#Seth McNamara

[arcimboldisworld]

Die Walküre - Bühnen Bern 19.02.2023

Die Walküre - Bühnen Bern 19.02.2023 #RichardWagner #EwelinaMarciniak #NicholasCarter #Tetralogie #BühnenBern #DieWalküre #DerRingdesNibelungen #operalover #rezension

Der Berner “Ring des Nibelungen” geht in die zweite Runde, “Die Walküre” hatte Premiere und ein Besuch lohnt sich – Regisseurin EWELINA MARCINIAK und musikalischer Leiter/Co-Operndirektor NICHOLAS CARTER bieten dem Publikum fünf Stunden sehens- und hörenswertes Musiktheater… (more…) “”

[downwiththeficness]

The Usurper-Chapter Twenty Six

Summary: Lilah McNamara stole things for a living. It was tedious work and often dangerous, which made it just exciting enough to keep her interested. After botching a routine job, Lilah finds herself standing amid monsters. Wholly unprepared for the horror of living under Amaru’s reign, Lilah decides to use her well honed skills to thwart the queen’s plans and prevent the end of the world.

Word Count: ~5,600

Disclaimer: I do not consent to this work being copied or posted to other sites of blogs.

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“Are you sure this is gonna work?” Lilah crossed her arms and stared at the set up. Two wooden boxes were stacked on top of one another. Sitting on top of that was a bundle of dynamite. If she looked very closely, Lilah could just see the gleam of metal between the sticks.

Seth sidled up to her right, “There’s enough there to blow a hole through concrete.”

“Which reminds me of my next question. Where the hell did you get that much dynamite?”

Richie appeared at her left, “Where we get everything.”

“Tech Guy Juan?”

“Tech Guy Juan.”

She sucked her teeth, “Still haven’t answered my first question.”

Richie shrugged, “Guess we’ll find out.” He looked around Lilah to Seth, “You wanna set it off?”

Seth laughed and shook his head, “No I do not. Honor’s all yours.”

Richie grinned and it made him look about twelve years old. He produced a lighter from his pocket and practically skipped over to where the long end of the fuse laid on the ground. Lilah flinched and backed up quickly towards the back of the bar. Seth turned and watched her scamper away and his smile was one of bemusement.

Lilah flipped him the bird, “I’m not getting hit with fucking shrapnel.”

He made a face of ‘that makes sense’ before he turned back to watch Richie lean down and put the lighter to the fuse. It hissed and glowed red, a slow moving dot that she could track in the darkness. Even from her position next to the building, Lilah could see the path of the fire as it sizzled along the line, up the boxes, and into the bundle of dynamite.

Boom.

Usually, when Lilah worked with explosives, she used ear protection for this exact reason. The sound was way, way too loud. It echoed between her ears long after the initial blast, leaving Lilah digging her palms into the side of her head and grumbling curses. Neither of the brothers seemed to be having the same problem. The two of them were just...kind of standing there, staring at the smoking mess.

Still rubbing her ears, Lilah walked up to them and said a little too loudly, “Did it work?”

Seth shrugged and looked at Richie, who was still staring at the blast area. “Go check it out.”

Without hesitation and without acknowledging his brother, Richie sauntered forward. On the way, he knelt down and picked up a stick as wide as two of her fingers. With it, Richie dug around in the ash. Lilah bit her lip while she waited for him to confirm that the plan worked. The plan had to work. There was no other option but for the plan to work.

Richie looked up and shook his head. Lilah blinked and she might have yelled out in frustration while stomping up to him to check for herself. In the still smoking mess at her feet was a singed metal cup. Completely intact. Not even a dent. Lilah’s head tilted back and she stared at the night sky, “I knew it. I fucking knew it.”

“What is that thing made of?” Richie murmured.

Probably the same thing as that fucking book, Lilah groused internally. Externally, she said, “What’re we going to do?”

He stood, “I don’t know. I think, if we can figure out what its made of, we can figure out how to destroy it.”

“How long will that take?”

“I don’t know.”

“Lots of I don’t know going on here.”

She could feel his glare. “You got a better idea?”

“Not yet,” Lilah admitted. “But, I might soon.”

“Gonna need it faster than that,” Seth announced. “Just got a text from our resident sun god. Amaru’s taken another twenty five and turned them. He thinks she’s moving up her timeline.”

To the night sky, Lilah asked, “You wanna throw anything else at us this week? Because I think we’re full up.”

Richie leaned close to her, “I don’t think He’s listening.”

Seth tugged a piece of cloth from his coat pocket and reached down to snag the cup. He held it up to the ambient light of the bar and turned it slowly between his fingers. The cup was plain, just hammered metal. No jewels. No decoration. When Lilah grabbed it from the shelf of some eighty year old woman, she initially thought she had the wrong relic. This little debacle proved that she didn’t.

Sniffing back her ire, Lilah took the cup from Seth and trudged back to the bar. The boys followed silently. She walked through the back door, past the trough for dish washing, past the empty liquor boxes waiting to be broken down, and through to the back hall where she pushed into the office. Richie leaned a hip against his desk while Seth poured a drink. The air took on a pensive weight.

“The book can’t be destroyed, either.” Lilah rubbed at her face in frustration. She was tired from their trip and this little setback only served to make her more tired.

Richie crossed his arms, “I’m not surprised.”

Lilah sighed, “I guess I’m also not surprised.”

Seth threw back a swig of liquor, “Well, I am. A few sticks of dynamite and the thing barely looks smudged.”

“Its magic,” Richie muttered while he, too, made himself a drink. He lifted the bottle in Lilah’s direction, but she waved him off. She didn’t want to be drunk right now.

“God save us from magic,” Seth replied. “Look, I’ll take it to our guy and see if he can figure out what metal we’re dealing with. We’ll go from there.”

Richie set his glass down and shrugged out of his jacket. He threw it on his desk and said, “We should look for the next relic while we wait.”

“Not a bad idea. Lilah?”

“Yeah,” she breathed in answer, “I know where it is.”

Seth looked surprised, “Really? You found it already?”

“I didn’t have to find it,” Lilah said. “I already stole it once.”

This time, Richie looked surprised, “You stole a Xibalban staff?”

She nodded, “Sort of. Actually, its a funny story. Stealing the staff is where I first met Brasa, only I didn’t know he was Brasa at the time. At least, not until he killed a maintenance right in front of me.”

Seth took a short breath, “Let’s, uh, set aside the funny story for a second. Where is the staff?”

“I stashed it in a church a couple hundred miles from here. Small town. Nice people. Terrible taste in gods.”

“You think its still there?” When she nodded, Seth continued, “Alright. We’ll go get it the day after tomorrow.”

Lilah pressed her palms to her thighs and stood, “Fine. I’m gonna get some shut eye.”

In her room, she kicked off her shoes and sorted through her meager clothing to find something to sleep in. She settled on a pair of athletic shorts and the t shirt with the lizard on it. With a wide open yawn, Lilah slipped between the sheets and turned off the bedside light. She wriggled around to get comfortable and breathed deep. For a few seconds, she thought she might actually drift off pretty quickly, but her mind just wouldn’t let go.

“I’ll put serious money on all of the relics being indestructible,” she said to the darkness. Lilah didn’t need a metal analysis to know they wouldn’t be able to destroy the cup. Same with the book, the staff, and the knife. Without a way to take the relics off the board completely, there was only one solution: Hide them. Lilah had to find the deepest, darkest hole—several of them, to be safe—and throw the relics in.

“Sleep,” she said aloud. “Sleep now. Plan later.”

After ten minutes, Lilah was still staring at the ceiling and trying to stop her brain from recalling the exact schedule for church services. There was a gap on Tuesday where there wasn’t anything going on. She could slide into the sanctuary and snag the staff without anyone noticing. Unless they’d hired Raul’s replacement. Maybe she should case the place for a week or so before breaking in. Someone might recognize her, though. Lilah might need a disguise. The image of her wearing a wig and giant sunglasses forced a chuckle from her throat.

Lilah scrubbed her hands across her face, “Stop it. Just stop thinking.”

She kept on thinking right up until she blinked and the darkness turned into the warm light of someplace very, very different. Lilah sat up and looked around. She was sitting on a large bed in the center of a small, but cozy room. To her left was a closed door and a pair of lit sconces. Their wavering light was unnatural. She leaned a hand on the mattress to get a closer look. There was just a tiny ball of light sitting in each one that cast an amber light on the meager furniture.

