#Hoping to follow up with the movie(s) soon :) Well and properly finish the series lol

[sysig]

You cannot hide your T:RC music from me PMMM

[secret-ssociety]

Behind the scenes

Pairing(s): Aaron Tveit x Reader, Les Mis (2012) cast x Reader

Warnings: This is just fluff. Like one curse

Summary: It is never intended for Enjolras and Eponine to fall in love in the original story, but a lot of things can happen when the cameras are turned off

A/N: I know everyone is waiting for more of the Let Me Down series but I have wanted to do this for a long time bc I am utterly in love with this man and I've always said I don't want to just write Peter Parker's stuff. Might make this several parts, who knows, I like things with parts.

masterlist

requests are open!!

For the first time in the whole day, silence fell upon the set of Les Mis, being only vaguely interrupted by the quiet chatter of everyone else who, unlike you, still had energy to talk. It's not like it was your fault, though, you had no idea of how much running around implied to play Eponine.

Huddled in a quiet corner of what had been built to be the Café Musain, you pushed your knees against your chest and hid your face between them, hoping to catch some rest before Tom decided he wanted to do a scene again. Was it maybe two in the morning? Three? You didn't even know anymore, you weren't allowed to carry a watch around your wrist and your phone was charging in your trailer, but the last time you had checked it was midnight and that had been a few hours ago.

Doing a movie, you had come to learn in your first few days of filming, was quite different from putting up a show. Interacting with your surroundings, going over scenes and even directing your eyes to a certain place while saying your lines was a world away from your common place on stage. You'd had to repress a loud squeak on your first day on set when you saw just how real everything looked, and when you started to try on your garments... you might as well have been a street urchin on Paris, 1832.

A small finger touched your shoulder timidly, waking you up from your fragile sleep and making you lift your head from its place. Your eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the light and you even had to squint a little to recognize Daniel standing next to you, looking just as tired, but with a small flame of caffeine dancing in the back of his eyes. Who the fuck gave the kid coffee? You wondered.

"How long do you think they'll keep us here?" he asked sitting next to you. From all your cast mates, Daniel was probably the first one you had grown fond of, but then again, so had everyone.

"Maybe not much longer, unless they want us to be here at noon tomorrow," you answered raising an eyebrow. Being the youngest person on the whole set, you could tell he was trying to hold his own like the adults, drinking coffee and doing his best to stay awake.

The problem with that, you knew, was that caffeine reacted differently on kids and adults: when an adult drinks coffee, it gives them energy for a long period of time, the caffeine is distributed in order to serve the body for good while. When a child drinks coffee, on the other hand, the caffeine gives them a rush of adrenaline that gets them jumping up and down and running circles around the adults, very much like Daniel was doing a while ago, thus burning all the energy they had acquired as fast as they had engorged it.

"You want to rest for a minute?" you asked him, stretching your legs so that he could rest his head on them. He shook his head tiredly, but didn't put up a fight when you grabbed his shoulder and started to lay him down.

Softly, you caressed his hair, while carefully trying to undo the tangles the dirt had made onto his hair to give him that street gamine I-live-in-the-elephant-of-the-Bastille look. In a matter of seconds, he was fully asleep, snoring quietly against the fabric of your skirt.

You heard some of the boys approaching, laughing loudly with cups of steaming coffee on their hands, and were quick to lift your finger up to your lips, to let them know of the resting boy that would be quickly awaken by their laughs. They apologized in whispers, handed you the cup they had brought for you and sat around you.

"Helena is trying to convince them to let us go to the hotel," Alistair commented, although he didn't look tired at all, more like he was amused by everyone else's exhaustion.

You sighed in relief against the cup, which was held close to your lips, making the steam hit your face in a warmth that made you aware of how cold your nose was. Only one gulp of the bitter liquid was enough to warm the blood flowing through your veins and take you back to life, you could open your eyes properly and the first the landed on was one of the most distinctive of your cast mates: Aaron Tveit.

Was there something special about him that made you think of his full name instead of just the first? Yeah, everything. He was the embodiment of the Enjolras Victor Hugo had wrote, the one that had been nicknamed Apollo by his friends. Maybe it was the way he held himself, somehow taller than everyone else, with that revolutionary fire in his eyes and walking around the set like he was actually going to get the people to build a barricade.

Wherever he happened to exist, you couldn't help but feel the presence of an olden god amongst mortals, the time go slower and light to travel in a bliss. There was just something so ethereal about him...

"He's talent, isn't he?" Alistair commented, having followed the direction of your eyes. "Among other things," Eddie joked, perhaps having caught on on the repressed smitten nature of your gaze. Stubbornly, you rolled your eyes.

As if saved by the bell, your director announced that everyone was allowed to go and get some rest, under the condition that you had to be back the next day before lunch. You were so tired, you almost forgot you were on your costume, being remembered by Eddie when you walked straight to the exit.

Up until that day, you had followed you stylist's skincare routine religiously every day after finishing filming, but once you found yourself in your sweatpants and Alistair's sweater, you simply poured water in your face and wiped all the makeup away with a paper towel.

Outside of your trailer, you found at least half of the Amis waiting for you to go grab some pizza while forming a wall to shield a newly caffeinated Daniel from your accusatory eyes. "I just left my cup unattended for a second!" George said quickly. You didn't know if you should laugh or yell at them, but you decided you were too tired to do either, so you simply took his hands and walk with the boys to the minivans the studio had hired for your transportation.

Eating pizza after having barely washed the makeup off of your face and only having a few hours to sleep after? You knew you were going to break out, but that was a tomorrow's problem.

Perhaps it was the magic that gravitated around Aaron that made you look back to see him, walking several feet behind the lot of you and clearly immersed on his thoughts. What you did next wasn't exactly a conscious decision, but it felt as natural as if it were.

"Hey, Tveit," you smiled, stopping before him. He looked surprised for a second, since he hadn't heard you approach him, but then smiled softly at you.

"Hello, Y/L/N," he said back, looking at you with those piercing eyes of him.

"We're going to grab a bite, wanna come?" You asked with a bright smile, one so cute that made it hard for him to say no.

"I don't know, it's late..." he said with half a smile.

"Did you know that pizza wasn't invented until the late half of the 18th century," you said, persistently, making him raise an eyebrow at the random fact, "that means all of our characters died without having ever eaten pizza. Shouldn't we, in order to honor them, do the things they never got to do?"

Aaron tried as hard as he could to fight back a smile at your argument. He had heard from the other guys about your occurrences and funny yet charming way with words, but he still hadn't had a chance to delight himself with it all too much. Maybe you were both too busy, maybe he wasn't as good as he liked to think to break the ice and Alistair had beat him to it.

He was practically convinced already, but still you added, "come on, Enjolras is still going to be here tomorrow morning... er, today a little less morning." You corrected checking the time on your wrist watch.

He was tired and not really hungry, but sill he nodded and followed you to the exit, where the rest of your friends cheered upon his joining.

Thankfully, the place Fra Fee knew was not too far away from the hotel, because none of you would have managed to walk too much after the day you'd had. Pulling a couple of tables together with the help of a waitress who pretended not to be a little starstruck, all of you sat down and ordered. You personally tried to ignore the way Eddie gave you his sit so that you would end up sat next to Aaron.

After ordering three large pizzas and some lemonade, and having grudgingly remembered that you couldn't order a beer or anything of the sort, you resumed your chattery. You soon found that, while you weren't the only theatre actress on the room, you were the only one who had never been on a film before. Still, that didn't mean your previous work had gone unnoticed.

"I was really excited to meet Y/N," Eddie commented on Daniel's side, "because I went to see her in The Phantom of The Opera, in London and I was" he made the gesture of his head blowing up, making you laugh.

"Yes, I knew I had seen you somewhere! You're Christine Daaé!" George exclaimed, interrupting the bite he was about to give to his pizza.

"Didn't you say on the first table reading that your dream role is Esmeralda, from the Hunchback?" Aaron perked up, making you blush a little.

"Esmeralda, Christine and Eponine," Alistair numbered, only giving you time to nod, "are you planning on becoming the Holy Trinity of French Theater?"

"I'll be able to say the Holy Trinity of French Theater died in my arms!"

You almost spilled your lemonade at the exclamation, unable to contain your laughs, very much like everyone else on the table. You didn't mean for your face to be as red as it was in that moment, but you couldn't help it when everyone seemed to be so interested in your past work. Despite attention being your line of work, you didn't know how to handle it that good.

It was when Daniel's adrenaline burnt off, as you had predicted, and he was found too tiresd to even keep his head up that you came back to the hotel, with the quiet company of Aaron, who had also offered to take the young boy back to his room. You were both in silence, though it was not an awkward one, it just wasn't necessary to talk to enjoy the other's company.

"We're getting a cow," he said suddenly, when you were approaching the entrance of the hotel.

"What?" You asked with a confused smile.

"We're getting a cow, on the set, tomorrow," he clarified grinning, "she will be there for the scenes of the barricade."

"Why would a cow be on a barricade?" You questioned with a laugh, opening the door for Aaron, since he was carrying Daniel, and receiving a little thank you in return. "Not that I'm complaining."

He laughed in return and followed you to the elevator, making sure neither the young boy nor the jacket he had put over him fell from his embrace. The cow thing had just been to start conversation and be able to ask what he really wanted to know, although he was a little pumped up about the cow.

"Do you want to do what Alistair said?" He asked curiously, "About being the Holy Trinity of French Theater, it is."

"I had never thought about it that way, but it sounds quite nice," you answer thoughtfully. "Though, I believe I would have to play Eponine on a stage, rather than a set to really earn that title."

"You're not liking movie making so far?" He asked somewhat amused, specially when you whipped your head to look at him with wide eyes.

"No! That's not what I mean," you talked so fast you nearly stumbled through your words, but the kindness on his eyes made you sigh and calm down. "This has been amazing so far and I would never underestimate the huge effort it takes to make one of these. I mean, I've only been doing this for a couple days and I'm already beyond exhaustion. And yet it has been wonderful, the set and the preparation and just seeing all the work it implies is... unbelievable."

You knocked three time on the door, to see Daniel's mother not two seconds later. Aaron had been worried that maybe she would be concerned and even a little mad at how late her son was coming back, but you had been texting her throughout the extra hours of shooting and to let her know you were going to take him to eat something before coming back to the hotel.

She kindly thanked you both, took Daniel (who was still sound sleep) on her arms and gave Aaron his jacket back, to then close the door. Without saying much, he walked you to your own room, prompting you to continue.

"Where was I? Oh, yeah! So filming a movie is... I'm running out of adjectives, but it's really great," he chuckled slightly, "but I don't think it can top the feeling of being on the theater," you sighed dreamily.

"On stage, there is no take two, the things you're doing can only be done once. There's..." your tongue ran through your lips, an action Aaron found almost mesmerizing, as you tried to find the words to describe the thing you loved the most in the world. "There's this feeling, when the show is about to start, the lights dim, the overture starts and you get goosebumps and you heart starts thumping at the moment you come on stage, there's something about that moment being unrepeatable and having the eyes of the crowd on you, the adrenaline is just... is like the identity line that divides the actor from their character disappears and in that moment you're not quite them, but you're not you, you're just..." you let out a breath at the inability to find the word and, for a moment, you worried you might have bored him with your rambling, but he had that bliss over his face, the one only a theatre actor knows and has, that told you he knew exactly what you're talking about.

The next morning, back on set and with your costumes again covering your backs, Aaron found himself so hypnotized by the sight of you rehearsing with Amanda his tea got cold and was utterly scared when Eddie's palm fell onto his back, dragging him out of his day dream.

"Is this the part when the Phantom is stalking Christine?" George asked jokingly, making Aaron roll his eyes.

For someone who made so much fun of him for becoming Enjolras, he had certainly developed Grantaire's mocking nature.

"She's really talented," the blonde man answered nonchalantly, drinking from his tea and making a face when he found out the drink was cold.

"I see," Eddie said handing him his tea, "are you seeing our dear Y/N under a new light?"

Was he? It would be a lie to say he didn't come back to his room with you occupying every single one of his thoughts, his heart fluttering who had managed to put his passion for theatre in words. Had his hands always became a little shaky around you? Yes. But today it was even worse.

Today, your voice giving life to Eponine's thoughts and emotions could make his cheeks blush or bring tears to his eyes in a matter of a second. Today, you walked around with a strange light over you, one that didn't allow him to look away while, at the same time, reprehended him for staring. Today, you were more than an artist, an actress. You were something more than human.

"Nonsense," he replied stubbornly, "I have always known how talented she is."

Before he could get a sarcastic comment or a snide yet friendly remark, the three men's chatter was interrupted by the two previously mentioned ladies rehearsing The Robbery, one of the scenes you planned on filming that day.

"It's the police! Disappear! Run for it!" Your strong soprano voice cut all chattery in one swift motion. "It's Javert!"

He probably held his breath for as long as you held the note. Once you opened your eyes, you seemed a little embarrassed at all the eyes on you, but Aaron didn't understand just what did you have to be embarrassed about.

Eddie shook his shoulder, "breathe, mate!"

[justthehiddleswrites]

Follow My Lead |Tom Hiddleston x OFC |Chapter 2 | He sipped the wine, avoiding the elephant called his bare ass, in the room

A/N: This will update every Thursday.  There are 13 chapters.  There are all sorts of kinds of D/s relationships.  This is the one I choose to write this time.

Series Masterlist Here

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Vivian Swann)

Summary: Tom and Vivian have both been unlucky in love, searching for something outside of the bounds of a typical relationship.  When the two of them connect via a dating app, Tom is introduced to the idea of being submissive to Vivian.  Which is the one thing he never knew he needed.  Under the firm hand of Vivian, Tom learns what it means to submit and Vivian learns what it means to be in a loving dominant relationship.  But not everyone seems to understand what they have and the best intentions can destroy the strongest relationship.

This Chapter:  Tom and Vivian take the first steps in this relationship, including a first date and a first kiss.  And Tom discovers Vivian is not like any other person he has dated before.  Can he step up to the task?

Warnings for story: Dominant/submissive relationship (sub!Tom), lots of smut including but not limited to: vaginal sex, oral sex (male and female receiving), edging, denial, teasing, use of restraints, spanking, multiple orgasm, anal play, use of toys.

Taglists are open!  Please let me know if you wish to be added!  Thank you for reading!

-

Vivian returned to read her book while Tom waited in line for coffee. She didn’t look over her shoulder, but she could tell Tom was sneaking glances at her. He soon returned with two espressos. Vivian preferred a sweeter coffee, but the chocolate chip scone more than made up for it. She replaced the book back into her tote while Tom nervously sipped.

Vivian stared at him as she broke apart the scone with her fingers, popping bites into her mouth. She offered him half of which he accepted with a smile.

“Ask the question, Thomas.” she stated, leaning back in her chair.

Tom chuckled as he folded his hands in his lap. “Am I that transparent?”

“No, that predictable. It’s always the first question.” She finished up the espresso. “Go on, ask it.”

Tom sighed, his face a bundle of nerves. “So how does it work?”

Vivian smirked. “Depends.” Tom’s eyebrows raised and the two of them burst in laughter.

“I deserved that.” Tom laughed.

“Not entirely. But it’s the truth. Every relationship, vanilla or not, is different. But nothing happens without consent.”

“Good to know.” he finished up his coffee and half a scone.

Vivian narrowed her eyes, sizing Tom up with fresh eyes. “You know, if you are looking for kinky sex, there are professionals who can whip your ass and make you lick their boots.”

Tom coughed as he choked on the last of the scone. “Forward, as always. I am well aware of the niche services out there. I am not looking for a one time thing or anything casual. I want a committed relationship. I apologize if I wasn’t clear.”

“No, you were. But I run into a lot of men who say they want a relationship, but what they really want is to play 24/7 and a woman to fulfill all of their dark fantasies. It was never about me. Just a kink dispenser.”

Tom nodded. “I can only imagine the hurt and anger you must have felt.”

It touched Vivian at how empathetic Tom was. Something definitely missing from previous subs.

“What does your work schedule look like?” She changed the subject.

“I’m between projects right now. A few meetings and events here or there, but for the next three months I am mostly reading scripts and hanging around the house.

“Would you like some extra reading?”

Tom smirked. “I’ve already read Anna Karenina.”

“Not exactly. Can I have your phone number, please?”

Tom rattled off the number. Vivian typed on her phone, glancing at Tom a few times before hitting send. His phone dinged, and he fished it out of his pocket, reading her message.

“You want me to read these books?” He quirked an eyebrow. The titles of some books listed piqued his interest. Tom read a bit about this after his last failed relationship, but Vivian had more experience in this arena.

“Yes, please. And then write a 500 word email on what you are looking to get out of this relationship.” She gathered her belongings. “Think of it as homework.” She smiled at him.

Tom scrambled to his feet. “What happens next?”

“We date. We go out to dinner. To the movies. We flirt. Figure out if we like each other. If we are compatible.”

“And if we are?”

“We set up a trial period. We discuss expectations. Now if you excuse me, I have a hair appointment. It has been very nice to meet you properly.”

Tom held open the door and followed her out to the sidewalk. “Dinner tonight? You pick the place.”

She tilted her head at him and smiled, reaching up to pat his cheek. “How about tomorrow? I’m thinking Italian. 7 p.m. Text me the name and address please.”

Tom nodded. “I look forward to it.”

They parted ways with a hug and Tom kissing her cheek. Once she rounded the corner, Tom pulled a ball cap out and searched for a nearby bookstore.

-

There were many who would consider a blowout a luxury, but to Vivian it was a necessity. Her thick, irregularly wavy locks were a nightmare to tame on the best of days. Her standing Saturday appointment was something she never cancelled unless she was out of town or too sick to get out of bed. As the stylist pulled and tugged at her hair, coaxing it into big loopy curls like you see in all the magazines, Vivian replayed the conversation with Tom in the coffee shop.

First, she chastised herself for not recognizing him the first night in the bar. Second, she wondered if this was too good to be true. A bona fide movie star. Not that his status mattered in the long run, but Tom was looking for a lifestyle relationship. The little goblin in the back of her brain screamed, “HE JUST WANTS KINKY SEX!!!” But then she reminded herself not once did Tom mention sex.

While she stood at the counter paying, her phone buzzed. It was Tom. Such an eager beaver.

Hit the lottery at the local bookstore.

Attached was a photo of all the books she told him to read with Tom’s head poking in, a huge boyish grin on his face along with a thumbs up. She couldn’t help but laugh.

Good job. Aren’t you eager?

She turned the camera on and took a quick selfie. How’s my hair look?

Tom responded within 5 minutes. Divine. I made reservations for Il Sugo tomorrow at 7.

