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rosemaidenvixen · 1 month ago

Text

Between Daylight and Darkness

Chapter 10

Ao3

Barbara shifted onto her other foot, there was a dented beer can to her right and a crumbled up fast food wrapper to her left. Lit under the sickly yellow glow of streetlights, natural light faded near to nothing, the sun having set twenty minutes ago.

“Are you kids sure this is the right spot?”

“Yep,” Toby grinned at her, stepping up to pat the concrete wall ahead of them “This is the place. Behind this wall lies a world of magic and wonder beyond your wildest dreams,”

A truck rumbled the bridge overhead, Barbara bit her lip, keenly aware of Toby ahead of her and Jim and the girls behind her, and tried not to look as skeptical as she felt.

It wasn’t as if she doubted the kids, not at all, she knew they were all being very sincere. It was just that their story was a bit…unbelievable now that she was actually here standing under the bridge in front of a concrete wall surrounded by rubble and litter. But given the things she'd lived with over the last decade she of all people should keep an open mind.

“Oh! There is one more thing you should know,”

She turned towards Jim “What is it?”

He gave her an awkward smile, tusks on full display, ompletely covered in shining silver armor from the neck down. She'd asked about his choice to go down wearing something so...conspicuous, but he'd brushed her off with a quick 'when in Rome'. This didn't strike her as the full truth, but it was neither the time nor the place to push it.

“Well you see...when it comes to…trolls, I’m uh…I’m one of the little guys,”

She looked up at him with a start. Little guys? What did he mean by–

A soft crackling pulled her attention back to the wall, a glowing arch appearing in the concrete right before her eyes, blasting away all her doubts. The gray stone crumbled away from the blue arc, creating an entrance where none existed before, falling back to reveal–

Barbara staggered back on reflex, a scream rose up in the back of her throat, though thankfully she stopped herself before it could escape. But a large part of her still itched to run as fast and far as she could.

A massive creature– a troll, stepped through the arch. He had had horns and stony skin just like Jim, but that was were the similarities ended. This creature lumbered forward leaning on his hands like a gorilla, powerful arms wide as tree trunks. He had to be nine- ten feet tall standing upright. As it was he towered over all of them, Jim included. The troll wore no clothes but had a massive, mossy mane running down his back, growing into his beard and covering his chest as well. Ears were long and floppy, a dark snout with vertical slit nostrils in place of his nose. But despite his...disconcerting size, the troll's expression was gentle. Green eyes radiating calm as he stepped clear of the arch, bending his arms to lean down to look at them something closer to eye to eye.

“Welcome back,” he rumbled in a low, gravely voice.

Toby stepped up to the troll without hesitation, giving Barbara heart palpitations “Good to be back big guy,”

Meanwhile Barbara was still trying to figure out how to make her voice work, neck craning from looking up at the troll. Who it should be noted, was bending down.

So this was what Jim meant by ‘little guy’.

“Mom?” a gentle tap on her shoulder pulled her back down to earth “You ok?”

“Y– yes I’m fine,”

The big troll let out a rumble, turning and inclining his head towards the still glowing archway “Come, AAARRRGGHH will show,”

Still reeling, and trying to get her heart rate back into the resting range, Barbara let out a small cough to get the troll's attention “Umm… sorry but what’s an Arrrgh?”

The troll raised a finger to point towards himself “AAARRRGGHH is AAARRRGGHH,”

So it looked like this…troll’s name was AAARRRGGHH, that made as much sense as everything else.

“Well thanks for the showing us the way AAARRRGGHH,” Darci strolled into the cave like this was entirely normal, the others following after a few moments later.

Barbara swallowed hard, fought back thousands of years of instinct in the back of her mind screaming at her to take the kids and flee far away from stone creatures and dark caves back to where there was light and crowds, and picked up her feet, following them into the unknown. She couldn't quite smother the flinch when the cave door reassembled behind her, sealing the exit.

Oh god what was she doing, there was no way out and no one knew where they were. She was one woman alone against an unfathomable number of trolls, and from the look of them one would be enough to overpower her with no effort at all. She needed to get out now, grab the kids, find the nearest exit, run before--

Barbara stopped in her tracks, netting her hands together and pressing them over her stomach, forcing her breathing to stay even. She ran through the various symptoms and stages of organ failure in her head until her breath was under control. Her heart was still speeding but it was no longer galloping. Her moment of panic had been brief enough the others hadn't noticed, trailing only a few feet behind them.

She needed to focus, even if her panic was justified this was the absolute last place to lose her head. And she shouldn't let her preconceived biases color her perception. The...people here had helped the kids, given them shelter and protected them from the troll that had tried to harm them.

So they were gigantic and made of rock, so what? Jim was the same and he was one of the sweetest, most harmless people she knew. Heck, for all she knew trolls considered them scary.

Uh oh, she'd fallen too far behind. A large gap had formed between her and the rest of the group, Jim had stopped and turned and was staring after her concerned, Darci had noticed and was now doing the same. It was only a matter of time until the rest of the kids took notice of her hesitation, then AAARRRGGHH surely would.

Barbara flashed Jim the most reassuring smile she could manage and hurried to catch up with them. Jim and Darci didn't quite look convinced, but they turned back and kept moving. The seven of them heading deeper into the earth.

But even though they were underground it wasn’t dark, a cool blue glow came from ahead. Following AAARRRGGHH they approached the source of the light. A glowing crystal staircase carved into the bedrock leading down into depths unknown.

Barbara was not thrilled at the idea of going even deeper underground than they already were, but AAARRRGGHH had already started to descend, the kids right behind him. And with how steep the stairs were if she didn’t close the distance between them now she’d end up falling behind.

And as much as she did not want to go down there, the thought of abandoning the kids to the unknown was even less appealing.

Acutely aware of the pounding of her heart, Barbara took a deep breath, then lowered her foot to the first step.

The descent wasn’t an easy one, the stairs were steep and so far apart she had to tread carefully to avoid slipping and twisting a leg. They were clearly made with larger creatures in mind. And now matter which angle she twisted and peeked at, she couldn't see how far down they went.

She snuck another glance at AAARRRGGHH, who was traversing the stairs with no trouble. Only this time she noticed something she'd overlooked before. AAARRRGGHH's feet and legs were tiny. Both compared to her own and in proportion with the rest of his body. From head to toe his legs only made up one third of his body length, maybe less. Compared to his arms they were even tinier. His feet were an unusual shape to, small and rounded with only three visible toes.

This made sense with his gorilla-like gait and posture, but it was a radical difference from Jim's own anatomy. While Jim did have the horns, tusks, and stone skin this other troll did, his proportions were human, or at least similar enough that Barbara had never noticed a difference.