To her right was an opening that led to what looked like a terrace. Lilah scooted to the side of the bed and set her feet on the floor. It was then that she noticed the distinctive lack of lizard t shirt. Her hands bunched into a dress that was made of what looked like long, vertical strips of fabric that were tied at the waist with a thin leather belt. There was nothing underneath. She pulled one of the swaths away from her body. By itself, it was nearly transparent. The mass of twenty or so strips layered atop one another provided just enough coverage to hint at, but not reveal, her body.

A quick turn around the room produced no new information as to where she was or why she was there. She tried the door and found it locked, which left the terrace as the only point of exit. Lilah stepped outside to find that it wasn’t actually a terrace. The stone walkway ran along the side of the building and around the corner. Lilah leaned over the side and looked down onto a large courtyard that was lit with the same flame-less sconces. People milled about, some sitting at low tables that were piled high with food, some collected together in groups.

Drawn to the frivolity, Lilah spotted a staircase and headed for it. Her feet were bare against the stone, but it wasn’t cold. The air was warm and humid. There was no wind moving through the breezeways and when she looked up at the night sky, there was no moon or stars shining down on the large courtyard below.

The space was lined with huge pillars that held up the mezzanine. Between the pillars were little nooks and benches for extra seating. The stone floor was a dull taupe and very clean. It was smoothed to a shining finish that didn’t seem possible. Same with the pillars. If she looked closely, she could see small geometric carvings along the base. The area where the pillar met the upper floor was a perfect circle with an unfinished center. In the hollow, rough cut stone caught the light and threw off tiny, pinprick sparkles.

Lilah tried to move in stealth, but it didn’t seem to matter. No one was paying an ounce of attention to her. They didn’t even look her way when she sidled past them to the foot of the stairs. Having reached the courtyard, she was quickly surrounded by the crowd. The air was rich with spices and something vaguely like citrus. Food and drink were abundant, piled high on top of the tables. Large bouquets of flowers stood guard at every pillar. The blooms were brightly colored oranges, reds, purples, and blues. Some tall, some short, all beautiful.

A pair of men walked past her, wearing a sling of fabric around their waist. One had a large golden pendant swinging from his neck. The other wore an arm band of braided leather. At their heels was a small woman wearing a dress similar to hers. She was carrying a large basket filled with loaves of bread. Behind her was another woman, much taller, following with a heavy metal pitcher. It was then that Lilah realized why everyone was ignoring her. She was dressed exactly like the caterers.

In the center of the large hall was a set of three long tables arranged in the shape of a horseshoe. The tables were low to the floor and pillows were laid out so that people could sit and eat comfortably. Lilah struggled to recognize the food arranged on wooden and metallic plates. Strangely shaped fruits in teals and pinks surrounded by leafy red vegetables. At strategic distances, some kind of large animal was steaming in a roast pan. The smell wafting from pan was vaguely like clove.

She kept mingling, moving around the perimeter of the room and taking in the sights. Everything was so beautiful. The food, the flowers, the guests. There wasn’t a single thing out of place. Lilah slowed to a stop near a massive bouquet of fragrant flowers that stood taller than she did and enjoyed the feeling of anonymity right up until she discovered that she didn’t know what to do with her hands. It would look weird if a caterer wasn’t actively doing anything—not that anyone was noticing her to begin with. Lilah was being ignored so thoroughly that she half wondered if they could see her at all. Maybe she wasn’t really there. Maybe she was a ghost wandering through the room, and unable to interact. Did that mean she was dead? She reached out and touched the soft petal of a nearby bloom. It felt real against her fingertips.

“Not a ghost,” she said absently.

Lilah distracted herself by looking at the architecture. It was awfully familiar. Where had she seen these breezeways before? While she was busy squinting at the mezzanine, the air in the room noticeably shifted. What was carefree and jovial became alert and tentative. People all around her stopped their conversation while their heads swiveled to look across the room. She, too, craned her head in the direction everyone was looking, eyes widening when she caught a set of broad shoulders cutting through the crowd.

Half hidden by the flowers, Lilah stared at him while he moved through the room and sat on one of the cushions at the head of the u-shaped table. Like the others, he was wearing a low slung wrap of thick fabric in a deep purple. Around one bicep was a circle of gold. His skin seemed to glow in the soft, warm cast of the sconces. It offset the way his eyes swallowed all the light as they tracked across the scene in front of him.

Lilah traced a loving line from his neck down to where his torso dipped beneath the table and wished they had more than just a kiss that night outside the bar. She could get more now. She could draw him back to that empty room and take whatever he would be willing to give her. Lilah sighed around a dry throat and her feet started moving without conscious effort. Crossing the room took a little more effort this time. People were moving at a slower, more careful, pace around the central table. Several others who were dressed like her sidled between the small groups to bring additional dishes to lay before Brasa. Elaborate plates of food steamed next to a large pitcher. He neither looked at, nor touched, either of them.

For the most part, he ignored the various other guests, though she saw a few of them try to engage him in conversation. Brasa’s responses were clipped, if he gave one at all. His attention seemed far, far away and Lilah thought that he looked a little bit sad. It moved her to hasten her step along the length of the table until she angled around the corner. Without a single ounce of preamble, Lilah dropped to kneel on the cushion beside him.

“Hello,” she greeted him a confident toss of her head.

Brasa turned and, for the barest second, she thought he might not recognize her. He blinked slowly, then said her name in a warm, tender voice. Lilah’s smile widened to a grin while she moved closer. Her hands gathered up the strips of her skirt so that both her knees rested on the thick, soft pillow. It was large enough to seat at least three people easily. She reached out and cupped his jaw. Like the flower, she could feel soft skin beneath her hand. He was as warm to her now as he was when she was awake. Warm and real and inviting. Lilah leaned forward and kissed him lightly once, then pulled away a scant inch. She held herself there, waiting for his reaction.

Brasa didn’t disappoint. He shifted towards her and returned the kiss with firm intensity. Lilah’s eyes closed against the way it burned through her. His tongue swiped across the seam of her lips and Lilah could taste the sweetness that hinted at venom. She held tight to him, pressing against his side with a low sound of pleasure. It felt too good to be a dream. Too real.

He broke the kiss, “I did not expect to see you here.”

“Where is here, exactly?” Lilah asked as she caught her breath.

“A memory,” he answered, picking up her hand and touching his mouth to her palm.

She stared at the way his lips moved to her wrist with slow, deliberate kisses. “Memory?”

Brasa nodded, but didn’t explain further. He nuzzled her forearm and up to her shoulder where he dotted little kisses all the way up to the curve of her neck. Lilah tilted her head to the side with a sigh. Her eyes fell half closed as he nipped along her jaw until he reached her lips. He brushed a barely there kiss against them before returning for something deeper.

In between one kiss and the next, the sconces on the walls dimmed to almost nothing. The courtyard dropped into a deep darkness that was made even darker by the lack of moon and starlight. Lilah gasped and leaned into Brasa’s body while she looked for danger. He’d said this was a memory. He hadn’t said it was a good one.

Brasa chuckled and his arm slipped around her hips to tug her so close that she was nearly sitting in his lap, “Relax. The show is about to start.”

“Show?”

He hummed in confirmation, “One of my favorites.”

Shadows moved at the far end of the room. Brightly lit lanterns were placed in a large semi-circle. They flickered with the same light as the sconces, casting the area in shades of amber. Lilah stared in anticipation, wondering what might be in store for her. She only waited a few minutes before music began to play from somewhere off to the side. She could barely make out the musicians, swaying along as they played. The song had a hard driving beat with some kind of stringed instrument that warbled with every note.

“Do you remember when we talked about dancing?”

Lilah squinted in thought, “You mean at the burlesque show?”

He nodded, “This is almost the same. Nudity included.”

“Oh?” she breathed with lifted brows. “How much nudity are we talking?”

Brasa shrugged, “I’d say its equitable.”

More shadows shifted around the ring of light. Intrigued, Lilah focused on them, catching shimmers and sparkles winking at her from the darkness. They walked in time with the drums. Slow, purposeful movements that moved the group steadily into the light. Their steps were synchronized, arms lifting in gentle arcs over their heads. One by one, they entered the circle. Lilah was impressed by their costumes. Intricately woven ropes that were knotted in such a way as to expose as much skin as possible while only hinting at indecency. The men and women of the dance troupe slowed as they reached their places while the music dropped off into silence. A few sounds of encouragement came from the crowd, along with soft claps and whistles.

Brasa leaned down and whispered, “They’ll start with something energetic. Watch.”

Lilah watched.