She danced a bit in place. One of her favorites. And the fact Tom wasted no time complying with her request pleased her to no end.

I know the place. Thank you for doing that right away.

Tom beamed at the praise, his cheeks heating and blushing as he made his way home to read his “homework” from Vivian.

My pleasure. Is there anything else before tomorrow?

Vivian licked her lips as she contemplated his question.

Wear the suit from Bloomsbury.

She trotted back towards her apartment when a dress in one of the clothing stores caught her eyes. Navy with a faux wrap detail and a deep vee neckline. The dress would highlight her assets and she had the perfect Louboutins to go along with it. Not to mention it would match Tom’s suit. She tried on the dress, loved and plunked down her credit card to pay.

-

Tom was ready 30 minutes before he even needed to leave the house. Unheard for him. While he made a point to be on time, no early, for all his professional obligations; his personal life didn’t always get the same attention.

He tugged on his cuffs and adjusted the gold cufflinks before smoothing down his jacket lapels. This suit, the one Vivian asked him to wear, was among his favorite, with the dark blue color and a thin white line running both horizontally and vertically. It cut close to his lean frame, and the blue suited his features. His phone beeped.

Nervous?

Tom frowned at Benedict’s message. He regretted letting his friend know about his date.

No. He lied. Tom wasn’t ready to reveal the true nature of this relationship yet.

Turn on that signature Hiddles charm and she will be putty in your hands.

Tom sweated. He hoped it would be more like him being putty in Vivian’s.

Right, mate. Got to go, Don’t want to be late.

Tom grabbed his keys and headed out the door, missing Benedict’s last message.

Make sure to tell me everything tomorrow.

-

Vivian completed the same ritual she did every time before a date. After soaking in a bath, with an oil in her signature scent, she toweled off. She applied an eye look that was sultry but not too heavy. A glossy lip and dark lashes completed the look. She slipped on her new dress and her shoes. The mesh details were reminiscent of lingerie. Her diamond swan necklace and a small clutch and she hustled out the door.

-

When Vivian walked up to Il Sugo, she found Tom pacing the storefront. His face broke out into a grin when he saw her approaching. He grabbed Vivian’s hand and kissed her cheek.

“I wanted to wait for you before going inside.”

“Thank you.” Vivian kissed his cheek too, the first kissing him anywhere. His cologne was woodsy and heady.

“That dress is divine.” he complimented, holding his arm for Vivian to spin. “The shoes though, how tall are you in those things?”

“I’m 5’10”, these are about four-inch heels, so 6’ 2”.”

“Perfect.” Tom murmured. He opened the door for her.

The restaurant was warm and cozy. And the food divine as always. Vivian ordered the seafood risotto and Tom the Bolognese. As they waited for their entrees, Vivian folded her hands on top of the table.

“So tell me about your work.”

Tom sipped his water. “So I just finished up a play at the Old Vic and I have about three months before I am due in Atlanta for my new project with Marvel. After that, a series for Netflix filming in London. Have you seen any of my work?”

Vivian’s cheek heated before regaining her composure. “I have.”

Tom smiled at her. “Well, you called me the God of Mischief so at least one MCU film and based on your hushed tone, I am guessing The Night Manager?” He tucked his head to stare Vivian directly in the eye.

“Yes.” she did her best not to blush.

“I’m quite proud of that work. Was nominated for an Emmy, won a Golden Globe. Quite proud of all my work.” He sipped the wine, avoiding the elephant called his bare ass, in the room.

“What is like at the Golden Globes?” she asked.

“Long.” he laughed. “But at least they feed you.”

Vivian giggled too. “Are you always this charming?”

“No.” he deadpanned. “Normally, I’m more charming. You put me quite off balance, Ms. Swann.” She liked how her name sounded when he said it. “From the first meeting. How do you manage that?”

“Practice, confidence, and a good pair of heels.” She kicked her foot out.

“Perhaps I need to invest in some new shoes.” Tom teased, the thought of him in high heels flashed through Vivian’s brain for a moment. She smiled to herself.

“I think yours are just fine.” She kicked the bottom on his oxfords with the toe of her heel before dragging it up his leg mid-calf. Tom choked on his water. “So I know what your job plans are, but what is work like?”

“Rewarding but exhausting.” he commented. “What being a globally renowned corporate barrister? It must be draining.”

Vivian’s eyes sparkled. “You Googled me.”

“Guilty.”

She held her sip of wine against her tongue. “It’s exhilarating. A total adrenaline rush. The stakes are high and I call the shots.” Vivian beamed as she talked about it.

“Don’t you ever want to not be the one calling the shots. Do you ever want someone say ‘do this’ and not have to think about it?”

“No. Do you?”

“Absolutely. I prefer my personal life to be as few decisions as possible. Wear the same clothes all the time. Jog the same route. Eat the same food.”

“And what if it was someone telling you what to do?”

“Honestly, it would be a relief.”

“Even if it were a woman.”

“Even if it were a woman.” Tom parroted, as the server placed the food on the tables. Tom waited until Vivian took a bit before eating. That’s just good manners.

“How is the risotto?”

“Delicious as always, your Bolognese?”

“Delicious, but mine’s better.”

Vivian raised a manicured eyebrow at him. “You cook?”

“When the need arises.”

“Do you clean too? I’m looking for a new maid.” She chuckled, half joking.

“Not as well as I should. Bachelor life has made me somewhat lazy in that regard. My mother would be ashamed.”

“I’m sure we can fix that.” She finished up her food and set her fork down. “What is your mother like?”

Tom wiped his mouth as he ate the last few bites of food. “Kind, hardworking, independent. I doubt I would be where I am today without her. Now my sisters…”

“I have one younger sister. You?”

“One older and one younger. And they are brutal. Talk about the Night Manager. The text messages they would send me. I am never living that down. Ever.”

“Sounds like my kind of girls.”

The server dropped by the table. “Dessert?’

Tom looked at Vivian expectantly.

“Would like to split something, Tom? Your choice of dessert.”

His eyes lit up, and he ordered whatever chocolate dessert was on the menu. Lava cake, flourless cake, some cake. Vivian didn’t care, but she enjoyed seeing Tom happy. The server returned with the dessert and two spoons. She took a small bite as Tom devoured his half and leaped onto the rest of hers. He insisted on paying the bill which Vivian agreed to only on the condition she paid next time.

The day had been unseasonably warm for June, and Vivian didn’t wear a jacket. And now the night air nipped at her bare shoulders. Tom slipped his suit jacket over her, the residual warmth of his body clung to the lining. She grabbed the lapels and pulled it tighter around her.

“Walk me home, please?” she asked rather than demand.

Tom smiled at her. “How else am I getting my jacket back?”

They walked the several blocks to Vivian’s flat in silence, her gripping onto his jacket for dear life. Tom shoved his hands into his pants pockets, doing his best impression of a man not cold. When they arrived at the lobby entrance, Vivian slid the jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to Tom.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

His hands twiddled in front of him. An awkward gesture Vivian found endearing. Just as Tom leaned in for a hug, she grabbed his shirt front and pulled him into a kiss. Tom’s feet scrambled for purchase against the sidewalk as Vivian yanked him forward. Her lips soft against his and he melted to her. His hands fidgeted in the air, not doing what to do with them until landing on cupping her face, catching tendrils of her hair in his fingers.

Tom couldn’t catch a breath as Vivian pressed against him. Her perfume made his brain go fuzzy, or was that the kissing? Tom didn’t know or care. He just wanted to keep kissing her forever. When Vivian pulled away, Tom leaned forward, desperate for contact. She flattened her hand against his chest to hold him in place.

“Goodnight, Tom.” She pecked his lips and backed away before he could pull her into an embrace.

He sighed as his chest heaved. “Can I call you tomorrow? After work?”

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I work late.”

“I don’t go to bed early. Please text me when you get home. Whatever the hour. I want to hear your voice.” He pushed her hair back.

“Call me at 11?”

“I’m setting an alarm.” He whipped his phone for dramatic effect. Vivian playfully pushed him away as she headed to the door.

“Goodnight, Thomas. And don’t forget your homework.”

“I haven’t!” he called after her.

Tom floated his way back down the street and to the restaurant to fetch his car and head home. The ride home was a blur, and he stripped down to his boxers, tossing the clothes onto the floor, before slipping between his sheets and drifting off to bed.

Vivian washed off her makeup and did her skincare routine before changing into pajamas and placing her clothes in the hamper. She sighed as she thought of Tom. His soft lips and eager hands. Vivian was eager to take the relationship to the next step, but all too aware that rushing things with someone new like Tom could turn disastrous. She grabbed her book from the nightstand and read a chapter before going to bed.

[megalony]

Another guy’s girl- Part 7

I’ve finally gotten the latest part done for this Ben Hardy love triangle series and I’m hoping to get back into writing for it. Feedback is always appreciated.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem @butlegendsneverdie @langdonzvoid @jennyggggrrr @rogmeddows @radiob-l-a-hblah @rogertaylorsbitontheside @chlobo6 @rogertaylors-lipgloss @sj-thefan @omgitsearly @luckytrashgooprebel @scarsout @deaky-with-a-c @killer-queen-ofrhye @bluutac @vousmemanqueez @jonesyaddiction @rogahs-drowse

Summary: Joe and (Y/n) have a daughter together and though they are separated Joe hopes they are going to get back together. That becomes harder when Ben comes on the scene and falls for (Y/n).

Series masterlist

Enjoy.

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Narrowing his eyes, Ben reached down and gently took hold of (Y/n)'s right arm, pulling her arm up so he could see. He skimmed his fingers over her wrist and up to her hand as he couldn't bite back a grin at seeing her wrist as there was no black foam cast strapped over her hand and halfway up her arm. Her wrist was no longer bent at an odd angle, the delicate joint didn't have bone pushing out at the side in an awkward angle and it was no longer swelling and trembling like it had been when he saw her in the car for the first time.

(Y/n) wiggled her fingers to show she could move them as she bent her hand forward and back to show that it was all healed. She couldn't believe how amazing it felt to have her wrist and hand free from its constraints. Finally, she would be able to cook properly and go back to work and write and just generally go day to day without having to use her other hand or get frustrated with herself.

Tugging her arm just a little closer, Ben pressed a kiss to her wrist and then to the palm of her hand. It was great for him to see that she was getting better after seeing how she was getting frustrated with herself.

The stitches in her leg had come out two days ago but Ben knew her leg wasn't feeling great at the moment. (Y/n) was still taking painkillers for her leg and it was still bruised and causing her to limp rather than put her full weight onto her leg but it was easier now that she didn't have the stitches. She could have a proper bath and shower for one thing without worrying about getting water on her leg.

"All better." He whispered as (Y/n) nodded, wrapping both arms around his neck which was a different feeling altogether. She didn't have to have her casted hand hanging limply at her side or getting in the way.

"So here's the thing about tonight..." (Y/n) started, a smile still on her face showing Ben it was nothing bad. "The cooker's bust, it's getting fixed tomorrow so it's gonna have to be takeout." (Y/n) said she would cook tonight, she wanted to make something now that she could cook better since her right hand was now in use again. But as luck would have it the cooker had seemingly given up for the day and could only be fixed tomorrow so it was either microwave something or order a takeaway instead.

"We could go to mine? I can cook something." Ben suggested, realising it would be the first time (Y/n) would see his place since he was always coming round here instead.

"Sure."

Ben grazed his fingers up and down her hips as he pressed his lips to hers, feeling her unable to stop her lips from forming a smile against his own. He pulled her closer, pressing his front against her own until a sudden voice caused him to pull back. (Y/n)'s face pressed into his neck as he turned his head, a smile on his lips when he saw Maddie speeding down the stairs at lightning speed.

"She's not been talking very well today." (Y/n) whispered the words before kissing the shell of his ear just so he knew it wouldn't be his fault if Maddie didn't speak very much or at all to him.

She had been having a bad day and if she got to the point where she couldn't pronounce words well she would go quiet and not want to speak at all. Ben kissed (Y/n)'s head before pulling away from her so he could turn to Maddie when she came down the stairs. Quickly reaching out to pick her up when she ran to him with her arms out, clearly wanting some of the attention that her mother had been getting.

"Prince! A-are y... you sl...sleeping over?"

(Y/n)'s eyes widened at how Maddie tried hard to talk to him when she wasn't even willing to talk to her this morning. As soon as she started to struggle she shut down but just seeing Ben made her try hard to speak. Maddie leaned her head on Ben's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Ooh, not tonight princess. You're both coming to my place today."

Ben rubbed his hand up and down her back as she wriggled happily in his arms at the news. Whenever she saw Ben he always came over here, she had never seen his apartment before and neither had (Y/n). Maddie liked Ben being around because he took an interest. He watched movies and played all sorts of games and she loved the movie night they had the other week, she wanted him to stay more often when she was home.

"C-can I c... c-cook w-w... with you?" Maddie tilted her head down against his shoulder as he could sense her getting frustrated with her words as they weren't leaving her lips in the way that she wanted.

Maddie liked helping (Y/n) or Joe cook, she found it fun and she had been hoping to cook today but their cooker decided it wasn't going to cooperate any more. She especially liked baking, it was a hobby that both she and (Y/n) did together which they hadn't been able to do with (Y/n) being in the accident and her wrist being damaged.

"Of course you can."

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Leaning over the side of the sofa, (Y/n) looked over to Maddie who was sitting on the floor next to them. She was giggling away as Ben's dog Frankie was laid out in front of her, the beagle's head resting on Maddie's lap as she was ruffling her fur. Maddie never had a dog or a pet before so to find out Ben had a dog made her ecstatic and she had hardly left the beagles side.

When the beagle scrambled to her feet and started trotting over to the kitchen, Maddie quickly followed behind her. When Frankie began to eat the food Ben set down for her, Maddie moved around her and latched her arms around Ben's leg. Tilting her head up so she was resting her chin on his leg so she could look up at him.

"Come here, princess."

Reaching his hands down, Ben lifted Maddie from his leg, holding her in the air for a moment causing her to squeal before he rested her over his shoulder. Placing his arm over her legs to make sure she didn't fall before he started walking around the kitchen counter.

"M-mummy l... look!" Maddie squealed, patting her hands on Ben's back before she gasped and fisted his shirt in her hands when he moved her legs as if he was going to drop her.

"Don't you make her sick." (Y/n) scolded as she leaned back on the sofa to look at the pair of them. Her eyes narrowing as Ben's jaw dropped in a look of fake shock. They hadn't long had spaghetti which Maddie had helped make the sauce for, (Y/n) didn't want her to be sick if she was moving about too quick like she was now.

"As if I would do that." Ben retorted as he tilted his head up, a smile on his lips as (Y/n) simply rolled her eyes. She knew he wouldn't do that on purpose but if he continued to jiggle Maddie about the little girl might just throw up even if neither of them meant for her to. (Y/n)'s eyes followed the pair just to be sure as Ben made a sharp turn when the doorbell suddenly sounded through the apartment.

Ben slowly moved Maddie so she was resting against his chest instead of leaning over his shoulder. Smiling at how her hair was now ruffled and stuck up around her head.

"Daddy!"

(Y/n)'s head snapped to the right at Maddie's surprised voice, leaning forward on the sofa so she could look around Ben who was partially blocking her view of who was at the door. Fear and a rather large surge of adrenaline swarmed through (Y/n) when she saw that it was in fact Joe who was standing on the other side of the threshold with an unreadable expression on his face. He wasn't expecting the girls to be there much like none of them were expecting him to turn up here.

This made things complicated.

Neither (Y/n) nor Ben had told Joe about them being together and after the row Joe and (Y/n) had, they hadn't properly talked since. They tried to stay civil when he came round to pick Maddie up but they hardly talked and this was not going to go down well with him. (Y/n) didn't want to hurt him and she didn't want to not tell him about being with Ben. But at the end of the day, it was their relationship and if they wanted to tell people or if they wanted to keep it to themselves it was their right. Joe didn't have the right to know because it wasn't really his business.

"Hey girlie, what are you doing here?" There was a certain tone to Joe's voice that made Ben wary. He could see the wheels turning in Joe's mind and he could sense how he was trying hard not to get angry or seem confused or mad because Maddie was here.

Joe wasn't stupid and neither Ben nor (Y/n) would ever think or treat him like he was. He knew that there were very few reasons that (Y/n) and Maddie would be here at Ben's apartment unless either something was wrong or (Y/n) and Ben were together. He suspected (Y/n) wouldn't bring Maddie round if she and Ben were simply friends.

"C-cooking wi... with p-prince." Maddie dipped her head forward as if she was trying to tip the words out of her mouth in one piece as she tightened one hand around Ben's shirt. There was clear frustration on her face and in her words that she couldn't seem to get out properly but she wasn't suddenly going quiet or crying in frustration so it was a good start.

"We made spaghetti, didn't we? Right, you go and sit with your mum for a minute princess." Ben gently lowered Maddie down to her feet, watching as she quickly hugged Joe before heading back into the apartment to go and sit with (Y/n) and Frankie who had finished her dinner.

Ben leaned against the doorframe as he stuffed one hand into his pocket, fisting the material of his jeans to try and calm himself down. He knew they were going to have to tell Joe sooner or later, he just wished they had sat him down to tell him rather than him finding out like this and feeling like they had been sneaking around behind his back.

"So this is why you're always hanging around (Y/n)'s place." Joe slowly nodded his head as he spoke, feeling all the pieces fitting together in the puzzle in his mind.

All of those times he had gone round to (Y/n)'s place and found Ben either being there or turning up. Or when he noticed that Maddie was beginning to talk about Ben rather a lot, he still didn't think anything of it.

"So when I told you I was talking to my ex and thinking we might make a go of things, you were laughing at me? Getting in there first?"

Ben didn't quite know what he was meant to say. He didn't know (Y/n) was Joe's ex until after they had decided to go on a date together and after he had gotten to know her at the hospital. He hadn't planned everything out to go and be with Joe's ex just to hurt him, Ben wasn't like that and he would never do anything like that. But he couldn't help it if he fell for (Y/n) even though he knew she was Joe's ex and the mother of his daughter. Ben couldn't help the way he felt and he shouldn't have to back down or stay away just because Joe liked (Y/n).

Joe thought for a moment that Ben was pushing him out of the apartment to shut him out but Ben walked out with him into the corridor. Closing the door behind them so they could talk in private because if Joe wanted to say those things he wasn't going to get the nicest kind of response.

"You know me well enough to know I wouldn't do that shit. When I met (Y/n) she was in a car accident, I didn't know she was your ex because you never mentioned her name or what she looked like. When I knew who she was I told her I knew you and I'm sorry this hurts you but I don't know what you want me to say."

