting, given that Shakespeare’s play is mainly based on it. Knowing which aspects of Brooke’s poem Shakespeare decided to keep and which he decided to alter can enrich your reading of Romeo and Juliet. It is available as a PDF here.

The Palace of Pleasure by William Painter. Shakespeare is also thought to have consulted this version.

If you are interested in reading the Italian sources, I suggest that you buy Romeo and Juliet: Original Text of Masuccio, da Porto, Bandello and Shakespeare (all the texts are translated into English).

Here are some interesting rewritings which were very influential over the centuries and are therefore worth considering:

Castelvines y Monteses (so Capulets and Montagues) by Spanish playwright Lope de Vega. Written a few decades after the Bard’s play, his ending might not be so tragic ;)

The History and Fall of Caius Marius by Restoration writer Thomas Otway. Combining Shakespeare’s plot and characters with one of Plutarch’s stories, it is extremely similar to Romeo and Juliet (to the point that it keeps many of the Bard’s words, namely the ‘wherefore art thou’ line). Set in ancient Rome and especially preoccupied with politics, it displaced Shakespeare’s version from the stage from 1680 to 1735. Although Otway’s play is rather unknown nowadays, our perception of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is still influenced by it. He is the reason we still believe there is a balcony scene in the play even if it is undeniably a window in Shakespeare. Such was the success of his retelling that its influence still lives nowadays. It’s interesting to consider that Romeo and Juliet was constantly subject to rewritings and revisions over the centuries, so its current status as one of the most iconic stories of Western culture partly comes from these adapted texts as well as Shakespeare’s original play. While it is indeed fascinating to read these rewritings and discover how the story was perceived by each generation, they are not particularly interesting from a feminist point of view. Otway’s version, among many others that followed, manages to contain Juliet’s boldness and also deprive Romeo of his ‘unmanly’ behavior, which I think is an important ingredient of his character. Their relationship is far less subversive and they do not transcend the social conventions of their world as intensely as Shakespeare’s lovers. But this conception of Romeo and Juliet is still present nowadays to some extent. In paintings and other portrayals of the scene, why is Juliet usually represented as a timid, still woman up on the balcony, with an ardent Romeo wooing her underneath? That reminds me of Otway’s characters rather than those of the Bard. In Shakespeare, Juliet takes control of the scene: not only is she equally passionate, but she is also far more straightforward than Romeo, encouraging him to express himself earnestly and actively making wedding plans on her own. Food for thought.

David Garrick’s rewriting of Romeo and Juliet. Adjusting the play to the preferences of his time, he revised Shakespeare’s text, adding new dialogue and altering that which did not please him. For instance, he made Juliet wake in time to share one last dialogue with Romeo (something that can be found in Otway’s play as well as in some of the Italian sources). This was the preferred ending in performances of the play until the 19th century, and is still quite recurrent nowadays, perhaps most famously in Luhrmann’s movie.

Other stories similar to Romeo and Juliet which come to my mind are the following:

“Pyramus and Thisbe” by Ovid. These star-crossed lovers attempt to escape together when their parents oppose to their love. Pyramus, believing Thisbe to be dead, takes his own life; after finding his lifeless body, she takes his sword and joins him in death. The tragic deaths of the lovers as a consequence of mischance inspired Italian writers to frame the deaths of Romeo and Juliet in a similar fashion. Perhaps you will also enjoy other stories from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. These may not be straightforwardly reminiscent of Shakespeare’s lovers, but they are all splendid and therefore worth a read. My favorites are Orpheus and Eurydice, Pygmalion and Galatea, Psyche and Cupid, and Echo and Narcissus—Juliet actually mentions Echo in the orchard scene, so it can enrich your understanding of Romeo and Juliet. (Other classical characters mentioned in the play are Cupid, Aurora, Phaeton, Venus, Diana, Jove, Danae, Dido, Hero, Helen of Troy… I hope I don’t forget any.) I truly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of the Metamorphoses, not only because it is a magnificent book but because Shakespeare’s plays are all replete with references to Ovid. Other classical lovers worth mentioning are Dido and Aeneas, and Hero and Leander. (Kit Marlowe wrote a poem about the latter.)

