#I have never considered her relationship with mikael in much detail before

[oblitum]

She's not sure why his words ruffle her feathers so badly; and put her on the defensive. It's different than her mother and she's never quite understood why. Her mother strikes her with anger but her father, it's something akin to disappointment, irritation and perhaps a small part of her would admit to fear. She spent her childhood dodging his anger, never understanding why his children were never good enough for him. She didn't get the rage that Niklaus faced, but instead a cold kind of indifference. It unnerved her as much now as it did when she was human but she stands tall, gaze assessing, her perfectly curated mask never falling. " That tends to happen when you're busy neglecting or trying to kill your children. " she muses, head tilted as she allows herself a scoff at his words. " You always did underestimate me. "

@astormymind sent: I didn’t think you had it in you. (from Mikael)

[tvdversefanfiction]

Origins of Magic

“The Originals” Fanfiction Series

Warnings: I do not own the rights to the television series “The Originals”, “Vampire Diaries”, or “Legacies” and do not own any of the characters within the TVD universe, I am making no profit from this and have no intention for this fanfiction series except for readers to enjoy. 15+ Mild to Strong Violence, Strong Language, Witchcraft, sexual scenes, and sexual references. F/F, F/M, M/M, Other.

CHAPTER FOUR HERE

Chapter 5 - The Black Family Origins

A long time ago…before vampires and even werewolves there were witches and even longer time before that there were two covens known as the light and dark, the light served nature and were considered good and the dark drew it’s magic from more twisted sources like death and were often considered evil. These two covens were the first witches even noted throughout history, records of them being lost and long forgotten to the point as centuries went by the legend of them became but a myth. However, the existence of them was anything but a myth, their secrets hiding the mystery to the origins of how witches came to be. Over the centuries these two covens grew into many different bloodlines creating all new branches of magic and powerful witch families such as the Bennet’s, the Parker’s and the Mikaelson’s but very few believe their power descended from these two covens and even if they did it would be impossible to tell if they originated from the light or the dark. Each of these covens had a supreme witch; the one regarded as the most powerful amongst them and one particular supreme witch, that of the dark coven had a very special connect to four powerful witches, after all she was their mother. Annabella, Magnus, Kayne, and Primrose were the children of the dark coven’s supreme witch Sapphire making the Black siblings’ direct descendants to the original witches and therefore witch royalty, neither of them knowing who their father was due to their mother’s disbelief in monogamy or disclosing any of her many secrets to her offspring. No one knows how the covens were created or how they wound up separating or even the events that transpired afterwards, however Sapphire’s children made the most of their royal heritage until it their claim to this self-created magical kingdom proved to be their undoing concluding in the death of the oldest brother Magnus Black.

“How is this…” Bella began to say as she, Kayne and Rose remained in shock, stood in their hotel room with their previously dead brother Magnus stood in front of them. “Possible, yeah I bet when the three of you teamed up to murder me you never thought you would ever have to see me again.” Magnus said, with a clear look of hatred in his eyes. “Well yeah pretty much!” Rose admitted without hesitation. “Normally when you kill someone you do not genuinely expect to see them again.” “Rose...” Kayne said to his sister, urging for her to shut up. “We had no choice you allowed the power to go to your head, you thought you were grander than what you were.” Bella told her brother Magnus. “You wanted to be a king and if we let you then you would have burned the world to build your kingdom.” “Please,” Magnus scoffed at his elder sister. “You and I both know Kayne and Rose do not care for this world or any other…that might be your motive, but they are far too vapid for something that deep or heroic.” “Well I cannot say you do not have a point.” Rose replied to her eldest brother, fully admitting her own vanity without any sign of shame. “I just back up Annabella because quite frankly you got on my bloody nerves.” “You know why I had to choose their side and not yours!” Kayne revealed to his older brother, sparking curiosity from Rose and Bella who wondered what he meant. “Yes, I remember the choice you made…it is a shame you were the only sibling I tolerated and you betrayed me for the vapid bitch and the wannabe leader of our twisted little family.” Magnus answered Kayne, before turning his attention back to Bella. “You may have outwitted me once before, but it is time for round two dear Annabella!” “No offense brother but it is three against one, so I do not fancy your chances.” Rose warned Magnus. “Not exactly…” Magnus replied with a sinister smirk. “You see when you three brought back the Mikaelson brothers you tore a rift within the worlds between the living and dead and well I got myself acquainted with some new allies upon my return.” Rose, Kayne, and Bella did not have to wonder for too long who Magnus may have meant before Henrik Mikaelson appeared at the doorway next to Magnus. “I still find it weird you look like all those male doppelgangers but then again you are that immortal Silas’ grandfather, I guess genes run deep.” Henrik said to Magnus before turning his attention to Magnus’ three siblings. “You do not know me, but I am the youngest Mikaelson and a very powerful witch…especially since I became one with the hollow.” “Oh god not another bloody Mikaelson.” Rose complained. “Well I guess we now know why we did not get the hollow’s power…”

Meanwhile a blissfully unaware Klaus had found himself in the town square of Mystic Falls sitting on a bench eagerly awaiting to be reunited with his daughter Hope and hear about all the things he had missed in her life over the past decade, including the details of how she came to be engaged to Caroline Forbes’ daughter Josie Saltzman. “Dad?” Hope said, her voice breaking as she walked up to her father, who instantly stood up from the bench and rushed over to hug his beloved daughter. “I cannot believe I am here holding you in my arms again.” Klaus told his daughter, as he hugged her tighter. “I never thought I’d be able to hug you again.” “I never thought I would see you again.” Hope cried, as the father and daughter continued to hug each other. “I do not know how Aunt Rebekah managed this, but I am so grateful she did…I missed you so much!” “I missed you too Hope!” Klaus admitted and for the first time he realized this was his heaven, holding his daughter in his arms and being able to be in her life once again. “I promise I will not leave you again!” “You better not because I am going to need somebody to walk me down the aisle in a couple of months.” Hope revealed to her father, as the two broke off their hug. “Of course, I’ll have to cancel on Uncle Kol, but I think he will understand if Josie and I promise to do some babysitting for him and Aunt Davina.” “I cannot believe my little girl is getting married…and to the daughter of Caroline Forbes nonetheless, clearly you have impeccable taste like your father and if Josie is anything like her mother then I will be the proudest father in the world to welcome her into our family as your wife.” Klaus stated, clearly ecstatic to not only see Hope’s happiness but be able to be a part of her impending wedding. “About that…Caroline is walking Josie down the aisle since Alaric is no longer with us and Lizzie’s being the maid of honor from hell so when you attend the wedding please do not make moon eyes at my future mother in law.” Hope warned her father, half-jokingly, half serious. “I know you and Caroline have previous but let us keep it previous at least until after I’m married and on my honeymoon.” “I promise to be on my best behavior.” Klaus replied with a sinister smirk. “So, when do I get to meet my future daughter in law? Surely I do get to meet her before the wedding?”

Rebekah Mikaelson was delighted with her brothers being back from the dead even if they were not completely ecstatic themselves however she chose not to go to Mystic Falls with her brother, deciding to stay behind to thank Bella and Kayne for their help and find out the cost of Rose’s help. Elijah also chose to stay in New Orleans with his sister, after learning his sister made a deal with the Black siblings he knew any family reunion in Mystic Falls would have to wait for him as he tried to help Rebekah with damage control following the help of Bella, Kayne and Rose. Elijah’s relationship with the Black family was far less complicated than his siblings’, he was fond of Annabella feeling a kinship between them over their troublesome siblings, he saw Rose as the female equivalent to his youngest brother Kol and he had a soft spot for Kayne but that relationship will be explained another time. “I do not get it,” Rebekah said after she and Elijah vamp sped their way into Annabella’s hotel room to see nobody there. “I thought she would have at least said goodbye before going.” “Maybe she found it too hard to say goodbye for a second time.” Elijah suggested to his sister. “You and I both know how hard it is to say goodbye to somebody you once loved and maybe still love.” “Shame Rose is not madly in love with me because something tells me that bitch will not be going anywhere until she gets whatever the hell, she wants from me for helping bring you and Klaus back.” Rebekah complained, trying to mask the hurt she felt by Bella’s sudden departure. “That one was always the loose canon of her family which is exactly why her and Kol got on so well, I doubt Kayne will still be in New Orleans either in fact if I am honest I am surprised Annabella or Kayne helped you in the first place.” Elijah admitted to his sibling. “I honestly think Bella just wanted to relieve my pain...” Rebekah sighed, genuinely touched by her former lover’s undying kindness towards her. “As for Kayne he just wanted what I did…for his family to be whole again.” “Yeah well you should be careful what you wish for!” Mikael announced, after vamp speeding his way into the hotel room, shocking both his children by his unexpected return from the grave. “Do not worry I am far from mad I was not on the list to be resurrected, especially considering you got barely competent witches to perform a spell which went wrong in so many ways!” “Can you not just do one good as our father and stay dead?” Rebekah snapped at her father. “Do not think for a second you will ever win against us, Klaus may not be here to kill you a third time but I am more than willing to deliver you death it is about time I got to kill one of our parents!” “Let us not get so hostile straight away…especially when I have decided to only stay around for a short visit.” Mikael replied to his daughter. “I am not mad your witches messed up the spell Rebekah although I think you will be, and I am not here to kill the bastard child or his offspring.” “But that has been your only mission since we all became vampires.” Elijah stated, in shock by his father’s admission. “Then why are you here?” Rebekah questioned her father. “Believe it or not but I only came to warn you about another Mikaelson ready to kill the lot of you,” Mikael revealed, only to be met by both Rebekah and Elijah scoffing at him in disbelief. “I have found peace…I also know Freya has a child with a werewolf nonetheless…but despite that she is happy, alive and named her bloody child after Niklaus.” “So, for her you are willing to put your vendetta behind you for good, but you could not do it for myself, Rebekah or even Kol?” Elijah asked, clearly wounded by his father’s loyalty to Freya and lack of loyalty towards his other children, including himself. “Which family wants us dead now? Do not tell me we have a grandmother ready to kill us at any minute.” Rebekah wondered. “Actually, it is Henrik or rather who you perceive as Henrik,” Mikael admitted to his children. “The Hollow has taken form as your brother it started in the after life and has continued to this world.” “No, he is our brother, he is not the hollow! Niklaus or I would have noticed if he was the hollow.” Elijah argued, refusing to believe a word his father said. “This is some kind of trick of yours and I do not believe it for one minute!” “Actually, it makes sense how else does a dead child grow into a man?” Rebekah replied to Elijah. “I know you and Klaus believe you were in some sort of heaven and that he is Henrik but I have not bought that for a single second and if that heaven did not give you everything you wanted I do not think you would believe he was Henrik either.” “There is no heaven or hell or at least not anymore, there is just peace…tell me Elijah did you see anybody else other than yourself, Niklaus and Henrik?” Mikael informed his son, making him question his so-called heaven. “Yes, Hayley and Cami were there too…but nobody else come to think of it.” Elijah admitted. “You were in the after life but you were under the hollow’s spell the entire time, linking itself to you in case someone decided to defy death itself and bring you back, why else do you think neither Hayley or Cami are here now.” Mikael explained to his oldest surviving son. “But if you are back and can go back to being dead then clearly anyone can now.” Rebekah guessed correctly. “Which means we have to find a way of stopping anybody who got bored of peace from coming back to life before literally all hell breaks loose…question is how do we fix everything?” “I am not a witch, that question lies with the witches you got to cast the spell in the first place Rebekah and it just so happens your so called brother has aligned themselves with their brother and are about to kill your only solutions to fixing this bloody mess!” Mikael warned Rebekah and Elijah, revealing what had happened to Bella, Kayne, and Rose at the same time.