If Ben knew from the start who (Y/n) was then maybe he wouldn't have asked her to go on a date with him. Or maybe he would when he knew that she didn't have any feelings for Joe and had no intentions of getting back with him. But Joe was talking as if he had a chance of being with (Y/n) when she had told both men that she didn't want to be with Joe. So Ben being with her was only relevant because he hadn't told Joe from the start and because he was Joe's friend.

It wasn't as if he had suddenly ruined Joe's chances of getting back with (Y/n). "You went behind my back-"

"How? I admit we didn't tell you but you don't own her, Joe. She isn't yours and she has a right to keep her private life from you if she wants. I get that this hurts but I can't do anything about that and I can't apologise for being with her."

Ben would admit that they may have gone behind his back by not telling him but (Y/n) hadn't cheated on Joe and she hadn't led him on in any way. He was hurt but they hadn't done anything wrong and nor did they mean to hurt him even though they knew it was a possibility. Ben couldn't apologise for being with (Y/n) because he shouldn't have to and he wasn't sorry he is dating her.

"So if I got together with your ex even though I knew how you felt about her it would be fine?"

"And what about how I feel about her and Maddie? Is that irrelevant?" Ben bit back before he could stop himself. He knew this wasn't about him, this was about how Joe felt he was being betrayed and hurt by the relationship but Ben couldn't help how he felt. In the beginning, Ben told himself that if he was getting in the way or if there was a chance of (Y/n) and Joe getting together he would step back.

He told himself that it didn't matter how he felt about (Y/n) or Maddie because Joe was Maddie's father and if they could make a go of things it might be better for her and more stability in her life. Ben would have gladly stepped back in the beginning but he couldn't do that now. He had gotten in too deep and he wasn't going to walk away.

"Maddie isn't your daughter she's mine so yes whatever you feel is irrelevant. You don't even know (Y/n). You saved her from that car wreck and I could never have been more thankful to you for being there that night but you've known her for five minutes-"

Ben could see where Joe was coming from considering Maddie, even if it did sting to be told that it didn't matter that he cared for her. Maddie was Joe's daughter and all of them wanted that kind of stability for her but Ben really did care about her and he knew it would be a worse situation if Ben didn't get along with her at all. As for (Y/n), Ben's feelings were important because he wasn't stringing her along and he wasn't with her just to get back at Joe.

(Y/n)'s feelings were the most important though because if she wanted to be with Ben and not Joe then anything Joe said in this argument was irrelevant and condemned. He couldn't be with (Y/n) if she didn't love him or want to make a go of things with him.

"But I love her!" Ben raised his voice more than he wanted to but he couldn't seem to help it. He hadn't known (Y/n) for as long as Joe did but that didn't dismiss how he felt about her.

Ben couldn't walk away from her now because he loved her.

[lemonsandstrawberries]

Double Trouble Reunion, part 8

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony), Avengers,

universe: Double Trouble universe (Steve and Tony, T2 and S2)

summary: S1 and S2 became a lot closer in the last days and T1 suddenly founds himself bothered with it and T2 turns out to be a lot smarter and less naive than everyone always assumed.

length: 3 705 words

a/n: one day delay! I am getting better at this, haha. is there a hidden message for you all in this part? maybe *wink wink*. hope you will like it, feedback, likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated! if you have any ideas what would you like to read in this series, I am open to suggestions!

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Double Trouble Reunion, part 8

"Can you pass me carrots, doll?"

"Here you go, toots."

A flicker of eyes meeting. A flirting smile. A challenging tone of a voice. An almost palatable, sexual tension in the air. Oh, Tony knew that feeling well from his first encounter with Steve on the hellicarrier. He was content with the stable, loving relationship he had, but sometimes he missed the banter and teasing and the flutter of the heart it all brought. That's why he was becoming increasingly irritated.

A clink of a spoon against a metal pot got him back.

"You didn't add enough sugar in the tomato sauce, sugar."

"Just dip your finger in it and it will make it a whole lot sweeter, angel face."

"What the hell is going on?" Tony whispered to T2 over the cup of coffee. Unhelpfully, T2 was choking in laughter behind his cup, a platter of cookies between them as they were watching Steves preparing lunch in the kitchen. Seafood was great for special occasions, but pasta with homemade tomato sauce was their favorite quick meal.

"Oh, you know," T2 grinned behind his cup, listening to the ongoing banter masked in sweet voices and irritatingly sweet pet names. "They are just having a good time with each other. They became closer since-" T2 made some gesture in the air with his hand as if pointing to some timeframe.

Since.

Since was a vague term, but Tony exactly knew what the other him meant. Since that night. That night he and Steve were apart, while the other dimension couple was with each of them, having two entirely different experiences. And yes, he felt a lot closer both to T2 and S2 and it was amazing, but…

"Cupcake, where is the parmesan?"

"Just behind the cream, muffin-"

"Oh, God," Tony didn't last, grunting loudly and putting his empty cup down with a loud clang. "Just get a room, you two."

"NO!" T2 blurted out, also putting his cup down and spilling black coffee with an outrageous amount of sugar in it over the table. Steves paused their work and S2 closed the fridge, holding in his hands the piece of cheese he was searching for, while S1 turned around from the stove, both looking at their boyfriends.

T2 grinned in apology and grabbed a sponge S1 tossed to him to clean his mess. "Don't give them ideas," T2 hissed at his counterpart, wiping the coffee stain dry. "They are getting rooms too often already."

Tony bit the inside of his cheek after hearing the comment. It was true, and he was noticing that too. Too often both Steves were disappearing, just to come back after few minutes, flushed and with crumpled clothes, their eyes shining and lips wet and bruised. There was nothing wrong in quick make out, right? Tony sighed and stood up to get a refill of his coffee. Before he even reached his hand for the pot, Steve was already holding it and poured a fresh cup for him.

"Thanks, Steve," Tony said, forcing a smile on his lips.

"Welcome, babe," came an answer, and Steve leaned in placing a delicate kiss on his boyfriend's lips. Sweet and soft. There was a whole lot of tender affection still going on between them, even if the heat and greedy part of his share of intimacy was transferred to someone else.

"Hey, so when lunch will be ready?" T2 asked loudly, his stomach not getting filled up on cookies and coffee properly.

"Soon! Just need to finish the pasta and-"

Tony watched while sipping his coffee how everyone was involved in making their meal. S2 straining the pasta, Steve cleaning the table, and T2 already placing clean plates and utensils down, mentioning something about getting wine. It was a good, perfectly domestic picture.

Then why he was feeling like he was missing something…?

***

"Hey…"

Steve looked up from his sketchbook, his eyes meeting with S2. The other him was leaning closer to him, almost trapping him between himself and the couch, reaching his hands to Steve's neck and placing them dedicatedly, fingers wrapping into the short hair at the nape.

"Hm?" Steve asked, closing the sketchbook. He had just barely started drawing when he was interrupted. And S2 was looking at him with that dark, needy look, his lips slightly parted and he was getting closer and closer…

Steve remembered that when he and Tony started dating, they did this a lot too. Sneaking out in random times of the day to share a heated moment in private. It was love and lust going hand in hand. In his encounters with S2, he felt it was mostly lust speaking. It wasn't empty or meaningless by any means, but they never had it slow. They never took their time to map out their bodies, to feel each other, just went to for the spots to get themselves going and overwhelmed as if racing with time. And Steve was a romantic at heart and believed that S2 was too, so maybe they should have this conversation-

- but not before the last, quick make out. Talking would come later and Steve started to feel a growing need. Well, they were teasing each other the whole lunch after all.

With a shuddered breath, Steve leaned in closer, planning to meet the other's lips halfway. He knew the drill. After that, they would just tug themselves away, to some nearest room, shedding clothes and ready. One day he would initiate the talk about slowing down.

Seemed that he misinterpreted the signs entirely.

It wasn't a long kiss. It wasn't a strong hold on his shirt, pulling him up. Instead, he watched as S2's head suddenly moved away, just to come back with full force and speed. Forehead to forehead contact was quite painful and Steve screamed in shock and pain, an overwhelmingly white color bursting under his eyelids. When the pain subsided, Steve shook his head, his eyes flung open and he saw S2's blurry silhouette darting out from the living room, wild laughter following.

Son of a-

Steve jumped on his feet, massaging his forehead, lips thinned and a growl making its way deep out of him. "You are dead!" he yelled, leaving his sketchbook behind and chasing the other, accepting the invitation to play.

***

"You want to watch a movie?"

"Maybe," Tony scrunched his nose. He didn't have any plans for the afternoon. Seemed that Steves had plans if the tension during lunch was an indicator. Plans that didn't involve either him or T2.

"Come on," T2 wrapped his arm around the other him's neck, pulling him close. "I will let you chose whatever you want."

"Well, fine-"

"GET BACK HERE!"

"The hell-"

Somehow it reminded them of a scene from nature documentaries. They could compare it to a gazelle running away from a cheetah, but it didn't give it justice. More of a rhino escaping from another rhino, not paying attention to anything on its way and knocking out all obstacles. Just that the running rhino had a dopey smile on his face, while the chasing one was angered. Tonys jumped away from each other, cleaning the route of the chase, not wanting to become collateral damage. Just that-

"NO!" Tony yelled, while S2 instead of zooming between them, grabbed his arm and twirled with him, using him as a shield against Steve. It was all happening so fast, and laughter was involved when Steve jumped to them and tried to get his way past Tony, who was trapped between one laughing moron and one growling moron. "AH! DON'T INVOLVE ME IN YOUR STUPID GAMES!" Tony yelled, catching with his eyes sight of T2 flattened against the opposite wall, watching the scene with equal horror and amusement written all over his face. Fortunately, the attack didn't last long, and after few more twirls, he was let go, pushed into T2's arms, while two raging rhinos resumed their chase, footsteps, screams, and laughter echoing after them.

"You okay?" T2 asked, holding T1 who was still shocked and limp against him. The hell was that? Sometimes Steve did chase him for one reason or another, but it was nothing like that. Wild and untamed. Seemed that Steve didn't have to hold of any of the brutal force he had while dealing with another serum enhanced person.

"Super soldiers," Tony grunted, getting back on his feet with T2's help. "More like super morons."

T2 laughed, treating Tony much gentler and hooking arms with him, resuming their walk. "Come on, let's watch that movie."

"Yeah," Tony agreed, trying hard to zone out the sounds of Steves causing a ruckus and damage.

They sat in silence on the couch, Tony picking up a movie just as T2 promised, but still, he went with something he knew T2 would enjoy, just because he wasn't in a mood to watch anything. He just let his thoughts wander and enjoyed T2's company, as the other him lay down and put his head on his lap and Tony started to idly play with his hair, combing the soft strands. It was nice.

"You have to stop over thinking this."

"Huh?" Tony asked, blinking rapidly. He glanced at the screen, trying to figure out in what part of the movie they were. "Are you talking to me or to the TV?"

"To you," T2 huffed, turning on his back and glancing up at his counterpart. "I know that look."

"What look?"

"That look," T2 said, pointing a finger to his own face and jutting his lips forward and drawing eyebrows together, before relaxing his face. "That face you make when you're thinking too much and overanalyzing every little detail driving yourself crazy instead of focusing on the bigger picture."

"Since when you became so smart?" T1 asked, narrowing his eyes and T2 grinned cutely. "I am not over thinking anything."

"You are. It is just like back then when I showed up here for the first time."

Tony didn't like the direction this conversation was going. Not at all.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Tony tried to deflect, but it was hard to lie to himself.

"You," T2 pointed at him again, "are getting jealous."

"I am not," Tony replied immediately and way too quickly, slapping T2's hand out of the way, but brunet just pointed back at him and kept his arm stubbornly up.

"You are. It's like at the beginning with me, you were also jealous when Steve was spending time with me-" the words were cut off by laughter, when Tony jabbed his fingers into T2's underarm, tickling viciously and causing T2 to finally lower his arm and not obscure the view. "HAHAHA!"

"Stop being a smartass," Tony hissed in warning, using his other hand to attack and keep the wriggling man better in place and not let him scramble up. "Feel warned," he said, letting go after few more seconds.

"Ahaha…" T2 laughed quietly, holding arms crossed on his chest and protecting himself in case of another attack. He opened his eyes and looked back up at the other him. Tony tried to keep his face in his usual expression, but the tight jawline was giving him away. And they had to discuss it before he would go deeper and deeper and start to blow out things out of proportions because then it might lead to something ugly.

"It is okay to be jealou--- NO!" T2 screamed, already laughing when fingers hovered above him, ready to strike. He even pulled his knees up for double protection. "Just let me say this, and then you can do what you want!"

"What I want?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrows.

"What you want," T2 confirmed.

Tempting. Alright, maybe he could get a lecture in trade for this.

"Okay," Tony agreed, "but I will keep my hands like this," he bargained, having his fingers positioned over the other man, doing a little clawing motion, that already made T2 laugh in panic and twitch.

"But- aah," it would be harder, but T2 tried to not look at the fingers and focused on T1's face. He took a deep breath. "It's okay to be jealous. I was jealous of you too. We never had to share anything and always worked for ourselves. But this is not work, this is not business, this is about all of us. I know that when I and S2 dropped out of the portal, sooner or later you had to think about you being with both Steves. And I get that. Just before any of that happens, they have to first bond with each other. And clearly, this is their way of bonding. Just give them time to get it out of their system and I am sure, we will get our share of attention soon."

Dammit. Tony hated when the other him made sense. And he did. A lot. It was hard to admit, but Tony was indeed jealous. He was jealous that he wasn't the one who Steve teased, who he play wrestled with and who he dragged away to empty rooms. All the hugs, all the kisses, all the tender gestures, were still his, and it was good and great, but - it felt out of balance.

"Is that all?" Tony asked, instead of sharing his true thoughts.

"Y-yeah…" T2 confirmed, curling a bit in anticipation, a cute, nervous smile showing on his lips.

"Good," was all Tony said, before his fingers came into contact with T2's body, wriggling, and prodding in all good spots, and it was good to listen to T2's laughter and make him roll all over the couch but never letting him escape from his clutches. Really good.

***

"Hey, other me…"

"What?"

"Can we talk?"

S2 put down the dumbbells and sat up on the bench. He wiped off the sweat out of his forehead, and locked eyes with the other him. "About what?"

For a second there, Steve became completely stunned. Wow, post out workout was really flattering on him. Shiny skin, shirt clinging to his body, pronounced muscles. Maybe they could - no, focus. Too late, and S2 was already grinning hungrily, reading the silence.

"Oh," S2 said in a low voice, "you wanna-"

"Wha-no!" Steve quickly denied, but it was too late, and S2 was already walking to him.

"Why not?" S2 asked, stopping in his tracks and making a pouty face.

Steve opened and closed his mouth. That he wasn't expecting. "I said we need to talk!"

"You can use your mouth for something else-"

"Steve!"

"Okay, fine!" S2 gave up and raised his arms up. He sat on the bench and took one dumbbell, doing bicep curls with one hand. "What is it you want to talk about?"

Steve scratched the back of his neck. Wow, this wasn't going as smoothly as he planned. "About us."

Silence. S2 didn't break eye contact with him but was giving him time to elaborate on that.

Deep breath. "You know I enjoy spending time with you - don't do that -" he warned, noticing the triumphant smirk running over the other him's face. Jerk had to ruin it.

"I like spending time with you too, doll," S2 winked, probably thinking that he was helping. He wasn't.

"- but I think we should stop."

CLANG!

Steve jumped, seeing the dumbbell slipping out of S2's grasp and falling to the floor with a loud noise, avoiding his foot just by an inch.

"What? Why?" S2 asked, eyes widening in shock.

"Are you okay?!" Steve asked back, panicking a bit. Having a foot crushed under a dumbbell did sound like a painful thing.

"Yeah, I am fine, but - " S2 waved him off, pausing for a second when he saw where the dumbbell landed. That was a close one. He shrugged it off, having bigger problems. "Why do you think we should stop? Did I do something wrong?"

"No! No, everything is fine, just - don't you think we are doing this too quickly? From barely tolerating each other we suddenly jumped into this," he pointed between himself and Steve, "and it was fine at first, but doesn't it feel now…" Steve didn't know how to finish it to not sound awful.

"Forced and empty?" S2 supplied in, smiling sadly but in understanding. Steve looked surprised at the other him and slowly nodded. That's exactly how it felt recently.

"Gotta admit, I am kinda relieved you brought it up," S2 admitted, scratching the back of his head, repeating the gesture Steve did a few minutes back. "It was starting to feel like that for me too."

"Oh, I didn't know you were capable of feeling such emotions," Steve delivered in a calm voice, the snarky comment coming to him naturally before he could think better of it.

Luckily, S2 laughed, knowing that on S1's place, he would say the same. He walked the distance to stop in front of Steve. "So, how do we want to play this out? Should I take you out for a romantic candlelight dinner?" he asked, reaching his hand to Steve's face and caressing his cheek tenderly. "I already dragged you to bed, feels like a waste of time. UF!" S2 almost doubled over at the punch aimed in his stomach. More out of surprise than anything, as it wasn't measured to be painful.

"I would like that," Steve agreed, ignoring the last comment. "And with Tonys."

"Yeah, with Tonys… Feels like we neglected them a little."

"A little. But it was good for us, right?"

"Right," S2 said, coming closer. Time for something gentler and sweeter.

"Oh, don't mind us."

At the voice, Steves stopped the kiss but didn't slip out of their embrace. Just what they saw, made them squeeze the other a lot harder and their eyes bulge out.

Tony's preferred set of clothes for workout was a pair of drawstring pants and a tank top. Ironically, it was also his preferred set of clothes for a stay in days. Or for sleeping, closely following sleeping nude or in Steve's shirt. This was new. Yoga pants, clinging to skin and squeezing just in the right places. Crop tops, ending below the ribs and showing a nice amount of bare skin. Steves started to practically drool.

"We just came to do some yoga," Tony said, stretching himself on the mat, his crop top rising higher, while the waistband of the yoga pants got even lower.

"More I did, from what I know T1 had to work on his flexibility," T2 said, joining the other him and also stretching, presenting the same tempting image.

Acting on instinct, Steves turned more to Tonys, watching them in an almost predatory way, never blinking. Tonys were pretending to not pay any attention, chatting with each other, but it was obvious that the whole workout was a show for Steves. Tony did follow T2's advice and decided to give Steves time. Just no one said anything about quickening the process.

"Let's start with the classic."

Steves watched. Saw muscles stretching, the delicate line of arms, strong thighs working out and the downward dog position broke both their brains a bit. They wouldn't see what they saw if Tonys chose to wear regular pants.