The Ephesian Tale of Anthia and Habrocomes by Xenophon. This is where the idea of Juliet’s faked death comes from.

Have With You To Saffron-Walden by Thomas Nashe. Many of Mercutio’s and the Nurse’s lines, among others, might have been inspired by this pamphlet—including the allusion to Tybalt as the Prince of Cats.

‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore by John Ford. This is one of the wildest plays I’ve read and also one of my favorites. It is full of trigger warnings, though, so proceed with caution. The plot follows the love affair between two siblings, and it is similar to Romeo and Juliet in that there is a friar who functions as the counselor of the male lead, while the female protagonist has a nurse as her confidant.

“To a Lady Who Presented to the Author a Lock of Hair Braded With His Own, and Appointed a Night in December to Meet Him in the Garden” by Lord Byron. This is probably the most hilarious poem I know. Byron basically declines the lady’s proposal arguing that if Shakespeare had written Romeo and Juliet at Christmas, or if he had set the story in England, surely he wouldn’t have chosen a garden for the passionate scene between Romeo and Juliet. It’s. Just. Pure. Sass.

Tristan and Iseult by Béroul. Although there are various versions of this tale, that of Béroul is most likely the most famous one. This is a story about star-crossed, tragic love, its force capable of transcending the confines of death itself. Interestingly, Wagner’s Liebestod, originally composed for Isolde’s bereavement after Tristan’s death and a tribute to the consummation of love in death, starts playing after Juliet’s suicide in Luhrmann’s movie. What a beautiful and symbolic choice by Luhrmann!

Il canzioniere by Petrarch, of course. Romeo is an ardent diehard fan of that book and probably has a poster of Petrarch in his room. Shakespeare’s play is full of Petrarchan motifs, so it’s worth a try! Romeo will be offended if you don’t read it (but Mercutio will give you a high five).

La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas. This Spanish tragicomedy has been compared to Romeo and Juliet, not only because both plays tell the story of ill-starred lovers, but because the protagonist of La Celestina is similar to Juliet’s Nurse. Do read it if you are interested in this archetype and tragic love, combined with comic undertones.

Galician-Portuguese poetry. For me, the poems written in Galicia and Portugal in the Middle Ages are some of the most beautiful expressions of love ever created. The soul of these poems is very close to that of Romeo and Juliet; you’ll find that many of the themes appear also in the dialogues between Shakespeare’s famous lovers. For instance, there are many examples of an aubade in Galician-Portuguese literature, so if you enjoy Romeo and Juliet’s morning song, you should give it a try. I especially recommend the compositions known as cantigas de amigo because they are generally spoken by a woman. (Amigo means ‘friend’ in modern Galician and Portuguese, but back then it could also be used to refer to a lover—much like Juliet’s use of the word when she says: ‘Love, lord, ay husband, friend.’) Those known as cantigas de amor usually express a man’s grief over his unrequited love for a woman who is either married, sworn to chastity, or simply uninterested—much like Romeo in the first act of the play. If you enjoy the silly jokes of Romeo and Juliet, i.e. Mercutio’s constant use of double entendres, then do read some cantigas de escarnio e maldicir, which are basically satirical and witty compositions written to insult someone.

As for Macbeth, some Shakespearean plays worth reading are his other major tragedies:

Hamlet.

Othello.

King Lear.

Do read Richard III and Julius Caesar for more exploration of tyranny and the destructiveness of power.

As for other writings relevant to Shakespeare’s play, I should mention Holinshed’s Chronicles, which supplied the Bard with the main plot of the Scottish play. (He also might have consulted George Buchanan’s Rerum Scoticarum Historia and John Leslie’s De Origine, Moribus, te Rebus Gesties Scotorum.)

These are other stories that you may enjoy, some of which could have also inspired Shakespeare while writing Macbeth:

Medea. She is the true queen of my heart: an indomitable and unstoppable woman whose insatiable need for vengeance incites her to cruelty. She is a wonderful character, her course of thought and action forming one the most compelling fictional masterpieces I have ever read. There are several writings dealing with this character, namely Euripides’s tragedy Medea, or Ovid’s narration of her deeds in Book 7 of his Metamorphoses. However, perhaps the most relevant version here is Seneca’s play, also titled Medea: his heroine and Lady Macbeth share, among other things, their rejection of female nature in order to achieve the boldness necessary for their sinister plans. Lady Macbeth’s speech at 1.5 may echo that of Medea in Act 4.