Come to think of it there were other differences, AAARRRGGHH's ears, the shape and placement of his...snout she supposed, the markings on his chest and arms, she hadn't been able to get a good look at his hands but AAARRRGGHH's seemed to have fewer fingers. And it was stumpy but he had a small tail as well.

Jim was human shaped with stone skin, horns, and tusks. But AAARRRGGHH was something else entirely. Was Jim's shape the 'norm' for trolls or was AAARRRGGHH's? Or were trolls so varied in their body types that they didn't have a norm as she would understand it?

Barbara was so caught up in speculative anatomy that it came as a surprise when they reached the bottom of the stairs, a large arch ahead of them with more light pouring in.

AAARRRGGHH’s silhouette blocked off most of the entryway, preventing her from seeing what lay ahead “Stay close,” he rumbled, heading through into the beyond.

She and the kids stepped after him, trading a narrow stone cavern for a much more open space. Barbara blinking in the sudden brightness, as her vision cleared shock slowed her footsteps, until Barbara was standing there frozen, gaping at the sight unfolding in front of her.

When the kids had told her about an underground city the first image that popped into her mind was of homeless encampments in abandoned subway tunnels that she remembered watching on the news as a kid. Given that they’d also said it was a ‘magical’ underground city, she knew the reality was probably a bit more polished than her knee jerk impression.

But nothing her imagination could have dreamed up could have ever prepared her for what laid ahead of her.

They were standing in an absolutely massive cavern, so large that she felt a little exposed despite being underground, an entire metropolis sprawled out before them. The city had been carved and built from the bedrock of the cavern itself. Stone dwellings stacked up in hive like clusters of varying sizes, some clinging to the the sides of the cavern wall itself, only discernible by the glow of their windows in the distance. The entire cavern was alight with color, blue and purple crystals clinging to the walls and scattered between buildings, filling the space with cool light. Smaller, paler crystals stood atop narrow stone columns and tucked into the corners of buildings like crystalline streetlights. Which was probably exactly what they were. Rock and crystal where overwhelmingly dominant, but a second glance revealed pops of fabric and wood. A wheelbarrow, a purple tent, stacks of baskets and multicolored awnings. A rainbow of colors scattered across gray stone.

But what took her breath away was the people.

Dozens of them, maybe hundreds, more than she could count, milling in and around the carved out buildings and through the stone cobbled streets. Stone skin of various colors. Some built thick and stocky, others wiry and slender. Horns of all shapes and sizes, some even in clusters of two or three. One eye, two or three, extra limbs and digitigrade legs. Clothing was varied, some were as naked as AAARRRGGHH, some wore kilts with no shirt, some wore shirts with no pants. And while most of them were certainly bigger than Jim she was relieved to see that AAARRRGGHH seemed to be as big as they got. No two were the same, but each and every one of them was like Jim–

Barbara couldn't move, standing there absolutely stupefied, her heartbeat high and fluttering as she gazed out at the vast city before her.

This...all of this was right beneath their feet for the past ten years, this whole time...

A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of it.

“You doing ok I know all this...." Jim stretched out an arm and gestured towards the mystical stone metropolis in front of them "Can be…a lot,”

Barbara recovered and laid her hand over Jim's, squeezing his armored fingers while glancing up at him with a smile “It is...quite an adjustment, but I'm ok, let’s keep going,”

AAARRRGGHH led them down one of the narrow streets winding between the buildings, trading open space for a crowded corridor. Shops and stalls lined either side of them, positively bustling with activity. One troll dumped a cartful of light bulbs into another's barrel, another ladled out bowlfuls of a thick steaming steaming something to the trolls who were lined up in front of a massive cauldron, two trolls shouting at each other in a guttural language that was certainly not english, the subject of the argument appeared to be an old staticy television of all things tucked under one of the pair's arms, off to the side in one booth a troll leaned over a seated troll with-- Wait was that a chisel?

Apparently the markings on AAARRRGGHH's chest and arms weren't a natural pattern.

There was so much going on, so many different sights and sounds and smells. Despite knowing how decidedly not safe it would be to do so, part of Barbara itched to break off from the group, explore all the new, fascinating things around them.

A quick glance at the kids ahead of her told her they were feeling the same way. They were all glancing around with stars in their eyes, darting this way and that to get a closer look at whatever had grabbed their attention.

"What kind of skulls are those!"

"Hang on I think there's an apothecary over there--"

"Have you guys seen this embroidery!" Mary's phone was in her hand taking a near constant stream of photos.

"Can I live down here I totally want to live down here..."

Without even realizing it they were drifting farther and farther away from each other, a space growing between them and AAARRRGGHH as they fell behind. And their heads weren't the only ones turning...

The troll by the cauldron had dropped his ladle and was gaping at them in wide eyed shock, the troll being chiseled grabbed the chiseler's arm, pointing at their group while letting off a rapid fire of that same guttural speech. The two trolls who had been arguing over the tv stopped shouting to turn and stare, both their faces twisted with matching expressions of rage--

The observation sobered her in an instant, Barbara was suddenly very keenly aware of the growing distance between each of them and their escort. She quickly rushed forward and grasped Claire by the elbow, gently but firmly pulling her away from the table full of crystal carvings and back towards the center of the street.

"Come on kids let's try to stay together, we've got a schedule to keep,"

She strode over and reached up to grab Jim by the shoulder from where he was staring at the chiseler's booth.

"That means you to kiddo,"

Jim grinned sheepishly and followed her back towards the center of the street "Right, sorry,"

Barbara quickly corralled the others, Toby grumbled a little bit but Mary was easy because she was to busy taking pictures to protest, Claire having herded Darci back in while she was busy with the others. Once all six of them were gathered together again Barbara hurried them along as urgently as she could without slipping into outright panic, making a concerted goal to keep all the kids close and close the gap between them and AAARRRGGHH.

Only when AAARRRGGHH was a mere six feet ahead of them did Barbara risk a glance at the trolls around them.

They were still turning more than a few heads, but fortunately the predominant emotion seemed to be abject shock instead of hostility.

Still not ideal but Barbara would take what she could get.

Eventually their street opened up into a wide courtyard, ahead of them was a set of steps leading up to a larger cave dwelling, stepping off the street and into the building, following AAARRRGGHH down a narrow hall lit with small orange crystals embedded in the stone.

They followed him through narrow twists and turns until they reached a room that was entirely made of the same orange crystal as the hallway lamps. It wasn't as impressive as the view of the cityscape, but it still took Barbara's breath away. The entire space seemed to glow with the warm light of the crystals surrounding them, giving the room a cozy atmosphere. Still, as comfortable as it looked she couldn't afford to get swept up and drop her guard.