"I am gonna teach you something new," T2 said to T1, strategically standing with his front facing drooling Steves. "It is great for opening the chest and stretching lower back," he said and kneeled down. Next, he leaned to the back, hands placed on his ankles and his front pushed out and stretched. S2 almost jumped up violently, seeing his fiance all opened, the crop top moving up while the yoga pants seemed to slide down even lower, showing his stomach all tight and exposed and the line of hips. Steve had to hold S2 back discreetly, feeling that it would get better.

Tony whistled, noticing that looking from the side, T2's legs and lower back were forming a perfectly straight line. "Nice. I guess your thighs must be burning?"

Steve made an involuntarily, longing sound in his throat, that wasn't missed by S2. Both Tonys did have great thighs.

"Nah, I am actually a pro in this position. I could last like this for hours."

"Oh, you could?" Tony asked in a mischievous voice. It was that moment. S2 felt a wave of gratefulness that S1 stopped him on time.

"Let's see then," Tony said, stepping closer and putting his hand to the stretched out stomach, dragging his fingertips up. T2 giggled immediately and rolled his belly, something that made both Steves gasp in need.

"Ah! Hihihi! Tohohony!"

"I am barely touching you," Tony said, moving his fingertips lightly across the soft skin, feeling that T2 began to tremble. "Hey, you said you can last long like this."

"I cahahahan!"

"Is that a challenge I hear?"

"PHIHIHI!"

There was a finger drawing small circles around the innie belly button, making its way inside the outstretched dip and T2 was laughing, fighting hard with himself to not curl up. Everything felt much more intense with his back in such a position. Open and vulnerable.

Steves glanced at each other, seeing the same heated look reflected in their eyes. They did make a promise to pay more attention to their boyfriends.

Tony was having fun, using his pinkie finger to wriggle continuously into the offered belly button, listening to the funny sound of T2's laughter. He wasn't that surprised, but still acted like that, when he was pulled back and pressed to Steve's chest, who smiled at him hungrily. With the corner of his eyes, he saw S2 crouching in front of T2, taking his place and not going subtle and using two hands straight away, fingers dancing on the tanned skin, and T2 shrieked in laughter, collapsing the mat so S2 could pin him down and go to town.

Steve had the same plans for his Tony.

It was the outcome, Tonys were hoping for, but still, they couldn't possibly prepare themselves for the amount of laughter they would have to do. And they laughed a lot and it was a better workout than yoga.

—————-

<– previous part // next part —> 

[misterewrites]

So you discovered a terrible secret and you regret it (title pending)

Hello everyone, Mr.E here and I am finally finished with my original work! YAY! WOOO! Sorry I was using this to get back into the swing of things before I start writing pirates part 3. 

So I love me my supernatural, gothic horror. I’ve made that very clear during the monster hunter au I wrote and I didn’t want to bog that all down with the ideas i kept coming up with so I decided I would make my own series so I didn’t clog that au up. I don’t know if I’m going to keep this going (in true fashion I have written a whole plot for this) but if you like what you read, let me know. I am more than happy to keep writing this story especially if I need breaks from writing other stuff.

So the story: Viktor Von Issac is the classic vampire hunter. Veronica is a huge fan of his work and his stories and loves reading every story she can about him even if she’s a Junior in High School and working on keeping her grades and social life alive. But one day, she stumbles upon a well kept secret about her school and she realizes maybe she was wrong about a few things. 

That’s basically it. I made my own Van Helsing.Umm yeah let me know what you all think, if I should keep it going, if you enjoyed it. Have an amazing week everyone, see you soon with the part 3 of the pirates au and I hope you enjoy my crazy story! 

Notification Squad: @artgirllullaby @hipster-rapunzel @ladyxgilex @thefandombytes @minthia-ren @axis2700 @burst-zen @isolated-frequencies @toon-addicted (Sorry you’re on the list, it’s easy just to add you here too) @nerdymetalhead 

Estella's heaving and huffing could scarcely be heard over the booming thunder, the violent rattle of the slowly crumbling church that shook to its very core, rain pouring through the broken, decaying structure like moonlight.

She strained her ears for any sign of the monster that chased them but between the bleeding Henryk's gasps for air and the rhythmic pounding of rain against the flooded wooden floor, nothing could be heard.

“Come on” she whispered hopefully to the dying man she carried around her shoulders “Just a bit further.”

Henryk groaned in response but gave no words.

Fear began ebbing into Estella's resolve, her boots sloshing against the slowly rising tide.

“We'll be okay” She whispered to herself in a blind hope “We'll be okay”

A chilly wind swept through the abandoned place of worship, a numbing frost spread throughout her body. She could feel her legs wobble and sway uneasily, Henryk's body growing heavier each passing moment and the syrupy urge to give in tugged at her, beckoning sweetly.

Estella bit her lip hard, the sharp pain awakening her instincts, renew vigor flowing through her and the will to press on overcame the terror that had been quietly growing.

The door was just a few feet away. Just a few more feet and she could escape deeper into the forest with Henryk.

Her heart stopped when she heard the moaning of the old oak doors open, the rusty hinges shrieking into the night while a silhouetted figure stood in the door frame menacingly.

“Vampyre” Estella murmured under her breath, her body tensed for battle as she reached for a knife tucked away in Henryk's coat pocket.

“I am afraid you are mistaken my dear” the shadow replied with a reassuring tone “I am no vampyre, I am...”

“Von Issac!” a warm feeling ignited within her despite the frigid rain as famed vampyre hunter Viktor Von Issac stepped forth from the shadows and into the moonlight.

He was no different than last she saw the slightly older man: His handsome youthful face brimming with a cocksure confident that contrasted with his well kept black and gray hair, his hazel eyes narrowed with both worry and conviction. A soothing grin graced his lips. His long frayed black coat and white collared shirt soaked from the rainfall. He wiped at his black dressed pants, his matching loafers dully echoing the splashes of water as he made his way closer.

“Von Issac.” Estella began but he rose a hand to silence her.

“We haven't any time. You and my brother have foolishly followed an ill fated plan and now Malikiah rouses from his slumber. You two must make haste and leave.”

“Viktor...” Henryk crocked, his hand weakly reaching for his kin.

Viktor took his brother's hand, clasping it tightly in his grasp “I am here my brother but you must not be.”

Viktor turned to Estella, a grim determination ablaze in his eyes “Take him to a doctor for if I fail at least the Von Issac name does not end with me.”

“Viktor...” Estella whispered softly, her heart aching with longing “I cannot just leave you here to face that....thing.”

Viktor cupped Estella's face gently “What has happened has happened and regrets have been made but I am afraid this is not the time. You cannot remain. You must leave.”

“But...”

“GO!” Viktor shouted without warning.

Startled and against her own wishes, Estella bolted through the door, her frame swallowed whole by the shadows.

Viktor let out a saddened sigh as the echo of footsteps approached from beyond the church altar.

“Malikiah” he growls furiously as he pulled out his trusty crucifix and cane.

A sweet whistling fills the air, piercing effortlessly through the pouring rain and deafening thunder. It is a slow melody of a song Viktor's mother once sang to him long ago. A treasured memory twisted and corrupted.

“I so loved the Hall of the Mountain King.” Viktor spoke calmly “But you knew that didn't you, Malikiah? Darkly attempting to taint my childhood.”

Two irises of red filled with amusement appear from the swirling, shifting night.

“Indeed but now that you have traveled deep into the darkness, into my kingdom, did you like what you found little Gynt?”

“Hardly” Viktor spat viciously.

“Oh well.” A toothy smirk gleamed through the dark.

Von Issac held his breath as, for the first time in nearly a decade, his most hated foe stepped into the moonlight: His black and white hair were short and impeccably groomed, his eyes a hungry red. He wore only the finest clothing, black as his soul and the interior of his cape as red as the blood he sought to drain. His skin was a deathly pale but still possessed an inhumanly timeless face much like a statute from an ancient empire long since passed. His fingernails were long and beastly as the steady dripping of crimson fell from them.

Malikiah glided across the water, soundless and without disturbing the surface, the shadows clung to him and trailed behind like a cloak.

Viktor held his crucifix high, its outline glowing with a heavenly bright light that grew brighter with each moment.

Malikiah raised his claws, a twisted smile etched on his face as he inched closer, bloodust singing in his eyes as he lunged forward, fangs bare and....

The scene changed and instead of an epic fight to the death Veronica was hoping for, a well dressed man appeared onscreen, some soda product in his hands and a forced smile on his lips.

“Oh come on!” she cried, angrily growling at the television “It was just getting to the good part! I didn't finish my homework at school for this crap!”

“Are you yelling at the television again sweetie?” Her mother called from the other room.

“Yes!” Veronica answered truthfully “This is the last movie in the classic 1950's Von Issac series and they always cut it off during the big fight between him and Malikiah.”

“It's fiction sweetie.”

“It's annoying is what it is.” Veronica huffed, angrily plopping on her bed “Ugh I hate when it's getting good and suddenly without warning, boom! Commercials.”  

“Shouldn't you be asleep?”

Veronica coughed softly as she dove under the covers, feigning sleep when her mother's footsteps drew closer.

RIIIIIIIING.

Veronica let out a sleepy yawn, rubbing tiredly at her hazel eyes. Her medium length brown hair was tied in a hastily put together ponytail. The 16 year old was rocking her usual fashion of a pink collared dress and black dress pants.

Her tiredness slowed her efforts to open her locker and bolt before a certain person arrived. Normally she wouldn't even have to see him if she was quick enough but between her late night movie binge watching session and her English homework, her mind was too fatigued to properly focus. She resisted scoffing in annoyance as Richard Todd lazily strolled up to the neighboring locker, his gray eyes shooting a quick glance to the book she held in her hand.

True to typical Richard fashion he was wearing that stupid black beanie over his reddish brown hair, a leather jacket over his black t-shirt, faded denim jeans tucked into the most stereotypical boots to be found in every single teenage drama show ever. The very picture of a boy trying too hard to be bad.

“You know.” Richard began, his hands twisting and turning at the knob “It's weird to see you still here. Running late?”

“None of your business” Veronica shot back.

“Snippy as ever” Richard rolled his eyes in irritation “And still reading that fictional crap?”

Veronica slammed her locker door angrily “Hey! It's a good series. One of the better Von Issac stories. You don't see me mocking any of your favorite books.”

Richard scoffed in response “You know nothing of Von Issac.”

She stuck out her tongue “I know more than you! You probably have never read a Von Issac story in your entire life!”

“I prefer his original work” Richard admitted, his hand shifting through his locker contents “But I doubt you ever read it. It is extremely rare. “

“Oh please you're just saying that to get a rise out of me” Veronica frowned.

“I do no such thing”

“Oh? Is that why you keep mocking me?” her eyes flared furiously “Provoking me by judging my book choices. You don't even read! You wouldn't know a good book if it hit you over the head!”

Richard closed his locker and cracked his fingers nonchalantly “Of course I would. Books are the best for blunt force trauma.”

Veronica scoffed, eyes narrowed in a glare as Richard left without a word.

“I can't believe him” she murmured quietly to herself “Judging me on my book choices.”

“Yeah I totally ship it.”

Veronica turned and openly glared at her approaching best friend.

Sally Hawkins was the same age as her bestie with long black hair often tied in a braid that hung off her shoulder. She had a few freckles sprayed across the bridge of her nose that drew attention to her light brown eyes. Today's outfit of choice was a dark navy blue shirt with the slogan “Will art for food” with various ink and paint stains all over her jeans, her feet comfortably exposed to the chilly morning air in their flip flop shelter.

“Don't you start Sally” Veronica threatened, finger poised to further her point

“I'm just saying he's cute, you're cute. That's like a third of the shipping cornerstone.”

“He is not cute!”

“Just a little Ronnie?” Sally asked, gesturing with her finger and thumb nearly touching one another.

“Not even a little.” Veronica smacked her bestie's hand away “He is the worst.”

“I don't know” Sally replied gently “I mean he just teases you. I've met guys that are far worse than that. And it's not like he's cruel about it. Everyone knows how defensive you get about your books.”

“I like to read.” Veronica huffed

“What kind of popular girl are you? Reading like you enjoy it. Psst.”

“I do enjoy it Sally.”

Sally shook her head in disappointment “For shame.”

“Besides” Veronica went on “It's not just the books. It's his whole attitude towards me.”

“Oi vey. Here we go again.”

“It's true Sal! He seems to be out to personally annoy the hell out of me.”

Sally shook her hands mockingly “Watch out. You said hell. You must be sooooo right about your assumptions”

“Look, if he isn't making fun of my books....”

“We all do sweetie but go on.”

Veronica glowered at Sally through gritted teeth “Like I was saying, if he isn't making fun of my books, he actively bars my path”

Sally stopped, lost for a moment “Bars? Did you really just say bars? Like impede? Why didn't you use impede? That's a much better word.”

“Sally, focus sweetie.”

“....Bars?” She mouthed once again but her fuming best friend continued with her rant

“Anyway, I can literally count the times he has either forced me out of a room or blocked me from entering a room or actively shooed me away from some dark corner of the school. I don't care what he does but it's my right to travel wherever I want! He doesn't the own the school and he sure as hell can't tell me where to go! I tell me where I go!”

“Mhm” Sally murmured “Did you ever think that maybe it was for the best? I mean he's the resident stereotypical bad boy. Doesn't talk to anyone.”

“Almost always ditching class” Veronica added

“No one really knows anything about him or where he disappears off too.”

“Friends with the stoners that smoke in the third floor boy's bathroom.”

“Cute” Sally tried to sneak in but was quickly silenced by a gentle smack to the arm “Oww! Okay okay. But seriously he hits all the check marks. Clothes, attitude, general lack of...okay no that's every teen trapped in school. ”

“He's just a wannabe.” Veronica fumed “He's acting out because it's cool or something. You know what?”

“No but I bet you're going to tell me whether I want to hear it or not.”

“I'm not going to let him push me around anymore.” Veronica continued

Sally sighed in response “Yeah that's what I thought.”

“The next time he tells me to leave the room or tries to stop me, I'm just going no to him! And do whatever I was planning on doing! Yeah! This is a good plan.”

“If it's a good plan, why do you need to confirm to yourself that it in fact is a good plan?”

“Oh shut it Sally. It's called positive reinforcement.”

“Is that what you call it? I usually call it denial.”

“I hate you so much.'”

“Love you too sweetie.”

To say that Veronica was distracted by her fantasy of vengeance through first and well into second period would've been an understatement. The proper term would've been consumed.

She dug up half buried memories of all her fellow Junior's slights against her: The time he refused to let her into the chemistry room to retrieve her notebook, knocking her food off her tray without a second thought (he did it to other people as well but started with hers), that weird flower he left in her locker that made her violently ill.

And with each passing moment, her anger grew and grew to an uncontainable fury.

She was not going to take this anymore! She refused to let this carry on any further and this time Richard was going to answer for all he had done, whether he remembered or not! And given the fact his seat was currently empty which meant he ditching class once again, he was probably off doing something stupid and Veronica wasn't really sure where this was going but it gave her a smug satisfaction nevertheless that she was a diligent student who tried her best even if school wasn't the most engaging!

“Miss Rizal, is there any particular reason you are trying to destroy your pencil?”

Veronica blinked once and instead of being wrapped in the joyous rapture of finally standing up to her most hated foe, she found herself staring at a very unamused English teacher, gray eyes searching hers for an answer.

“Oh!” she instinctively straightened up “Miss Seybold, I'm sorry! I...I was distracted”

The 28 year old pursed her lips, pressing her glasses further on the bridge of her nose “I can see that. Any particular reason why? It isn't like you to wander during English.”

Perhaps it was due to her unrestrained anger or perhaps because he was the last thing on her mind but Veronica couldn't help glancing over to the empty desk.

Miss Seybold caught her gaze at once “Mr. Todd is not here and none of your concern. To each their own and Mr. Todd has chosen not to be here.”

“Why doesn't the school suspend him?” Veronica asked quizzically “He's missed more than the appropriate amount of days.”

Miss Seybold's brown eyes widened for a moment before becoming indifferent, cold.

“I believe that is not your decision Miss Rizal. Besides I am sure Mr. Todd has his reasons for not being here. Regardless, you should probably focus on your work. It is the more pressing issue”

Veronica pouted for a moment, the embers of her rage still burning despite the conversation “May I use the bathroom?”

“Of course.”

“Deep breaths Ronnie.”

Veronica stopped a moment, taking the deepest breath she could muster.

She forgot how easy it was to get angry, to let loose her emotions in an uncontrolled torrent.

Leaning against a random locker, she could hear the noises of the school: The scraping of sneakers against the sleek tile floors, the murmuring of teachers at work, the scratchy noises of chalk against a solid surface.

Veronica paused for a moment, thinking to herself “Chalk?”

She glanced around, ear straining to find the source of the noise.

It was soft, nearly inaudible but definitely something being scribbled upon.

Veronica frowned: Should she investigate further? It's only been a minute since she left the classroom and while she had no intention of actually going to the bathroom, if she took too long Miss Seybold might not be happy when she returned.

More scratching. Patient and controlled. Whoever was doing this was in no rush to finish whatever it was they were working on.

“I'll check it out” she decided “I can just see and tell Miss Seybold. She'll call the janitor and proctor and it'll all be good. Awesome.”

Veronica inched closer to the source of the noise, tip toeing as to not alert whoever was breaking the rules.

The scrawling barely grew in volume the closer she got. Lockers turned to pale bare painted walls and barely functional lighting as she realized she was heading to the utility  storage room used by the janitorial crew. She rounded the corner and before she knew it, she was looking at the back of a familiar looking jacket.

“You! That's vandalism and against school rules” She growled, the flames of anger ablaze once more.

Richard paused for a moment, twisting his head from his work only to say “You should go.”

Veronica huffed despite herself “You...”

“Me.” Richard replied before standing to full height “You can go ahead and leave.”

Veronica opened her mouth to retort but he just walked into the room and closed the door shut without another word.

3

2

1

“That little” she snarled “I am done with this.”

There was nothing but red. A white intense fury that dug deep into her being and refused to go out. She saw his 'work', some sort of tacky circle with strange symbols outlined around it, and she smeared it. She ruined the poor excuse for graffiti and just wiped and wiped until it was an unrecognizable smudge on the faded metal. A petty satisfaction filled her with pride but she wasn't done yet. Oh not even close. The dam had been broken and there was no stopping it now.

She pushed open the door and strolled in without pause.

There was a soft click of the door closing behind her that sounded thunderous in her ears as she was plunged into darkness. Streaks of sunlight broke through the uneven bent blinds that covered the windows but all she could see were specks of dust floating lazily in the air and silhouettes of towering cabinets. No sign of the troublemaker or his goal.