Seneca’s work. Apart from his Medea, other plays reminiscent of Shakespeare’s play are Hercules Furens and Agamemnon. Other classical references in Macbeth include Hecate, Neptune, Bellona, Tarquin (also present in Shakespeare’s wonderful poem The Rape of Lucrece) and one of my favorite characters of all time, Medusa. (I hope I don’t forget any again?)

Montaigne’s Essays. Macbeth’s destructive need to control the future and the baleful force of imagination can be found in some of Montaigne’s writings, especially ‘Of the force of imagination’ and ‘Our affections are transported beyond our selves’.

As for witchcraft, I’m sure there are multiple writings about this matter in the early modern period, but these are the ones that I either have read or look forward to doing so eventually:

Newes from Scotland.

Daemonologie by James VI and I. Quite a few themes present in this work are echoed in Macbeth.

The Witch by Thomas Middleton.

The Late Lancashire Witches by Thomas Heywood and Richard Brome. It is based on the real-life events of some women who were accused of witchcraft.

Enjoy!

[martens-movie-reviews]

Released: June 13, 2008 Running Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

“Scientist Bruce Banner desperately seeks a cure for the gamma radiation that contaminated his cells and turned him into The Hulk. Cut off from his true love Betty Ross and forced to hide from his nemesis, Gen. Thunderbolt Ross, Banner soon comes face-to-face with a new threat: a supremely powerful enemy known as The Abomination.”

In honour of the latest movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe being released on November 3, 2017, I decided that I wanted to review all of the previous MCU films, and it was also a wonderful excuse to rewatch all the movies again. My girlfriend and I wanted to watch it with a group of friends, however there was no time that we could all agree on, and to space it all out didn’t work, so we watched the MCU movies during the month of September and October so that we would be ‘all caught up’ for Thor Ragnarok.

Marvel Cinematic Universe – Source – Marvel

You can find all of the reviews for the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the link here. At that link, you can also find the dates that the other reviews for the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be posted. My plan is to release one every single day, and because I’ve already reviewed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 here, and Spider – Man: Homecoming here, they will not be included in the two weeks leading up to Thor Ragnarok.

As such, I will now move onto the actual review of the film, and I hope you enjoy!

Incredible Hulk Trailer – Source: Universal Pictures

Cast and Crew

The Incredible Hulk was helmed by French director Louis Leterrier, and written by American Zak Penn. Leterrier’s work as a director before this film was as an action oriented director in films such as ‘Transporter’ in 2002, ‘Unleashed’ and ‘Transporter 2’ in 2005, while they are feature a lot of action, there’s also dramatic elements in those films. He’s since worked films such as ‘Clash of the Titans’ in 2010, ‘Now You See Me’ in 2013, and 2016’s ‘The Brothers Grimsby’. He has since moved to television work, and was announced as a director for the upcoming 2018 show ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’ which will explore the world before the events that take place in the 1982 film.

Penn’s work before The Incredible Hulk includes other comic book characters such as ‘X-Men 2’ in 2003, ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ in 2006, and ‘Elektra’ in 2005. He also wrote the story elements of video games such as ‘Last Action Hero’ in 1993, and the ‘Fantastic Four’ video game based on the movie in 2005. It’s very easy to see that he enjoys being a part of the comic book world, and has continued to do so after this film, having writing credits for ‘The Avengers’ in 2012, the ‘Lego Marvel’s Avengers’ video game, and has recently been brought in to write a treatment of ‘Suicide Squad 2.’ A new film of his to look out for, that is generating a lot of hype, is ‘Ready Player One’ that is set to release in March 2018.

Bruce Banner’s about to become the Hulk for the first time: Edward Norton – Source: Paramount Pictures

The Incredible Hulk’s cast includes Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, Lou Ferrigno, Robert Downey Jr. and Stan Lee.