She adjusted her glasses and flicked her gaze from side to side, surveying the large room. Barbara's best guess was that this space was some sort of workshop. There were a few desks and what appeared to be workbenches scattered about, their surfaces littered with tools ranging from recognizable to completely foreign.

But most importantly, the room was occupied.

Standing at the largest table were two trolls, a smaller blue one with six eyes and four arms, this must have been Blinky, and a taller pale one. Both of them turning and standing at attention at their arrival.

Barbara wasn’t quite sure how trolls aged, she lacked the context and the wide field of background knowledge to make any conclusions about the ages of any trolls she saw. But if she had to hazard a guess she'd say the troll next to Blinky was an older one. His mane and beard were snow white and hung nearly all the way down to his kilt; large, twisting horns grew out of either side of his head, larger than both Jim's and AAARRRGGHH's. He was holding a large cane– staff? That appeared to be made from the same crystal as the room.

His eyes were completely milked over, no discernible iris or pupil, if Barbara had seen that in a human she would have assumed they were blind, but there was nothing unseeing about the shrewd way those pale eyes narrowed, the troll they belonged to briskly striding towards them.

“Oh wonderful, more humans, why even bother with secrecy anymore? Why not invite the entire city down for the next festival,”

Toby perked up “Really?”

The old troll shot him a sour look that silenced Toby in an instant.

Barbara dug her fingers into her palms and fought the urge to fidget. She was nervous-- scratch that she was terrified. They were way out of their depth here and the slightest misstep could land them in serious trouble. But running away wasn't an option, both physically and personally. This was the closest they've ever been to real answers, about what Jim was and what happened to him, and Barbara needed to see this through, and she owed it to Jim and the other kids to take the lead.

Forcing herself to move, Barbara approached the older troll “Pardon me, I know our presence is an intrusion in your...city, but as Jim’s mother I–”

Several pairs of rapidly blinking eyes over a wide grinning mouth filled her vison, Barbara jerking and taking an involuntary step back.

“Our Trollhunter’s mother! Bah-buh-rah!” Blinky rushed up to her, Barbara only barely managing to squash the urge to scramble back away from him “You must be so proud! Please let me know if there is anything we can do to accommodate your stay in our humble market,”

Barbara somehow found the wherewithal to nod back "Th-- thank you, Blinky right?"

Impossibly Blinky's grin got even wider "Indeed, I am Blinky, principal scholar and librarian of Trollmarket, and it is my honor to welcome you and your party to our fair market,"

From out of nowhere Blinky started vigorously waving all four of his arms.

The action was so out of nowhere Barbara could only blink back at him. Could trolls...fly? Because that seemed to be what Blinky was trying to do.

“Umm…what are you doing?” Mary spoke up.

Blinky paused, arms still splayed out midair “Is not shaking hands the traditional human greeting?”

From behind she heard Toby let out a chuckle "He's a little confused but he's got the spirit,"

Meanwhile Barbara managed to fight back a very inappropriate laugh and compose herself, Blinky might have some...misconceptions about human culture, but he was friendly and seemed to be happy to have them here. And right now that was immeasurably valuable.

“Thank you for the greeting Blinky,”

The blue troll practically glowed with happiness, Barbara managed to smile back as she stepped around him to look back up at the old troll “And I understand that all of us being here makes things more complicated, but Jim is involved, and as his mother I have a right to know what is going on mister...”

"I am known as Vendel," the older troll tapped his staff on the ground "Elder of Trollmarket, the one responsible for dealing with this mess your son and his companions of have caused,"

The words were spoken with no small amount of exasperation, but Vendel still turned and gestured for them to follow as he approached a desk.

Still not ideal but Barbara would take what she could get here. She stepped up to the desk, hearing the soft scuffle of sneakers on stone, along with the distinctive click of metal, as the kids followed her “Now from what Jim told me, I understand that this amulet--"

Her eyes flickered over to Jim hovering just over her shoulder, amulet still affixed to his chest, ticking softly.

"Chose him as this 'Trollhunter'. What exactly does that mean?”

Vendel let out a heavy breath, flipping open a book and pushing it towards them, Barbara got up as close as she could, the kids crowding in on either side, all six of them pressed up against the table staring down at the opened book. The book looked to be bound with actual leather, the pages velvety parchment, so heavy and large it clearly wasn't made with human hands in mind. The page it was opened to showed an inked illustration of a line up of several trolls, there was writing as well in a runic language Barbara didn't recognize. The trolls pictured were of various shapes and sizes, but all wearing silver armor--

Her breath caught in her throat, gaze flickering over to Jim then back down at the book. Not just any armor, Jim's armor. And now that she knew what to look for she could spot the same amulet on each of the armored trolls as well.

“The Trollhunter is the guardian and protector of all Trollkind," Vendel reached over and tapped the page directly above the picture of a stocky troll with twisting, branch like horns "Our sacred champion, part of a legacy stretching back thousands of years,"

"Ok I gotta ask," Mary shouldered past Barbara and leaned forward over the table, snapping a few pictures of the open book with her phone "What's with the name? So I get that this amulet chooses your new Batman or whatever, but why do you call them the Trollhunter? For you guys that sounds more like some kind of supervillain name,"

Vendel's expression puckered but before he could speak up Blinky popped up beside him.

"I can answer that, you see the name ‘Trollhunter’ is a bit of a mistranslation, the closest this tongue can manage. In common trollish the name is closer to 'The Troll who Hunts' or ‘The Troll who is the Hunter’,”

“So this Trollhunter…” Claire reached over, thumbing the edge of the page “This amulet...chooses them?”

“Correct,” Vendel reached over and flipped the page she was fondling. Now the book showed a close up illustration of Jim's amulet, the Trollhunter's amulet, surrounded by captions and notes in the same runic script.

“The amulet is a mystical artifact, crafted by Merlin and given to the first chosen hunter, Gorgus the Great nearly ten millennia past. It can be used to summon the daylight armor, and selects the new bearer of the mantle when the previous holder falls,”

Barbara traced her finger over the inked illustration of the amulet. It sounded like once this Trollhunter...died, the amulet would pick a new one, which was how it made its way to Jim. Which it could do because it was...magical. Barbara had questions about that, a lot of questions, but there were far more pressing matters right now so she'd save those for a later--

Abruptly Vendel pulled the book away and leaned down sharply, piercing all of them with a shrewd gaze.

“I have answered your questions, now you must answer one of mine,” Vendel briskly strode around the bench towards Jim, milky gaze boring into him “You claim to be human, so how is it that you can change your shape between human and troll?”