There were no murmurs of lessons or squeaking sneakers on smooth tiles. Instead there was a thick silence that blanketed this place far heavier than the shadows and even her own timid footsteps seemed to be muted by the quiet of the room.

The rage drained out of her and instead a deep sense of dread came. She could feel her hairs stand on end, the fear of breaking this unnatural silence loomed over as she ventured within. Something was wrong here. Something was....angry.

She stopped for a moment and that's when she heard the noise that had set her body on edge: It was low, animalistic growl that hummed with a savage hunger.

And then without warning, the most unexpected thing happened.

“Hey buddy” Richard spoke in a casual yet soft tone “You're not supposed to be here.”

There was a snort like a dog breathing through its nose.

“I know we have a test today but you shouldn't have come. Your rune is broken and we can't have you wandering about. If someone saw you....”

A shameful grunt was the response.

“Walter.” The name tickled Veronica's memory but she couldn't think of what it could mean “Walter buddy, you need to go home. Once we fix your rune, you can come back and I'm sure we can get make ups for your tests. Okay?”

Veronica strained her ears as this Walter murmured quietly, too low for her to catch his reply.

Richard sighed tiredly “Look, I got these same tests. You gotta think of other people. You are being really selfish right now.”

'Walter' snarled, knocking over some supplies that boomed uncomfortably in the silence.

“He must've brought his dog” Veronica muttered “Is there no end to his civil disobedience?”

That was the last straw and the fury reignited. No more outs. No more being polite. It was time to take this self absorbed jerk down a peg!

She stormed out of her hiding place, confidence and determination filling her steps as she made her way to the back of the room.

Richard turned around but rather than fear or surprise, it was a mild annoyance that danced in his eyes.

She didn't care. This was her moment and she was being petty but it was totally justified and she was going to...

“Veronica? Is that you?”

She stopped. She had never heard him speak her name outloud in the three years she'd been dealing with him. It felt and off, awkward and strange. She lost her thought for a moment and then she lost her breath as two red eyes glimmered in the darkness, fixated on her and her alone.

“Veronica” Richard repeated, the full weight of the situation dawning on him “What are you doing here? I told you to leave.”

She barely registered the controlled ire in his voice. The red eyes twinkled, its elongated snout sniffed the air as if trying to determine who had dared interrupt the two. Two fangs dully gleamed as the shadows themselves shifted and moved.

Whatever it was stood up and unlike the two teens, it was tall far taller than that what she had expected. Its muscles were lanky yet lean and what she previous thought was just an awkwardly shaped silhouette was its body. Jet black fur covered its frame, blending it with the surrounding darkness. Even at full height, it was bent low as to not hit its head on the ceiling.

Richard realized his mistake at once. He turned quickly back to the beast, arms raised as if to calm it

“Walter, WALTER CALM DOWN OR ELSE YOU'RE GOING TO...”

'Walter' lost it.

He rose his arm, pulling back before lashing out with surprising speed.

Richard managed to dive under the attack, skidding across the floor for a moment before jumping to his feet. He ran at the beast who hesitated for a moment and tackled it with his full weight.

The beast hardly budged and attacked once more, swiping at the grappling troublemaker. Richard leaned into the attack before being violently shoved sideways. He stumbled a moment and the creature took its chance to escape. He dropped down onto all fours and raced towards Veronica who was still paralyzed with fear.

Richard held onto a nearby cabinet to steady himself when he caught sight of the frozen girl. He let out a frustrated groan before pulling down the furniture onto the escaping beast.

Its dog-like ears perked up and it tumbled sideways, crashing into and knocking over the rest of the cabinets that lined the room to avoid being trapped, their spilled contents unbearably loud to the frightened Veronica.

It scurried out the door, its sharp claws digging into the school tile deeply.

“Hey” Richard rushed over Veronica “Hey, what did I tell you?”

“What...” She muttered, the shock of it all still not wearing off yet.

“Focus” Richard snapped his fingers “What did I tell you?”

“I...I...”

Richard pressed on “I told you to leave. I told you to go. For someone so smart you are awfully bad at listening.”

“Werewolf....” Veronica managed to get out “Th-that was a...”

“A Wulver” Richard corrected, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly “Thematically similar but not the same.”

“It..it...claws....and...and fangs!”

“Yes as wolf-like creatures tend to be. Alright I'm going to leave you here...”

“NO!” Veronica cried, grabbing onto his sleeve tightly “No no no please don't I...I...”

“You are in shock” he explained carefully, gently prying off her grasp on him “You need to relax. I will be back once I calm Walter down and get him off school grounds.”

“H-he ran.” she stammered “into the hall. I...he's....he's...”

“Don't worry” Richard calmly answered “I set a magic circle on the door. He's just outside, paralyzed and completely harmless.”

Magic circle? Veronica thought to herself before realizing he was taking about his strange art he drew on the door “Oh.”

Then it hit her.

“Oh”

Richard looked at her then back at the door then back to Veronica, a sheepish grin slowly forming on her face.

“Seriously?” He muttered before breaking off into a sprint, not even questioning what her response meant.

Veronica ran after him, the fear of being left alone while whatever it was roamed the school halls was far too overwhelming “It's not my fault!” “I told you to leave Veronica!”

“That was vague!” Veronica shot back as the two burst into the hallway “Maybe if you told me what was going on, I would've listened”

“It's a secret for a reason” Richard replied, his eyes frantically searching for any sign of the creature “I was keeping you safe because it's my flipping job and you are such a nosy person!”

“I am no...wait, I am?” Veronica questioned but Richard had broke off into another sprint “Hey wait! I HAVE QUESTIONS!”

“Well, run and talk! I got work to do!” he shot back irritably

“.....Whoops” Veronica murmured to herself before chasing after him “Well how was I supposed to know?!”

“You weren't. That's the point. Hard left.”

In a single graceful movement, Richard slid effortlessly across the floor, rounding the corner with ease and speed.

Veronica nearly tripped over the sudden directional change and flailed to keep up.

“What do you mean I'm not supposed to know? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE'S WEREWOLVES RUNNING AROUND MY SCHOOL!”

“Keep your voice down” Richard glared openly at her “The idea is to keep it a secret, not blab it down the hallways!”

“Why are there werewolves in our school?” she asked softly.

“Wulver” Richard corrected before coming to a stop.

“Is there a difference?”

Richard looked at her, unable to believe what she just said “Yes. A big one. That is very insensitive.”

Veronica gasp in disbelief “Did you just call me...”

“Yes” Richard answered “Now no more question until we find him.”

“I hate you.” Veronica said

“I am well aware of that. Come on, he likes to go to the football field.”

“Why?”

“Well he is the captain of the team.”

“What?” Veronica halted in her tracks “I'm sorry, what?! Walter?! Wait tiny short Walter whose super shy and like freaking strong Walter?”

“Did I stutter?” Richard took off once more “Why do you think he's so good at tackling people?”

Veronica rubbed her eyes tiredly.

“Well shit.”

[aion-rsa]

The Biggest Geek Culture Moments of 2020

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This article contains a spoiler for The Mandalorian Season 2

2020 has been a wild and unpredictable year for most of us, but it also brought with it a ton of key cultural incidents and shifts that kept online news and trade outlets pretty busy at their keyboards. As we finally grind toward the end of a very weird 12 months, we’ve been looking back at some of the more stand-out moments in geek culture, which we’ll recap with you here.

You may find that these cultural markers aren’t listed in chronological order. That’s because in 2020, time ceased to exist in its previously understood form. Wednesday rarely meant anything, Monday was still technically the worst but couldn’t be trusted either way, Saturdays were no longer reserved for the notion of relaxation, and any given Tuesday might as well have taken place in a different universe, such was the obliqueness of its concept. Is it December right now, or July? No one really knows anymore.

But things still happened in 2020! Things and stuff definitely happened, we’re almost sure of it. Here are some of the things and stuff that probably happened, several of which you’d struggle to explain to a past version of yourself without the board from Chernobyl and scheduled breaks…

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Get COVID-19

Shit got real on March 11 when beloved Forrest Gump actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson both tested positive for COVID-19 while filming on location in Australia. 63-year-old Hanks, who has Type 2 Diabetes and a stent in his heart, was fairly sure he was in a high-risk group, but at the time we still knew very little about the virus.

Hanks’ updates on he and Wilson’s recovery were little lights in the darkness over the next few weeks, and when the pair appeared to have made it through the worst, there was a sense of relief that 2020 would – at the very least – not steal him, but Hanks said he was way more relaxed than us about the whole thing. “I’m not one who wakes up in the morning wondering if I’m going to see the end of the day or not,” he told The Guardian. “I’m pretty calm about that.” He’s since become a strong advocate for social distancing measures. – KH

Tiger King of the World

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness debuted on Netflix globally on March 20, becoming the first quarantine binge of the pandemic. A problematic series from the get-go, there was comfort to be found in its existence, as it became apparent that even if things were really quite shit at home, at least you hadn’t been fed to a tiger yet. Or sent to jail for arranging a hit on your nemesis. Or had accidentally shot yourself in the head. Or, etc and so on. – KH

The Snyder Cut Rises

They said it would never happen. And by “they” I have to confess, I mean “we.” But it’s true, Warner Bros. actually is spending tens of millions of dollars to let Zack Snyder finish his Justice League movie as he originally intended it. And the fans who have kept hope alive since the disappointing Joss Whedon-helmed theatrical cut of the movie are getting even more than they bargained for, since the no-longer-mythical “Snyder Cut” isn’t just a movie, it’s a four hour long miniseries event headed to HBO Max.

The early 2021 release of the Director’s Cut of Justice League (which now appears to be its official title) will mark the culmination of five years of fan demands, and will finally put a bow on Snyder’s original vision of the DCEU, completing the trilogy he began with 2016’s Man of Steel. Hopefully it lives up to everyone’s expectations. – MC

Next-Gen Gaming Breaks the Internet…Literally

2020 turned out to be a very important year for gaming. Not only did it see the release of many highly-anticipated titles, such as The Last of Us Part II, Cyberpunk 2077, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Ghost of Tsushima, but it also ushered in a new generation of gaming with the arrival of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 as well as new PC graphics cards from NVIDIA and AMD.

Unfortunately, when it comes to next-gen gaming in 2020, all other topics of discussion are eclipsed by just how difficult it’s been to actually buy any of these new consoles or GPUs. From the moment pre-orders opened, getting one of these next-gen products has been a nightmare. Retail sites like Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop went down almost immediately on day 1 of pre-orders for both consoles, and have remained generally low in stock ever since, servers shaky at best. And the scalpers who used bots to buy up consoles and graphics cards to flip for exorbitant prices certainly haven’t helped.

If you got that next-gen gaming experience you wanted for Christmas this year, count yourself lucky! – JS

Trolls World Tour Starts a War

Universal’s Trolls World Tour was the first major movie to properly break and go straight to go streaming in 2020. Whether this was a movie you’d have personally sought out or not, it would have made a ton of money in a non-pandemic year. After that, eyes turned to the big studios, as we waited to see whether the likes of Black Widow, Bill & Ted Face the Music, or Mulan would follow suit.

Warner Bros., who had strenuously backed Christopher Nolan’s Tenet for a theatrical release, did a handbrake turn late in 2020 when it announced – to much industry outrage – that its full schedule of big budget movies, including Dune and The Matrix 4, would see a “day and date” streaming release on HBO Max in 2021 after Wonder Woman 1984 would do the same on Christmas Day. Disney has so far refused to match this gambit, but there are big changes and repercussions afoot for the theatrical release model, even when this is all over. – KH

Disney Doesn’t Throw Away Its Shot

While the first couple of movies to crack the theatrical window such as Trolls: World Tour and Onward were treated as relatively low stakes and aimed at a younger demographic, no early release came earlier, or made as much noise, as Hamilton going to Disney+ over Independence Day Weekend. The filmed version of the original cast performance dropped on the streamer a full 15 months ahead of its planned theatrical release, and it was by any measure a roaring success, finally enabling millions of people who had long been enamored with the soundtrack but been shut out of ticket lotteries and prohibitive Broadway pricing to experience Lin-Manuel Miranda’s history lesson in the comfort of their own home.

Early data suggests that his was the biggest direct-to-streaming release of the year, which should surprise exactly nobody. – MC

Of course, the success of Hamilton emboldened…

Borat 2 Sex Lawyer

Donald Trump’s most visible lawyer Rudy Giuliani already had a bad rep, but in late October he was literally caught with his hands down his pants in a New York City hotel room after being tricked into comedian Sasha Baron Cohen’s Borat sequel, Subsequent Moviefilm. During one particular scene, Borat and his ‘daughter’ Tutar (Maria Bakalova) tried to seduce Giuliani.

“Rudolph was Donald’s best buddy in the whole world,” Borat narrated. “And also very dignified statesman of the highest order. This would not be easy.”

If you’re really serious about legally challenging the vote you don’t send your two worst kids and the Borat sex lawyer.

— Ned Hartley (@NedHartley) November 6, 2020

It was in fact very easy, and he reportedly thought she was only 15. Still struggling with the knowledge that Giuliani got away with it? You and everyone else, pal. Still, at least he might go down in history as “the Borat sex lawyer.” – KH

Timthetatman’s Fall Guys Twitch Gauntlet

Timthetatman’s August quest to win a crown on Mediatonic’s smash hit battle royale knockout game Fall Guys was a supremely satisfying highlight of the year. Streamer Timothy Betar, who can typically be found playing slightly more ‘grown up’ games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on Twitch, simply got a bee in his bonnet about not being able to win at Fall Guys. Betar spent nearly two weeks playing the game for long stretches of time as his audience grew exponentially, almost always failing at the very last moment, while a huge chunk of the gaming community trolled and encouraged him in equal measure – including the official Fall Guys Twitter account.

In the end, almost 340,000 viewers were watching Tim live on Twitch as he finally snatched a single Fall Guys crown, giving those of us trapped at home a chance to experience a single vicarious moment of pure exhilaration. Truly wonderful. – KH

“Crisp Rat”

It was a big year for Chris Pratt on social media, despite the fact that he didn’t really do much of note except have a baby and finish filming Jurassic World: Dominion. The fallout from 2019’s accusations that the actor attends an anti-LGBT church was the blood that pumped through the veins of Twitter’s 24/7 cancellation machine, refueled by Pratt’s non-appearance at Joe Biden’s virtual fundraiser alongside other MCU castmates.

Some saw this as “evidence” that the actor was deserving of a cancelation, and he was dubbed “the worst Chris” in Hollywood. Robert Downey Jr. and other Marvel stars jumped to his defence, declaring Pratt “a real #Christian who lives by #principle” and who has “never demonstrated anything but #positivity and #gratitude”, but Twitter had made up its mind, and it was soon recasting Jack Black in every role Pratt had filled to date. – KH

His Name …Is Grogu

It’s rather surreal to think that The Mandalorian’s powerful pop culture impact was mostly attributed to a character who had no proper name, only officially referred to as “The Child,” and colloquially—for lack of a better term—dubbed “Baby Yoda.” However, this year’s Chapter 13 would see Rosario Dawson’s debuting live-action version of animated favorite Ahsoka Tano use the Force to child-whisper the name of “Grogu.” In doing so, fans, Star Wars-driven SEO, and the Disney merchandising apparatus received an early Christmas present. However, even with the emotionally evocative Season 2 finale in the rear-view mirror, breaking the habit of calling him Baby Yoda is going to be a process as tough as worrying about his safety, especially given his new destination, and with whom it will likely have him come into contact. – JB

Tenet-cious C

Christopher Nolan was the butt who wouldn’t quit in 2020 as he sought to Save Cinema with his highly anticipated blockbuster about time travel, heists and many guns going pow-pow-pow. Whether it was his intention or not, he seemingly encouraged punters to ignore escalating scientific evidence to avoid indoor public spaces and trot along to their local theatre to watch the film. Nolan’s heart was probably in the right place, but it was a bad look for the director overall, compounded by Tenet’s eventual release on streaming, when the majority of keen audiences finally got a chance to clap their eyes on what turned out to be …well, let’s just say “not exactly a masterpiece.” – KH

Actual footage of people responding to Nolan’s pleas.

DC FanDome

Fandom has collectively been at a loss as far as how to replace the convention experience during the pandemic. And so far, attempts by heavy hitters like San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con to replicate the buzz of a weekend packed with fan experiences and big news drops were tremendous disappointments. Pre-recorded Zoom panels don’t excite when all we do all day as a society is stare at that cursed app, buggy launches make it worse, and the fact that studios/networks/publishers didn’t really help put their best foot forward didn’t help.

But then along came DC FanDome.

What many (including this writer) expected to be a weekend-long infomercial about DC Universe intellectual property and how wonderful new corporate overlords AT&T would be for all these juicy brands was instead the slickest, most exciting, and yes…even newsworthy virtual event of the year. Rapid fire announcements from the big screen debut of the Justice Society in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam movie to concept art from the long-awaited Flashpoint film were only the appetizer, with Warner Bros. unveiling a stunningly cool trailer for The Batman, and delivering the equivalent of a Saturday night in Hall H to fans who have been mostly confined to their homes since the spring. – MC

Meet Elliot Page

In a year when so much of the news was bad, joyous announcements felt that much more sweet. This was the case for Elliot Page’s sharing that he is trans, and uses “he” and “they” pronouns.

“I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” the 33-year-old Canadian actor, who is perhaps best known for their work in Juno, the X-Men prequel films, and Netflix’s Umbrella Academy, wrote on Instagram in early December. “I feel overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey. I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.”

While it was a moment of celebration and affirmation, Page also used the opportunity to educate the public on the ongoing epidemic of violence against Black and brown trans women in particular, at least 40 of whom have been killed in the U.S. this year. Page wrote: “To all trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse and the thread of violence every day: I see you, I love you and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.” -KB

The Diamond Monopoly Breaks

Diamond Comics Distributors has for years been a uniter in the comics industry for years. It didn’t matter how much DC or Marvel heads would be at each other’s throats – when a damaged box with only 70% of the comics your shop ordered rolled in a day late, everyone agreed that Diamond was terrible. 

Until April, when, in the middle of the pandemic, DC backed two new distributors. Then, a contingent of fans couldn’t rush to Diamond’s defense fast enough. 