Review

Let’s get the big Hulk in the room out of the way first, this movie, while not a fantastic film, is miles ahead of the ‘Hulk’ movie that come out in 2003. This adaptation is a much better film in terms of quality, story, visual effects, and acting. I remember even as an 11 year old boy, I found the 2003 film to be bad, and ruined the Bruce Banner / Hulk character and storyline.

The casting in this movie was better in terms of picking actors that fit the characters of the story. Liv Tyler did a good job in portraying Betsy Ross, displaying the right kind and amount of emotion that was required for her character. I really hope that one day we get to see her interact with the new Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in a future film, even as a cameo, rather than the semi love interest that they explore in Age of Ultron, but I’ll get to that more in that review.

Edward Norton – Source: Paramount Pictures

Ty Burrell’s character was a waste in the film as well as a pointless character. Burrell’s acting was not a problem, however the character and his little story in the film had no point other than to give Betty Ross a short lived love interest and a story line that is completely glossed over for the remainder of the film. Yes he lets the General know that Banner was in town, but that could’ve been covered in a much better way. In the comics, Doctor Leonard Samson is known as Doc Samson, a psychiatrist turned superhuman being when his curiosity and wanting to be superpowered took some of the energy and radiation from the Hulk and turned it on himself, as pictured below.

Tim Nelson did a good job with what he was given in the role of Samuel Sterns, however the character itself was again wasted in this film, and set up horribly in the film. I feel like these last two characters characters’ inclusion in the film was moronic, and was simply sequel baiting. Samuel Sterns in the comic is also known as The Leader, a self given name after he is exposed to gamma radiation in different experiment by the government, increasing his intellect and his lust for knowledge. You can see him in the picture below.

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The Leader – First actual appearance – Source: Marvel Comics – Tales to Astonish #63 (1964)

Doc Samson – First Appearance – Source: Marvel Comics – The Incredible Hulk #141 (1971)

I believe this film was trying too hard in including comic book characters for the sake of including them, in the hopes that the film would get a sequel, without giving them the time that the characters need to be portrayed properly on film.

Edward Norton – Source: Paramount Pictures

Casting William Hurt as General Ross was great, as he’s able to portray both the strict and worried father when it comes to his daughter, as well as the crazy and power obsessed general who’s trying to build an army of supersoldiers. Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky was a good choice as he’s able to be the cocky Ace and as well as the competitive man who wants to take down the Hulk, and risks his life in trying to get stronger, and eventually becomes the Abomination.

Edward Norton as Bruce Banner / Hulk was a good choice for the character, making him a scrawny scientist, who is able to be depicted as intelligent as well as having inner demons that he must contain, and I feel like he would have fit in quite nicely with the other Avengers if he would have stayed on, however I prefer him a million times more than Eric Bana in the role, I’ve grown to enjoy Ruffalo’s depiction of the character. I really enjoyed that the film briefly displayed Banner’s intelligence in the scene when he is trying to find a cure with the flowers at the beginning of the film. It’s an important part of his character that there’s a mild mannered genius behind the gigantic Hulk monster.

From Left to Right: Tim Roth & William Hurt- Source: Paramount Pictures

The action and early fight scenes really displayed how the Hulk is a one man army, and completely destroys the envoy that General Ross sends his way, and even breaks Blonsky into pieces after he had taken a dose of the ‘super soldier serum’ that they were trying to recreate.

The special effects in this movie mostly hold up to today’s standards. I feel like they did a good job in showing the horror of the transformation into the Hulk, and the Abomination.

Hulk & Emil Blonsky – Source: Paramount Pictures

I really enjoyed that even though making Hulk was almost considered a last minute addition to the Avengers and the MCU, they managed to put Stark Industries, the weapons manufacturer for the Sonic Tanks that they use against the Hulk in the scene depicted in the picture above.

The story elements in this film were pretty basic; guy had unimaginable power in hiding, stupid accident brings the army on his tail, guy escapes, runs into old lover, army gives similar power to cocky guy, guy beats up everyone, runs off with girl, tries to get rid of power, fails, gets taken in eventually, cocky guy gets more power and kills people, original guy beats up to save the day, and escapes once more. It’s not a very complex film, and there are a lot of mistakes, as mentioned above with the sequel hunting, and the misuse of characters, but the film had heart, and fun, and still managed to overcome the absolute terribleness of a film of the same character from 5 years prior.