“Oh yeah, that,” Jim took a hesitant step towards him “Well I started out as completely human, like 24/7 365, then when I was little…I fell into a potion. Ever since then I change into this," he gestured towards himself "Every sunset, plus when I go underground, and if I get hit with uv light while I'm a...troll I guess, it turns be back human, otherwise I change back at sunrise,”

Vendel leaned in closer, his face only inches apart from Jim's, staring him square in the eye, making Jim shift uncomfortably. Part of Barbara itched to intervene, but things didn't seem dangerous just quite yet, and butting right now could very well do more harm than good.

Several moments of uncomfortable silence Vendel leaned back, shutting his eyes and letting out a soft breath, Barbara wasn't certain but it almost sounded like he was sighing in relief.

“Alright then,” Vendel moved back around to the other side of the workbench, one hand gripping his staff the other folded behind his back “The amulet has never chosen a human as its champion before, and Trollmarket cannot know the truth, such an unprecedented choice for their protector would spark untold panic and confusion. Therefore what we will tell the masses is that you,” Vendel jabbed a finger in Jim’s direction “Are the child of surface wandering exiles, and you sought out Trollmarket after the amulet chose you,”

Jim slowly nodded “Ok…”

“You will return here each night for your training, and your human companions will not.”

For the first time since coming down here Barbara allowed a frown to break through her composure, squaring her shoulders and reaching up to readjust her glasses while shifting her gaze towards Vendel.

She needed her vision sharp if she was going to be staring any of these trolls down.

“Um yeah, no way.” Claire perched her hands on her hips.

“You can’t just dangle trolls and a magical underground city in front of us and expect us to just walk away,” Toby said, throwing out his hands in exasperation.

Jim stepped to the front of the group and folded his arms “Yeah my gang and I are a package deal. Take it or leave it,”

Barbara sidestepped Jim and put herself in front of the group, raising her head to look Vendel in the eye, trying hard not to think about just how much bigger he was than her “And I don’t care what you or some amulet have to say about it. If my son is involved here then so am I,”

Vendel pinched his brow again and muttered something guttural, completely unlike english, before clearing his throat and scowling down at them "You know not what you ask. We are an old race, proud, slow to change. Humans have never been permitted to tread within our protected halls, and allowing so now, especially when our Trollhunter has their own...irregularity, would incite unimaginable chaos!"

Barbara folded her arms and narrowed her eyes "So your solution is to place the entirety of the burden of this cultural discrepancy on my son, who might I remind you, is a child!"

Vendel blinked back at her owlishly, all traces of grouchiness on his face replaced with abject surprise. He glanced backwards towards Blinky, who glanced over at AAARRRGGHH. The three shared a look, a silent conversation.

"Hey I turn sixteen next month..." Jim mumbled from behind her.

Barbara sucked in a breath through her nose and bit back the many more, far less polite, words in the back of her throat.

She needed to keep her cool here, there was nothing to be gained by being snippy, even if she was one hundred percent in the right. Blinky and AAARRRGGHH seemed friendly, and while Vendel was decidedly less so, he came off as more frustrated at the situation than hostile towards them. She had no reason to believe these trolls were her enemies, and nothing to gain by treating them as such.

"Look I understand this whole situation is less than ideal," Barbara risked a step towards Vendel "But the fact of the matter is, if my son is involved, then so am I. That is nonnegotiable."

"Yeah us to!" Toby piped up "Team sidekick is here to stay!"

"Ok we're not calling ourselves that," Mary groused.

In the interest of presenting a united front to the trolls Barbara didn't voice her own opinions on that particular matter.

Vendel held her gaze for the longest time, before slumping forward onto his walking staff with a sigh "Very well, you shall remain, both tonight and continuing on. But it is clear we have much to discuss, and you cannot wander around the market unescorted. Blinkous?"

Blinky-- or Blinkous it seemed, perked up at Vendel's words "Yes?"

"You and AAARRRGGHH will lead our Trollhunter and his companions through the market. Look after them and show our new hunter exactly what it is he shall fight for and protect. Bah-buh-rah and I shall remain here to discuss how we are to proceed going into the future,"

Vendel paused and glanced towards her "Of course, only if this arrangement is agreeable to you,"

Barbara let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Cooperation. Collaboration. Compromise. Maybe things weren't as overwhelmingly impossible as she thought.

"Yes that would be fine,"

If Blinky looked happy before he was practically radiant now "Splendid!" he clapped both sets of hands together "The chance to show newcomers, humans who've never before seen the marvels of trollkind, the glory of Trollmarket-- I would be delighted! Oh we simply must stop by my library first--"

"Hang on are we getting a tour?" Claire grinned and hurried over to Blinky "Because I would love a tour!"

Jim frowned and glanced towards Barbara "But we'd be leaving you by yourself here..."

Barbara smiled back at him and tried to project a calm she didn't feel. The thought of Jim or any of the kids leaving her sight in this strange underground place made her stomach twist. But like it or not she couldn't protect them from everything down here, and they needed to indulge the trolls in the little bit of trust they'd earned. These trolls had saved them and given them sanctuary once, if Blinky said he'd look after them she believed him. There was still a lot she didn't know about trolls or this troll-hunting business, but her gut instincts, something she'd always relied on to keep her and Jim safe, were telling her that AAARRRGGHH, Blinky, and Vendel didn't mean them any harm.

"I'll be perfectly safe discussing things with Vendel. You and your friends go take a look around, just remember to stay together and stay close to Blinky,"

Jim slumped his armored shoulders, wringing his hands together "It's just...I'm worried..."

"I give you my solemn oath as the principal elder of Trollmarket," Vendel moved closer, crystal staff clicking against the stone floor "Bah-buh-rah shall come to no harm this night, I will protect her with my own stone and my own life if need be,"

"See there you go," Barbara gave Jim the sunniest expression she could manage "Go, explore, you and your friends get the lay of the land. And don't forget it's my job to worry about you, not the other way around,"

"Come on Jim!" Toby called over from where he and the girls were gathered by the entrance to the cave with Blinky and AAARRRGGHH, practically bouncing on his heels "We're getting a tour of the magical troll city!"

Jim's gaze flickered back and forth between him and Barbara, only stilled by her hand on his cheek.

"Go, I'll be fine. Vendel promised, and I'm promising to,"

Jim held her gaze, his expression deeply conflicted, before nodding his head, patting her fingers with his own before pulling away. He strode towards the entrance where the others were waiting, soon quickly enfolded in their excitement at the idea of exploration. The seven of them heading out of the tunnel and out of sight.