Lunar Distribution and UCS Comics Distribution were new comics distributors created by DCBS and Midtown Comics, respectively, and stood up by DC to create competition against Diamond’s not-technically-but-really monopoly. This was an enormous shift decades in the making, and coupled with DC’s move to a Tuesday NCBD, represented the biggest change in the comics industry this century. – JD

Dr DisRespect Gets Kicked off Twitch

The live streaming community was rife with controversies this year, especially when it came to Twitch: misconduct allegations lodged at many of its most high-profile streamers, a reportedly toxic and abusive work environment within the company, and a DMCA fiasco that saw streamers’ content disappear over night. And then there was Dr DisRespect’s exit from the platform.

Booted from Twitch at the end of June despite a hefty multi-year, multi-million dollar contract, the streamer, whose real name is Guy Beahm, suddenly found himself completely erased from existence, his channel and content deleted from the service. But why? At first, many in the industry assumed the worst, especially since it came just as Twitch was beginning to address misconduct in its community.

But despite the high-profile break up between Twitch and one of its key stars, we still don’t actually know why Beahm was kicked off the platform all of these months later. All Twitch has said on the matter is that Beahm “acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service,” while the streamer himself has remained largely silent on the matter. For now, Beahm’s exit from Twitch remains one of the streaming community’s biggest mysteries. – JS

The Depp-osition

In the #MeToo era, it is still incredibly rare for powerful men to be held accountable for the abuse of their power, but there are signs that this is beginning to change. The November announcement that Johnny Depp had been asked to resign from the Fantastic Beasts series was one of those signs. The announcement, via Depp’s Instagram, came only days after a U.K. court ruled that British tabloid The Sun was not committing libel when they described Depp as “a wife-beater” in 2018.

While the decision by Warner Bros. to fire Depp is an important step forward, it could still be described as a baby one. Depp will still be getting his full $16 million salary for his Fantastic Beasts 3 role, even though Mads Mikkelsen has been recast in the role of Grindelwald, because there was no morality clause in his contract. (It should be noted that Depp’s contract for the third film was finalized well after allegations against Depp first came to light.) Following the announcement, Amber Heard, Depp’s ex-wife and the survivor in this “wife-beater” scenario, has had to face a wave of online harassment that includes a petition to have her fired from her role as Mera in the DCEU.

The whole thing demonstrates just how ill-equipped Hollywood is as an industry and we as a culture still are when it comes to dealing with abuse. Let’s hope, in 2021, we do better when it comes to holding alleged abusers accountable and supporting survivors. – KB

The Last of Us Part II Leaks

Arguably the most highly anticipated game of 2020 (and our Game of the Year), The Last of Us Part II faced a mountain of seemingly insurmountable expectations. Could Naughty Dog not only follow up one of the greatest games ever made but top itself? Many fans learned the answer much sooner than expected when the game leaked weeks before its release in June.

Despite rumors that the leak was the work of a disgruntled employee, the security breach actually turned out to be courtesy of a hacker, who published most of the game’s cinematics and story beats on the internet for all to find. All of its big twists, reveals, and emotional moments lay bare before we were really ready for them. – JS

Marie Javins Becomes Editor in Chief of DC Comics

After a year of massive changes at DC Comics – which saw long-tenured co-publisher Dan Didio fired, a new new comic book day established through new distributors, and a merger with AT&T bear bitter fruit – DC’s year started to turn itself around when they pulled off the only successful online convention with FanDome.

And hot on FanDome’s heels was the historic announcement of their new EIC: Marie Javins, a longtime comics pro who worked her way up from colorist to become the first woman to serve as DC’s Editor-in-Chief since Jenette Kahn. Javins’ keen eye for talent and long history in the industry inspired a good deal of confidence in DC’s future, and the new talent lined up for DC’s Future State initiative and beyond have only reinforced that. – JD

George R.R. Martin Jailed in Theory

George R.R. Martin’s self-imposed deadline for finishing The Winds of Winter passed in July, and with it came the knowledge that he could now be jailed for his lackadaisical approach to completing the long-in-gestation addition to the A Song of Ice and Fire series. See, ol’ George had previously told Game of Thrones fans that they had “formal written permission” to imprison him “in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid” until he was done writing, should he not produce his manuscript by July 29. A little bit of fun was had online that day, as people threatened to frogmarch Martin straight to jail. We were pretty desperate for something to do at that point, tbf. – KH

Cyberpunk 2077 Is a Disaster

CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 went from one of the year’s most anticipated games to a title that had fans genuinely begging for refunds when it was finally released in December, after they discovered it was virtually unplayable on PS4 and Xbox One, riddled with occasionally hilarious bugs, missing big features, and packed with potentially offensive characterizations and broken AI, leading to an online meltdown from gamers that didn’t even really compare to the similar release troubles of titles like Anthem and No Man’s Sky. What a mess.

Whole game is going to be a meme.

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) July 2, 2018

They really called it. – KH

Chris Evans Posts His Dick

If you’ve ever accidentally posted something online that you definitely didn’t mean to post online, you’ll know the pure, heart stopping panic that Chris Evans must have felt in September when he shared a screen-recorded video to Instagram that he’d forgotten to crop, revealing his personal camera roll. Yes, the Avengers: Endgame actor had indeed just shown a rabid fan base his (surprisingly thick) cock, and there was no going back, because so many people took a screenshot at once that the collective noise probably triggered a spike in seismic activity visible on the Richter scale.

Evans removed the video and likely cringed so hard that he collapsed in on himself like a dying star forming a black hole, but took it on the chin and used his eventual response to encourage people to vote in November’s election. – KH

Now that I have your attention 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️…. VOTE Nov 3rd!!!

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) September 15, 2020

Rick Moranis Attacked

Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids star Rick Moranis – by all accounts a total sweetheart – was randomly attacked near Central Park at the start of October. The formerly-retired actor was punched in the head and knocked to the ground by a man wearing an “I Love NY” hoodie who was later apprehended and charged. Violence on the streets of New York isn’t exactly unheard of, but when the geek community heard of the attack on Moranis, it went full on Taken in under a minute. “I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” How DARE. – KH

John Boyega’s Black Lives Matter Speech

On May 25th, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black father, grandfather, son, and brother—a human—was killed by Derek Chauvin, a white member of the Minneapolis Police Department, as three other policemen stood by. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for 9.5 minutes as Floyd begged, “I can’t breathe.” The video of the killing launched a wave of Black Lives Matters protests across the United States and world, aimed at eradicating white supremacy in all of its forms.

George Floyd was neither the first nor the last Black person who died at the hands of a police officer in 2020. (Say Their Names is an ongoing, work-in-progress list of all the Black men, women, and children killed in the U.S. by police and civilians.) And there is not just one moment or human that has defined the ongoing Black Lives Matters movement in 2020, which is made up of many people, including the many activists who organize within the decentralized movement. One of many moments, however, came when John Boyega took up the megaphone to give an impromptu and emotional speech during a Hyde Park demonstration about the death of George Floyd in early June.

“Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting,” said the British-Nigerian actor and producer, who was visibly holding back tears, to the other protestors gathered.

Boyega has continued to use his celebrity to speak out against racism in the industry and beyond, all while knowing that it could affect his career. In September, Boyega did an interview with GQ in which he spoke about the unequal narrative treatment he and other actors of color got in the Star Wars franchise compared to the white actors in the film.

“You get yourself involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything,” Boyega said. “[But] what I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up … You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know fuck all.” – KB

Quibi? I Hardly Knew Ye

“Is it better to burn out than fade away?” could have been a question knocking about in the heads of Quibi’s founders during 2020. The newbie streaming service, which developed content as “quick bites” consumable in 7-10 minute increments, ended up being a flash in the pan as it struggled to rustle up subscribers in a year very much not suited to the concept of “I don’t have time to watch anything”.

Quibi had initially raised $1.75 billion in pre-launch funding and had more than 175 shows and movies lined up for viewers, but none of it was enough to counter the madness playing out behind the scenes of the hopeful, and ultimately hopeless, platform. RIP to a real one. – KH

Whedon Under Fire

It’s safe to say that the one-time King of the Nerds has not had a pleasant last few years, and that’s even before COVID-19 struck. But much of Joss Whedon’s troubles seem increasingly to be of his own making. As if the disapproving response to his version of Justice League wasn’t enough, Whedon was accused by actor Ray Fisher (Cyborg) of fomenting racism and toxicity on the set – a claim indirectly backed up by co-stars Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot.

The fallout, true or not, seems to have landed close enough for Whedon to depart his upcoming HBO fantasy series The Nevers, a project he created but won’t see through to its launch after three years of work. The Whedon-produced Pippa Smith: Grown-Up Detective was also quietly scrapped at Freeform. – DK

pic.twitter.com/e3N00xCr5i

— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) December 10, 2020

Patty’s Squad

At the moment, the future of Star Wars would seem to be on television. The success of The Mandalorian and the galaxy of spinoffs (more on those in a moment) announced by Disney and Lucasfilm would seem to indicate that. But Star Wars is far from finished on the big screen, and when it returns in 2023, it’s going to make history, with Patty Jenkins finally shattering the glass ceiling of Star Wars directors with her take on the fan favorite Rogue Squadron concept.

Jenkins is, of course, no stranger to big franchise projects, having helmed both Wonder Woman movies for Warner Bros. The announcement of a coveted director taking on a big franchise competitor coming in the wake of WB’s troubled relationship with talent after sending their entire theatrical slate to HBO Max for 2021 sure feels like a victory for Disney, even as Jenkins is still confirmed to direct a third Wonder Woman film for WB. Regardless of studio politics, Jenkins promising to deliver “the greatest fighter pilot movie of all time,” albeit one set in the Star Wars galaxy is a wonderful promise, and we’re looking forward to seeing how she keeps it. – MC

Disney Goes Even More Franchise Crazy

Disney’s December investors call didn’t produce the kind of announcements expected – there were rumors that a global 18+ streaming element was in the wind and that Black Widow would go straight to Disney+ – but the Mouse House tried to make up for it by revealing a fistful of new projects that included ten (10!) new Star Wars series, a bunch of new Marvel series and movies, a Toy Story spinoff film called Lightyear and a sequel to Enchanted. That’s not even the half of it, though, as the reveals just kept on coming, to the point where even a dedicated Disney fan felt downright exhausted, and prompting many a “how much is too much?” think piece. – KH

This is by no means an exhaustive list! Feel free to share your own big geek moments in the comments.

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[bronyinabottle]

IMPORTANT INFO/THOUGHTS ON THE RECENT BIG MLP LEAK

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO SPECIFIC SPOILERS IN THE INITIAL PART OF THIS NOTE THOUGH SOME IMPORTANT FUTURE STUFF THAT I THINK IS WORTH MENTIONING SO WE CAN PREPARE FOR IT WILL BE OUTLINED. IF YOU WANT TO AVOID ANY KIND OF SPOILERS REGARDING SEASON 8 AND/OR EQUESTRIA GIRLS. DO NOT CLICK AFTER THE BREAK.

Hey everyone, this weekend we surely got a big shake up in news recently with a huge leak that contains plans for the future of MLP from as early as next year for Season 8 to as late as 2020-2021. Now I won’t mention any specifics right out in public view. I’ll keep some thoughts on what I know for after the break. So if you don’t mind delving into what was revealed and are curious of what my impressions are on things. Then feel free to check after the break. Otherwise, ignore it if you’re in no mood for any spoilers right now.

There are however a few things we now know from this leak that I think is especially important to know. I don’t count it as a spoiler because this is the kind of thing that’s always in the back of our minds especially with a show that’s gone on for this long so we can prepare for it : The question of when will it end, and furthermore... what will come after?

According to plans laid out in the leak. Season 9 will be the final season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

And that’s not all, it might very well be the end of Generation 4 as a whole. As concept art of what looks to be the beginnings of a Generation 5 coming in 2020-2021 were revealed as well.

So as it stands, we have at least 2-3 years left of the current show/generation we’ve come to enjoy. With an uncertain future ahead as from what we can gather, already looks to have some odd changes that will certainly at least take many people some time getting used to for those most familiar with G4 (Specifics on why that is will be mentioned below the break)

This is absolutely the biggest takeaway that I think needs to be spread amongst the fandom. So we can properly prepare for the show’s ending. It’ll be sad when the final episode has aired. But I think by then in our hearts we’ll know it had a good run.  9 Seasons, a feature-length movie, and a decently successful spin-off series is going to be a tough act to follow even if G5′s show turns out to be good. The only regret I’d say is I wish the MLP movie we got came sooner in this generation’s lifetime so there could of been a chance at a 2nd movie that could of improved on some things. Or at the very least have a 2nd movie be G4′s true finale to really go out with a bang. Instead, the next movie will serve as the pilot for G5 which will come with some amount of uncertainty.

As for how this effects Genie Twilight related matters. I fully intend to ride it out to the final season and final episode response. And definitely last at least a little after the show has officially ended. I just can’t be 100% sure if I’ll be still going by the time Generation 5 begins. With the end of G4 incoming, I do have to start thinking on ending this blog eventually too. This won’t be until at least 2-3 years from now, alot can change in that time. But nothing lasts forever. I’m full of uncertainty myself about it. I’m not so sure what I’ll move on to after I’m finished. But at least I have a fair bit of time to figure that out.

Now, I’ll leave off to after the break that will contain impressions of some of what I know from the leak. So if you’re avoiding spoilers this is where you can feel free to leave off here. If you want to talk about any of what I mentioned, however. Feel free to drop off some asks over on my mod blog

LAST WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SEASON 8, EQUESTRIA GIRLS, AND EVEN A BIT OF GENERATION 5 WILL BE MENTIONED

(BIG SPACE TO MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE HARDLY ANYONE ACCIDENTALLY READS THESE)

SEASON 8

- Spike will grow Dragon Wings: I ACTUALLY CALLED THIS BACK IN SEASON 4! (Check at about the 4th frame) I personally think this is cool. I’ve always imagined a fully grown alicorn Twilight riding Spike as a giant flying dragon places

- Twilight starts a friendship school of different species: I think this is a pretty neat idea. I’ll be interested to see where that goes

EQUESTRIA GIRLS

- Sci-Twi will visit Equestria: Oh I am definitely hyped for this, I did kinda want to see a vice-versa of the situation of Twilight in the first EQG movie learning to be human done with Sci-Twi. Glad it will happen. Sci-Twi will even be a unicorn, which is the right call. Even if that will be a little strange since she gets wings when she ponies ups, but in all of making sense she should just be a regular unicorn.  It’d be some strange logic that because one Twilight ascended, her alternate self does too. The only other explanation would be the magic that transformed her into Midnight Sparkle also ascended her. But then Sunset would also have to be an Alicorn after the angel form she got. And that wasn’t exactly the case when she returned to Equestria in the special where she met Starlight

GENERATION 5

- Character design/changes: Now there isn’t much of G5 revealed but just from the character design we can see how this could differ from what we’re familiar with from G4. It looks like the Mane 6 will be back as the concept art showed 4 of the 6. Rarity seems to have been kept in tact. Applejack... certainly has been spruced up quite a bit. And probably not in a way that G4 Applejack would approve of. However the strangest changes seem to be outright race swaps. G5 Fluttershy will be a unicorn. I suppose they wanted a Fluttershy for every main type. Fluttershy’s G1 counterpart was Posey, who was an earth pony. G5 Twilight will go from Unicorn-turned-Alicorn to an earth pony. Also for some reason her eyes are light blue instead of what they usually are. Of the colored concept art we have, Fluttershy and AJ have their previous eye colors but Twilight doesn’t. It’s making me think like if they are merging Twilight and Pinkie in G5. I doubt it as I think Pinkie is probably one of the more marketable characters. But this change might be even more jarring then Applejack’s new design in transition from G4 to G5. It’s also making me think Twilight may not exactly be the MAIN main character in G5. She’ll definitely still be an important character, but probably not the one most focused on. Of course this is all speculation on one concept art pic. And since G5 is still in the conceptual stage alot can change but this will be something that could worry fans jumping from G4 to G5. Feel free to judge for yourself though.

- CGI Animated: I’m a bit sad about this admittedly. It’s not that I hate 3D animation it’s just there’s so much over exposure and would like some degree of 2D animation still around. I just hope that it will be good looking 3D animation. Part of the appeal of FiM was the flash animation we got had appealing enough design and movement that even got better with each season. And of course there was the gorgeousness that was the MLP Movie’s animation. 3D Movies can look good, but I think there’s a lot more cases of it being rather jarring then you get with 2D Animation. We’ll have to see how it’s all executed later. But definitely put this on the list of reasons G4 fans might be uncertain about G5

That’s all I have for now. Overall excited to see what’s coming up in Season 8 but quite uncertain when it comes to many things about G5. This is still a little ways from now, and some things could certainly be subject to change. But given this concerns the end of a show that sparked the massive fandom it did, it’s kind of important to get the subject of how it’ll all end and what will come in place of it sooner rather then later. I’d rather know now then expecting a Season 10 when Season 9 is in progress and caught by surprise when we get the news that it ends soon.

[hellomissmabel]

The death and life of James B. Barnes (1)

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Warnings: One curse word? Maybe?

Word count: 1.182

Summary: Bucky and Steve participate in a sailing competition against Y/N and Natasha.

Based on 40′s Bucky and Steve.

First part of the @hunters-from-stark-tower movie challenge! I am SO SORRY that it took me this long to post the first part, my computer crashed some time ago and I lost the entire series at once. I guess I just didn’t have to heart to start over, but here we are! I hope you enjoy my take on the movie Charlie St. Cloud.

James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes barely survived a car crash that kills his younger half-brother Steve and in an out of body experience he promises to never let his brother go. Even though he received a scholarship to a prestigious university, Bucky couldn’t leave his brother’s side and stays behind in his hometown while all his friends take off to college.

Every day like clockwork he meets Steve’s spirit in the woods at sundown for a playful match of baseball, never breaking the deal he made all those years ago to teach him how to properly play catch.

But Bucky can see other spirits as well and when a girl names Y/N Y/L/N enters his life, she turns it all upside down. She’s training for a solo sailing trip around the world but took a calculated risk that didn’t turn out as expected and now Bucky is forced to make an impossible choice, to save the life of his beloved or keep his word to Steve.

The water is where I belong. I am the king of the sails, I am James Buchanan Barnes.

It’s a beautiful day for a sailing competition, with a clear sky and a favourable wind. Smelling the salt in the air, I can see we’re closing in on her boat faster than any of the other competitors. She might be the next flavour of the month in the sailing business but she doesn’t know these waters like the back of her hand like I do and I intend to show her how it’s done.

“We need to go faster, Stevie!” The wind and the water mostly drown out the sound escaping my lips but when I see little Stevie nod in understanding, I know he heard me and is on board.

“What do you want to do?,” Steve shouts back over the roaring of the sea underneath.