From Left to Right: Liv Tyler & William Hurt – Source: Paramount Pictures

I feel like the music which was orchestrated by Craig Armstrong fit really well in this movie, as the soundtrack was erratic and all over the place, just like the titular character, and I enjoy the continuing theme throughout the MCU, where the music is well chosen and works within the film and fits the character in a really well done way. He previously ‘Moulin Rouge’ in 2001, ‘Ray’ in 2004, before working on The Incredible Hulk, and has since done ‘The Great Gatsby’ in 2013 and ‘In Time’ in 2011.

The Abomination – Source: Paramount Pictures

The climactic battle between the Abomination and the Hulk is something that people have been wanting from the Hulk, for him to go toe to toe with someone of equal or greater strength than him and they delivered. It was entertaining, while still hitting the beats of a helicopter getting stupidly close to the action when it had no reason to, endangering the lives of the General, the army personnel on the helicopter, and of course, the love interest. The Hulk won that fight even though he seemed to be outmatched, he won because of his use of the items around him, and the raw rage that comes with defending the person you love, while corny, it does fit the narrative of the character, and is much better than fighting some weird cloud / father hybrid.

The Hulk – Source: Paramount Pictures

The end credits scene was something that was rushed, and last minute, but it fit really well within the movie and connecting the movie with the grander MCU even more by having Robert Downey Jr. show up as Tony Stark, trying to recruit Abomination, while others originally thought it was the Hulk that he was trying to recruit, it was later revealed in the Marvel short – The Consultant, where S.H.I.E.L.D. purposely sends Stark to annoy General Ross to avoid having to work with the Abomination, since the World Security Council thought that he could be useful.

Overall, I feel like this movie deserves to be recognized as a good film, that still had the stink of the previous incarnation of the character. It’s place in the MCU would probably have been better remembered if Ed Norton would have reprised the role, but sadly that didn’t happen, which means that a lot of people might not associate the two films together, even if we have now seen General Ross portrayed by William Hurt in another MCU film (Captain America: Civil War). At the end of the day, the film was entertaining, music was as erratic as the main character, and the love story while corny and overdone, was adequate in giving the Hulk the proper motivation in defeating the Abomination at the end. There was problems as mentioned, but to me, this movie still deserves the score that is coming up, and that score would be 7.25/10.

Post Credit Scene: Tony Stark annoying Gen. Ross – Source: Paramount Pictures

What did you think of the film? Are you excited for Thor Ragnarok? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading,

Alex Martens

  The Incredible Hulk Review Released: June 13, 2008 Running Time: 2 hours 15 minutes "Scientist Bruce Banner desperately seeks a cure for the gamma radiation that contaminated his cells and turned him into The Hulk.

[ralphmorgan-blog1]

27 Little Known Facts About Michael Myers, John Carpenter, And Why Horror Fans Will Always Love Halloween

I remember the first time I saw . It was the late 90’s and I was in middle school sitting on the floor of one of my friend’s living rooms after her parents went to sleep. It was October and we were watching a horror movie marathon on TNT. I was glued to the screen. Nothing felt safe after I watched that movie. I was looking for Michael Myers everywhere, terrified of how slowly he walked, while always seeming to catch his prey.

A few years later I was in a hotel room with my dad after we had travelled somewhere. He was passed out which meant I got to control the remote. I found playing on some channel and learned what felt like a horrible truth: Michael hadn’t died. Only five minutes after the events of the original, Michael Myers was up and walking, terrorizing Jamie Lee Curtis after she thought her nightmare was all over.

To celebrate my favorite scary movie this season, I’ve collected as many fun or interesting “trivia” facts as I could find about the series. It may not be new info for die-hard genre fans, but I’ve dug up some pretty fascinating tidbits on Michael, Carpenter, Curtis, and the whole family.

Happy Birthday to Nick Castle, who starred as The Shape (Michael Myers) in John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) 🎂 #MichaelMyers #Halloween http://pic.twitter.com/yO9pnXrIl4

— Horror31 🎃 (@Horror31) September 21, 2017

one

There are 11 films in total, but the “universe” these movies exist in isn’t very cohesive. Here’s an overview of how the movies fit together:

Original Halloween World (canon)

John Carpenter and Debra Hill wrote the first two films which are considered the universe’s “canon”. Both movies take place in the same Halloween night and star Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode.