[paoladamasco]

PAOLA DAMASCO is an INDEPENDENT actress, known for being highly relatable and a grassroots activist. It seemed to all of Italy that she came out of nowhere. One day, a simple girl from a low-income family in Rome who found pleasure in pretend and playing make believe – the next, a household name with feature films under her belt and a no-nonsense approach to acting. To us, it seems easy. But with a humble smile and a wise look of someone who knows far better than we do, Paola assures us that it was far from it.

AMICA: Tell us where you came from and how it affects you today.

PAOLA DAMASCO: Rome, where time stands still and history is everywhere. I can see now that it’s a lovely city, but growing up, it looked so broken to me. Everywhere I looked, I saw poverty and pain. I suppose that says more about me than Rome. I grew up lacking a lot, so I saw that everywhere – it was all I knew. My parents tried very hard to keep food on the table and the lights on at home, and it usually meant they were out working all day and all night. I learned very early what sacrifice meant, and my parents made it very clear to me that whatever I wanted, I had to give as much back in time and effort and hard work.

AMICA: Did you miss your parents when they were gone?

PAOLA DAMASCO: Of course. It’s – it’s easier for me to say this now that they’ve passed away, but it’s difficult to feel connected or attached to your parents when you hardly see them or know them. In a lot of ways, it feels like I raised myself.

AMICA: Is there anything you would tell them now, if you could?

PAOLA DAMASCO: I don’t know, I haven’t thought deeply about that yet. If I’m being honest, I don’t want to inflict unnecessary pain on myself by considering all the things I never had the chance to express to them.

AMICA: A few years ago, your parents passed away and so did your then-boyfriend, Gabriele. Could you tell us more about that?

PAOLA DAMASCO: It’s a tired story, I think. Once you’re close to it, fame is almost irresistible and all of the things that come with it – the parties, the alcohol, the drugs – become irresistible too. Gabriele’s addiction stole him away from us long before his death, but I’ll never forget who he was. To me, to his loved ones, to Italy.

AMICA: Is that why you’ve stayed away from signing with larger companies – because you’re afraid of fame?

PAOLA DAMASCO: Afraid isn’t the right word, because I do see the need for it in a lot of ways, if I want to continue acting and creating films that I’m truly proud of. But I also understand that there is a greater unknown to all of it, and I’m not sure I’m willing to embrace that just yet. I love my work, and I love my job, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything. If that means eventually signing on with a team, then I’m happy to. But right now, I’m in a good place. I have great projects lined up, I’m surrounded by incredibly talented people and I know where I stand and who I am. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

BEST FRIEND (open). her trust is hard to earn, but you’ve earned it. and for it, she’s yours. she shows you the weakest parts of you and believes you with her entire heart and mind.

OLD LIVES (open). you knew her when she was with gabriele, when her career first began to flourish and she was getting used to being recognized. she’s confident now, established and esteemed, but you’ll always see her as simple paola, the new girl on the block.

BLAME (open). you were close with gabriele, and you were the one to invite him to party after party after party. and she will never forgive you for it.

BUSINESS PURSUER (open). you see paola’s potential to bring you and your company’s name to glory. you’ve made it your mission to persuade paola to abandon her independent label and come to your team instead.

OLD FLAME (open). the two of you had a brief relationship, once. details can be personalized to the character.

MIKAEL FALCO. she loved you once and she loves you still. you were once her world, the first person to show her there is a life outside of death and addiction and pain. you were her first love after gabriele, and she will never let you forget how much that means to her.

MARCELO ROSSO. you are her favorite secret, a private affair that began in a whirlwind and only recently began to feel like something real. but there is a murkiness that lingers inside of her, a caution to trust and let you in.

[journalofimprobablethings]

Chapters: 2/3 Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist Characters: Martin Blackwood, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Annabelle Cane, Mikaele Salesa Additional Tags: Set in Episodes 180-181 | Upton Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives), Spoilers for The Magnus Archives Season 5, Memory Loss, Dreams vs. Reality, Character Study, did this sort of turn into a study of jon's character development throughout the seasons?, Maybe - Freeform, jon starts forgetting things while they're still at upton, that's it that's the fic, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending

Chapter Summary:

Every time Jon forgets, things get a little harder.

Preview:

This time, the last thing Jon remembers is the Unknowing.

His dreamy confusion fades as he looks at Martin, takes in the expression on his face, what Martin is sure must be a look of utter despair.

"This isn't a dream, is it?" Jon says.

A tiny, cautious hope blooms in Martin’s chest. Maybe Jon hasn’t forgotten entirely, after all.

"No, it's not.”

Jon sighs, and his shoulders slump. "So that's it. I'm dead, then."

" What? "

"Tim blew up the Circus and we were still inside it, so I must be..." Jon trails off, his brow furrowing. Martin can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to make sense of where he's found himself. He  opens his mouth to tell Jon it's all right, to explain, but before he can Jon has taken his hand, looking up at him earnestly.

"God, Martin, I'm so sorry. I never wanted to...it's all you asked of me, to 'just not die', and I couldn't even do that for you."

Martin frowns, trying to think what Jon could be referring to. Their last conversations before the Unknowing had all been...careful. Purposefully inconsequential, the air thick with things left unsaid; sometimes Martin had thought he would choke on all the things he wanted to say to Jon, but couldn't.

He didn't remember them having a conversation about dying.

It would have made the danger too real, maybe, to say it out loud.

"What are you—what do you mean, Jon?"

Jon looks at him like it should be obvious. "The—the tape. The recording you made, before we all left. Just don't die , Jon , you said. That's all you wanted, for us to make it back home."

Martin can feel his face start to burn. It's not the end he's embarrassed about—he remembers that desperate feeling, the prayer he put out into the world like he thought if he said the words with enough fervor, the universe might listen.

But he's fairly sure he also rambled quite a bit about spiders in that statement.

He drops his head in his hands and groans. "I can't believe you actually listened to it."

"No, I—I'm glad I did, I—it gave me something to—" Jon stops and takes a breath. "It gave me something to think about besides the Unknowing. It gave me a reason to want to come back. I wanted to come back to you, Martin. I did. But I—I failed. I'm sorry. I'm so s—”

Jon stops suddenly, and his face twists into something wry and rueful.

“What am I doing? It’s not like this is real.”

“Jon?”

Jon doesn't pay him any attention. He gives a small laugh with absolutely no humor in it, and takes a step back.

“It’s not like you’re actually Martin. I can apologize all I want, but this is all in—in my own head, late-firing synapses, or what have you—”

“Jon.”

“Of course my version of the afterlife is just me apologizing to everyone I—I ever wronged or failed. I suppose Tim will be next. And Sasha.” He pauses, and the bitter humor in his voice fades, replaced with something small and lost. ”I wonder which version of her I’ll get. Is there any part of me that still remembers what she really looked like?”

“Jon!”

Martin reaches out and takes Jon firmly by the shoulders, trying to pull him back before he can wander any further down this path. Jon looks up at him and seems surprised that he is still here.

“Hm?”

"I’m here, Jon. I’m really here. This is real. You’re not dead." Martin says. Then he softens, moving his hands down Jon's arms so he can take Jon's hands in his.  "You didn't fail. You came back. It took a while, but you came back."

Jon stares at him.

"Martin, what are you talking about?”

And so Martin explains, again.  

He tells Jon about the Change, and the camera, and Annabelle and Salesa. There is more to cover now, but even so, the parallels with their earlier conversation are...disquieting.

What exactly have I forgotten? Jon asks again, and

The Eye, I can't feel it, I—why can't I feel it? , and,

How did the world end? What did Elias do?

He again reaches out, even more tentatively than before, stammers over his words as he asks if you and I, are—are we—? There is more than a little disbelief in his face when Martin says yes.

Martin answers Jon's questions as best he can, pushing down the gnawing dread growing in his stomach at the repetitions.

He skips over most of the details of those last months at the Institute. He doesn't have the heart.

When he’s finished, Jon is quiet for a moment.

“You’ve told me this before, haven’t you?” he says finally.

Martin pauses, weighing his answer. “Yes," he says.

“Will it happen again?”

The question hits Martin like a physical blow.

He hadn't considered, until now, what Jon forgetting again might mean. He'd been so focused on convincing Jon that this was real, getting him up to speed, that he hadn't stopped to think about the implications. But now that Jon has asked, the idea tears down all the walls he's put up in his mind, and all the things he hasn't been letting himself think about come crashing in.

Jon is going to keep forgetting, and each time he seems to remember less.

What if it keeps getting worse?

What if getting him out of Upton House doesn't fix it?