He was right. After a swollen silence filled with the expectation of everyone in the room, the music started up again. The drums and the strings moved together with so much frenetic energy that Lilah was amazed anyone could stand still. She flicked her gaze around the room to find exactly that. No one was moving. Not the dancers. Not the audience. Not even the staff. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on when Brasa shifted his weight and lifted an arm.

The air in the room snapped with the sudden release of tension. A howl came from somewhere near her right, its answer floating from the balcony. In the improvised spotlight, the dancers began to move. Arms and legs and hands and feet all working together to form shapes and patterns that shifted from one to the other with such precision and speed that Lilah could barely keep up. She had no idea that a body could do that.

“They’re so good,” Lilah murmured to Brasa, unable to take her eyes off the dancers. One of them stepped forward, their hips rolling so seamlessly that the motion made her whole body ripple like a wave.

“They are,” he replied. His fingers plucked one or two of the individual strips of her dress. “Some of them have trained since they could walk. Its an honor to dance at one of our feasts.”

She took a breath, instantly connecting the dots. Turning to Brasa, she said, “Oh, that’s what this is. You told me you loved the feasts.”

Brasa smiled, “This is one of the better ones.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“What makes it so special?”

“Its the last one before we noticed the culebras were going missing.”

Lilah’s heart dropped. She couldn’t think of anything to say. All she could do was stare at Brasa’s somber face. His face remained somber for another three or four seconds before he visibly shook himself and said, “The next dance is better.”

“Better than this?” Lilah asked, forcing humor into her voice, “Because this is pretty good.”

“Oh, it gets better,” he drawled. A thought seemed to occur to him, “Would you like something to drink?”

She looked at the fare around her, strangely colored and exotic, “Can I even drink anything here? It won’t poison me?”

Brasa rolled his eyes, “This is a memory Lilah. You can have anything you want.”

The Xibalban had a point. Lilah smiled, “Alright. I’ll have a drink. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He got the attention of one of the staff and they hustled to bring over a glass and pitcher. Brasa took the glass and set it in front of Lilah. From the pitcher, he poured a honey colored liquid that was just slightly thicker than water. She picked up the glass and swirled the drink around, “Is there alcohol in this?”

“Its fermented.”

“So, yes.”

His smile was soft, “Yes, there’s alcohol in it.”

“Excellent.” Lilah took a sip, finding the drink to be extremely sweet. If it had fizz, she’d mistake it for a prosecco. She sipped a few more times before she noticed Brasa watching her with curiosity. “Hmm?”

“Do you like it?”

“I do,” she answered. “Is it actually Xibalban wine or am I just making up the taste in my head?”

Brasa laid his hand over hers and deftly guided the glass to his own lips. Lilah felt her breath catch as she watched him take a drink and lower the glass. His tongue peeked out to swipe at an errant drop, reminding Lilah of another, more intimate moment where he was licking her blood from his lips.

His head ticked to the side and he nodded, “Its as I remember it.”

“Good,” Lilah croaked around the desire building in her chest. She had to make herself look away at the dancers to clear her head. After weeks with so little contact, to be this close to him felt like standing on the edge of a cliff and looking down. Dangerous and dizzying and strangely enticing.

The music changed and the beat slowed down. Lilah sipped her drink while a few dancers walked out of the light, leaving four to continue on. The drums continue to drive the dance forward, a rumbling locomotive rhythm that she could feel vibrating in the floor beneath her. She leaned into Brasa’s side while she watched the four dancers begin circling one another.

“This one is about a rivalry. It happened a millenia ago, but it brought down two of the ruling houses,” Brasa said near her ear.

Lilah shivered as his breath warmed her skin, “What were they fighting about?”

He ran the backs of his fingers over her shoulder and down her arm, “An archery competition.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I am not.”

The dance picked up, a woman flipping backwards into a handstand. Her partner grasped her legs and bent one in an imitation of drawing back a bow. Lilah didn’t need to ask for more context as the movement dissolved into a raucous fight. They pulled each other back and forth, bending at extreme angles before releasing into acrobatic lunges. The music swelled as one of the dancers became the clear victor.

Lilah felt Brasa’s fingers drift from her arm to her thigh where he slipped between the ribbons to rest his palm against her skin. His face was very close to hers, lips hovering near her cheek. Lilah could feel every breath he took. She turned to him, but he nudged her forward with a softly spoken ‘watch’ that was almost too low for her to hear. Her eyes returned obediently to the dancers, though her attention was on the way he stroked her thigh in slow circles that moved steadily upwards.

When he reached the place where her legs were pressed together, Brasa stalled briefly before gently pressing two fingers upwards to indicate what he wanted. She didn’t have to think about it. Lilah shifted her weight and let her thighs open. Over the music, she heard Brasa’s pleased hum. His hand moved higher until her cupped her mound. With gentle pressure, Brasa teased her folds. He rubbed carefully from top to bottom and back again in a slow, thorough circle. The feeling sent little sparks from her core down her thighs all the way to her toes.

The music continued. The dancers danced. Lilah pressed her hands to the pillow just behind her hips and gave up the pretense of trying to watch the show. She turned her head to lay her temple against Brasa’s forehead, biting down on her lip while he circled her opening with a firm pressure that stopped just short of penetration. Here, he lingered, circling...circling.

Lilah arched against his hand, whining when he denied her. Incensed and wanting to force him to give her more, she caught his mouth in a harsh kiss that he returned eagerly. She kissed him over and over in quiet desperation while his hand worked steadily between her thighs. Lilah could feel how wet she was, could feel the slow tightening of muscles in her hips and belly. If he let her have just a little bit, she would come.

Brasa wouldn’t give an inch. He kissed her, teased her, made her arch into his hand, but he wouldn’t give her what she needed. Not even when Lilah rucked up the fabric around his waist to encircle his length. She swallowed down his sharp gasp and got in a handful of firm strokes before he grabbed her wrist and tugged her hand away. Her hands were gathered together and held in an unyielding grip that Lilah immediately tried and failed to break. He laughed at her frustration, then went back to petting her with that same, slow tempo.

The song ended and, in the silence, Lilah’s breaths were so loud that she felt faintly embarrassed. She sent a quick glance around the dark room to find that the edges of the courtyard were nothing but a deep, blurry void. She could still see the lanterns, could still make out the movement of the dancers, but almost nothing else remained. Even the other guests and the staff were gone. Brasa caught her distraction and made a low, huffing sound. His hand left her and he rolled to his knees. Startled, Lilah tried to rise with him. She didn’t mean to get distracted. She would try harder to focus if he would just keep touching her.

Brasa towered over her. Strong, proud, powerful. His eyes, shining and black, narrowed as he took her in. She could hardly meet his direct stare. Instead, Lilah ran her hand down his stomach, over the soft black hair that led down beneath the heavy fabric that did nothing to hide his arousal. He caught her hand and brought it to his lips to suck at the pulse on her wrist. Lilah’s mouth opened on a soundless moan, her whole body trembling when he touched his teeth to her palm—a warning, if she’d ever seen one.

Rocking forward, Brasa pushed her down onto the pillow and deftly loosened the leather belt around her waist. Here, he showed the first inklings of impatience. His hands swiped over the separated scarves that made up her dress—left and right—exposing her naked body to the air. He caressed a long line up from her stomach, taking a detour over her breasts. Lilah watched him look at her with possession looming in the shadows of his eyes.

He dropped to rest his weight on an elbow, head dipping to trace his nose down the center of her chest until he reached the mound of her breast. He kneaded it lightly while his thumb stroked over a hardened nipple. Lilah bowed upwards when he circled it with his tongue, the heat of his mouth overpowering her senses. She reached up and pushed her hands into his hair, gently urging him to rise up for a kiss.

While his mouth was busy driving every thought from Lilah’s head, Brasa’s hands were not idle. He tugged the knotted fabric from around his waist just enough to free his length and grasped her thigh to pull it up over his hip. The movement was quick and it caught part of her dress in the bend of her knee, dragging the strips along with it. The tangle of clothing didn’t deter Brasa from sinking down into her body and pressing against the wet heat of her opening.

Lilah whimpered as he breached, eyes closing at the pressure that both soothed and inflamed her. Brasa pushed forward slowly, inch by inch, until he was seated to the hilt. There, he stayed, breathing hard. She could see the effort it took to remain still. His brows were drawn together and he was biting down on his lip. Brasa wanted desperately to move, but he refused for some reason that she couldn’t comprehend. Lilah wanted him to move, too. She wanted everything that he was silently promising. Her body trembled beneath him, needing more friction, more pressure.

“Lilah,” he whispered, “Lilah...come back to me.”