Season of the Witch

John Carpenter and Debra Hill were producers on the third film in the franchise, , but the plot is not related to the first two films and Michael Myers does not appear. This was an attempt to turn the franchise into an anthology, similar to , instead of a literal franchise that would feature endless retellings of the same story. Fans and critics did like the idea, to put it mildly. The rest of the movies feature Michael Myers and follow similar storylines to the originals.

Sequels

returns to the Michal Myers storyline, but John Carpenter and Debra Hill no longer have any association with the franchise. This movie was released 10 years after the original and features Myers coming out of a ten year coma and then returning to Haddonfield. and follow similar storylines.

Pretending Halloween 3-6 didn’t happen

, the 7th film released 20 years after the original, is supposed to be a direct sequel to and . John Carpenter and Debra Hill were not involved, but Jamie Lee Curtis reprised her role as Laurie Strode, who said to have died following the events of (This is mentioned in non-canon ) but had actually gone into hiding. John Carpenter was interested in directing this film, but the production couldn’t afford his $10 million fee (He was paid $10,000 to direct the original). He may have been an uncredited producer on this film.

Kevin Williamson wrote a scene into that would have explained the continuity of the entire franchise, but it wasn’t shot.

is the 8th film in the franchise and was released chronologically after and builds on the story developed there. Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode, and is supposedly killed by Michael Myers.

Remakes

In 2007 Rob Zombie wrote and directed a remake of the original Halloween movie. It’s a reimagining of Carpenter and Hill’s script, giving Myers a lot more backstory and featuring a lot more action and gore. In 2009 Zombie directed a sequel to his remake, but the sequel is not a remake of . The story instead picks up one year later.

A third (?) direct sequel to Halloween II

There will be a new film released on October 19, 2018. It will be the eleventh film in the series and star Jamie Lee Curtis and have John Carpenter working as an executive producer. Carpenter has said, “Thirty-eight years after the original Halloween, I’m going to help to try to make the 10th sequel the scariest of them all.” It’s not clear which movies in the series the new film will acknowledge the existence of, it’s rumored to be another direct sequel to but all we know for sure is the writer Danny McBride has said, “You know, it’s not a remake. It’s actually, it’s gonna continue the story of Michael Myers in a really grounded way. And for our mythology, we’re focusing mainly in the first two movies and what that sets up and then where the story can go from there.”

Jamie Lee Curtis Twitter

two

The original title for was and was famously produced on a budget of $300,000 (it made $55 million). Here are a few interesting notes about how the film was made on such a tight budget:

[*] The man who played Michael Myers (Nick Castle) was paid only $25 per day. Filming was 21 days total.

[*] There are no special effects in the movie. “Stabbing” sounds were made by knifing a watermelon.

[*] Christopher Lee was offered the original role of Dr. Sam Loomis but turned it down because of the film’s low pay, he considers this the biggest mistake of his career.

[*] Michael’s mask was created from a William Shatner mask production bought for $1.98.

[*] The film was shot in southern California in May. The leaves production found were the same leaves used in every scene. They had to be raked up and stored so that they could be used again. You can see palm trees in some of the shots if you look closely.

[*] The catering truck was also used as a prop. You can see it as the “Phelps Auto Service” in the background of some shots.

[*] Jamie Lee Curtis dressed herself, getting all of her character’s clothing at JC Penny for less than $100.

[*] Writer Debra Hill’s hands were used in the shots from the perspective of 6-year-old Michael because they couldn’t afford more time with a child actor.

Halloween behind the scenes http://pic.twitter.com/tGC4EOKsln

— Actor Trivia (@ActorTrivia) June 12, 2017

three

John Carpenter composed the music for the first three films himself. At the time, Carpenter couldn’t read music but the simple anthem used throughout the series is one of its creepiest and most iconic attributes.

four

John Carpenter and Debra Hill were dating when they were writing the original two movies together. It took them only 10 days to write the first script.