I contemplate our options for a moment, unsure if we’ll be able to pull it off. We’re approaching another boat very fast and if we don’t alter our course, we are going to crash into it and all will be over. No gold, no medals, no glory and I promised Steve that today would be the day we’d beat the crap out of those prissy Harvard wannabe sailors for the tenth fucking time in a row.

And then it hit me, a way to increase our speed and push this baby to the maximum. “Steve! I got it! Lean back as far as you can.” My voice is barely audible above the thunder of the boat cutting its way through the waves. “Just follow my lead!”

I take a hold of the lines, they’ll allow me to keep steady while our weight carries the boat to its side. Careful not to topple it upside down, we stand on opposite sides to insure we stay balanced. The cruise boat is in our line of sight now, only a few feet away and if we don’t turn around any time soon, we’re going to split it in two at the speed we’re going. But not yet.

“Bucky!,” Steve raises his voice to the limit, “We’re going straight at it! I am going to have to let go!”

“Just a little longer, Stevie!” I can see the finish line, Y/N’s boat going straight for the win. But if my calculations are correct and the wind stays on our side, we should be able to make a sharp turn to the right about “Now! Let go, Steve!”

We simultaneously release the lines, raising our sail to the fullest and leaving all the other boats far behind us. The cheers from the crowd on the shoreline only spur on my determination. When we sail past Y/N and Natasha I can almost hear the defeat being carried from their boat to ours as soon as we cross the finish line. The trophy is ours for the taking. I salute both girls and Natasha gives me a finger while Y/N just plops down on the edge of the boat, a desolate look on her beautiful face.

Once we’re back on dry land, Steve and I pose for a couple pictures before I make my way towards Y/N. She’s already changed into some more comfortable clothes, a pink sundress flowing slightly around her curves when a summer’s breeze blows past and twirls its fingers around her Y/H/C hair.  Although we used to be in class together, we’ve actually never talked to one another before but she’s been on my mind for as long as I can remember.

“Hi,” I say casually, leaning against the flag post next to where she’s standing, nursing her silver medal with her tender hands.

“Hi,” she mimics as a small smile creeps up on her lips. “Nice win. You sure like to take a risk.”

“I knew what I was doing,” I reply with a proud smirk.

“Sure.”

“You’re going to the party later tonight?”

She looks at me in confusion, her Y/E/C eyes squinting a little as a frown creases her stunning features. “You’re talking about Sam’s party, right?”

“Yup,” I say, popping the p which makes her smile a little brighter. She shuffles her feet nervously, studying the ground below for a few long seconds.

“Sam and I don’t get along that well, so I think I’m going to pass.”

“Oh, that’ alright, I guess.” I try not to sound too disappointed as I catch her throwing me a curious look.

“Hey,” she sighs, obviously not buying my tough act, placing her soft hand on mine. “It’s not that I don’t want to go,” she begins, taking her bottom lip between her teeth, “He’s just my ex and I don’t want things to get awkward, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it,” I huff nonchalantly, carding my fingers through my windswept hair. She retreats her hand and returns her attention to the silver medal before she dares to take a peek at the gold one hanging around my neck.

“Congratulation again, Bucky,” she exhales with a long breath. “I am not going to feed your already unbearable ego by saying that you deserve it, but you did good out there today. Your Dad would be proud of you.”

She leans in a tad closer to peck a quick kiss on my cheek before she spins around on the balls of her feet and heads off in Nat’s direction who’s been glaring at the both of us the entire time.

“You like her, don’t you?,” Steve asks, nudging my side with his elbow.

I poke his chest, scowling at him. “Who? Y/N? You got to be kidding me, Stevie,” I laugh lightly.

“Come on, Buck,” he smiles up at me, standing on his tiptoes to get a better look at her. “She’s a girl and she’s pretty, isn’t that your thing?”

“Shut up, punk,” I murmur under my breath, catching a glimpse of the beautiful dame at the far end of the puddle of people that have gathered today. “She’s just,” I take a deep breath before releasing it slowly, “She’s just really something.”

Part 2: the accident

Tagging: the ever-wonderful @beccaanne814-blog @avengerofyourheart @a-little-hell-to-raise @unpredictable-firecracker @marvelingatthewonder @emilyinwonderland3 @mrshopkirk @hardcorehippos @iiharu-kunii @knittingknerdy @winterwolf57 @winterboobaer @shamvictoria11 @thedragonblood @hymnofthevalkyries @feelmyroarrrr

[imagitory]

D-Views: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Good day, my followers, and welcome to another installment of D-Views, my written review series that focuses primarily around Disney-owned and/or produced films! Feel free to comb through my “Disney Reviews” tags for reviews on films like The Great Mouse Detective and The Muppets (2011) and even occasionally “Disney-look-alike” films like Dreamworks’ The Prince of Egypt! And of course, you can always submit suggestions for future subjects – here is my current list of upcoming reviews.

On December 27, 2016, the world mourned the loss of a blazing star in human form. Her name was Carrie Fisher, and today I’ll pay some tribute to her by reviewing the film that made her a household name – Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope!

The Star Wars franchise was the baby of film director George Lucas. In the 1970’s, George Lucas was a young, bright-eyed director who dreamed of making his own films outside the studio system. The idea of Star Wars started as early as 1971, at which time all Lucas knew was that he wanted to tell a “Space Western,” in the tradition of the old Flash Gordon serials he’d loved as a kid. In fact, in the very beginning, he thought to make a Flash Gordon movie, but he couldn’t get the rights. Lucas proposed two films to different studios with the hopes of getting them made – The Star Wars and American Graffiti – and although all the studios passed on Lucas’s “Space Western,” Universal picked up American Graffiti. When that film did well, it gave Lucas enough leverage to try to produce Star Wars at 20th Century Fox. In 1973 the screenwriting for Star Wars began. Many aspects of the story were retooled and edited over the next few years – for example, the very first draft of the film originally centered on an old general named “Annikin Starkiller” and featured Han Solo as a large, gilled, green-skinned alien. The single biggest influence on Lucas’s finished product, however, is unquestionably the work of Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who researched and wrote books about the different tropes commonly found in folklore around the world, most notably the Hero’s Journey. Over time, Lucas edited his story to follow these tropes more closely – changing his old hero into a young man, introducing the difficult relationship between father and son, and rewriting the tale to be about temptation and redemption. As Lucas refined the story, he soon realized that his tale could not be told in one film…and so the idea of splitting the script into three “acts” was born. The script for the first film, which at that time was just called Star Wars rather than Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, was not completed until 1976.

The production of Star Wars is an adventure unto itself. Not only were the effects needed for this kind of a film completely uncharted territory for the time; not only were the desert locations very difficult to work in; not only was the production constantly straining the small budget they had; not only was the production constantly behind schedule due to glitches in machinery and bad weather; not only was Lucas not very good at directing his actors (which apparently he has never really improved in); not only was 20th Century Fox’s board of directors looking down their noses at the project and constantly one foot away from pulling the plug on it; not only was the first cut of the film so bad that Lucas had to re-shoot a lot of footage after the fact and Lucas’s wife ended up re-editing it; but also nobody – and I mean nobody – believed that this film would do well. George Lucas was so convinced that this film would fail that at the very beginning, he’d put it in his contract with Fox that he had to be allowed to produce all three Star Wars films, even if they did badly at the box office.

In short, the production of Star Wars Episode IV was a true underdog story…and boy oh boy, was the finished result the perfect ending for such a story. We all know how big Star Wars became. Episode IV earned over a million dollars in its opening weekend alone – globally it earned $530 million and is, when box office profits are adjusted for inflation, the third highest-grossing film of all time. It also won six Academy Awards, won a Golden Globe for Best Score, was nominated for six British Academy Film Awards, received twelve nominations at the Saturn Awards, and won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Both critics and audiences adored this film; at Rotten Tomatoes it has a comfortable 93% Fresh Rating. Episode IV also paved the way for its sequels, Episode V and Episode VI, as well as two spin-off TV series, a whole bunch of comics and books, a terrible holiday special, a popular ride at the Disney theme parks, a prequel trilogy that likewise inspired its own spin-off TV series, and lots and LOTS of toys. Today the franchise, now owned by Disney, is still making movies (the most recent of which is a direct prequel to Episode IV), and there are even plans to build a full “Star Wars Land” in Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Star Wars became a phenomenon, and even with its ups and downs through the years, it still is one. Disregarding all the hype, however…let us now venture into this movie and review it properly.

…GAH, I CAN’T – THAT OPENING THEME MUSIC JUST MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME NOT TO BE COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY EXCITED – CURSE YOU, JOHN WILLIAMS, YOU’VE ALREADY REDUCED ME TO SQUEEING LIKE AN IDIOT –

Okay, okay, gather your composure, Tory. Remember, that music has preceded some stupid stuff. Get it together. (takes a breath) All right…let’s continue.

GODDAMN IT, THAT OPENING SHOT – THAT TOO-PERFECT, AMAZING OPENING SHOT THAT WITHOUT ANY DIALOGUE COMPLETELY SUMS UP BOTH THE MIGHT OF THE EMPIRE AND THE HOPELESSNESS OF THE REBELLION’S CAUSE AND GETS US COMPLETELY SUCKED INTO THE DRAMA AND –

OKAY, ENOUGH. Use your big, intelligent words, Tory – for goodness’ sake. I know it’s cool. It’s very cool. It’s cool from a filmmaking perspective and it’s cool from a dramatic perspective. It’s so cool that The Force Awakens knew that it had to evoke that kind of scale when portraying the First Order.

Anyway, the soldiers on Leia’s ship try hopelessly to fend off the Stormtroopers; laser blasts are everywhere, and smoke obscures the halls. Admittedly I’ve always found it weird and kind of hilarious that both the Rebels and the Stormtroopers’ aim is so awful that R2D2 and C3PO can just walk right through the battle and not suffer any damage. But I am fortunately distracted from that by the door to the hallway opening behind the Stormtroopers, announcing the arrival of…

VADER!!! THE SITH LORD OF MY HEART! THE CHOSEN ONE – AS IN THE ONE I HAVE CHOSEN TO LOVE WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING – !

Yeah, I think those of you who’ve followed me for a while expected this. Darth Vader is my favorite character in the Star Wars films, no contest. The reason behind this I sadly will have to go more into when I talk about Return of the Jedi, but fortunately I’ve already talked about Revenge of the Sith, so perhaps in that review, you can get a hint of my thoughts regarding my bae. What I’ll say for now, however, is that the film introduces its primary antagonist perfectly. You don’t even need that much screen time with this character to know you don’t want to mess with him. The foreboding chord of music announcing his entrance; the way he silently looms over the dead Rebel soldiers; the mechanical breathing; the fact that you can’t see his face and therefore can’t know what he’s thinking or feeling at any particular time; and then finally his low, dark voice when he speaks – Good GOD, James Earl Jones. It’s funny when you remember that David Prowse, the man who actually acted in the Darth Vader suit, had no idea that his voice was going to be dubbed over, but thank whatever God there is that he was. The people who worked on all the folly, sound effects, and other post-production audio of Star Wars I think were some of the most unsung heroes of the film – without their contribution, this film would’ve fallen flat on its face, and Darth Vader wouldn’t be half as memorable and menacing as he is.

It is after the entrance of Darth Vader that we finally see our princess, Car – I mean, Leia Organa. God, she looks so young…it’s kind of surreal, really, looking back at Carrie in this film after only just starting to get used to a much older Carrie portraying Leia in The Force Awakens. It had been surreal first seeing her play that older Leia, too. You forget sometimes how very mortal these people are, when you associate them with a certain character for so long, particularly when the character is in a live-action film as opposed to an animated one.

Back to the plot, though. Leia passes the plans to the Death Star off to R2, and R2 and 3PO sneak into an escape pod that drops them off on the desert planet Tatooine, while Leia and the other Rebels are captured. The Stormtroopers pursue the droids (without Vader in tow, because of course not – HE HATES SAND!), and R2 and 3PO end up in the hands of Owen Lars and his nephew, Luke Skywalker.

LUUUUUUKE, WOOK AT THE WITTLE LUUUUUKE, I JUST WANNA PINCH HIS CHEEKS.

Yeah, sorry, I can’t get over how young these guys look. I have since fallen in love with Mark Hamil for his career in voice acting and his overall awesomeness, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t also adore him as Luke. Even though Mark, like the rest of the cast, did not think this film would succeed, and I would argue Hamil’s performance in this film isn’t half as good as in Empire and Jedi, he still just conveys such likeability. And before any of you try to say that this kid is whiny just because he wanted to go get some power converters rather than do his chores…dude. It’s called an arc. A character has to start off with some flaws if he is to grow over the course of the story. There are plenty of “Hero” characters that have had whiny or angsty moments toward the beginning of their arc too – Sailor Moon and Bilbo Baggins, for example. And that supposedly whiny aspect of Luke is only really expressed in one scene – Anakin was a hell of a lot worse in Attack of the Clones, and considering that Luke is his son, I think Luke’s more than entitled to a little bit of drama. It’s practically in his blood – his mother Padme ended up being melodramatic a few times in Clones and Sith, Leia gets plenty of opportunities to be totally bossy and obnoxious…and I’m not even touching Kylo. (In short? Skywalker family = drama queens all.)

Luke stumbles upon the transmission of Leia and is intrigued by this strange, beautiful girl asking for help. R2, however, goes about his mission of locating Obi-Wan Kenobi by leaving the Lars home that morning, and Luke and 3PO are forced to give chase to find him before Owen discovers that R2 has gone missing. The three get attacked by Sand People (goddamn it, Anakin, your bad karma is going to get your son killed! Honestly!), and Obi-Wan comes to their rescue.

I have to admit...as soon as Alec Guiness takes off his hood, I can’t stop myself from grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Obi-Wan as a character I have such a complicated relationship with (hewasyourbrotherObihowDAREyouevenTHINKofleavinghimbehindtoburntodeathyoulovedhimandyou’rebetterthanthatandwaaaaaaaah), but I still love him so. Alec brings so much likeability to this character that we will see more and more flaws from as the series goes on. Apparently on set, all the younger actors greatly respected Alec’s professionalism – even despite the ridiculousness of the script, he took his performance so seriously that he ended up rubbing off on some of the fresher faces on set. Honestly, I’m not surprised. Even when he’s talking to a little blue and white robot, Alec acts alongside it like he would any other actor. Speaking of R2, though, it’s very strange to think of R2’s role in the prequel trilogy and the Clone Wars TV show when Obi-Wan says things like, “I don’t recall ever owning a droid.” I know that R2 was originally Padme’s and ended up belonging more to Anakin than Obi-Wan, but Anakin and Obi-Wan worked together a lot, and R2 accompanied them on missions. R2 didn’t have his memory wiped like 3PO did, and even if he had, Obi-Wan should definitely still remember him. Moments like this show that R2 and Obi-Wan were not originally meant to have any history – otherwise Obi-Wan would’ve been like, “This little droid and I are old friends…aren’t we?” and R2 would’ve been like, “Beep-beep boooop~!”

Obi-Wan and Luke go back to Obi-Wan’s place with 3PO and R2 in tow, and Obi-Wan tells Luke about his father. There are a couple of other lines in this exchange that don’t ring true, when one looks at the prequel trilogy. This one sticks out the most to me –

“[Your uncle] didn’t hold with your father’s ideals, thought he should’ve stayed here and not gotten involved.”

Owen and Anakin have no relationship in the prequels at all. Anakin only meets Owen – the son of the man who bought and later married his mother Shmi while he was off training with Obi-Wan – when he and Padme go back to Tatooine in Attack of the Clones. In that time, they spend almost no time together – Owen barely gets any screen time that isn’t devoted to exposition or Shmi’s funeral. There’s no time for Anakin and Owen to learn anything about one another in Clones, and I don’t think that dynamic is changed at all in the Clone Wars TV series, since Anakin has no desire to return to Tatooine after what happened to his mother. Even if Owen cared for Shmi as a mother and therefore felt sour that his stepmother’s first son sort of just left her behind on Tatooine (which I think is totally legit) and later left a son behind too, I have trouble seeing that as evidence of Owen “not holding with Anakin’s ideals.” If anything, I think it’d be more likely Owen would just think of Anakin as a deadbeat son and father (again, pretty justifiably, given his limited knowledge base). This particular relationship is one that I wish had been delved into more in the prequels, but I suppose I should hold off on talking about this fully until any future review I do of Attack of the Clones.

Then of course in this scene you also have Obi-Wan giving Luke Anakin’s lightsaber, which apparently Anakin would’ve wanted Luke to have, when he was old enough. …Right. I’m sure he would have, Obi-Wan – was that edited out of his wrathful, screaming speech at the end of Revenge of the Sith? “I HATE YOU! Also, please give Luke my lightsaber when he’s old enough. ARGGGGGHHHH!” But regardless, I’d like to think that Obi-Wan is saying this because he thinks Anakin would’ve wanted Luke to become a Jedi like him, if everything hadn’t gone so bad in Sith. I’d like to think that – even if he’s lying through his teeth. After all, who’s to say that Anakin wouldn’t have expected Luke to build his own lightsaber, like all the other wittle Jedi did? I would rant more on this, but…my fangirling over the coolness of the lightsaber sound effects is kind of making it hard for me to be cohesive again.

Obi-Wan tells Luke about his father, pointedly leaving certain things out and manipulating his words in a way that is so totally not lying (o hai sarcasm), and then comes across Leia’s full transmission. Obi-Wan tries to enlist Luke to train with him in the Force and accompany him to Alderaan, but Luke, in classic Hero’s Journey fashion, “rejects the call.” He’s too focused on his life on Tatooine and his responsibilities to his aunt and uncle to immediately jump ship and go off on an adventure. This all changes, however, when Luke discovers that the Stormtroopers traced the droids to the Lars moisture farm and slaughtered his aunt and uncle. It is only then, when Luke has nothing left, that he accepts Obi-Wan’s request and starts his journey.

Meanwhile, on the Death Star, we return our focus to the Sith Lord of My Heart, talking over the threat of the Rebellion with Moff Tarkin and the other Imperial officers. Something really fun to do while watching this scene is to try to imagine Anakin’s facial expressions under Vader’s mask – when that one Imperial officer insults Anakin’s “devotion” to his “ancient religion,” I can’t help but picture Anakin’s eyes glinting a very cold yellow and, as he Force-chokes the officer, Anakin looking down his nose at him like he’s some lowly insect. I also just love Peter Cushing as Tarkin – his screen presence is so strong that he really only needs a few short scenes to assert himself as a villain on the same level as Vader, even though he doesn’t have the power to crush someone’s throat with a thought.