What if Jon keeps forgetting until he's forgotten everything—the Eye, the Archives—him?

What if Martin loses him?

Martin's breath quickens, short and sharp, hitching in his chest, and he shies away from that thought, from the panic it brings with it.

Don't think about it. Don't feel it. You can't afford to feel that right now.

He pushes the panic down and away, trying his best, just for a second, to feel nothing at all.

He can hear waves crashing somewhere in the distance. The sound is soothing, and he tries to match his breaths to the rhythm of the waves.

"Martin."

Jon's voice is so distant. Martin can barely make it out, drowned out by the cold wind in his ears.

" Martin ."

A chill creeps through him, seeping deep into his chest and towards his heart, gently numbing. He can feel his anxiety fading.

“ Martin! ”

Then Jon’s hands are on his face, not quite shaking him, but firm. The heat of his palms on Martin's cheeks is like a brand against his suddenly chilled skin, shocking him as if he’s been struck. Martin gasps, deep and shuddering, and reaches out to clutch at Jon's arms.

Jon, who is looking up at him with worry and confusion and the remnants of panic.

"You were going grey, you were—you were disappearing."

Martin nods, his fingers still clutched tight into the sleeves of Jon's jacket.

"Sorry. That—it—sometimes I...s-sorry."

He focuses on the feel of the slick polyester under his palms, the sound of Jon's breathing, still slightly too fast. He doesn't know why he thought the Lonely couldn't touch him here, but it terrifies him how quickly he had begun to fall back into it. He looks at Jon, tracing the familiar planes of his face with his eyes, the scattering of scars on his cheek, the line between his brows. I see you, he thinks. I see you.

Jon is still here. He hasn't lost him. He will not lose him.

"Okay," he says. "Okay. I'm okay. Sorry."

"No need to—please don't apologize, Martin," Jon says. He gives Martin a searching look. "Do you—do you want to talk about it?"

Martin can see the questions building up behind his eyes, the need to Know. But the idea of explaining the Lonely to Jon is more than he can bear right now. Right now, he just wants to pretend it doesn't exist. He shakes his head.

And Jon just nods. Even though Martin can see the curiosity burning in him, the hunger for knowledge mixed with worry and concern—he just nods.

"All right." he says. And leaves it at that.

Martin is suddenly overwhelmed by how much he loves this man, this stupid, stubborn, infinitely kind man. Jon hasn’t moved away, his hands moved down to mirror Martin’s own, so they’re standing in a loose embrace. Martin allows himself to lean forward, slowly, until his forehead drops onto Jon’s shoulder.

"Thank you."

The bird outside trills again, the sound so incongruously normal when set against everything else. Martin takes a deep breath, filing that sound away with all his other memories of this place, memories and images he'll be able to take out and warm himself with later, when everything is bad again.

Then he opens his eyes, and takes Jon's hand. Time to go.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

Read the rest on ao3!

[vieuxnoyesrp]

Dani. We’ve been reading your paras on our dash for over a year now, but that hasn’t dulled our eager anticipation. You have an incredible talent for capturing the wit and tone of your characters, and after reading your application, we are confident your Rebekah will be no different. In fact, Rebekah comes at a critical moment for the Mikaelson siblings, who will be facing some difficult decisions in the upcoming months. With your keen eye for Rebekah’s many idiosyncracies, we look forward to seeing how you tackle her complex mental landscape.

Dani, thank you very much for applying. As for Rebekah…

            ⚜ ~ WELCOME TO VIEUX NOYÉS!!! ~ ⚜

Wondering what to do next? Click here and let the good times roll!

⤜ Name/alias: Dani

⤜ Pronouns: She/Her

⤜ Age: 21

⤜ Timezone: EST

⤜ Activity: Excluding the last few months of mayhem I try to be on and up to date as often as possible.  Now that things have been more stable I plan to be on more often than I have been which is good!

⤜ Best form of contact:  Katherine’s blog!

⤜ Any Triggers? (If so, please tell us how you want the subject to be treated in this roleplay (whether to be tagged accordingly or avoided completely, etc.) Shootings, Eating Disorders, Sexual Assault

⤜ How did you find Vieux Noyés? Rose!

⤜ What drew you to the RP? Working with you lot before I knew how creative you all are, and how hardworking. The rp was incredibly detailed and inventive off the bat, and since I’ve been here, the community has been overwhelmingly positive and motivating.

⤜ What is one subplot/element from the Plot page that you are particularly looking forward to seeing in this roleplay?

I’m looking forward to seeing the plotline between the New Orleans coven and the Salem witches unfold! It sounds brilliant.

⚜ Desired Character:

⤜ Why do you want this character?

I want to play Rebekah because I really want to explore what I feel is the most complex part of her: the way she loves. I think Rebekah’s way of loving people, the way she attempts to build relationships as an Original vampire, and as a young woman who’s always had men at the helm of her greater decisions, opens up a lot of opportunity for self-discovery, character growth, and resolution of past traumas. I’d love to give that writing a go.

⤜ What are your future plans for this character?

Along with the arc that’s already been set in motion for her in her bio, I want to see Rebekah get to a point where she realizes that the way out of abusive relationships, isn’t through the development of more abusive relationships. I think as much as she does genuinely want to love and be loved in return, she has a history of choosing one love over another instead of choosing herself, or teaming up with a love of hers to take down a worse, more abusive love in her life ( by love i mean any type, familial/platonic/romantic/etc). I would like to see Rebekah also come to a better understanding of what love is, and how love/loyalty, and gratitude/responsibility play a part in the development of her relationships.

⤜ Put yourself in your character’s shoes. Give us a few lines to describe a day in the life of your character… Where do they live? Where and how do they spend their time?

Rebekah Mikaelson lives in a very nice parisian-style apartment by Jackson Square. She seldom holes herself up inside though, and uses her apartment largely to pamper herself or relax after a long day of family drama. Bex gets bored pretty easily when there’s nothing to do but stay in all day. So she keeps herself busy.. She’s pretty sociable when she isn’t focused on family, plotting, or getting something done,, so she knows a few of the people in her neighborhood well. The only neighbor she talks to regularly is the older woman on the floor below her. She’s been doubling as the wife and caretaker of her husband of forty-three years. Rebekah gets coffee at one of the charming cafe’s in Jackson Square whenever she’s on the go before noon, and goes to her favorite boutique salon south of Bourbon Street every week. With her plans to take down Nic in the works, she spends a good amount of time at the compound, well aware that going too long without seeing or hearing from her might raise suspicions. And yes, even with her hands full, Rebekah makes time for the nightlife. But the best bars in her area always get crowded by his ex and his band of misfit toys, so she’s calculating about who she runs into in a $500 cocktail dress.

⤜ Give us three headcanons regarding your character of choice.

Running from her father, Mikael, for the last several centuries, and being daggered and shoved into a box for decades has made Rebekah less of a sentimental fool when it comes to knickknacks and keepsakes. She can be materialistic, but if there’s one thing she’s learned it’s that there’s no point in being a hoarder when one is immortal. The only things she keeps from her past are a handful of objects from her human life, some which are stowed safely in their more memorable homes ( and the secret rooms within those walls ), while others are at the hands of astoundingly plain dopplegangers. When it comes to those keepsakes, Rebekah remains viciously attached.

Rebekah has always loved music and dancing, and though there are some exceptions, presently it isn’t easy for her to sit through anything top 40. Music changes so rapidly that in her lifetimes she’s developed a bit of a versatile, and incredibly picky taste for most of it. Dance music is tolerable under the right circumstances, but for the most part, she prefers alternative R&B and Indie.

The 1920s was Rebekah’s favorite decade right before Klaus daggered her. For a while she had the best of both worlds, Stefan’s love and her brother’s approval. To this day she reminisces about how those few months had brought her and her older brother closer than they’d been in centuries. She’s still bitter about everything that’s happened since, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’d been happy once, and that it counts even after all the bad that followed.

⤜ What are some plots you’d like to explore with your character?

I’m really hoping to explore the tug-of-war relationship Klaus and Rebekah have with Elijah. She’s always felt like the one left out whenever the two are on good terms, or whenever Elijah’s seeking Klaus’ redemption, and Elijah’s always played the mediator, perhaps despite Klaus’ personal preferences as to who should be head of the household.. I think it’d be really cool to see that trio interacting and reaching a point where Elijah may end up on the opposing side of both of them.

I’d also like to explore Rebekah’s relationship with Marcel. The scattered bits of history between them hint at a lot of betrayal and mistakes on both their parts, I think it’d be cool to see them duke it out on who really broke who’s heart at the end of all things, and whether blame is really enough to soothe those wounds at this point.

Lastly, I’d want to explore Rebekah’s inner turmoil when it comes to liberty versus loyalty. I feel like Rebekah has always wanted freedom and has always wanted love and family, but believes she can never have one without giving up the other - mostly where Klaus and Elijah are involved. I’d like to find out what it is that makes her fight for freedom a second priority. Is it only circumstantial, or is freedom what she actually wants? Does she ever hope to have both?

⤜ Para sample: (The sample must be in character, in third-person, and at least 300 words. Samples with dialogue are encouraged.)

     (RFP)

⤜ Would you like to be considered for another character if not accepted as your primary choice? Nope nope

⤜ Have you read the rules?: Yes, I have.

⤜ Anything else? That’s it!

[sillymarils]

ok here’s a masterpost of my reactions to 4x5 now that I had time to rewatch the clip, analyze, and organize all of my thoughts warning it’s hella long

Yousef and Even 

So i talked more about this theory here (x) here (x) here (x) here (x) and here (x), but to condense it, I basically think that Mikael was the one who Even tried to kiss, but Yousef was the one who flipped out on Even for doing that, not Mikael himself (and yeah I’m on the bandwagon that Mikael actually low key wanted to kiss Even back but is still in the closet and was dealing with internalized homophobia). So there are things I didn’t talk about yet though:

Even’s projection of his dilemma of his bipolar disorder through the narrative he creates about Sonja having a metal leg; maybe Yousef does the same thing and projects his own guilt over hating on Even by making Mikael the one in the story. 