Brain foggy and body thrumming, Lilah blinked confusedly at him, “What?”

“Come back to me,” he repeated. “I need you.”

She smiled fondly at him even as her hips tilted up to allow him to sink just a fraction deeper, “I’m right here.”

Brasa groaned and shook his head, “I want more than dreams.” Then, with more urgency, “Come back to me.”

Lilah tried to think around the need boiling in her blood. She knew what he meant. Every day that they were apart, she missed him more. “Okay. Okay. Give me...three days? Three days to finish this job and we’ll work something out. Stay somewhere in neutral territory.”

He kissed her hard in response and Lilah took that as a ‘yes’. When he pulled back, Brasa was smiling wide, dimples and all. Lilah found herself smiling along with him. She was giddy with the prospect of a getaway, no matter how short. As much as she was beginning to like her new comrades in crime, their constant bickering was exhausting.

Brasa dropped a quick kiss to her mouth and pressed up onto both palms so that he could get the leverage he needed. He stared down at her with his lips pulled between his teeth, all his excitement melting into something hot and burning. His hips pushed against hers—Lilah’s second warning of the night.

The first thrust was slow, out and in. The second was faster and the third faster, still. Lilah closed her eyes against the feeling of finally getting what she wanted. It was amazing. It was perfect. It was—

Morning.

Lilah silenced the alarm on her phone and glared at the ceiling, “What a perfect way to start the day. Twat blocked by my subconscious. Fucking great.”

A knock came to her door, “Time to get up, sleeping beauty. We gotta get on the road if we’re gonna rob that church.”

Seth. She was supposed to be working through the final details with him while Richie slept.

“I’m up!” she called back. Then, under her breath, “Against my will.”

Lilah got out of bed and showered. After dressing and pulling on some shoes, she grabbed the back she packed for the trip. On her way out the door, she picked up her phone to find a message notification from Brasa. He’d sent her three or four hotels, asking for her preference. Lilah smiled down at them and clicked off the screen. She would spend the long hours in the car working through the options and figuring out where they would go. All she had to do was get the staff, and then she was home free.

[rosesnink]

Meet My MCs

This will be under the cut. Those with NA means that I won't be playing them, and others which books I have played but have no record of the MC's name. Some books have two different OCs who coexist due to romancing a different LI

Idea credit to @aria-ashryver

I will be updating it as I play more books

Across the Void MC- Ellectrum Ellara

Romance: Titania

FC: Katherine McNamara

All of Us: Her Story MC: Irena Collins

Romance- Theresa 'Tess'

FC- Megan Suri

All of Us: His Story MC: Lawrence 'Teddy' Heart

Romance: Brandon 'Brad'

FC- Álvaro Rico

Along Came Treble MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC: TBD

Alpha MC- Arianwyn

Romance: F!Channing Lowe

FC: TBD

America's Most Elegible MC- Selene Marquez

Romance: Bianca Sandoval

FC: TBD

A Very Scandalous Proposal MC- Felicia Hunstdown

Romance: Ava Montjoy

FC: TBD

Baby Bump MC- Monsterrat Bruch

Romance: Myra Dixon

FC: TBD

Bachelorette Party MC- Phoebe

Romance: Aisha Bhatt

FC: TBD

Big Sky Country MC- ????

Romance: Juliette

FC: TBD

The Baby's Billionaire MC- Not played

Romance: Not played

FC: NA

Bitten MC- Layla Hernández

Romance- Skyler & Alexandra

FC- TBD

Blades of Light and Shadow MC: Brienne Nagoni (f!orc!mc)

Romance: Nia Ellarious and Tyril Starfury

FC: None

Bloodbound: Cristina

Romance: Kamilah Sayeed

FC: Hunter Schaffer

Crimes of Passion MC- Neera Rose

Romance: f!brown!Trystan Thorne

FC: Melissa Barrera

The Crown and the Flame MC- Kenna Rys and Dominic Hunter

Romance: Annelyse Adair (K) and Rose Blake (D)

FC: Adelaide Kane and Bradley James

A Courtesan of Rome MCs- Aphrodite and Lavinia of the Cautani

Romance: Sabina (A) and Marc Antony (L)

FC- Kerry Condon (A) and Hanna Mangen Lawrence (L)

The Cursed Heart MC- Nymeria

Romance: f!brown!Kieran

FC: TBD

The Deadliest Game MC- Kayla Marquez

Romance: Farah Sabri

FC: TBD

Desire and Decorum MC- Celestine Walker

Romance: Ernest Sinclaire

FC: Vittoria Puccini

Dirty Little Secrets MC- Blair Gray

Romance: f!white!Charlotte King

FC: TBD

Distant Shores MC- Joan Beauchamp

Romance: Charlotte 'Charlie' Smith

FC: Kristen Stewart

The Duchess Affair MC- Wren Bedford

Romance: f!brown!Nat Pippin

FC: Arsema Thomas

The Elementalists MC- Ariadna Williams

Romance: Shreya Mistry and Aster D'Yew

FC: Lily Collins

Endless Summer MC- Taylor

Romance: Quinn Kelly

FC: Madelyn Cline

Filthy Rich MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

First Comes Love MC- Not played

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Foreign Affairs MC- Elisabeth Kennedy

Romance: f!brown! Blaine Hayes (formerly Ayna Seth)

FC: Shay Mitchell

The Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior MC- Vanessa Lewis

Romance: Rebecca Davenport

FC: Margaret Qualley

Getaway Girls MC- Abigail Thompson

Romance: F!White! Jordan Parker

FC: TBD

The Ghost of Us MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

Guarded MC: NA

Romance: NA

FC: NA

Guinevere MC- Guinevere of Carmelide

Romance: f!white! Artura Pendragon

FC: Beste Kokdemir

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor MC- NA

Romance: Eleanor Waverly

FC: TBD

Hearts on Fire MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

The Heist: Monaco MC- Elle Jackson

Romance: Sonia Alves

FC: Abelle Sinclair

Hero MC- ?????

Romance: Eva/Minuet

FC: TBD

High School Story Prime- Gala Moschen

Romance: Julian Castillo

FC: Linda Cardellini

High School Story MC- Elisa Connor

Romance: Emma Hawkins

FC: Talia Ryder

High School Story: Class Act MC- Halley Buchaneer

Romance: Skye Crandall

FC: Hanna van der Westhuysen

Home for the Holidays MC: Not played

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Hot Couture MC- Therese Ward

Romance: Hazel Ngyuen

FC: TBD

Hot Shot MC: Mina Tremaine

Romance: f!black!Casey Jameson

FC: TBD

Immortal Desires MC- Penelope 'Penny' Winthrope

Romance: Cassie Harlow and Gabriela Adalhard

FC: Anya Taylor Joy

Knock Knock MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

It Lives Anthology

It Lives in the Woods MC- Tallulah Dawkins & Yun Faye

Romance: Stacy Green (T) and Lucas Thomas (F)

FC: Sophie Thatcher (T) and Havana Rose Liu (F)

It Lives Beneath MC- Rose Vance

Romance: Danni Asturias

FC: Emily Rudd

It Lives Within MC- Corvina Blackwood

Romance: Amalia de León

FC: Nicola Coughlan

Kindred MC- Amaryllis Woodstock

Romance: Marion and Fang Ziyi (aka Rainier and Kaine)

FC: Suki Waterhouse

Kiss of Death MC- Lana Roschelle

Romance: Victoria Flint, Faith Skelly (ex-girlfriend)

FC: TBD

Laws of Attraction MC- Ruth Ocasio

Romance: Lina Reyes

FC: TBD

LoveHacks MC- NA

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Make That Date! MC- NA

Romance- NA

FC- NA

Most Wanted MCs- Samantha Massey and Dave Reyes

Romance: Each other

FC: TBD

Mother of the Year MC- Alicia Day

Romance: Eiko Matsunaga

FC: Sofía Vergara

Ms. Match MC- Not played

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Murder at Homecoming MC- Valentine Aileen Stone

Romance: Stevie Sun

FC: TBD

My Two First Loves MC- Sandra González

Romance: Ava

FC: TBD

The Nanny Affair MC- Will never play, ew

Romance: Double ew

FC: NA

Nightbound MC- Nathalie

Romance: Vera Reinmonenq

FC: TBD

Open Heart MC- Jordyn Heart

Romance: Aurora Emery

FC: Hayal Koseoglu

Terrorfest MC- Charlie Mendez

Romance- Lucky Alvarez

FC- TBD

Passport to Romance MC- Thalia

Romance: Marisa Pires

FC: TBD

The Phantom Agent MC- Alys Jackson

Romance: F!Indian!Samara Grey

FC: TBD

Platinum MC- Crystal Rosales

Romance: Avery Wilshere

FC: Lucy Boynton

Plus One MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

The Princess Swap MC- Gabrielle Hastings and Cassandra Julivert

Romance: f!white! Princess Clarke (G) and f!black! Devin Wright (C)