Luke, Obi-Wan, 3PO, and R2 go to Mos Eisley to find themselves a ship to Alderaan, where we first meet Chewbacca and our handsome rogue Han Solo. Now, of course, since I’m watching the special edition DVD of this film, I sadly have to watch Greedo shoot first as well as that thoroughly unnecessary scene with the horrifically rendered CGI Jabba the Hutt, but this doesn’t change the fact that Han is a total bad ass. His snarkiness and streetwise air are just so inherently charming. It also creates a great contrast between him and naive, idealistic Luke, which makes for some very amusing banter between them. And if that wasn’t enough, Han has the coolest spaceship ever – even if it looks like a giant pizza pie.

On the Death Star, Leia is brought before Tarkin by Vader and, in true Skywalker fashion, sasses Tarkin’s face off. (Oh Leia, how I love you.) Unfortunately Tarkin is in no mood to be merciful, and he demonstrates the Empire’s new might by using the Death Star’s lasers to blow up Leia’s home planet, Alderaan. One of the major criticisms I have for the Star Wars films in general is how much this scene could’ve been devastating, either by having the prequels or just A New Hope show more of the planet and its people (therefore making us see how much we were losing) or by actually showing Leia mourn the loss of her people. A New Hope, however, completely sidesteps this. I didn’t need to see Leia break down in front of Tarkin and Vader, but I still think it would’ve been nice to have a scene afterwards of Leia breaking down in her cell or referencing the loss of her family and people in a later scene. I also think that it would’ve been interesting to show more scenes with Vader and Leia that could’ve hinted more to their true relationship – like maybe Vader greatly detests Leia because she reminds him of his dead wife visually and, on an even deeper level, she subconsciously reminds him of the man he used to be. I almost could read this meaning into when Vader coolly tells Tarkin that he knew Leia would never betray the Rebellion – Leia, like Anakin, would’ve seen betraying his friends as the ultimate dishonor. But again, this is a head-canon, more than a theory based on any actual canon. And before any of you try to correct me, yes, I know that Lucas was still rewriting stuff in the second two volumes of the trilogy while and after working on A New Hope, and that Leia, Luke, and Vader all being related may or may not have been fully planned by Lucas from the beginning. I’m just pointing out how this film doesn’t set up for the major plot developments that happen later, since most people know all about these twists, many before even seeing the films, and so will notice where plot elements don’t match up.

While en route to the now-destroyed Alderaan, the Millennium Falcon gets stuck in a tractor beam from the Death Star, pulling Luke and the others into the Empire’s grasp. Luke, Obi-Wan, Han, Chewbacca, and the droids sneak off the ship, trying to find a way to escape, and in the process find out that Leia is on board. When investigating the Falcon, Vader senses something that he hasn’t sensed in a long time – and as I know other people have pointed out, it may not have been Obi-Wan, as we are led to believe, but his son, Luke, who had just started learning the ways of the Force a few scenes prior. Couldn’t the Force, so like his own and his wife’s, have called out to Vader? But admittedly, he never sensed any bond to Leia and Vader speaks of sensing Obi-Wan to Tarkin, so it’s nothing more than a fan theory. Han, Chewbacca, and Luke go to save Leia, while Obi-Wan goes to turn off the tractor beam and the droids try to stay hidden in the control room. And in traditional Hero’s Journey fashion, as soon as our three major characters come together, sparks fly and fun ensues. Just like other Heart-Body-Brain trios like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, Luke, Han, and Leia’s personalities bounce off each other perfectly and balance out each other’s flaws. Something else I also love about this rescue scene is Leia completely dismantling the idea that she is the damsel in distress by snatching Luke’s blaster away and shooting the Stormtroopers up herself. (Hellz yeah! Hail to the princess, baby!) Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca jump into the garbage chute to escape the Stormtroopers, right before having to escape a monster living in the slowly closing garbage chute, and then run back toward the Falcon. Even as they’re doing that, though, Leia can’t help but sass it up some more. 

(grins like an idiot)

Obi-Wan and Vader confront one another, and I must admit, after watching Revenge of the Sith pretty recently, I find this duel a million times more engaging than that one. I think part of it, admittedly, is that the Sith duel was so long and this one is not as drawn-out, but I also think a lot of it comes from the fact that there is actual suspense. In Sith, Anakin and Obi-Wan’s duel is highly choreographed and challenging, but it’s also done mostly in CG environments and with a lot of cuts. We don’t really see them getting tired or struggling that much, and it’s so intricate and well-timed that it looks more like a dance than a fight. But in this duel, we see that both of these characters are not invulnerable…and really, considering that we’ve seen Vader Force-choke a dude a few scenes prior, I think that Vader choosing not to do that and instead to simply lightsaber-duel with Obi-Wan says something. It’s like he’s trying to evoke their last battle – the one where he lost his limbs and his ability to breathe on his own. Vader has enough honor left in him that he will kill Obi-Wan in a duel, not with Sith tricks. Admittedly the lightsaber battles get much better in future films from a choreography standpoint, but from an emotional standpoint, I still think this one holds up pretty well.

The most powerful point, of course, is at the end when Obi-Wan, catching sight of Luke, knows he has won…and so stops fighting, raises his lightsaber to his face, and accepts his death. In a demented way, Obi-Wan knows that Luke watching him die at Vader’s hands will give him the motivation needed to kill Vader and “bring balance to the Force” – because of course, being Vader’s son, Luke would be the only one powerful enough to defeat Vader. Obi-Wan may be a manipulative little so-and-so…but one cannot deny that he went out with style. And now that he’s one with the Force, he can be with Luke wherever he goes.

Han and Chewbacca fly Leia, Luke, and the droids to the Rebel base, but unfortunately the Empire cleverly put a tracking device on the Falcon, which allows the Imperial forces aboard the Death Star to find them. The Death Star gets into position to destroy the base, and the Rebels try to use the plans inside R2 to counterattack. Han bails, fully intending to go back to smuggling, and Luke bitterly scolds him for his selfishness. Even so, they wish each other the best before they part. (And honestly, the entire audience knows that Han is going to come back later -- that kind of plot thread was hackneyed even back in the 70′s.) Luke, meanwhile, joins the Rebel fighter pilots, and while there meets up with an old friend from Tatooine, Biggs Darklighter. Biggs’ and Luke’s friendship is not really explored that much in the movies, and I frankly would’ve liked to see more of it, since he ends up dying not long after we meet him and so it’s sort of hard to care that much.

The Battle of Yavin begins, with the Rebel Squadrons trying to take down the Death Star. At first they’re able to avoid the Death Star’s blasts, but as soon as Darth Vader takes his own Imperial Squadron into the fight, the Rebel ships are shot down en masse. True to Obi-Wan’s words, Vader in this battle proves that he was “the best star pilot in the galaxy” by shooting the Rebel pilots down with precision. Luke is almost taken out as well, but in the nick of time, Han (of course) comes back in the Millennium Falcon and shoots down Vader’s ship, making it spin off into distant space. Luke finally has the chance to fire at the Death Star’s weak point and decides, upon hearing Obi-Wan’s advice in his head, to turn off his navicomputer. He will not trust the machinery – instead he’ll trust his instincts, and it’s his instincts that help him take down the Death Star and save the Rebel Alliance. And so our film ends triumphantly, with our heroes reunited and looking to the future with optimism.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, despite its shortcomings (bad CG updates, dialogue that doesn’t make sense with the films that came later, the lack of development for certain characters), perfectly encapsulates its title. By the end of the film, my heart is completely full of hope. Even though I know everything to come – even if I know that Star Wars as a franchise created a lot of bad along with the good – it’s close to impossible for me to look at this first installment with anything other than fondness. It reminds me of how much this film, and the original trilogy in general, was lightning in a bottle, unable to be replicated again. There will never be another performance like Mark Hamil’s of Luke Skywalker. There will never be another performance like Peter Cushing’s of Moff Tarkin.There will never be another performance like Alec Guiness’s of Obi-Wan Kenobi.  There will never be another performance like James Earl Jones’s of Darth Vader. There will never be another performance like Harrison Ford’s of Han Solo. Most relevantly, there will never be another performance like Carrie Fisher’s of Leia Organa. We can try to pick apart Star Wars as a franchise, but I truly think that this first chapter was the best one it could’ve possibly started with. A New Hope is not a perfect film by any means. The effects, both in the original and updated versions, do not always hold up; the loss of Alderaan and of Luke’s friend Biggs don’t leave much of an impression; sometimes the acting can be stilted; and the strict adherence that this film and its sequels give to the Hero’s Journey formula makes their stories almost comically predictable. But I almost think the little foibles and flaws make the film that much more human and authentic, as well as interesting to examine from a filmmaking perspective. After all, when this movie came out, nobody really cared about the flaws we can pick apart today – audiences just got so invested in the story, the characters, the effects, and the drama. And that says something about film in general – even the most standard story in a flawed, imperfect film can touch people so much that it becomes an icon, if it mixes the old with the new.

[michael-radi-the-glamorous-life]

6 Years Later...

October 26th, 2012 - I completed the very first outline for the first version of The King’s Legacy.

December 6th, 2012 - There existed a first draft of a script, including a large portion of lyrics.

March 14th, 2013 - I had a fully realized first draft with all scenes, music, and lyrics completed.

And so it all began.

It’s been a long long road to the first ever full production of The King’s Legacy, and what a strange, magical, frustrating, and fantastical journey it has been. It’s had its peaks and valleys, but it has brought us to where we are now: Less than one day away from the first rehearsal for the premiere production. (!!!)

So how did it all start? Where did the show come from? And how did it get to where it is today?

As per usual, I’m thrilled you asked!

The Idea

In August 2012 I was sitting poolside, finishing my then-girlfriend’s copy of The Other Boleyn Girl, when I began thinking - for the second time, concretely, and aloud - that Anne Boleyn’s story is simply too good and would make a wonderful musical.

At that time I had only recently begun my foray into writing musical theatre. In fact, my first ever original musical (PICk Love) was about to go into rehearsals to be performed at the first ever Rochester Fringe Festival in late September.

But this idea continued to haunt me.

It’s a well-known story with scads of books, movies, TV shows, research, and documentaries on the subject, but still no well-known musical. I thought perhaps - just perhaps - I might be the person to write this show. But I would need opportunity, time, and motivation, which I certainly did not have at that moment.

However, a couple months later, that perfect storm came together. And I began to write.

The First Draft

May 19th, 2013 - I held the first ever closed reading of The King’s Legacy, coincidentally on the 477th anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s death.

July 28th 2013 - The Random Access Theater presented The King’s Legacy through their RAWR series in its first open workshop reading at Shetler Studios in Manhattan.

This first version of this musical was a little bit of a hot mess, in all honesty.

It had great potential and some fantastic material, but 90% of the show would eventually find its way to the cutting room floor over the next several years.

Even in this initial version of the show, the narrative was not quite linear. The inciting incident was still a jousting accident for Henry, making him realize he needed to secure his line (read: have a son) before it was too late. But approximately halfway through the show - and with basically zero warning - the narrative split into both a main storyline with Anne and Henry, as well as a faster-moving future storyline with the remainder of Henry’s queens and all three of his children.

Elizabeth was not yet being uplifted as the ultimate heir and the great irony of the story, and Anne was being cast too much as both a seductive villain and a pawn of her male relatives. Henry was not at all likable (though I was not going for that at the time) and there was a partial narration by a singular best friend character, Charles Brandon.

I will say that the piece actually moved quite well and - though the dialogue was a touch too dramatic - every scene contained a sizable amount of theatricality and intrigue.

The score was riddled with structure-less songs and meandering lyrics (I had not yet learned this art form properly), though much of the music was quite good. In fact, 4 songs from this initial version - albeit all a tad altered - still exist in the show today.

The experience of these first two readings were fantastic, and taught me a great deal about the possibilities this story contained as a piece of musical theatre.

I was stoked to continue writing.

Big Version #2

March 30th, 2014 - The King’s Legacy is performed at the Emerging Artists Theatre Festival at the TADA! Theater in Manhattan, this time with a new narrative structure and an almost entirely new score.

After the excitement of that first summer, I didn’t have a chance to revisit the musical too much during the following fall and winter. I made a few of the major adjustments I was interested in making to the overall narrative structure, but I didn’t fill in much of the new dialogue nor write any of the new music that went along with this version.

Well, that is until…

I had been applying with the show to developmental programs and festivals, and was suddenly contacted by the Emerging Artists Theater Festival that I had gotten a performance slot for the end of the festival on March 30th…which was only 7 weeks away. Yikes.

Luckily, I had been auditing the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing Workshop since the fall, and had picked up some excellent new skills in writing efficiency.

I set up a deadline calendar of 2 weeks for script edits and 3 weeks for composing new music, before the 2 weeks of rehearsals. The result was a much cleaner version of the show, with new scenes, a more likable Henry (too likable), a protagonist-like Anne (though too innocent now), and with 1/3 of the score being entirely new (but at least well-structured now).

The new music was met with much positivity - and some of it still remains today - and the show had successfully corrected too far in the other direction.

If I learned a lot from the first reading, I learned far more from this second version. Elizabeth was now clearly the correct end result of the show, though she wasn’t present enough. Anne was more involved in her story, but Henry was still too central. All of the queens were still included, but the reasoning for it was still too murky and unclear.

That pesky narrative structure was still giving me trouble.

Trial By Rewrite

Fall 2015/Winter 2016 - The entire structure is rewritten…thrice. Additionally, in tandem with the newest of the structures, over 2/3 of the score is thrown out and rewritten to fit the new narrative.

If you look at the Developmental History of The King’s Legacy, the period of time from the Emerging Artists Theater Festival in March 2014 until the Invited Industry Reading in November 2016 appears to have been a very quiet time for the musical in its development. There’s nothing else listed in between.

In fact, the exact opposite was true.

I came out of my first year at Bristol Valley Theater in the summer of 2014 with writing-guns blazing. I wrote and rewrote like a madman.

I got accepted into the BMI Workshop (for reals this time) as a Lyricist and began writing more and with many different people.

In turn, I then became inspired to write more for The King’s Legacy. I tried several entirely new narrative structures for the show - all based on feedback I had received after the EAT Festival - and threw out the first one right away. Henry was too present and too much in control.

I knew I wanted the women front and center, and Anne Boleyn in particular, but I was having trouble making that happen. So I tried another new version. This one was better, but the time jumps were: still nebulous, not spread throughout the entire show, and far too confusing.

On the third try, I found something that worked and that I liked very much. This had promise, but another summer jaunt to BVT in 2015 meant that I wouldn’t write much again until the fall.

When I returned to the musical in the fall of 2015, I found that I had been right that spring. This new version was beginning to work. The women were both becoming prominent in the storytelling and were more clearly the point of the piece.

Now what it needed was an almost entirely new score to fit the new narrative and characters.

The next 6 months was pure rewrites and composition. It was grueling and exhilarating all at once, and yet no one had heard any of the new material. The show had progressed so far, but no one knew.

But soon they would.

The Narrative Structure

April 17th, 2016 - The first closed reading of the new version, which would become the basis for the current version of the show.

November 20th, 2016 - The first invited industry reading with Broadway talent takes place in Manhattan, solidifying the new form.

I liked it, this new version, oh so very much. So I gave it a test drive and…it worked!

Some minor tweaks were in order to make it work better, of course, but it was now clear that there was little else I could do with this show without it being on its feet in front of other industry professionals.

With a great amount of help from friends and colleagues, I began putting together a plan for an industry reading for the fall. We got some amazing talent, including Wicked’s Libby Servais, and went to work.

Many months and much tweaking later, the reading took place and the response was excellent.

The show was well on its way - landing in many of the precise ways I was hoping, getting the audience to tap their toes and emote, and it gave the musical some excellent forward momentum.

Next, it was time to clean it up, get the word out about its existence, and find a way to have the show produced.

Submissions Submissions Everywhere, And Not A…

October 16th, 2017 - “The Songs of Michael Radi” takes place at Feinstein’s/54 Below, featuring mostly music from the latest version of The King’s Legacy.

I’ve written extensively about the submission process for musicals, which can be absolutely grinding and heart-breaking. (read that post here)

This period of time was no less difficult.

Submissions were a daily occurrence with little to show beyond a lot of silence from the void, many cookie-cutter rejection emails spouting increased numbers in submissions, a few kind rejections letters, and the occasional message of “we can’t right now, but check in again with us next year.”

So - partly to keep my sanity and partly to find a way to get the music out there - I began planning a concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Luckily, they loved the idea of a primetime program of new musical theatre both featuring and highlighting women, so I was in!

The concert had a brilliant cast of all Broadway and Off-Broadway performers (featuring Wicked’s longest-running Elphaba: Jackie Burns) and it went spectacularly. I couldn’t have been more pleased!

Not only did it get people talking about The King’s Legacy and the other music from the evening, it provided me with great video and audio to use while trying to get my music out there. Now, whenever anyone showed an interest, I was able to pull up a high quality sample of the material to back up my passion for the piece.

Rejection - at the very least - can be quite motivating.

The Premiere Production

November 1st, 2018 - Bristol Valley Theater publicly announces that The King’s Legacy will have its premiere production as part of the 2019 summer season and their New Works Initiative.

Fall 2018/Winter 2019 - Preparation for the production begins with phone calls, meetings, edits, rewrites, orchestrations, and copyist work.

February 23rd, 2019 - Final closed reading of the newest version of the show, including all rewrites and a finalized score.

April 17th, 2019 - The libretto for production is finalized.

When I first - nervously and off-handedly - brought up the idea of doing The King’s Legacy at Bristol Valley Theater to the artistic directors in the summer of 2017, I truly thought there was no way it was going to happen.

The cast was probably too big, the musical was period, it doesn’t have the name recognition required for a big musical performance slot, and the New Works Initiative had never had a musical. It was a lovely little pipe dream that was fun to discuss over drinks.

I was then shocked when I was told - not too long after - that they found the idea intriguing and would be keeping it in the back of their minds for future consideration.

A full year later I found myself in discussion about its potential feasibility and what would be required. Suddenly, this was a real possibility - an actual option for the New Works Initiative. A spark of hope had appeared.

When it was announced that the premiere of The King’s Legacy was to be part of the 2019 Bristol Valley Theater season, I was ecstatic! Who else would I be happier to trust with the first ever production of this piece - one that I’ve worked on so diligently for 6 years - other than the brilliant minds and artists at BVT?

No one.

We’ve got a great team, an excellent cast, a phenomenal theater, and a community like no other.

What else could you want?

6 Years Later…

August 10th, 2019 - The first rehearsal for the premiere production begins!

And so here we are. After 6 years, it’s about to actually begin.

And all I have left to say is…

Let’s do this thing.