When the Balloon Boys enter SYNG, Mikael enters but then leaves in the next shot. It seems odd that he’d leave so abruptly, but maybe Mikael still has feelings for Even and seeing Even with another boy may have been just too much for him (and for this reason Mikael may or may not have instigated to the fight). 

Even doesn’t stop singing because Mikael enters, because like he probably didn’t even see Mikael?? I didn’t even see Mikael at first, so I doubt Even saw him. No, Even saw Yousef, and Yousef was the one who Even seemed terrified of. Sure, he may have just connected Yousef with Mikael and the shit of his past, and jumped to the conclusion that if Yousef was here then Mikael would be too, but if Yousef truly didn’t play as big as a role in what went down, then I don’t think Even would have had such a raw emotion / reaction as he did if he saw Yousef (and not even Mikael). Even was looking straight at Yousef, and his eyes didn’t really glance at the others, and his terrified reaction was because of Yousef. 

Who started the fight?

There are multiple theories that I have about what exactly happened, because obviously we’re not seeing something (indicative of Sana not knowing all of the circumstances) and the show is intentionally being vague about the details. From this I can assume that Julie wants to hide something until bam! Shock reveal, and all of our previous presumptions will no longer have credibility. And so far from what I’ve seen from the fandom (specifically from the ugly side of the fandom), many are automatically blaming the Balloon boys for starting the fight, which is racist and prejudiced, because Isak and the Boy Squad were just as likely as the Balloon Boys to have started the fight. Like that part of the fandom is doing exactly what those bathroom bitches were doing, assuming that the Balloon Squad started the fight because of homophobic reasons. Plus, by making Isak the one to be hurt, Julie’s probably fooling us into sympathizing with the boy squad, until she can pull the rug out from under us and reveal that they started it.

Isak and Even go outside, they see Mikael, and Isak goes to confront him because he recognizes him, and knows that something went down between him and Even, and says something along the lines of “you missed your chance with Even and he’s mine now” or “hey you missed a chance on a friendship with a really great guy!!!” or Something like that it may seem out of character because Isak is now so comfortable with his sexuality and his relationship with Even but Isak is impulsive and is not known for thinking through his words before he says things. Besides, Isak doesn’t know the full circumstances of what happened between him and Even, just knows that Even is hurt from what happened, and considering Isak just witnessed Even nearly combust (and god knows what Even’s face looked like when he did ultimately see Mikael outside), it would be completely understandable that Isak would be in a protect Even mode. 

Elias’s “drittunger” or “brat” comment would also make sense in this situation, like without that comment we would assume that Mikael and the others started the fight, but Elias makes it sound that it was Isak and the boys’ faults that the fight took place, because why would he say they were childish if the Balloon boys started it in the first place? It doesn’t really make sense unless we assume that the Boy Squad started it. 

So here is the sequence of events as I see it: Isak confronts Mikael→ Mikael gets upset and jealous so punches Isak→ Jonas sees and, being the best friend that he is, goes in full out defense mode (this is why Jonas was fighting specifically Mikael, he wasn’t going for anyone else but Mikael) → Mahdi and Magnus jump in, and Mutasim and Adam try to break it up, and Mikael tries to hold back Elias when Sana comes out. Maybe Mikael felt guilty over hitting Isak and thus tried to stop Elias before any more damage can be done, but it’s kinda unclear why he still continues to fight with Jonas after Elias backed off. But Jonas was pretty aggressive and maybe Mikael was simply defending himself but not being on the offensive. 

I’m still not sure why Mahdi vs Elias was the main focus when Sana first comes out to witness the fight. 

maybe the fight wasn’t even started by Isak or Mikael, but Magnus when he sees that these were the boys in that video who asked Vilde for nudes. Maybe all of this is wrong.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Why wasn’t Yousef in the fight?

So Yousef’s behavior was extremely fishy. The behavior most relevant to the fight is the fact that he wasn’t there??? Sure, he could have just not wanted to be near Sana atm, a point I will expand on in the next paragraph, but maybe there’s more to it? Maybe it has to do with his history with Even. Yousef is best buds with the Balloon squad, if he knew there was a fight, he would have been right alongside them and supporting them. Or, he may want to break the fight, but he certainly wouldn’t ignore the fight all together. Maybe he knew that if he saw Even, his emotions would get the better of him, and cause him to lash out. It is still sitting weirdly with me when he goes over to Elias and the other boys and they immediately walk out to join Mikael. If he was simply telling them that Mikael is in a fight, then would he not return with them outside after warning Sana that Elias is in trouble to make sure they were alright, instead of going to make out with Noora? In fact, how did he know that Elias was in trouble, if he only just told them to go outside? Seems like a set up to me. I just don’t know what game he’s playing at. I just hope that whatever he’s doing and how much of an asshole he may seem like right now, that he redeems himself because his chemistry with Sana is incredible and nothing Julie throws at us will convince that that boy isn’t completely enamored with Sana.

Yousef’s reasons for kissing Noora

Yousef and Sana. Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we? Yousef made out with Noora.

So, why exactly did Yousef kiss Sana’s best friend?

Do Yousef and Noora have chemistry? Yeah, but more of a brotp kinda of way. I don’t see any sexual or romantic tension between them, and kissing each other was a way for both of them to hurt Sana, because they were both upset with her.

Yousef thought that Sana inviting him to karaoke was because she wanted to spend time with him. That’s why he walked in such a happy demeanor, until he is face fell as he took in the situation. Imagine what was going through his head when he walked in, saw Even standing up there, singing away, and Sana smiling at him (both Even and Yousef). Imagine him feeling so betrayed at Sana, for numerous reasons: 1. He opened up about his falling out with Even, an extremely sensitive subject for him, and finding out that she knew Even, was friends with Even all along, and never thought to mention it?? 2. Yousef probably thought that Sana inviting him to karaoke was just a ploy to get him and Even to make up. He sees it as just a setup (even though we know differently; even if Even wasn’t there, Sana would still invite Yousef because she!! Likes!! him!!!), and is hurt that Sana didn’t invite him simply to be with him.

Yousef was definitely a ticking bomb of emotions when we add the old feelings stirred up when he sees Even again, and the fact that he may have only just realized Sana defriended him from FB (idk when he found out but :/ ) on top of the feelings of betrayal he had in response to Sana. His kiss with Noora was probably a way to distract himself from Sana, just to feel anything except what he was feeling at the moment. Noora probably just happened to be there, and was convenient. 

Why did Noora kiss Yousef?

Noora had just found out that her best friend, her confidante, had been lying to her face, every single time she went to Sana to get out what was on her mind, every time she talked about what happened with her and William, and Sana didn’t tell her that he had moved on and had already found a new girlfriend. Sana has her own reasons for this, obviously, because she wanted to protect Noora from the truth. But Noora also feels a bit betrayed by Sana, because isn’t honesty the best policy? In what way is it Sana’s place to be making decisions about how much Noora knows? So, add those feelings of hurt by William already moving on in addition to the betrayal she feels from Sana and you get a girl who is feeling very lonely, as she just officially lost her ex and lost the trust she placed in her best friend. 

Noora most likely knew that Sana has feelings for Yousef, as she only brought up the topic of Yousef around Sana, and wanted Sana to hurt as much as she hurt. Noora is not a particularly malicious girl, none of the girls really are, but the circumstances make her actions understandable (not justifiable, but understandable). Sana’s intentions were good, but that’s just what makes the situation complex, something the Skam never fails to convey. That’s exactly what Skam does, it shows the complexity of human emotions and experiences, and shows that there are always multiple perspectives to a situation, and that one perspective isn’t necessarily better than another. I’m sorry I’m just really in love with this message even though it happened to be conveyed through sad circumstances for Sana. :(

The Vilde Problem

Sara and Vilde. Ugh. Enough said. I’m just so angry at Vilde right now wtf someone needs to call Vilde TF OUT. There’s also the question of broke the news to Noora that William has a new gf,  and I have a feeling it was Vilde. In the trailer, Noora breaks Vilde’s pearls, but maybe Vilde broke the news to Noora, since the reversal is kinda signifying an inversion of the events. Like, Even was hurt in the trailer, but the inverse of that is Isak getting hurt, which he did in the episode. Also applying this inversion to Vilde, Eva falling on Vilde’s pearls may reveal that Vilde is the one who is actually going to fall for Eva because cmon Vilde is gay. However, making lesbian Vilde canon in no way will make up for the shit she has been pulling. Being gay does not protect you from being prejudiced against others. Being gay doesn’t excuse her from being racist. Julie better give this message, and fix the brokenness of the girl squad in this season, because the female friendships are extremely unstable, and the female friendships were basically the point of seasons 1 and 2. Now, though, Sana cannot go to them for anything, because she’ll just be judged. (or maybe she’ll just feel like she’ll be judged, but in reality the girls will support her and try to understand where she’s coming from ? hopefully? this would be the ideal way to fix this shit tbh)

Other observations

HOLY SHIT I JUST THOUGHT OF THIS so in the trailer for the next half of the season, there’s a glimpse of someone running hands through a boys hair. A lot of people just kinda assumed that it was Yousef, but the hair is much to long and too light to be Yousef’s, so what if it’s Mikael’s hair instead!! And what if it’s not something that’s happening in the future, but it’s actually the Reverse (haha the reverse always comes into play since the s4 trailer): it has already happened in the past!! I think we may be getting the true, unfiltered events of Even and Mikael’s (and by extension Yousef’s) history

In her relationships with both Yousef and Noora, Sana has chosen to omit the truth in hopes it will spare or protect them from harsh feelings. However, we learn through this clip, that hiding the truth just creates miscommunication and misunderstandings, and ultimately more damage to relationships. 

Sana has literally hit rock bottom. She is going to be kicked off the bus, an act that her very own friend (Vilde) contributed to, one of her best friends got hurt (and its her own fault, or at least what Sana believes), her best friend is mad at her, her crush is mad at her, her bf and crush deliberately hurt her by making out, hahahah im in so much pain 

[sicklyscribe]

gather up the thoughts: 4x01 review

So I figured I’d do another one of these, especially since some people (Ashley) are particularly interested (Ashley) in how I feel about it! ( @hopepeaceandblackgirlmagic)

I’m going to try to go through scene-by-scene with cons, then pros, because at the moment I feel like I have to get all the negativity out of me before I even try to see the positive.