Barbara forced herself to turn away from the hall and back towards Vendel "Thank you for accommodating us, I know dealing with all this must be difficult for you,"

Vendel nodded his head in acknowledgment "I imagine this hasn't been easy for you as well," he moved back towards the largest desk and gestured for her to follow "But while circumstances are far from ideal for both of us, it is clear that we are far better off as allies than adversaries,"

He turned to face her across the work table, laying one hand down on the table "We do have a great deal to discuss regarding our Trollhunter-- your son's new role, but I must insist that we begin with another subject,"

He gestured for Barbara to take a seat at a bench alongside the worktable, she did so with only a slight bit of difficulty, feet dangling high above the floor, while Vendel did the same across from her.

"The circumstances of young Jim's transformation, the potion that altered him. I wish to know every detail, no matter how minute. I speak without exaggeration when I say that this knowledge is of dire importance for his future within Trollmarket,"

A sudden lump appeared in Barbara's throat. Discussing her greatest shame with someone she'd met all of ten minutes ago was the last thing she wanted to do, even coming after following a troll to his hidden underground city. But Vendel was right, this was absolutely relevant, and he didn't strike her was the type to exaggerate. If Vendel said this was critically important she believed him. Of course it didn't make the prospect any more appealing...

But how else was she supposed to get explanations, answers, a cure? The only way out of this was forward, and trust ran two ways...

Barbara cleared her throat "Of-- of course. I'll tell you everything, but there's quite a bit to go over to give you the full context,"

Vendel nodded and gave her his full gaze "Speak your story in its entirety and I will hold my questions until you've finished,"

She nodded once more in acknowledgement then spoke up before she could loose her nerve "I guess this all started a little over ten years ago, with my ex husband..."

#tales of arcadia #trollhunters #jim lake jr #claire nuñez #toby domzalski #barbara lake #mary wang #darci scott #aaarrrgghh #vendel #blinkous galadrigal #arcadia quintet #rmvwrites #between daylight and darkness #sunshine au

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laughableomen · 1 month ago

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Episode Breakdown: a visit to Rome. We achieved nothing but a therapy season in jail.

Memorable moment: Bones and Spock having a heart to heart behind bars.

“I know I’m worried about Jim too”

- *flash to Jim snogging a women*

Bonus Points: Scotty’s ‘they fucked around, they found out’

Spirk moment count: 4 (I couldn’t tell if Bones was third wheeling the whole trip or a happy participant)

(Season 2 eps 25)

#plaqueable moments #star trek #star trek original series #spirk

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noneorother · 1 year ago

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What do Shax and a 30-year-old Sandman comic have in common? Puns. The answer is always puns.

While I've recently revealed Shax does actually know how to spell, (she's just really old), the "angle" message Shax throws through the window to demand the "angel" one was a little trickier, because it's not Middle English, or even Old French, it's probably the oldest pun in Good Omens... it's latin.

Good Omens Season 2, Episode 5, 2023

Fortunately, a time travelling Neil Gaiman left answers for us in his 1995 Sandman special "Sandman midnight theatre." See for yourself.

Sandman Midnight Theatre, Neil Gaiman, Matt Wagner, Teddy Kristiansen, 1995

"Still, they have some illuminated manuscripts in their library which throw fascinating light on early church history. "Not angels, but angles" eh? I've been angling for permission to browse through their manuscript collection for yonks."

Appropriate for an English reverend to be curious about "Angels and not Angles". It's THE earliest christian pun, attributed to Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century CE.

Oxford reference essential quotations

It comes from a historical account of the pope walking through a market in Rome, and seeing some exotic slave children (i.e. fair hair and blue eyes, and light skin) from what is now the England, and asking where they were from. The master replied that they were "Angles" (Angli in latin) and the pope declared them to be "Angels" (Angeli) instead, which, in latin at that time would have been a pun. This history from Bede actually influenced a lot of the christian world, so we could conceivably make the point that fair blonde and blue eyed angels comes from the idea that they looked liked the English (who were not christian, but pagan at the time of being newly conquered). Aziraphale's looks in the originsl Good Omens are probably a direct result of the lineage in art of this 1,500 year old pun.

Depictions of angels, 1100 years apart Which raises the question: if Shax is asking for the Angel Gabriel with her note, the pun doesn't make any fucking sense.

Jon Hamm plays Gabriel as an "American", specifically not English like the rest of the cast. He does have blue eyes, but as far as Shax is concerned, Gabriel's eyes are violet, not really a human colour. Shax could just actually be stupid (I guess?) and not realize that in modern English that constitutes a mistake (boring), or that Americans succeeded in 1776 (hilarious). But here's a quirkier theory: Shax knows what she's talking about, and she's gunning for Maggie. If you look really closely, demons show up and start hanging around the street earlier in the ball than you would guess. Once a fair number have amassed, they stay waiting for Shax to lead them. However, even though she hasn't shown up yet, they eagerly chase Maggie down the street from her shop. They're only stopped by Crowley, and Maggie gets safely into the ball.

Once inside, she has quite a stunning change of costume, highlighting her blonde hair and blue eyes:

There's so much more evidence to suggest that Maggie isn't really a normal human, but this post is long enough. What I will say is that it's subtle, but once the demon attack really gets going (no thanks to Maggie), Shax and the other demons never look for Jim once, even when he leaves the mezzanine. They concentrate all their efforts on Aziraphale, Maggie and Nina, and never mention Gabriel again.

While Maggie is a Scottish name, and she clearly has some links to Scotland if a random pub in Edinburgh is buying records from her in Soho, she does have a distinctly English accent, and lest we forget...

———————————————

thanks as always to @embracing-the-ineffable and @thebluestgreen for the tasty links and sounding board.

#good omens meta #good omens 2 #art director talks good omens #go season 2 #go meta #good omens season two #good omens season 2 #good omens #go2 #good omens prime #nina and maggie #anthony j crowley #jimbriel #crowley x aziraphale

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criminalisticonsultant · 11 months ago

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🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️

Joyous Ides of March to all the backstabbers out there.

#ides of march #julius caesar #caesar #ancient rome #brutus #history #tumblr holidays #🗡️🗡️🗡️#🗡️bestie🗡️#🗡️sherlock🗡️#🗡️sherlock roleplay🗡️#sherlock roleplay #jm #jim moriarty #🗡️soon🗡️#daddys gay boy #by sherlock's own request

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usafphantom2 · 2 months ago

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SR-71 OL-Griffiss AFB

OL-Griffiss AFB

Rome, New York

1973

Yom Kippur War

The Yom Kippur War SR-71 operation provided a series of 11.4 hour round-robin sorties to the Middle East. Plans were originally made to fly these flights from Beale AFB to the Middle East and recover at Mildenhall, United Kingdom. Upon arrival at Mildenhall to set up recovery operations, Colonel Patrick Halloran, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing Commander, was informed that the British Government had second thoughts about the operation and denied authority to operate from the United Kingdom. The UK's reasoning was a possible Arab oil embargo against their nation. Two SR-71's were assigned to performed the historic 11.4 hour flights, tail numbers #964 and #979. These flights to the Middle East were code named:

"Giant Reach"

(Photo courtesy Tom Pugh)

On 13 October 1973, Pilot Jim Shelton and RSO Gary Coleman in #979, departed Griffiss AFB on the first of a series of flights to the Middle East. After 11.13 hours of flight time involving 6 refuelings and more than five hours of flight above Mach 3.0, Jim Shelton landed SR #979 back at Griffiss AFB, NY. The "Photo Take" was highly successful and provided Defense Analysts and the President of the United States with information about the actual Syrian military situation.