FC: Meagan Rath

Queen B MC- Reina Hughes

Romance: Zoey Wade

FC: TBD

Red Carpet Diaries MC- Kiara Clark

Romance: Victoria Fontaine

FC: Kang Kyung Min

Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance MC- Cheryl Addams

Romance: Mona

FC: Bridget Satterlee

Rising Tides MC- Not played

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Roommates With Benefit- Nina Berauregard

Romance: F!Drew Young

FC: TBD

Rivals With Benefits MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

The Royal Masquerade MC- Lady Grace Everhart and Queen Olive Aster

Romance: f!hispanic!Kayden Vescovi and Fabian Rys (husband) (O) and f!white!Hunter Fierro (G)

FC: Freida Pinto (O) Emmanuelle Chriqui (G)

The Royal Romance MC- Eclipsa Ice and Primrose St. Claire

Romance: Lady Hana Lee (E) King Liam Rys (P)

FC: Jessica Alba (E) Ellie Bamber (P)

Rules of Engagement MC- Louise Han

Romance: Prince Leo Rys

FC: Kristin Kreuk

Save the Date MC- Chloe James

Romance: Lindsay

FC: TBD

The Shadow MC- TBD

Romance - TBD

FC- TBD

Ship of Dreams MC- Helene Foredale

Romance: f!white!Theodora Carter

FC: Jessica Brown Findlay

Shipwrecked MC- NA

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Slow Burn MC- Not played

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Sunkissed MC-NA

Romance: Eliana

FC: NA

Surrender MC- EWWWWWW

Romance: EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW

FC: No.

The Unexpected Heiress MC- Claire Hayes

Romance: Dowager Duchess Gemma Montjoy

FC: Kate Winslet

Untameable MC- TBD

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Unbrindled MC- TBD

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Veil of Secrets MC- May Sorel Arrieta

Romance: Kate O'Malley

FC: Dilara Aksuyek

Villainous Valentine MCs- Not available

Romance- NA

FC- NA

Wake the Dead MC- Kerina Fyreheart

Romance: Shannon Fox

FC: Lindsay Morgen

With Every Heartbeat MC- Elsie Clarence

Romance: f!hispanic!Dakota Winchester and Lennox

FC: Madison Beer

Witness: A Bodyguard Romance MC- Ugh

Romance: Uuuuuuuuugh

FC: Uhh pass

Wolf Bride MC- Triple ew

Romance: Quadruple ew

FC: HARD PASS

Years Apart MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: The DUFF

Rating: PG-13

Director: Ari Sandel

Cast: Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Skyler Samuels, Bianca A. Santos, Romany Malco, Ken Jeong, Chris Wylde, Allison Janney, Seth Meriwether, Rebecca Weil, Brian Dewar McNamara, Benjamin Davis, Lai-Ling Bernstein, Nick Eversman, Erick Chavarria

Release year: 2015

Genres: comedy, romance

Blurb: Bianca's universe turns upside down when she learns that her high school refers to her as a DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend). Hoping to erase that label, she enlists the help of a charming jock and her favourite teacher. Together, they'll face the school's mean girl and remind everyone that we are all someone's DUFF...and that's totally fine.

[hollywoodfamerp]

WELCOME TO THE NASHVILLE OPRYLAND HOTEL! 

Experience the energy and excitement of Nashville, Tennessee – the Music City. On the banks of the Cumberland River, this landmark hotel is just a short drive or riverboat cruise from downtown Nashville’s historic attractions and nightlife. 2 of the city’s most popular attractions - the world-famous Grand Ole Opry and General Jackson Showboat – are conveniently located next door to the resort. Inside lies an extraordinary selection of dining, shopping, live entertainment and recreation options that provide the perfect destination. You'll be amazed at the 9-acres of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls and indoor river with its very own Delta River flatboats. Discover Gaylord Opryland and make memories. You won't believe what they have under one roof!

UNDER THE CUT, YOU’LL FIND THE LIST OF ROOMMATES!

Due to an issue with the booking system at the hotel, it seems the roommates have all been mixed up. Was it the hotel? Or those pesky gossip blog hosts looking for drama? Guess we will never know... enjoy your stay, partners! 

PLEASE LIKE THIS NOTICE WHEN YOU HAVE READ IT AND SO THAT YOU CAN KEEP TRACK OF THE LIST UPDATES!

Pamela Martinez (Bayley) - Kelsea Ballerini Joshua Hong - Lili Reinhart Ariana Grande - Bill Skarsgård Mark Lee - Sabrina Carpenter Tom Holland - Zendaya Coleman Wong Yukhei (Lucas Wong) - Margot Robbie Timothée Chalamet - Lupita Nyong'o Kim Hongjoong - Beyonce Knowles Austin Butler - Vanessa Hudgens Chace Crawford - Elizabeth Olsen Alex Torres (Quackity) - Maia Mitchell Jung Wooyoung - Sarah Drew Tyler Hoechlin - Lucy Hale Louis Tomlinson - Jenna Ortega Natalia Dyer - Joe Keery Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul (Ten) - Maika Monroe Kim Mingyu - Sarah Paulson Jeon Jungkook - Blake Lively Lee Donghyuck (Haechan) -  Kim Jongin (Kai) Harry Styles - Taylor Swift Anya Taylor-Joy - Elizabeth Gillies Selena Gomez - Gigi Hadid Chris Evans - Tessa Thompson Choi San - Kim Ahyoung (Yura) Min Yoongi - Samantha Gibb Stephen Amell - Emily Bett Rickards Lee Sunmi - Kang Seulgi Colby Lopez (Seth Rollins) - Emily Osment Zoey Deutch - Florence Pugh Christian Yu - Brittany Baker (Britt Baker) Pedro Pascal - Jennifer Morrison Byun Baekhyun - Shay Mitchell Demi Lovato - Dua Lipa Hwang Hyunjin - Diamanté Quiava Valentin Harper (Saweetie) Nick Robinson - Maya Hawke Bruno Mars - Maura Higgins Leati Joseph Anoa'i (Roman Reigns) - Madelaine Petsch Brett Tucker - Demi Bennett (Rhea Ripley) Kim Namjoon - Camila Morrone Lee Taeyong - Camila Mendes Andy Biersack - Mazz Murray Dylan O'Brien - Adelaide Kane Harry Kane - Meghann Fahy Renee Paquette (Renee Young) - Sarah Hyland Jackson Wang - Emma Stone Geoff Wigington - Sana Minatozaki Otto Wood - Anna Kendrick Sebastian Stan - Jessica Chastain Sam Claflin - Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (Charlotte Flair) Gareth Southgate - Jessica Lange Tyler Alvarez - Cate Blanchett Lee Felix - Kim Minjeong (Winter) Zac Efron - Perrie Edwards Ross Lynch - Yoo Jimin (Karina) Carrie Underwood - Lee Taemin Jonathan Good (Jon Moxley) - Zoe Kravitz Gong Jichul (Gong Yoo) - Dylan Sprouse Myoi Mina - Molly-Mae Hauge Choi Soobin - Sydney Sweeney Mason Mount - Brittany Snow Joe Burrow - Julianna Margulies Kim Jungwoo - Kim Jisoo Choi Minho - Rachel Weisz Akanishi Jin -  Colin O’Donoghue Lee Minho (Lee Know) - Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (Megan Thee Stallion) Xiao Dejun (Xiaojun) - Kaia Gerber Awsten Knight - Madelyn Cline Park Seonghwa - Hailee Steinfeld Miley Cyrus - Chris Hemsworth Mercedes Justine Varnado (Sasha Banks) -   Rebecca Quin (Becky Lynch)   Bella Poarch - Ana De Armas Yoo Siah (YooA) - Lauren Jauregui Jensen Ackles - Katherine McNamara Grace Van Dien - Christopher Bang (Bang Chan) Lily James - Jung Yoonoh (Jaehyun) Wong Kunhang (Hendery) - James Lafferty Kim Taehyung - Halle Bailey

[palmviewfm]

mw counterparts?

we've got quite a few options for you ! here's  some  counterparts  that  we'd  love  to  see  being  used  for  inspo  ! 