Vincent’s speech to the alliance:

Opening lines have always been pretty killer for the premieres. Sometimes they don’t fit seamlessly into the scene or character context, but this one was broad enough and the setting was appropriate enough to match - in all ways but one.

I personally adored the relationship between Camille and Vincent in every episode where it was featured. It was one of those things that just made sense, felt so right, that these two people would become such close friends in such a short amount of time.

But Camille was in no way a sacrifice, in any sense of the word. Flashing back to Camille during the lines “We paid a high price for that peace” is incongruous and insulting. Camille’s death was not a quid pro quo, it did not achieve anything - the whole “point” was that she was chosen to die because she was special to Klaus. She was collateral. How much more clearly can the creators communicate how little they valued this arc in their story, if they don’t bother to reference it accurately? Vincent may have been thinking about how much he misses Camille for that entire speech, but Camille’s death had nothing to do with buying peace. That was Davina.

It would have been so easy to make those flashback dedications only about Davina, or to flash back to Camille during the lines detailing the Mikaelson horrors. There’s no excuse that’ll make that right.

So I have to believe that Camille was considered after the fact, and inserted thoughtlessly. Inserting Camille into the narrative whenever loosely possible is not honoring her memory, it is desperately and obviously attempting to make an apology to viewers that is much too late. If Camille’s final arc was written respectfully, if her death was truly being honored as a significant moment later on, these kinds of insertions would be totally seamless. There would be no need to construct situations to remember Camille, because they would occur naturally as the narrative progressed. The aftermath of poor decisions in a continuing narrative is that you have to build on those decisions - and therefore writing a good story becomes that much harder.

What I did enjoy about this speech is that Vincent has obviously been forging this community with nothing but the sweat of his brow. The witches are weaker, so much weaker now, but he has them beginning to work with vampires instead of against them. He’s not asking them to be friends. He’s just asking for what they all need - peace. And achieving that for five years is... well... Let’s just say I wouldn’t mind if Vincent kept being in charge of things. In fact, put him in charge of more things. Less people die that way.

Now I’m only a minute into the premiere and it’s already pretty long. OOPS.

Setup scenes (Marcel & Sofya, Hayley & Mary, Marcel & Josh & Vincent):

Gotta say, I am still unimpressed with Sofya. That’s nothing against the character, it’s because at the moment she’s being used as a plot engine. There is literally nothing else about her in the narrative. She gets information, she spouts information. Great?

I’m not really seeing the point of her, for this reason. Josh could easily be the courier of Sofya’s intel, providing some color and personality and actual relationship dynamic on screen for viewers to digest with their information-vegetables. It just comes off as so flat, at the moment. Having more screen time for a female character isn’t worth much if everything she says goes under the ‘things we need viewers to understand so we can get to the Good Parts’ column. Allusions to sex don’t count.

I’d love to be proven wrong, of course, but we knew Sofya a bit in s3 as well, and she served the same purpose then. Clock’s kinda ticking for me.

I do love how much Marcel has thought about what’s going on “behind his back” with Hayley. How much it must frustrate him to know that in order to keep Rebekah alive, he must keep Elijah alive.

As for my BABY! I love. I love. I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE how our very first shot of Hope this season, of Hope at 7 years old, is her drawing. It’s so cheesy it’s so unnecessary it’s so PERFECT all the same. Not only was Klaus’ biological father an artist, his daughter is as well. I’m not crying. Shut up. Shut.

As for Mary, sigh, I still hate her guts but i can acknowledge that she’s probably a great “grandmother” to Hope and a really good resource for Hayley. So I guess she can stay.

Now, something I thought I was going to rage over actually was resolved by a quick google search. When Marcel walks into Rousseau’s, we see him take a sad look over at the picture of Cami and Davina on the wall. In the shot, this picture looks sooooooo fake. At first glance it looked like two headshots smooshed together, and it made me want to vomit. I was outraged by the cheapness. Turns out, it’s an actual picture of Leah and Danielle together, only change being Charles is cropped from Leah’s left side. I still wish they’d chosen a different picture, but it’s not as cheap as I thought. Jumping to conclusions really does a number on my blood pressure.

I feel like Josh’s line “Everything Cami wanted” could have been delivered and framed waaaaaay better, but I feel like having it in the script wasn’t a bad idea. This line is actually referencing values that Camille held while she was alive. Also on that note, is Josh half running the bar and half... DJing at NOLA clubs??? I know the kid needs something to do and he’s kinda not that into being Marcel’s yes-man any more, but... It seems kinda silly to me. And later, when we see him ‘spinning’.... I love Josh, but that kid looks so awkward at the discs. Is all of it just because he said he liked House music in season one? C’mon...

A nice civilized conversation:

The only gripe - the only tiny gripe I have about this is that Marcel is still repeating the same exact line about ‘IT’S MY CITY NOW HAHA’. It’s a tiny gripe because yeah, Marcel still cares about it, but Klaus did officially relinquish power at the end of s2, right? Not that that means he didn’t still have a ton of power in the Quarter after that, but Marcel wasn’t really taking the city back from him last season. Like, it just seems unnecessary for the point it made. We know how Marcel feels about the symbolism of the city. It just wasn’t a big enough point to bring up again, because they are really bordering on broken-record with that line, no matter how it’s worded. It should only be brought up in specific and necessary explorations of that particular part of Marcel, and it was used to frame a much broader sense of personal superiority.

Also, confusion - where is Klaus being kept? It’s implied to be beneath the compound, but I would have thought Marcel would keep him in the Garden? Since we never knew there was a dungeon beneath the compound? Like, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was one, but it’s just strange to me. Marcel already has a place for this.

Other than that, damn. Just...

Joseph Morgan kills every single scene in this episode with his eyes alone. Mad with boredom at first, weak with hunger, unfocused and dull. But the core of all of it is shame. Sadness. The quietness of self-hatred. He’s not proud of staying alive for his family. He’s in a much older, much more familiar place in his mind in that dungeon. So he returns to the oldest, most familiar pattern.

Klaus makes a threat at the first opportunity. Trying to scare Marcel, just a bit, so that he can get that safe feeling of superiority for that small moment. I don’t think he actually wants Marcel to rot in hell - he doesn’t kill those he loves when they hurt him, he just makes them suffer. But saying he wants Marcel to rot in hell is what Klaus needs in this moment to make himself feel strong... like Mikael was strong.

“There’s two ways this can go” Marcel tells him, showing him the stick and the carrot - the Suffer Knife and the Blood Bottle - Klaus can’t help but laugh. Marcel didn’t react to Klaus’ posturing, but the fact that Marcel came down here wanting something from him is enough of a high, enough of a comfort. Marcel has the barrier holding Klaus in, Marcel has the blood and the blade, but Klaus is the one making choices, Klaus is the one that has something Marcel would come all the way down here to get.

But then Marcel does something that lets us know exactly how that shame and sadness became the ghost in Klaus’ eyes. And I’m not sure if he does this because he knows he’s given Klaus a bit of power in this moment, I’m not sure if he knows just how much this hurts Klaus, but he certainly is following a pattern he learned from Klaus - confront others with your power over them before getting what you need.

“You know, once I figured you had suffered enough, I pulled this out. And on that day, I heard a word that I had never heard you say: Mercy.”

The gleam of power in Klaus’ eyes dies in that instant. He can’t look Marcel in the eye, he can’t look at his own bound hands, he can’t think of the people he’s defending. “Why not just kill me?”

When Klaus submits to pain, he is reliving every moment his father ever punished him for. Asking for mercy is like saying he deserves to die. Because that’s what Mikael taught him. That’s how he learned words like weak and strong. For all those lonely years he has been re-affirming all of those “truths” about himself - his weakness, his worthlessness, his inferiority, patheticness. He’s been living with that, and only that, ever since Marcel took that blade out. There’s no power-play in his question to Marcel. There’s no angle. Just sorrow. Self-hate. Disgust. Klaus didn’t believe he deserved death for his crimes against his sireline, but he would welcome it after wallowing in this pain without dignity or endurance. Of course he knows he has to stay alive, but there is that almost wistful note to the question. Just that spark of longing. He’d asked for mercy. How can he ever pretend to be strong? How could he ever pretend to deserve to live?

After he asks it, though, he has to look up at Marcel. He has to look up and see with his own eyes what the answer is going to be, and if he believes it. What he gets in return is more of his own bravado thrown back at him - this speech from Marcel reminds me so much of the one Klaus gave to Mikael in 1918. “I am worthy, I am king, I am STRONG” - Marcel learned this speech, this need, from Klaus. And yet his very first sentence is “Because I’m not like you, Klaus.”

I adore it. Especially since, as I said before, Klaus doesn’t kill those he loves when they hurt him. He does exactly as Marcel is doing now. He isolates them, and makes them suffer alone. It is so perfect.

This speech has given Marcel enough momentum to get to his goal - Alastair. And this is the moment when life returns to Klaus’ eyes. His head rises, like he’s feeling lighter, less tired, less miserable. Because Marcel is not only asking something of him, he’s showing his hand. Which means he’s desperate. And he’s cornered. As soon as Klaus hears ‘Alastair Duquesne’, the wheels are spinning again in his mind. He can use this. He can use this.

He can barely contain that grin.

He’s got to work fast, if Marcel is going to buy it. So he bullshits at an exceptional speed and with commendable skill. I didn’t know if he was telling the truth, the first time I watched through. Because Klaus chooses his words so carefully when he’s like this. It’s impossible to tell if he’s lying. And he knows it, oh, he knows it.

I can’t help but think that when he ends his advice with “You’ll find him quite malleable.” he’s actually talking about Marcel. This is his game, and he’s finally getting to play it again. Marcel can tell that he’s broken Klaus, but he’s underestimated Klaus’ desperation. Even after saying ‘Mercy’, there was still that tiny bit of fire inside him waiting to be fed kindling, to blaze again. To prove superiority. To win the game.

He takes the blood as his prize, Marcel not knowing he’s rewarding his prisoner for setting him up to fail. That, alone, I think, is just as rejuvenating to Klaus as the blood itself.