On 25 October 1973, Pilot Al Joersz and RSO John Fuller flew SR #979 on another 11.13 hour non-stop round robin sortie to assess the ground situation around the Sinai and Galilee.

On 02 November 1973, Pilot Bob Helt and RSO Larry Elliott in SR #979,flew a similar Trans-Atlantic sortie to the Yom Kippur War zone in 11.22 hours of flight.

The last flight from Griffiss AFB was 11 November 1973. Blackbird #964 was flown by Pilot Jim Wilson and RSO Bruce Douglass and landed at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina. This sortie lasted 10.49 hours. As snow fell in Rome New York, Colonel Pat Halloran opted for a warmer climate and moved operations to Seymour Johnson AFB, NC.

These SR-71 Reconnaissance flights were instrumental in defusing the war and provided positive intelligence photos to the deeply distrusting Israelis and Arabs. With the shooting war over, OL-SB, Seymour Johnson became the base of operation for continued surveillance of the war zone to insure compliance with the peace accord.

OL-SB

Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina

SR-71 "Giant Reach" Operations

On 02 December, 1973, Pilot Jim Sullivan and RSO Noel Widdifield flew the first SR-71 to the Middle East from the Seymour Johnson AFB location. In aircraft #964, this crew flew the round-robin sortie to the Sinai region and returned to Seymour Johnson in 9.56 hours.

On 10 December, 1973, Pilot Pat Bledsoe and RSO Reggie Blackwell flew SR #979 to the Middle East and back in 10.0 hours.

On 25 January, 1974, Pilot Buck Adams and RSO Bill Machorek flew SR #971 in a around-robin sortie to the Middle East in 10.04 hours.

On 07 March, 1974 Pilot Ty Judkins and RSO John Morgan flew SR #979 in 9.45 hours

The final "Giant Reach" flight occurred on 06 April, 1974. SR-71 #979, Piloted by Lee Ransom and RSO Tom Allocca flew to the Middle East and returned to Seymour Johnson AFB in 9.46 hours.

In all, four Sorties were flown from Griffiss AFB, NY averaging 11.4 hours each flight and five Sorties from Seymour Johnson AFB, NC averaging 10 hours each .

SR-71 pilot, Colonel Jim Wilson's recollection of one of the historic SR-71 flights to the Middle East during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 is reproduced below for the Blackbird Community.

Mort Jarvis adds: The whole history of this operation is pretty interesting, like flying the Detachment Package into England and than saying the SR can't land in England and turning around and going to Griffiss, NY. If the SR was still flying with the Real Time down link of Recon intelligence, which the SR was modified to carry prior to retirement, the target take could of been in the command function hands within seconds of the take. I still think the SR-71 could do a better job than what Intel is being obtained now.

Col. Jim Wilson, USAF ( Ret.) Writes:

On Oct 6th 1973, Egypt and Syria opened an offensive against Israel on two fronts, launching a coordinated series of air, armored and artillery attacks into the Sinai and Golan Heights . The preemptive strike came as a result of a failure to resolve territorial disputes arising from the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.

Since no diplomatic progress was being made toward peace, Egypt 's Sadat was convinced that to gain legitimacy at home, he must initiate a war with limited objectives.

Along the Suez Canal, 80,000 well-equipped members of the Egyptian army crossed the Suez and attacked fewer than 500 Israeli defenders. And in the Golan Heights , approximately 180 Israeli tanks faced an onslaught of 1,400 Syrian tanks.

Initial Israeli military losses were significant. And assistance was requested from the USA .

At that time, our reconnaissance satellites didn't have the capability to provide the intelligence needed to sufficiently assess the situation. So, we were alerted to prepare to fly SR-71 missions over the area of conflict, then recover in England . It was a mission within the design capability of the aircraft, although such a long, logistically-difficult mission never previously accomplished.

Within the first few days of the conflict, the supporting Arab nations initiated an oil embargo, making oil a weapon of war and contributed to a decision by the British government to deny us a recovery any place in England .

A Plan B was rapidly drawn up to fly the SR-71 out of the East Coast, then recover back in New York at Griffiss AFB. These newly planned 12,000 mile missions would require (5) five air to air refuelings from (16)sixteen KC-135 tankers based in Spain .

In the utmost secrecy, we mobilized and deployed. A few days later, our first photo/electronic reconnaissance mission was successfully completed.

I was a fairly young pilot in the squadron, with only 120 hours of SR-71 time under my belt. I was assigned to fly a backup SR-71 and to stay at Griffiss in an alert posture, and be prepared to fly follow-on missions. Then I served as back-up alert on two more successful missions.

My turn to be the primary aircraft came up next. The excitement level was high. And I certainly wanted to be part of another success.

Takeoff was at 2AM on a brisk and clear autumn night with about fifteen inches of snow already on the ground. It was peacefully calm . . until I lit both of the 34,000 lb. thrust afterburners.

The first 450 miles had to be flown subsonic at .9 Mach, since we had to clear the commercial aircraft flight tracks off the East Coast before I could safely re-fuel. Most pilots don't know the true meaning of dark until they've been in a situation like this. You might compare it to refueling in an inkwell. I then made made three radio silent electronic rendezvous with three tankers out over the North Atlantic before dawn . . taking on 10,000 gallons of fuel.

After completing a few post-refueling checks, I lit the afterburners and started my acceleration to a leisurely Mach 3 cruise across the Atlantic . The airplane performed flawlessly, thanks to the extra special effort by the maintenance guys.

About 2000 miles across the Atlantic , I watched with excitement as the sun came up right in my face, giving me a nice vantage point.

The next refueling was a couple hundred miles north of the Azores . I took on another 10,000 gallons from a couple more tankers.

I started my second acceleration and headed for Gibraltar . At 80,000 feet, cruising through the center of the narrow straits with clear weather and 100 miles of visibility on both sides. Spectacular.

Then I proceeded down the Mediterranean toward Israel where the weather was becoming worse as per flight plan's forecast.