Here’s how Hill described way the couple conceived of the story:

“The idea was that you couldn’t kill evil, and that was how we came about the story. We went back to the old idea of Samhain, that Halloween was the night where all the souls are let out to wreak havoc on the living, and then came up with the story about the most evil kid who ever lived. And when John came up with this fable of a town with a dark secret of someone who once lived there, and now that evil has come back, that’s what made HALLOWEEN work. We didn’t want it to be gory. We wanted it to be like a jack-in-the box.”

Happy b-day to John Carpenter, who made my favourite movie of all-time with Debra Hill, who needs to be talked about more. http://pic.twitter.com/6QO7sIGDyF

— Emily Gagne (@emilygagne) January 16, 2017

five

The iconic home used for the Myers house was owned by a church. It has since been moved and used as a chiropractic office.

Halloween

In 2015 one couple built an exact replica of the house in North Carolina.

six

Michael Myers was named for a random business associate who helped Carpenter’s finance partners get their previous work, , into film festivals in Europe.

Sam Loomis was named for the character in .

Debra Hill was raised in “Haddonfield”, New Jersey.

Tommy Doyle was named for the character in .

Sheriff Leigh Brackett is named after the sci-fi writer.

Ben Tramer () was John Carpenter’s classmate, he was later a writer on .

“Laurie Strode” was the name of one of Carpenter’s exes.

John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis in "Halloween" (1978.) http://pic.twitter.com/MjIMZQbqW8

— Smiljan Banjac (@SmiljanBanjac) September 4, 2017

seven

Jamie Lee Curtis was not production’s first pick to play Laurie Strode, but Carpenter discovered she was the daughter of actress Janet Leigh and realized casting Curtis would be good publicity. His first choice, Annie Lockhart, was also the daughter of a famous actress. was Jamie Lee Curtis’ first appearance on the big screen.

eight

In Janet Leigh had a cameo as Curtis’ secretary. Here she is standing in front of a 1957 Ford Custom 300 with the license plate NFB 418, the same car she drove in :

Halloween H20

nine

In the original script, Michael Myers is referred to as “the shape”. The idea is that he is not a person, but the embodiment of evil. Myers as an evil, supernatural boogeyman was partially inspired by a trip Carpenter took in college: “While on a class trip at a mental institution in Kentucky, Carpenter visited “the most serious, mentally ill patients”. Among those patients was a young boy around twelve to thirteen years-old. The boy gave this “schizophrenic stare”, “a real evil stare”, which Carpenter found “unsettling”, “creepy”, and “completely insane”.”

Halloween behind the scenes http://pic.twitter.com/OcLoJLaJKk

— Actor Trivia (@ActorTrivia) September 19, 2017

ten

Nick Castle who originally played “the shape” (Michael Myers) went on to become a successful director. He directed and .

Halloween II (1981) behind the scenes🔪❤ #horror #horrorfan #horrormovie #michaelmyers #halloween #johncarpenter @TheHorrorMaster http://pic.twitter.com/ZuvSXIJ9vo

— 🌹Holly💀 (@horrorprincess_) August 4, 2017

eleven

Kyle Richards, who played Lindsey Wallace in , is now a famous reality TV star. She is Paris Hilton’s aunt.

Behind the scenes of Halloween (1978). http://pic.twitter.com/m43xRmtvAW

— filmartbox (@filmartbox) July 16, 2017

twelve

Rob Zombie’s remake broke a box office record for a movie opening on Labor Day weekend ($20.1 million). It still holds that record.

thirteen

Jamie Lee Curtis has an uncredited cameo in where you can hear here voice as a phone operator.

fourteen

During filming for John Carpenter filmed additional scenes for the first in order to increase the run time for the movie to play on television.

Behind the scenes of #Halloween (1978) #slasher #horror http://pic.twitter.com/DcxZKMfEwx

— Retro Horror (@el_zombo) May 6, 2017

fifteen

Bob Clark, the director of the horror film (1974), recalls a conversation with John Carpenter in which he (Clark) talked about making a film called :

“he asked me if I was ever gonna do a sequel and I said no. I was through with horror, I didn’t come into the business to do just horror. He said, “Well what would you do if you did do a sequel?” I said it would be the next year and the guy would have actually been caught, escape from a mental institution, go back to the house and they would start all over again. And I would call it ‘Halloween’.”