“and I won’t be alone”:

and also this

Church Scene:

I really have nothing against this scene. I feel like it does so much work in so little time, and it does it while showcasing new and old characters. It flows really well. It just works.

Like I said earlier, the stuff with Josh was pretty awkward/forced to me, but here, he’s spot-on. Put Josh in more scenes with kids, please, it’s perfect. Also, Adam is acted really really well. That kid is talented. Where are all these talented kids coming from?

As a staunch supporter of villainshipping, the idea of Vincent with someone other than Eva is a little sad to me, but honestly the man deserves it. I adore the way Josh was headed to help her when the basket flipped, but Vincent zoomed in there like he had radar for the woman and you can just sort of see Josh scurry out of the shot - I wasn’t here, don’t mind me - wingmanning without uttering a single word.

I also like how Vincent is the practical, stoic leader, but he breaks the mould of the trope and again, it works. When Josh is like ‘The hot mom is into you, you should get on that’ he’s surprised for a moment, or kind of shy about it, but he doesn’t Repress(TM) like so many guys in his character type. He’s like, wait, yeah, I really should get on that. WAIT UP MA’AM I WOULD LIKE TO FLIRT.

It’s refreshing. It’s nice.

Also, I love any scene that gets into the practical mechanics of ‘Leading the Quarter/City’. It’s such a big deal in the show, but we rarely get to see what that actually looks like. For Vincent, it’s keeping his community safe by stocking them up on amenities for the weekend. Vampire Party Night is treated like a hurricane that must be rode out, and he realizes the ramifications of asking people to stay in their homes for days. He prepares for that. And he is appreciated for it.

Vampire Brunch:

They’re partying at like, noon. I love it.

Alastair is perfect. More on him and his glorious accent later.

This scene is so perfectly parallel with Klaus crashing Marcel’s party in what, episode 1? I love seeing Marcel tested in front of a crowd. It’s where he thrives. Whereas I’d say Klaus is slightly better with one-on-one manipulation, his son has got working a crowd down to an absolute science. They’re both unfairly good at both, but there are those tiiiiny advantages that play against each other so well in this show. 

AUSTIN, TEXAS:

IT’S MY CITY! I love that Keelin is an Austin girl. Thank you, Carina. And yeah, I know it was you. Who else would have suggested that the new character be from Austin.

I adore Keelin. She’s everything Sofya isn’t, as a new female cast member. She has plot purpose, but she also has personality. She has fire. She already has a dynamic with Hayley from their first back-and-forth. It’s delicious. And Hayley really gets to shine in these scenes - every premiere Phoebe Tonkin blows me away even more. I’m always like ‘Wow, NOW she’s hit her stride!’ and then the next year she proves that she was only beginning to warm up. So proud and excited. I’ve done nearly a full 180 on Phoebe and Hayley since 1x01.

Civilized Conversation, Part Two: Electric Boogaloo:

Look at Klaus, sitting on the rock that he is chained to like it’s a THRONE. His voice is no longer weak with starvation, it’s deep and merry and sarcastic and reveling and perfect. He is in total control again, and he is thriving. He is smiling openly now at his captor, knowing that he has weakened him without even having to lift a finger, at his own behest. 

I’m just gonna bask in the glow of that awful smile for a bit, guys. I’ve missed Klaus’ manipulation almost as much as I’ve missed his development as a father. 

“You think I don’t know?” At this Klaus is a bit intrigued - what is Marcel’s next card going to be? And it turns out it’s the only card that can wipe that smirk off of Klaus’ face. 

When Klaus realizes what Marcel is saying, what Marcel knows, the smile on his face goes from being genuine to being a facade. Marcel showed his hand and was hurt for it, so now he’s gonna reveal that he’s known Klaus’ ace in the hole this entire time. It really wasn’t something Klaus or Hayley could have expected to keep secret, not with Elijah’s sireline running around, but it stings Klaus to hear it from Marcel’s lips. To have it out in the open. 

But Rebekah saves him, saves all of them, with the very thing Klaus can’t stand about her - her love for people other than Klaus. The Rebel romance has been a nuisance to Klaus from the start, and the wound its left on Marcel and his sister is never left to fully heal. Now that it’s saving his life, and the lives of his siblings, Klaus has a bit of a soft spot for it. Like I’ve always said, Klaus loves to be around lovers. They’re so easily manipulated. And this time, even in the romance he didn’t want to have around him, it’s working to his advantage without a single move on his part. Good old lovers, always so soft and sentimental. So weak. 

“You may have no choice but to kill poor Alastair. Aw well, heavy head, heavy crown, et cetera, et cetera...” 

I LOVE THIS MAN SO MUCH Y’ALL. 

HE IS SO KLAUS.

I mean, there are cool things going on here power-dynamic-wise. Klaus is light on his feet, so to speak, switching subjects and smoothly offering advice without addressing his vulnerable family or the fact that he lied to Marcel to put him in this exact situation. 

He knows he can’t make Marcel believe him any more, but that’s the beautiful thing - Marcel doesn’t have a choice now. He’s got to get rid of the problem, and that will inspire more insurrection in the future - the more he protects Klaus, the more unstable his rule becomes. All because he can’t kill Klaus (and Klaus would definitely like to believe it has less to do with Rebekah and more to do with their father-son relationship, but he’ll take what he can get).

But Klaus, in dodging the subject of his linked siblings, doesn’t realize that he hurts himself as well. What Klaus wants out of this Alastair affair is for Marcel to be challenged, and eventually bested. He is banking on the new leadership being incapable of restraining him or killing him, but he doesn’t consider how easy it would be for them to get a drop of his blood. 

And find Hope. 

Klaus’ face falls. He realizes his mistake. I’m reminded of that beautifully ironic scene between Klaus and Davina in season two - “How does that feel, to be one of us? Someone with something to lose?”

It feels beautiful. And it’s the most horrifying thing Klaus has ever faced. 

“But hey, I guess that’s my problem, right?” Marcel is the perfect amount of callous in this line. Throwing back all of Klaus’ plotting and sabotaging in his face. And it’s exactly what spurs Klaus to a sudden declaration of a plan B. 

It’s a spectacular proposition, really. Klaus offers to be the bad guy, because he is the bad guy. All Marcel has to do is let him. Marcel stays on the throne, and Hope can stay hidden away. Klaus can put on a show. 

And Marcel knows first-hand how well Klaus can put on a show. 

“Creatures such as they respect only one language, and I speak it fluently.”

Again, Klaus is using what Mikael taught him to protect his daughter. He’s fluent in this language. He suffered in this language. And he can deal out suffering in kind. It’s incredible. It’s everything I wanted out of the scenes of Klaus in captivity. 

Witch stuff: 

I would have really appreciated Marcel saying please. Just fyi. 

I love those two men in power together. It obviously works. Just. Love it. 

NOW FOR MY FREYBABY! Or, sleeping beauty, as a certain gorgeous new werewolf would say ;) ;) ;) ;)

She is so ready, as soon as she wakes. Quick hug, then right to business. I had a conversation with Ashley earlier about how this spell works, and I can totally understand why people would be questioning how it all works. If the siblings’ sleep is linked, then waking one instantly should wake the others instantly. 

The way I see it, Freya cast the spell on all of them, but not before concocting that syringe for herself. I don’t think it was just a shot of adrenaline - it was an additional spell that would not transfer down the sleep-link. That spell allowed Freya to wake instantly, and delay the chain reaction that would wake the others as a result. The reason she’s rushing is because that delay is not going to be a long one. 

The reason something like this is necessary gets to the start of an unfortunate issue with this episode that is nobody’s fault - Nate and Claire couldn’t be in this episode. There wouldn’t need to be a special wake-up spell like this if they could just have all the Mikaelsons in the scene where they wake all the Mikaelsons. So it’s a bit of a work-around, yeah, but there’s a reason for it and it’s pretty well-thought-out, considering. More on this issue later.

Puttin’ on the NOLA Ritz:

In other words, “Klaus puts everyone in their place and there’s a lot of gore involved”

The look in Klaus’ eyes initially, as he’s dragged in and put before Alastair, is partially fabricated. He’s not as weak as he lets on. But in my opinion, a bit of that despair is very genuine. He’s the very image of weakness, from his perspective, and even if it’s not entirely as pathetic as he lets on, he still hates himself for the display.

“Do you suffer, Niklaus? As my wife suffered? As my CHILD suffered?”

Again, Morgan’s eyes blow me away. He is literally face to face with the man whose child died a violent, pointless death for Klaus’ gain. This is by far not the first time he’s stared down a man furious at having lost his family, his children, because of Klaus. But this is the first time Klaus looks into a father’s eyes and see’s a father’s pain as a father himself. This rage, this protective impulse, this near-mad expression of loss... Klaus felt something like this when the witches tried to kill Hope, when Esther tried to kill Hope, when Dahlia tried to take her. But he sees in Alastair a sorrow and a madness that he knows is deeper than anything he’s ever felt as a father. And he’s floored by it.

He knows he’s responsible for it. And I think he knows that if someone forced him to kill his daughter, he would burn nations to the ground, not just get his revenge from the guilty party. This is true, shocked guilt in his eyes. Klaus is intimidated by the force of his own sympathy - terrified, even. Connecting his experience as a father with the universal fatherhood experience hasn’t really been applicable to him lately, not with an example like Mikael and so little time with Ansel. But here Alastair is. And their faces are inches away from each other. And Klaus can see the horror in his crimes, he can see the agony in his collateral damage. He can glimpse the death and the rage and the sorrow as something that is real, and not just tools for manipulation.

“I want the last words you ever hear to be my solemn vow -”

Klaus’ gaze settles a bit, back to the superior glare that he knows will provoke Alastair into striking (he needs him to swing so that he can use the momentum catch him off balance) with just a bit of that guilt residing at the edges.

“I will find your daughter-”

His eyes widen. These worlds are not supposed to collide, his evils are not ever supposed to reach Hope...

And they never fucking will.