monica  geller,  ross  geller,  chandler  bing,  joey  tribbiani,  susan  bunch,  carol  willick,  janice  litman  goralnik,  mike  hannigan,  jim  halpert,  pam  beesly,  ted  mosby,  jackie  burkhart,  donna  pinciotti,  eric  forman,  laurie  forman,  jade  west,  cat  valentine,  andre  harris,  beck  oliver,  shaggy  rogers,  daphne  blake,  velma  dinkley,  kim  possible,  aria  montgomery,  alison  dilaurentis,  mona  vanderwaal,  emily  fields,  spencer  hastings,  noel  kahn,  caleb  rivers,  toby  cavanaugh,  elena  gilbert,  katherine  pierce,  caroline  forbes,  bonnie  bennett,  tyler  lockwood,  hayley  marshall,  rebekah  mikaelson,  stefan  salvatore,  elijah  mikaelson,  edward  cullen,  rosalie  hale,  esme  cullen,  carlisle  cullen,  alice  cullen,  jacob  black,  jessica  stanley,  beca  mitchell,  chloe  beale,  audrey  posen,  sarah  cameron,  kiara  carerra,  jj  maybank,  john  b  routledge,  pope  heyward,  cleo  anderson,  frances  'baby'  houseman,  brenda  walsh,  kelly  taylor,  donna  martin,  andrea  zuckerman,  valerie  malone,  brandon  walsh,  dylan  mckay,  david  silver,  steve  saunders,  dixon  wilson,  annie  wilson,  naomi  clark,  erin  silver,  brooke  davis,  peyton  sawyer,  haley  james  scott,  lucas  scott,  rachel  gatina,  quinn  james,  clay  evans,  mouth  mcfadden,  skills  taylor,  alex  dupre,  millie huxtable, julian baker, marissa  cooper,  summer  roberts,  anna stern, seth  cohen, zach stevens,  taylor  townsend,  ryan  atwood,  luke  ward,  lexi  grey,  arizona  robbins,  cristina  yang,  atticus  lincoln,  derek  shepherd,  jackson  avery,  cher  horowitz,  regina  george,  gretchen  weiners,  cady  heron,  karen  smith,  janis  ian,  damian  haynes,  heather  chandler,  heather  duke,  heather  mcnamara,  veronica  sawyer,  lorelai  gilmore,  luke  danes,  logna  huntzberger,  jess  mariano,  derek  forester,  lane  kim,  dave  rygalski,  sookie  st  james,  daphne  bridgerton,  simon  basset,  claire  standish,  allison  reynolds,  brian  johnson,  samantha  baker,  austin  ames,  samantha  montgomery,  joey  potter,  jen  lindley,  dawson  leery,  pacey  witter,  peter  parker,  mary  jane  watson,  fiona  gallagher,  lip  gallagher,  faith  lehane,  cordelia  chase,  willow  rosenberg,  prue  halliwell,  paige  matthews,  piper  halliwell,  leo  wyatt,  cole  turner, theo raeken, malia tate, liam dunbar, cora hale, isaac lahey, allison argent, scott mccall, hayden romero, jordan baker, olivia baker, layla keating, spencer james, stiles stilinski, lyla garrity, and tim riggins !

[sassyfrassboss]

I think it says something when you have a platoon of producers, good number of notable guests, yet you still flop and essentially get fired before even thinking about another season of the podcast. This confirms too that Spotify massaged the numbers, her squad as well tried to manipulate the number of plays per episode too. Also cements the fact that employees are in a revolving door, and she must be difficult to work with.

Notice how they always make a huge deal when they hire someone but only comment on someone leaving when the press finds out.

They have lost more staff in the 5 years they have been married than most corporations.

Here is a list of who worked on the Serena Williams episode which I am counting 23 people.

Archewell Audio’s Executive Producers are Rebecca Sananès and Ben Browning

Gimlet’s Executive Producer is Katelyn Bogucki. Executive Editor is Andrea B. Scott.

The show’s producers are: Itxy Quintanilla and Kayla Lattimore with help from Noor Gill

Associate producer is Farrah Safari with help from Lesley Gwam

Senior Producer is Cristina Toshiko Quinn

Senior engineers are Haley Shaw and Catherine Anderson with help from Jack Mason and

Raymond Rodriguez.

Music supervisor is Liz Fulton

Technical director is Zac Schmidt with help from Seth Richardson

Fact-checking by Nicole Pasulka

Booking by Rima Morris and Whitney-Gayle Benta

Spotify Studio’s Executive Producers are Dawn Ostroff, Julie McNamara and Courtney Reimer

Special thanks to the entire team who helped to make this happen, including the team at

Archewell, and Kevin Manley, Abbie Ruzicka and Paige Hymson

[jimothy-hopkins]

Some Prefect HCS

Edward can play the electric guiar.

Karl has given up on life.

Max gets zero bitches.

Like he’s hallway crush cute but that’s as far and anyone goes with him.

Edwards is a model. He’s been on teen vogue and multiple runways. Plus a few billboards.

One time playing kickball in JROTC Seth and Edward collided and broke each others noses. Edward calls it the worst kiss he’s ever had.

They’ve dressed up as the Heathers + Veronica for a school character day. Seth was Chandler, Max was McNamara, Edward was Duke, and Karl was Veronica.

They’re all exhausted.

Karl is really good at playing darts.

Edward is comically un athletic. Aside from horseback riding.

Speaking of his horses Edward has gotten so many injuries in the process of retraining his mare Cruella.

Max can bench press Damon West and Ted Thompson.

Karl beat tf out of Dan cause he said “If his name starts with a K, he’s definitely gay.”

Seth is very much still on that mean girl shit.

Like good god if you’re not a prefect he wishes you’d stop breathing within a four mile radius of him.

None of them really fuck with jimmy anymore there’s no point.

Max likes to sew and tailor clothes. He also learned to knit from his grandmother.

Edward basically raises Daniel’s kids, Ben and Stacy.

Karl hates little kids with a burning passion.

Ms Peters: What would you do if there was a child-

Karl: *pushes Pedro down the fucking stairs*

Seth was king of the school at one point, before Ted took a cheap shot at him and replaced him. Then Gary and Jimmy ofc.

Edward will just casually slip the preps a $100.

He also does this to the other prefects.

Karl can’t fucking drive. Like it’s so bad we don’t know how he passed the test.

Max was a linebacker on the football team.

He also used to have a huge crush on Mandy but he overheard her shittalking him and had a breakdown.

Seth and Edward are dating and usually make out on the night patrol.

Max unfortunately had to witness it on accident.

Karl likes gardening and arranging flowers.

[sapphiredhearts-a]

hello! this is not meant to be a bother, but i was wondering if you happened to have a list of fcs for your muses or if you’d be willing to type one out? again very much not trying to be a bother or anything just honestly curious and would like to know!

hi friend !! not a bother at all !! almost all of my fcs are different from canon so it's probably hard to keep up ! I have a lot of muses so I'll add it under the cut ! I've been away from tumblr for a long time so if you see something that isn't super accurate please don't hesitate to let me know !! I relied real heavily on rph resources & tried to google search as much as possible but I know it's not always the best & I wanna stay true to what I can !! also pls forgive the non-formatting the list is long & I am literally copy & pasting this . ( also also if anyone's name is misspelled it's literally because I wrote this as I went & not intentional - some of them may also be abbreviated I can't remember if I went back & fixed it )

twilight

jacob black - blair redford

isbaella swan - maia mitchell

edward cullen - christopher briney

emmett cullen - adam dimarco

esme cullen - sadie sink

serena ( hybrid ) - dove cameron

sam uley - marlon teixeira

seth clearwater - booboo stewart

paul lahote - alex meraz

the hunger games

katniss everdeen - devery jacobs

peeta mellark - froy gutierrez

lucy gray - rachel zegler

finnick odair - gavin casalegno

annie cresta - lola tung

vampire academy/ bloodlines

adrian ivashkov - thomas doherty

sydney sage - sydney sweeney

eddie castile - josh hutcherson

charmed

piper halliwell - zendaya

phoebe halliwell - whitney peak

leo wyatt - jacob elordi

cole turner - michael trevino

one tree hill

brooke davis - olivia rodrigo

nathan scott - tyler posey

haley james - alba baptista

julian baker - douglas booth

peyton sawyer - penelope mitchell

f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

monica gellar - lana condor

chandler bing - dylan o'brien

joey tribbiani - rege jean page

phoebe buffay - lili reinhart

gg

blair waldorf - leighton meester

nate archibald - chace crawford

serena van der woodsen - blake lively

the host

wanderer - kat mcnamara / tanaya beatty

ian o'shea - luke pasqualino

jared howe - theo james

original characters

analeigh ateara - fivel stewart

josie baker - natalia dyer

daisy fairstone - adelaide kane

salem cromwell - nina dobrev

tda

julian blackthorn - daniel sharman

a court of thorns & roses

feyre archeron - danielle rose russell

rhysand - matthew daddario

disney

david 'gordo' gordon ( lizzie mcguire ) - alberto rosende

miley stewart ( hannah montana ) - miley cyrus

rose ( american dragon jake long ) - madelyn cline

sharpay evans ( hsm ) - sabrina carpenter

alex fielding ( twitches ) - halle bailey

nicholas sparks

allie hamilton ( the notebook ) - abigail cowen

noah calhoun ( the notebook ) - logan lerman

will blakelee ( the last song ) - noah centineo

[novemberdrift]