The third air refueling south of Crete , although in poor weather, went along as scheduled. Now packing in a full load of 80,000 lbs of JP-7 fuel, I lit the afterburners and started the acceleration toward the target area.

At maximum fuel flow in full afterburner, a RED engine oil quantity low light illuminated steady on my emergency warning panel.

In almost unbelief . . I momentarily stared at it !

I instantly scanned oil pressure, rpm, exhaust gas temperature, nozzle position for other indications of trouble. Although there were no confirming indications of problems, I couldnâ€™t just ignore the situation and continue on into the target area with the possibility of an engine failure at supersonic speed out over the Sinai.

We had no viable emergency airfields that could handle the SR-71. And I certainly did not want to be a no-notice, no-flight plan, single engine emergency arrival at David Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Especially, since the Israeli government had not been told about our missions, and they were focused on major battles for their own survival.

I took the engines out of afterburner to access the situation, and think about the best course of action.

Then I had a pleasant surprise.

After coming out of afterburner the critical red warning light went out. I became fairly-well convinced that it was a false momentary indication.

But it had cost me roughly 400 gallons of critically needed fuel. My tankers were now 80 miles behind me . . and they were moving further away each second. And re-joining them to top off fuel, would present a whole new set of problems [ I won't get into.]

I decided to re-light the burners and press on. I had a 5 second flash of the same red light during acceleration. Then it went out. Stayed out.

My flight track went down the Suez past Cairo before making a left turn at Mach 3.15 to cross the battle lines in the Sinai. With panoramic and specific point cameras providing imagery of hundreds of targets on both sides of the SR-71, I flew North across the Dead Sea and Golan Heights . Approaching Lebanon , I made a sweeping right turn out over Syria and then back to the Sinai on a parallel flight path for maximum coverage. The airplane was running well. I pushed it up a bit to Mach 3.2 before exiting Egypt near Port Said .

Once out over the Mediterranean , I started a descent to 25,000 feet to hit my fourth set of refuelers.

But as fate would have it, I was not only beong low on fuel because of my previous oil low warning problem, but now a thunderstorm had reached up and it was now enclosing the air re-fueling contact point.

Using our internal electronic azimuth and distance measuring equipment, my backseater got me to within less than a mile behind my tanker. But now, visibility was so poor that I could not see it.

In lousy weather, very low on fuel, I continued twenty miles down the refueling track. By this time, there was just one-half mile and 1000 feet of separation from the tanker.

Small break between the clouds. Hooked up.

I had less than 15 minutes of fuel left, when we made re-fueling contact with the tanker and started transferring. The nearest emergency runway was roughly 100 miles away on Crete .

Needless to say, I was very thankful to my tanker buddies, backseater, and good equipment for that rendezvous. What a relief ! It gave me an entirely new meaning to ' finding a gas station ' . . when I really needed one.

We completed a fifth 10,000 gallon air refueling near the Azores before proceeding on a leisurely Mach 3 flight across the mid-Atlantic to a landing at Seymour Johnson.

Within 20 minutes, our people had the photo and electronic intelligence equipment downloaded, then onboard a dedicated AF courier flight to a Photo Interpretation Center in D.C.

Including 6 hours 41 minutes of supersonic speed, the round-trip flight covered more than 12,000 miles in 10 hours 49 minutes.

After landing, I remember wondering what Lindbergh would have thought about the amazing advancements in aviation technology.

These missions were not declassified until the early 1990's when the SR-71 program was closed at the end of the Cold War. Most of the remaining birds are now in various museums.

The one I flew is the centerpiece at SAC's Air and Space museum near Omaha .

Col. Jim Wilson, USAF ( Ret.)

[abridged ]

SR-71 Photo Archive taken at Seymour Johnson AFB during the Yom Kippur War Operation "OLSB"

Entire SR-71 crew at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina during the Yom Kippur War 1973.

The following personnel participated in the first missions flown out of OLSB. Additional crewmembers (not listed) also participated in these missions. This is the manifest for the Wing Staff personnel on the left and Maintenance on the right.

The following photos are the only ones known to exist of the SR-71 Operations at Seymour Johnson from October, 1973 to April, 1974. At the time, Seymour Johnson was in the process of an ORI (Operational Readiness Inspection) with their B-52's and KC-135's. The Seymour Johnson Wing Commander was not the least bit impressed when we showed up with a DOD directed mission (Yom Kippur War Flights). He was irate about usage of his facilities (We cleared out one of his large hangars and put the two SR's, KC-135Q and our mobile film processing center in the hangar). Additionally, he complained of fuel usage from his facilities by the 9th SRW. A phone call to the Pentagon by 9th SRW Commander Colonel Patrick Halloran resulted in the following, as Pat said: "The problems just went away". The critical war assessment missions were flown as scheduled and we departed Seymour Johnson in April of 1974. I am sure they were glad to see us go home.

The photos show the trailer which was purchased and moved into the hangar for SR-71 Operational Control and the Photo Processing Center which was comprised of 2X4's and plastic sheeting to keep the dust out. The two SR's were parked side by side in the hangar with the KC-135Q tanker opposite the Blackbirds. The flights lasted 10 or 11 hours and in one instance, the Pilot had to be assisted out of the Blackbird. The photo reconnaissance "Take" resulted in conclusive evidence of the location of Arab and Israeli forces. The photos provided the President and Defense Analysts with firm decision making capabilities to help defuse the Yom Kippur War.

OL-SB Photo Archive

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whispers-soundtrack-project · 2 months ago

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Loki / Mobius

Fanmix - Part One

Link to the Spotify Playlist is at the bottom of the post Note: This fanmix was originally posted here, but I am currently in the process of restructuring and reposting all of my playlists!

Death Stranding (CHVRCHES) What will become of us now * At the end of time? * We’ll be fine, you and I

It’s All Been Done (Barenaked Ladies) I met you * Before the fall of Rome * And I begged you * To let me take you home

Comfort (Carbon Leaf) Love came along, my favorite enemy * We hit head-on * Why you befriended me, I don’t know

Dear Fellow Traveller (Sea Wolf) And in our travels, we found our roads * You held it like a mirror, showing me the life I chose

Haven’t Had Enough (Marianas Trench) Testing, testing, I’m just suggesting * You and I might not be the best thing * Exit, exit, somehow I guessed it right, right

Revolution Lover (Left at London) But you know, I think if we stick together * Maybe we’ll become each other’s guide * I know we’ll make it out of this one alive

Ghost Of A Chance (Rush) Somehow we find each other * Through all that masquerade * Somehow we found each other * Somehow we have stayed * In a state of grace

Time In A Bottle (Jim Croce) So if only I could save time in a bottle * The first thing that I’d like to do * Is to save everyday ‘til eternity passes away * Just to spend them with you