You can see it. You can see it. Klaus kills a lot of people, it’s kind of just what he does. But sometimes you can see the decision in his eyes, clear as if he’d shouted it from the rooftops. We saw it when he decided to kill Ansel, but it was softer, pained, mournful. This time it’s worlds different, and much more apparent. This entire display was always supposed to end in Alastair’s death. Klaus’ motivation in helping Marcel with the killing was always motivated by a desire to protect Hope. But a threat had not been made at that point, only inferred. When it actually happens... When Alastair has the gall to say it...

It’s like a switch is flipped in Klaus’ eyes, they narrow to a vicious, predatory gleam that honestly shakes me to my bones. As Alastair continues, “- and when I do, I will eradicate your malignant bloodline from this earth.” the look deepens. Klaus is seeing the kill. He’s relishing it. He’s craving it. It’s not a display anymore. It’s as personal as personal can be.

No one threatens the Alpha’s cub.

It goes quickly after that.

He smiles as his eyes gleam black and yellow, vampire and werewolf, speaking that language he speaks so fluently. One last look at the Scot before he bites a lethal chunk into the vampire’s neck. A few more bodies for show. One or two for Marcel to heal, to make his argument concrete.

“WELL WHO’S NEXT?”

Power. Klaus has it, they don’t. “Aw, come on. Meet. Your. Maker.”

I love this character more than air.

Marcel’s speech is fantastic, of course, he hits all the right beats and makes all the right points, but it’s so hard to focus on it after that powerhouse display by Joseph Morgan. I can’t even express how perfectly it was executed (ha, puns) and framed and filmed. The guest actor for Alastair, bless him, was such a good foil and such a good way to showcase Klaus in the first episode this season. I wish we’d seen more of him, but I’d trade a hundred of him for the sake of this scene at the drop of a hat.

THE LADIES KICK ALL KINDS OF ASS:

Freya melting a vampire brain mid-incantation was such a nice touch, even if it does kind of invalidate her ‘this ritual will take all my strength’ claim from earlier. I don’t even care. It’s such a good throwback to her intro, and she gets to show off in front of the hot Texan werewolf, so I have 0% nitpick because I am totally and blissfully biased. 

I cannot express how excited I was when the promo of Hayley’s wolf form dropped. I was on the floor, yelping, for maybe fifteen minutes. Evidence from my twitter:

WOLF.

I kind of really like wolves.

I know a lot of people think that we won’t see Klaus’ wolf form, that this was just for Hayley for this episode, but I will die on this hill, and I will hear no argument. I will never let this go.

The CGI is so gorgeous. The fur looked a bit thin and clean for realism’s sake, but that is such a tiny factor considering how often wolf CGI gets basic things slightly off, like body type, tail length, fur length & volume, and facial structure. Hayley was built perfectly from that standpoint, it’s easy to see even in the shadow. (The lighting was also a factor on what made the fur so difficult to get spot-on, because it had to have some glow and translucency - it would be damn hard to even attempt that kind of effect, and they pulled it off really well with minimal reduction in realism in my opinion)

Just gorgeous. Gorgeous.

This also supports a headcanon, now turned justified-theory, that Klaus hasn’t used his full strength since breaking the Hybrid curse. Hayley chooses to transform because she is stronger in her transformed state - that’s kind of obvious given the context, it’s not just for intimidation. She needs to kill and kill quickly, not put on a show. She chooses to do this as a wolf.

So when Klaus has been tested physically since season 3 of TVD, he has never chosen to use this form. Ever. It speaks, I think, to a lingering shame learned since childhood - werewolves are the vicious monsters. The beasts. And he cannot be “strong” as a beast, not in the way his inferiority complex desperately needs. Even though he is literally at his strongest when he embraces who he really is, it is that identity itself that haunts him and reinforces the idea that he is Other in the worst of ways, he is unworthy of family and love, he is nothing but a brutal animal.

I pray that we get to see him use this form to protect Hope. He’s used Hybrid power before to overcome enemies, for sure, he knows the effect his yellow eyes has on his prey - it’s the threat of venom and death, and he loves it. But actually transforming must feel way too real, way too expressive of ‘beastliness’. I want him to be put in a situation where he isn’t strong enough unless he goes full Wolf, because Hope is in danger. I want a full fuckin’ Bigby scene, for those who have played The Wolf Among Us. I want it so bad. And I won’t listen to anyone who tells me it ain’t gonna happen. I don’t care. Doesn’t change how much I want it and no amount of logic is going to make me give up hope.

Enter Elijah Mikaelson:

I know I’ve said I don’t ship H/E, but the performance from Phoebe as the bodies hit the floor around her, as she felt a presence behind her, smelled his scent in the air - it was incredible. Like I said, she just keeps getting better and in season one all I could say I hoped for was that she could improve enough to hold her own. My standards were way too low, in retrospect. I can’t wait to see more of her.

I am obsessed with the look on Elijah’s face. Unlike the last time he did this in 2x09, this time the stoicism really works for me. (While I definitely have come to terms with and agree with a very good interpretation of the scene from Map of Moments, I can’t help but still wish we had gotten a single freaking flash of a smile) I can’t say I really know what’s going on with him yet, but it isn’t that he doesn’t love Hayley (as much of a weight of my back as that would be, I just don’t see it. Doesn’t make sense)

It’s gotta be guilt.

Elijah has never been guilty for something like this, ever, in his long life. He nearly killed them all. He took Klaus from his baby for five. years. This man puts everything on his shoulders, and he’s recently opened his eyes to repressed acts of horror he’s committed. But every single one of them pales in comparison to nearly destroying everything he’s ever wanted for his brother, and causing the deaths of all of them in one fell swoop.

Every time Elijah gets an emotional arc, it’s brushed away with the excuse of his repressive tendencies, because the story needed to focus on other things. His repression should not and never should have been used as a story crutch to leave loose ends because there wasn’t time to finish the development - repression is a challenge that has to be respected in moments of development like the ones Elijah has been through. While I doubt this time will be any different, I’m choosing to give it a chance before I say anything more.

Waking the Sleeping Giant:

This really could have been one of my top scenes for this episode. The dynamic between Vincent and Klaus is killer. Better than its ever been. I want more of it. I need more of it.

But this is another case where Camille was inserted in such a lazy way. It puts such a bad taste in my mouth.

If they wanted Vincent to remind Klaus about Camille’s hope in him, they could have set it up with an actually appropriate topic of conversation.

When someone literally chains you up and tortures you for five years in a dungeon, threatening vengeance isn’t a particularly evil thing to do, no matter how evil you actually are. Talk about the cycle of violence, yeah, started by Klaus, yeah, but Marcel is the one who is literally torturing him. No one’s innocent in this situation. And I really fucking doubt Camille would have wanted Klaus to let this go. Reconcile with Marcel? Hell yes. Try to understand Marcel’s side? Absolutely. But Klaus can’t make that happen without Marcel’s cooperation. This is not his responsibility alone to be a better person in this scenario. Would she want Klaus to threaten new violence? I mean, yeah, probably not, but again, that’s not exactly an evil impulse in Klaus. It’s a pretty standard human one. Vincent is holding Klaus to a higher standard and it’s just off. It just is. “Be grateful we gave you a chance to live in a life or death situation, then put you back in a dungeon.”

I know my argument here isn’t super strong, but I’m just too pissed to really get into it and make it clearer and better. I’m so done. I’m so done. Camille doesn’t deserve any of this bullshit, and she hasn’t since season three. Nothing Vincent said about her is wrong or bad, it just does. not. fit. here. And it wouldn’t have been hard to make it fit.

“You had a deal with Hayley, not me.”

ho. ly. hot. damn.

(freylin seems too close to freyinn. What’s the consensus? Keelya? Keela?

I am not prepared for how good this is gonna be. I am. already. shook.)

“Let’s go get ‘im”

Scenes like this are really frustrating for me. They work in every sense except for the fact that I feel these characters should never have been placed in a serious relationship with each other.

I’ll put it this way - every line from Hayley in this situation is perfect, every line from Elijah in this situation is perfect - I just don’t like that they’re in this situation. So, basically, this is one of the very very rare times where I think the ship has actually been written very very well with respect to the characters.

“How is my niece” and Hayley answer just warm my heart so much. The glow in Hayley’s face and voice when she describes her. The tenderness and neediness with which Elijah asks the question. “A girl after my own heart”

I melt.

And ‘let’s go get him?’

Klelijah is a potent drug, even in small condensed doses it can easily render one Amy totally speechless and send her into an alternate state of euphoria and fanaticism.

Pair that with Elijah running to Klaus’ cell in the promo for tonight’s episode... my heart can’t take it.

“All the time down here is rotting your brain.”

Seeing Klaus tugging at his chain does things to my soul. Yeah, he’s awful, he’s a villain, but he’s my villain, dammit. He had a power kick, he heard someone threaten to kill his daughter to his face, and now he’s back down here. Helpless. Alone.

When Marcel comes, probably also seeking a little superiority high, the two desperations clash inevitably. Klaus saw the power that Marcel was able to wield after his brutal display, and he’s jealous of it. He knows he’s the one who handed it to Marcel, and he can’t stand it. So he has to make it all about him - he has to tell himself and Marcel that he’s the center of Marcel’s world.

“You NEED me, Marcellus, because deep down inside, YOU ARE WEAK.”

This is Klaus using two things Mikael gave him - pain and abuse. It’s a refraction of every speech we’ve ever heard from Mikael, with a few key differences - Klaus knows what it’s like to break under the weight of these words, he knows exactly how much they hurt, and he knows how alike Marcel is to him. It has that edge of mutual need because of this shared pain. Mikael comforted himself by pushing Klaus away with his abuse, but Klaus needs to pull Marcel in for him to get what he needs out of the inflicted pain. It’s what Klaus saw in Marcel from the very first moment, the reason he took him in - he saw himself in the boy. An opportunity to feel less lonely, first in his need for family, but now in his need to feel less alone in his monstrousness.

I love the little flashes of love in their eyes as Klaus is stabbed, and as Marcel sees his body hit the floor. Another difference between this abuse and Mikael’s - these two love each other despite it all. The language of power and hate can only disguise that so much.