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 *updated*

youtubers: sam, colby, jake webber, corpse husband, and probably more

heartbreak high: spider, dusty, quinnie, darren, cash, ant

life is strange: ryan lucan, steph gingrich, alex chen, chloe price, and finn mcnamara

detroit become human: connor and markus

twilight: jasper hale, rosalie hale, emmett cullen, jacob black, paul lahote, leah clearwater, seth clearwater and sam uley

the walking dead: daryl dixon, rick grimes, glenn rhee and negan

the vampire diaries: klaus mikaelson, elijah mikaeslon, damon salvator

the 100: bellamy blake, octavia blake, john murphy, jasper jordan, monty green, and raven reyes

gilmore girls: jess mariano, dean forester, and tristan dugray

[carpediem-celebrpg]

The following characters haven't met the activity requirement in 3+ weeks. If you feel like you are on this list by mistake please let us know. If you need a hiatus please submit the hiatus form. Anyone who still doesn't meet activity requirements (or contacted us about a hiatus) in one week will be removed from the group.

Blake Lively ( @blakeelively )

Danneel Harris ( @dan33lharris )

Dianna Agron ( @disladyagronsky )

Katherine McNamara ( @katmac1995 ) [no posts yet]

Kathryn Newton ( @kitxkatnewton )

Mariska Hargity ( @mariskahargitvy )

Renee Rapp ( @mjxreneerapp )

Selena Gomez ( @gmzsels ) [no posts yet]

Sophie Thatcher ( @sosophiethatcher ) [no posts yet]

Sydney Sweeney ( @sweeneysydz ) [no posts yet]

Glen Powell ( @glen--powell )

Keegan Allen ( @keegsterallenr )

Kendall Schmidt ( @kendallisshit )

Sebastian Stan ( @sbastianstvn )

Seth MacFarlane ( @sethmacfarlanecd )

Travis Kelce ( @travkelces )

Tyler Hoechlin ( @hoechlikeheck )

[downwiththeficness]

The Usurper-Chapter Twenty Three

Summary: Lilah McNamara stole things for a living. It was tedious work and often dangerous, which made it just exciting enough to keep her interested. After botching a routine job, Lilah finds herself standing amid monsters. Wholly unprepared for the horror of living under Amaru’s reign, Lilah decides to use her well honed skills to thwart the queen’s plans and prevent the end of the world.

Word Count: ~4,100

Disclaimer: I do not consent to this work being copied or posted to other sites of blogs.

Start at the Beginning Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Read on AO3 Masterlist

“McNamara online.”

Lilah settled onto the floor of a van with three laptops open in front of her. One to monitor the cameras in the casino, one to monitor the card game, and one to run the probability program. Nearby, an external battery hummed away, ensuring that she never lost power. Lilah peered at the screens, checking and double checking that the feeds were live. In one, Seth was staring at his reflection in the mirror. She watched him adjust and readjust the bollo tie with an irritated grimace on his face.

She tapped the mute key, “Stop fucking around with it.”

Seth flinched, then caught himself, “This is stupid. They’re going to know.”

“They’re only going to know if you keep fucking with it.”

“I look like a dork.”

“You are a dork,” Lilah said. “You just don’t know it.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Fuck you, too. Now, quit messing with it.” Lilah tapped the mute key again and searched the screens for Richie. She wasn’t surprised that she didn’t find him. His part wouldn’t come for an hour or two yet and he’d mentioned getting a meal in before taking his place.

The hair on the back of her neck lifted a fraction of a second before something warm pressed against her skin. Lilah whirled around to find no one and nothing behind her. She held still for a few seconds, holding her breath. When Lilah was sure that she was alone, she exhaled slowly and returned her attention to the screens. That was happening a lot lately. A feeling that someone was nearby. Heat wafting from somewhere unseen. There was never anything or anyone standing beside her and it was starting to freak her out.

Focus on the job, she reminded herself. They were minutes away from figuring out if Seth’s undeniable charm was going to get him into the game. He was making his way across the casino floor towards the back room. Lilah watched him walk through the lens of the camera, feeling vaguely seasick. She switched to the casino security feed. Ambient noise filtered into the microphone in his glasses. People were talking and there was some kind of vague rock music playing. Staff walked around with trays of drinks and the occasional appetizer. Not a soul suspected anything was going to happen that night, except for gambling and bad decisions.

Lilah would never admit it to either brother, but she wasn’t feeling very confident in their plan. The tech would work—she made sure of that. Seth was charming. Richie was quick with safes. There were a lot of things working in their favor. She should be excited and ready, but Lilah was actively pushing down the rise of anxiety. Despite all their planning, this was a rushed job. Rushed jobs were risky.

She hunched over the laptop and watched Seth work his magic. He might have terrible taste in alcohol, but his ability to make people like him was uncanny. In seconds, he was laughing and joking with the security team and offering to put up the entry fee for the game they were supposed to be guarding. Let’s shake up these rich assholes, he jeered with them. To her great surprise, they eagerly agreed. One of the guards even gave Seth some pointers about what to watch out for at the game. Without any real effort, he waltzed right into the back room and took a seat at the table.

The laptop chimed. Lilah quickly took the electronic request from the casino and rerouted it to a fake account that would signal that the fee was posted, pend it for three days, and then cancel. She guessed that the casino would spend a couple weeks fighting with a bank that didn’t exist before they figured it out. Hell, they might be so focused on the failed transaction that they didn’t even think to check the safe. Another circumstance that would work in their favor.

“You know,” Richie said over the comms, “this place is a lot nicer than I thought it would be.”

Lilah tapped the mute key, “I saw you looking at the blueprints. You’re telling me you thought it would be a dump?”

“There’s a big difference between blueprints and buildings. The carpet is new.”

“What’s that got to do with how nice a casino is?”

“When was the last time you saw new carpet in a casino?”

“You’ve got a point,” Lilah allowed. Then, “Are you in position?”

There was a sigh, followed by an annoyed, “Yes. I got the key card duplicated, too, if you were wondering.”

“I was wondering, thank you.”

“So glad to help.”

“Your professionalism and foresight are unmatched.”

Seth cleared his throat and it rang out loudly over the microphone. Lilah snorted. Richie outright laughed, “Alright, everyone. Game faces.”

For thirty minutes or so, things went just about the way they were supposed to. Seth played hand after hand, slowly feeding Lilah more data to enter into the computer. The program was becoming more accurate at predicting how each player was going to move, tailoring its algorithm and adapting. She occasionally checked on the cameras throughout the casino, noting how Richie stayed just outside of range. He didn’t talk, but she heard the flick of a lighter.

“Call the bet,” Lilah said. Seth threw down a few chips. His opponent folded. Just like the program predicted. “Looks like we’re on a roll. Win a few more hands and we’ll have their full attention.”

Her phone buzzed on the floor next to her. Lilah tapped the screen and saw a message from Javier. Just one word: Incoming. She didn’t have time to think about what that meant. The screen went black and then flashed with a call from a number she didn’t recognize. Her thumb hovered over the answer button, then dropped.

“Where are you?”

Lilah closed her eyes, “I’m safe.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Brasa bit out. “Where are you?”

“Working.” A low, warning growl was her response. She frowned and explained further, “I’m going after the book.”

“I have that under control.”

“No, you don’t,” she said. “Give me a few days and I’ll have it.”

He took a breath, “Lilah, you need to come back now.”

“I can’t do that. I’m in the middle of this job.”

“I need you here.”

The vulnerability in his voice almost made Lilah relent. She’d never heard him sound so small. His words were honest and her heart ached to hear them. “It’ll only be a few days. I’ll get the book, translate it, and we can talk about our plan moving forward.”