Dizzy on the Comedown (Turnover) If I stay do you think that we could change your routine? * I know a trick, I’ve always got a few up my sleeve * This life is controlled confusion * It’s just a grand illusion

Strange Sight (KT Tunstall) You are a strange sight * Some new kind of wonder * With good hidden under * I’m sure that it’s true * Strange how your dark doesn’t faze me * No, I won’t give up on you

#loki #lokius #mobius m mobius #loki x mobius #lokius fanmix #lokius playlist

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mzannthropy · 1 month ago

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It's not every day that an international star turns out to be approachable and easy-going. Instead, while I'm talking to Sam Claflin, I feel like I'm chatting with a friend with whom I can discuss any topic, even astrology. "But is my star sign, Cancer, really resentful? Just like my Edmond Dantès," says the English actor. Yes, because on January 13, a blockbuster version of "The Count of Monte Cristo" will be broadcast on Rai1, a story of the most famous revenge in literature, written by Alexandre Dumas in 1844. And Claflin is the protagonist. The miniseries directed by Danish director Bille August, two-time winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, is just the latest in a long series of adaptations. The first short film dates back to 1908, the first film was in 1922, and sound hadn't been invented yet! Since then, there have been 12 other films, five TV series, a stage musical and even a Japanese animated series. This new international TV version, produced by Palomar with Demd Productions, Rai Fiction, France Télévisions, Mediawan Rights and Entourage Ventures, promises to do justice to the over 1,200 pages of the novel. The beginning of the story? Dantès is a sailor who on his wedding day is unjustly accused of treason and thrown into prison. After 15 years, he escapes with one goal: to take revenge on those who framed him. Claflin knows a thing or two about adaptations: he made his debut in 2010 with the miniseries “The Pillars of the Earth,” based on the novel of the same name by Ken Follett, and in 2013 he became famous in the role of Finnick Odair in the “Hunger Games” films, based on the famous literary saga.

With such a “bookish” CV, who knows what a thrill it must be to play one of the most famous characters in literature. «Actually, I confess that I only knew the title of the novel, I didn’t know anything else. But I understood that it was a big deal when I told my friends: they were more excited than me».

But it's one of the most famous books ever! "I know, I know ( laughs ). But I have to make a confession: I'm not an avid reader and, as an actor, I prefer that my first approach to a role comes from the script, without having preconceptions or judgments about the work itself."

But did he read the novel? "Of course, and I understood why it's so long: readers of the time read it in installments in the newspaper. For them it was a bit like today's TV series. In those days, people didn't travel much, so a book like "The Count of Monte Cristo", which touches on so many different places, allowed ordinary people to explore the world with their imagination, from the comfort of their homes."

Have you seen any of the adaptations that have already been made? «During filming I watched “Monte Cristo”, the 2002 film with Jim Caviezel because I was curious to find out how they managed to concentrate so many events and characters in just two hours. It seemed impossible to me, we take almost eight!».

The production actually seems impressive: how long did the shooting last? «About six months, and we traveled a lot: we started in Paris, then we went to Turin, Rome and finally to Malta».

Had you been to Italy before? "I had already visited Rome, Florence and Amalfi in the past. Turin turned out to be a hidden gem, I fell in love with its architecture. Coming back to Rome is always magical: it is a unique city, an open-air museum. It is my favorite European capital. And then there is no other: Italian cuisine is too good!"

“The Count of Monte Cristo” is an international series, with English, French, Italian and other actors. Ask us a question: did Lino Guanciale and Michele Riondino teach you how to pronounce a few sentences in Italian? «Yes. I would have liked to show off my new linguistic knowledge, but I have a terrible memory: I’ve already forgotten everything!».

So we are still waiting for him in Italy to speak our language together. In the meantime, he confides in us what were the most tiring moments on the set? "Definitely the endless make-up and hair sessions when I was filming the scenes in prison, with a beard and very long hair. Imagine that to make the wig more realistic they had to apply almost every hair individually. We started at dawn!"

The hardest day? "When we shot the opening scene, with the ship in the middle of the storm. We had a machine to create the wind and another for the rain, and on top of that the ship was rocking: the noise was so loud that we couldn't hear the director's instructions! On top of that, we shot it in winter, so it was freezing."

Edmond Dantès is a master of disguises. Do you also have some “tricks” to avoid being noticed by people on the street? «The secret is my children ( Pip and Margot, 9 and 7 years old, had by his ex-wife, the actress Laura Haddock, ed. ). I don't know why, but when I walk around with them no one recognizes me. However, when I finish shooting a film or a series, I immediately change my hairstyle to distance myself from the character. If I haven't had a beard for many months, for example, the first thing I do is let it grow back. Maybe this also helps to muddy the waters a bit».

Would you prefer to be recognized more often? "Not a chance! In recent years I've worked with fellow actors who are so targeted by paparazzi that they need bodyguards 24 hours a day. A nightmare. I think the best thing to do to not attract attention is to behave normally: if you wear sunglasses indoors, people will notice you."

You play one of the most vengeful characters in history. Are you a resentful person or do you forgive? "I would like to belong to the second category, but the truth is that I bear resentment. I am willing to give a second chance to those who have wronged me, but if they continue to behave badly I don't want to know about it anymore."

Have you ever taken small revenge? "No, I try to avoid conflicts, I never fought even as a kid ( laughs ). And then I'm lazy: taking revenge requires too much time and patience. I prefer to hope that karma punishes those who make others suffer."

What did the character of Dantès teach you? "Every role I play allows me to discover something more about myself. Edmond Dantès certainly has admirable qualities because he is methodical, loyal and full of motivation. Of course, then he is blinded by revenge, so perhaps he taught me precisely this: to never lose sight of the things that are truly important."

Dantès moves to Paris. You too have moved to a metropolis: after high school you moved to London to study acting. "I grew up in a small town 150 kilometers from London, which has always had an incredible fascination for me. When I took the big step and moved there, I understood that it was my place. I have lived there ever since and I am happy."

Let's close with a movie question: a movie that changed your life? «“Notting Hill”, the amazing 1999 comedy directed by Roger Michell with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. It's a perfect movie and I watch it every time I feel down. I'm an incurable romantic, it helps me believe that there's the right person for me out there».

Translated by Google Chrome. I amended Margot's age from 6 to 7 as she's just had her birthday.

#sam claflin #samblogging #the count of monte cristo #sam claflin monte cristo #this is what i want more of #tell me about the shooting. the locations. the co-stars #italian media will be the only one to give us anything #side note. i don't get his fascination with notting hill #but that means he wanted to work with roger michell which resulted in my cousin rachel 2017 so that's good #mypost

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