Ouroboros:

I honestly have no expectations when it comes to this season’s plot, since last season the plot seemed to steamroll lots of development for terrible reasons. I don’t really care if it’s good or if it’s bad, I can’t let myself care. I just can’t invest that, I have to focus on my Mikaelsons, really, unless I get a really really good reason to trust again.

When it comes to analysis, though, I can definitely do that. Just bear in mind that I don’t have much motivation to go too deep at the moment.

Exploring the ramifications of the severed link with the ancestors, and possibly the origin of ancestral magic in New Orleans, looks to be the focus of the witch/Hope plot for the first arc of season four. What’s intriguing about the Ouroboros in particular is probably unintentional - the Ouroboros is the symbol for Mikael in the season two portrait promos (let’s all take a moment to remember how good the season two promotional art was. It was a gift the likes of which I’ll never get again.)

The Ouroboros is showing up everywhere in TV dramas, not just supernatural ones. It’s kind of like a fad, if you will, of the metaphor cycle in the industry. So I kind of have the feeling they used it for Mikael, then got an idea they were really excited about this season and wanted to use it again.

I say this mostly because Mikael had nothing to do with New Orleans until his children settled there. Basically all he did was burn it down and then come back later to trash some witches.

But was always partial to his parallel to Chronos, and I know it’s mixing mythologies but the focus on NOLA’s children also has that kind of vibe to me. Nice how they’re both framed with the Ouroboros.

And especially nice how Hope is going to be central to the plot again, or even just freaking mentioned in relation to the plot at all *stares at s3 judgingly*

We’ll see how all of this develops tonight.

@klausmikelsons @drbobbimorse and I forget who else was interested in this... here y’are

[topmixtrends]

IT’S A SHOCK to see Stieg Larsson’s name appear so much in reviews of Hideo Yokoyama’s doorstop-sized police thriller Six Four, translated from the Japanese by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies. What Yokoyama has in common with Nordic noir’s posthumous leader — deep slices of daily life in their respective worlds, two middle-aged and unlikely heroes, the corruption of bureaucracies meant to help us — is really less important than what’s different.

You won’t find Nazis and neo-Nazis in this book. Or sexual humiliation and cruelty. Or lurid, gruesome deaths (which, in Larsson, tend to happen because of the sexual humiliation and cruelty). Or a diminutive, tattooed hacker. The wheels of suspense don’t spin as quickly as they do for Larsson, either (at least not for the first 400 pages).

All of this may sound like a criticism of Six Four but it isn’t. Early buzz among English and American reviewers had me expecting a Japanese version of The Girl Who … instead of what I found: a startlingly unique thriller, meticulously constructed, that devotes more time and attention to the existential sufferings of its main character than to the crime the book is supposed to be about.

Be forewarned, readers: Six Four doesn’t ask for your patience — it demands it. This is a long book, and the slow pace makes it sometimes feel even longer. Yokoyama builds tension and suspense with a careful accumulation of details, not a rapid run up Freytag’s Pyramid.

A publishing sensation in Japan (according to the publisher, more than a million copies have been sold), Six Four follows police media relations chief Yoshinobu Mikami as he wrestles with the anniversary of a daunting cold case that still casts a chill over his department 14 years later. The turmoil of the looming anniversary — and how to spin it — is matched only by Mikami’s inner turmoil as he realizes what no middle-aged man wants to realize: that his entire professional life has been spent chasing his own tail.

Even so, Mikami’s problems seem a bit steeper, graver, than your average gumshoe’s. His relationship with Minako, his wife, is on life support; his relationship with his rebellious daughter Ayumi is even worse (more on that in a moment); his career achievements, which once gave him a sense of purpose, ring hollow. Even on a bad day, Jack Reacher doesn’t have these kinds of problems, for crying out loud. Why the heck is it so necessary? The answer is simple: because Yokoyama is after something more than creating another conventional entry in the thriller genre.

Mikami was once a detective, a pretty good one — collegial, respected, capable of turning up the heat to the right temperature in the interrogation room — but now he’s taken over a post handling police media relations as the National Police Agency (NPA) braces for that humiliating anniversary.

No department is more vital to handling the optics than Media Relations: in fact, the NPA has decided to send its top cop, the commissioner general, to visit the home of the Amamiyas. Their seven-year-old daughter Shoko was kidnapped and murdered even after the family paid a 20-million-yen ransom. The police bungled the pursuit of the killer, who was never brought to justice, and subsequently call the case “six four” — a reference to the year of the kidnapping, which was also the last year of Emperor Hirohito’s life (in the Japanese calendar, not the Gregorian one).

The girl’s mother died of grief, but the father, Yoshio, lives on somehow — Yokoyama paints a harrowing portrait of a man moving through a sad, twilight world. The commissioner’s planned meeting with him will be a grand gesture — as media relations stunts usually are — to show the public that the Amamiyas haven’t been forgotten, that the hunt for the murderer will continue.

It’s Mikami’s job, and his staff’s, to choreograph that meeting and position it in the best light. That seems nearly impossible, and not simply because the police press corps are harder to handle than a hornet’s nest: Amamiya himself doesn’t want the meeting. Why would he? The police failed him. What’s the point of hollow promises and a photo opportunity now? They won’t bring back his daughter or his wife.

Still, Amamiya allows Mikami inside his home to plead for the meeting. When Mikami sets eyes on him — when the front door first opens — he is stunned by how much Amamiya has aged in the past 14 years. “It didn’t seem possible,” Mikami thinks, recalling what Amamiya looked like at the time of the kidnapping. “His hair had turned white and been left to grow. His skin was pale, leaden […] the very essence of an empty shell.”

It is an awkward meeting, and Mikami leaves Amamiya without accomplishing anything. At home, his own house is just as quiet and empty even though he shares it with another person. He and Minako don’t know where Ayumi is. Their daughter is a troubled teen who has either run away or been kidnapped (though the former seems more likely — in flashbacks we see her clash so violently with her father that running away seems like the only option).

With her disappearance, the oxygen has been sucked from her parents’ lives. Their evenings are spent waiting — hoping for Ayumi’s return — and being troubled by strange phone calls in which the caller listens for several moments before hanging up. Is it Ayumi? Does she want to come home? They have no idea — the caller never says a word.

No signs of their daughter, no satisfaction in his work, no tenderness, no sex or intimacy — this is the atmosphere Yokoyama creates over several hundred pages.

For readers impatiently waiting for something more to happen, what Yokoyama told a Malay Mail reporter earlier this year may be helpful: “In order to describe the main character’s feelings or passions, you need a big organization that is like a big ocean that I let the character swim in.”

Eventually something noirish surfaces in this ocean — finally. As he coordinates the commissioner’s meeting with Amamiya (who hasn’t even agreed to it yet), Mikami uncovers strange dissonances — conflicting messages, a sense of invisible maneuvers taking place, of a conspiracy somehow tied to the commissioner’s visit. A shadowy power struggle is going on between Mikami’s old and new superiors in Administrative Affairs and Criminal Investigations, and he can’t understand why or who it is supposed to benefit.

A longtime investigative journalist in the Tokyo area, Yokoyama offers a wealth of intriguing observations in the course of Mikami’s odyssey. He describes the contentious nature of the police press corps and their use of boycotts to manipulate access, how non-disclosure agreements are used to limit the impact of press coverage on investigations, the cheapest way to disguise a voice on the phone (use a helium-filled balloon), the customs that a grieving parent uses to honor a child’s death, the “kindred fanaticism” that exists between cops and reporters, and more.

All of this detail gives us a thorough sense of the world of police media and press relations. The question is whether we really need all 566 pages.

Any seasoned editor would have found a way to take the book’s final 150 pages (where the story takes off in an unexpected pursuit with an ingenious outcome) and pare down the other 400 to create something truly similar to Larsson or the other writers sometimes mentioned in reviews of Yokoyama’s novel: Jo Nesbø and Gillian Flynn.

But it is the heavy emphasis on the despair of Mikami, a mid-level bureaucrat, and the stifling atmosphere of his life — page after page of his wandering through mazes of bureaucracy — that point us to somewhere else.

With every sling and arrow inflicted on Mikami, with every insult he receives that makes his “face and body flush as a burning shame, furnace-like in its force, began to well up inside him,” Mikami doesn’t evoke one of Stieg Larsson’s characters. Mikami reminds us more of Thoreau’s men leading “lives of quiet desperation.” Of Willy Loman, too. Or the narrator of Fight Club. Even 1984’s Winston Smith — but not Mikael Blomkvist. Mikami belongs in their illustrious fictional company — a litany of characters fighting for their humanity in societies that have forgotten them.

And that brings us back to the novel’s length. Yokoyama’s “big ocean” enables us to watch Mikami as he slowly finds his way back to himself, to a meaning for his life in a world in which the traditional modes of self-identity — as husband, parent, lover, consummate professional — have fallen away. It is a long, painful journey, and along the way he encounters many former colleagues who have faced that same dilemma … and crashed.

But Mikami doesn’t; he persists. He endures. In the face of insults, he disciplines his responses and wears the Zen Buddhist armor of gaman, of stoicism and grace. Mikami “submitted to Akama’s will,” Yokoyama writes of Mikami’s response to one of his enemies. “He’d taken everything on board and donned the uniform of obedience. That didn’t mean he’d stopped hoping.”

This, I think, is another reason why the book has been so successful. Yes, there is a devilishly clever twist in the novel’s later pages, but we spend a lot of time with Mikami before we get there. And we don’t mind it: we like his company. Mikami is so sympathetic, so heroic, even in apparent defeat.

In Six Four Yokoyama finds a way, within the familiar tropes and conventions of the thriller genre, to give us a search for meaning and dignity that transcends its Japanese milieu. Mikami’s struggle is the same struggle that great thinkers of every age have written about. When Mikami uncovers enough of the hidden power struggle to consider exposing it, he knows he’ll be punished and “tossed off to some post in the mountains.” But it doesn’t matter. He decides “he would rather start from scratch in the middle of nowhere. The smallest paths are still paths.”

That line rings with the kind of Thoreauvian insight that makes Mikami’s journey memorable and profound.

¤

Nick Owchar is executive director of advancement communications at Claremont Graduate University; he blogs regularly at Call of the Siren.

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