Clark says he does not think Carpenter “stole” his idea:

“The truth is John didn’t copy ‘Black Christmas’, he wrote a script, directed the script, did the casting. ‘Halloween’ is his movie and besides the script came to him already titled anyway. He liked ‘Black Christmas’ and may have been influenced by it, but in no way did John Carpenter copy the idea. Fifteen other people at that time had thought to do a movie called ‘Halloween’ but the script came to John with that title on it.”

sixteen

Scream

The franchise is often used as examples of “the rules” or horror movies, like the fact that only virgins can live to the end of the movie. John Carpenter and Debra hill say they didn’t intend for this to be a morality lesson, saying:

“Carpenter and co-writer Debra Hill have stated many times over the years that they did not consciously set out to depict virginity as a way of defeating a rampaging killer. The reason why the horny teens all die is simply that they’re so preoccupied with getting laid that they don’t notice that there’s a killer at large. Laurie Strode, on the other hand, spends a lot of time on her own and is therefore more alert.”

seventeen

One of Paul Rudd’s first lead roles was in the sixth movie where he is credited as “Paul Stephen Rudd”.

Finishing off my Halloween marathon (excluding the H20 & Rob Zombie films) with The Curse of Michael Myers featuring a pre-stardom Paul Rudd http://pic.twitter.com/wfm75gK77Z

— Samuel Dore (@Bursteardrum) April 15, 2017

eighteen

Emma Stone auditioned for the role of Laurie Strode in Rob Zombie’s .

nineteen

In Laurie Strode tells her babysitting charges to “go down the road to the Mackenzie’s” for help. This line is said again in by Casey Becker’s dad to Casey’s mother as an homage.

In this line is played upon further when Laurie Strode tells her son to “go down the street to the Beckers” in reference to the characters.

twenty

The finale of is shot in the house that was used for the school in .

The main location in Scream 3 is the same area where the school in Halloween H20 was filmed! http://pic.twitter.com/eULb3Yhbvq

— michael swarter (@horrorfilledfun) May 30, 2016

twenty one

Tommy Lee Wallace was a production designer on who created Michael Myer’s famous mask and went on to write and direct . Despite being 28, Wallace’s wife Nancy Loomis played high school student Annie Brackett in . She had previously worked with John Carpenter on .

🎃🔪 RT @HorrorByProxy: Nancy Loomis and Tommy Lee Wallace during the filming of "Halloween" 1978. #BTS #Horror http://pic.twitter.com/6Bw7DGnjqu

— SCREAMBOX (@SCREAMBOXTV) September 23, 2015

twenty two

John Carpenter’s insistence the the premise of feel “real” is what spooks so many viewers. Describing the way he wanted to make the film, Carpenter has said: “To make Michael Myers frightening, I had him walk like a man, not a monster.”

Halloween behind the scenes http://pic.twitter.com/fLMu5Eg6tB

— Actor Trivia (@ActorTrivia) March 8, 2017

twenty three

In both Carpenter’s and Rob Zombie’s the only actress who was actually a teenager played Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis and Scout Taylor-Compton).

twenty four

The girls in Zombie’s version remade a famous photo of the girls in the original :

Behind The Scenes Of Halloween (1978) #Horror http://pic.twitter.com/5HC04d7Hw5

— Jennifer Elm (@Stitched_Rattus) March 31, 2017

Jamie Lee Curtis is the scream queen but I also love Scout Taylor Compton's version of Laurie Strode! http://pic.twitter.com/0CZG284QHq

— Duchene 2 NYI Please (@Gokaiger_Ranger) September 15, 2017

twenty five

Much of the female dialogue in is attributed to Debra Hill’s writing, who wanted to capture the way real teenage girls spoke to each other (think, all the “totally”s). She wrote the character of Lynda specifically for PJ Soles, who she saw doing this in . PJ was married to Dennis Quaid, he almost appeared in the movie as her boyfriend but had a scheduling conflict.

twenty six

Michelle Williams had never seen a movie before she was cast in .

Halloween H20

twenty seven

If Rob Zombie wouldn’t have approached the studio about remaking they were going to produce a prequel called that would have centered on Michael Myer’s time at the asylum.

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