“Our plan?” There was heat in his voice. Raw anger. “You would actually have to consult with me for it to be ‘our plan’, Lilah.”

She didn’t have anything to say to that. Lilah knew what she did. Knew it was an act of cowardice to run out on him while he was unconscious. An image of his bleeding face steeled her resolve. It might have been cowardly, but it was the right move. He was in too precarious a position to delay Amaru further. It was Lilah’s turn to take the reins.

“I’ll help you get the book,” Brasa said. “Just come back.”

“I’ve got this,” Lilah replied with a shake of her head. “Just need a few days.” He started to argue with her and she felt her anger snap, “Just fucking trust me, okay? Let me do what I’m good at.”

Silence. Long, empty silence. Then, “Fine. Inform me when you have it.”

Lilah heard the line cut off. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared down at the empty screen. “Damn it. Just...fucking damn it.”

She set the phone down and tried to refocus on the screen around the mass of anger, frustration, and regret rolling around in her head. Lilah knew it was the right thing to do. She knew Brasa would be pissed when he found out. And, she thought she’d prepared herself to have that anger coming at her head on. Lilah wasn’t prepared. She was totally off balance and she was in the middle of a job.

“Fuck,” she breathed in one long, low syllable.

Seth was just beginning another hand. He flashed the cards at her and she entered them into the program. From there, it began to run possible outcomes. Lilah withheld any direction, letting Seth make the first few decisions. He actually wasn’t that bad at cards. Maybe not pro level, but Lilah guessed that he could hang with your average player. If they didn’t need him to win so badly, she might have foregone the computer program altogether.

Just outside the game room, there was a huddle of security. One of them was talking animatedly, gesticulating with every word. Lilah squinted at the screen. He looked like the head of security. She quickly pulled up his head shot to confirm. Then, she tapped the mute key, “Looks like we have their attention. Fold, Seth. Next few rounds, I need you to put some real money in the pot.”

Lilah chewed on her lip while she watched Seth do as she asked, upping the ante and pushing the other players to match higher bets. She gave him a little guidance from the program, but mostly she let him play. This part of their plan was more about acting than it was about winning. Lilah didn’t need to give Seth any direction on how to be an asshole.

While she waited for the huddle of security to get more anxious, Lilah picked up her phone and opened up the recent calls list. She tapped on Brasa’s number and then the little icon to save it. When the contact screen opened, Lilah typed out his name and hit save. She stared at the box with ‘Brasa’ written on it, feeling a fresh wave of guilt. She might not know exactly how he was feeling, but she could guess. Angry. Betrayed. Embarrassed. He’d gotten a real ass kicking and woke up to find Lilah gone with no explanation. When he’d reached out to her, she’d shut him down. Even people who weren’t gods would be pretty upset by that.

She thought about calling him back and apologizing, but movement on the screen caught her attention. Lilah set the phone down, “Seth, get ready. They’re coming in to question you. I’m changing over the feeds. Richie, you’re up.”

“Copy,” Richie drawled.

Lilah moved quickly to set the loops on the cameras. She recorded three ten minute sections that would give Richie enough time to get to the safe, crack it, empty it, and get out. All Seth had to do was keep the security director and his minions busy for as long as possible. She flicked her eyes to the feed of the game table. He was already doing a fantastic job, if the scowl on security’s face was anything to go by.

“We have a problem.”

“What?”

“The key card doesn’t work on this door,” Richie said.

Lilah pulled up the real feed and searched for him. Richie was kneeling next to the outer door of the room where the safe was installed. It was just a hallway or two from where his brother was sitting at a table, smirking.

“What do you mean,” she bit out, “the key card doesn’t work. I told you exactly whose card to duplicate.”

There was a pause, “They called out sick.”

“They called out sick?”

“Yeah,” Richie said. She could see his dark head bobbing. “I had to improvise.”

Lilah dropped her forehead into her hand, “This isn’t something that you can improvise, Richie.”

“It’s fine. I got this.”

What Richie meant by ‘I got this’ was snapping the lock from the body of the door and tucking it into the bag by his feet. Lilah wished that he had passed that particular plan by her beforehand so that she could remind him that the lock was directly tied to the security system. Not even her quick fingers could stop the alarm that went off the second the magnet was disengaged. Lilah caught it before the signal was sent out to the police, but not before it got to the security team leads. She watched in real time as two of them pulled their phones out of their pockets to read the screen. They looked at each other, then one of them turned and headed down the hall.

“Richie, you got some heat coming your way. One—wait, its three, now. Three guards.”

From over the comms, Richie chuckled, “Not going to be a problem.”

Lilah didn’t have to ask what that meant, “Do it quietly. Don’t leave them in the hall. It’ll draw attention.”

He didn’t respond, but she saw him set his bag next to the safe and bend down. His hand reached up and began to rotate the wheel of the lock. Lilah looked back and forth from Richie’s all too calm face to the guards who had pulled fucking guns out of their holsters and were aiming them at the closed door of the safe room.

“They’re armed. Looks like a nine millimeter from here.”

“Not going to be a problem,” Richie repeated absently.

Too anxious to watch what would happen in the next few seconds, Lilah turned her head to find Seth standing with his hands on his hips. He was pretending to be insulted that anyone would accuse him of cheating and offering to strip down naked in order to prove his innocence. His hand briefly covered the bollo tie, deftly removing it to stow away in the pocket of his jacket. It was a good move. Very smooth.

“I think we’ve caused enough trouble tonight,” the security director was saying. “Let’s just pay out your winnings and get you on your way.”

Lilah’s eyes narrowed at the screen. There were too many guys hanging around for it to be that simple. If they really thought he was stealing from them, there would be no letting Seth get on his way. The police would be called and he’d be walked out in handcuffs. She tapped a few keys to check if dispatch received anything from the hotel. Nothing. Lilah squinted at the screen, feeling a lump drop into her stomach.

Seth laughed, “You gonna refund my entry fee, too? I dropped a lot of money to let off some steam in here tonight.”

Good. That was good. Keep them so focused that they didn’t hear the tumble of bodies nearby. Lilah glanced to the side. Richie was throwing someone down on the ground. Hard. She could practically feel the body’s impact against the floor. In the comm, Richie growled, low and menacing. She could see how his face had shifted around, all scales and fangs. He stood over the three guards, head lifted in triumph. Then, casually, he knelt by the safe and began to spin the wheel again.

Not too far away, Seth wasn’t doing quite as well as his brother. Security had him by the shoulders and was walking him out of the room. Seth’s jaw was set and his eyes were narrowed angrily, but he was complying. It didn’t appear that anyone had noticed what Richie was doing yet. Lilah started to breathe a sigh of relief and stopped. They weren’t leading Seth to the front of house. The guards had taken a left turn instead of a right, pushing him deeper into the building. Her lips pulled back from her teeth in a grimace as she realized what, exactly, was about to happen.

“Richie,” she barked, “get a move on with the safe. They’re taking Seth out back.”

His hand paused, “We’re on the third floor.”

“Its a fucking metaphor. They’re either going to kick the ever loving shit out of him or shoot him. Given the fact that the guards who came after you were toting firearms, I’m gonna go with the latter.”

Lilah heard Richie curse. His movements gained urgency and within a moment or two, he was hauling open the door to the safe and filling his bag with money. Then, without much care for the bodies at his feet, he strode out of the room and down the hall.

She found Seth on the video feed and said, “Take a left. Go straight to the back. They’re heading for the elevators at the back of the building.”

“Copy.”

That was all she could do. Stuck in the back of the van with nothing but the camera feed and the sound of a fight coming through the microphone, Lilah could only sit on her hands and wait. This was not the first time for Lilah. She remembered one very cold day in Prague when all she could do was sit in a hidden spot in the rafters while her team dealt with the unexpected arrival of another team. Back then, she was more concerned about finishing the job and getting out alive. Lilah managed to achieve both goals at the cost of some very competent colleagues. She did a lot more solo work, afterwards.

Richie set the bag just inside the turn of the hall and pulled a handgun out of the waistband of his slacks. He aimed in front of him and called out, “Hey, guys! Hate to interrupt, but you got my brother, there, and I’m gonna need him back.”

Though the sound was low in the microphone, Lilah could heard several of them laughing. Seth didn’t laugh. His face was stony. One hand came up and removed the glasses, tucking them safely in the breast pocket of his jacket. Lilah cut the feed and mic for them to save the battery. She did the same for the tie. After that, there was only Richie’s comm and the casino cameras to tell her how things were going to go down.

The fight was loud. Bullets and grunts and growls and fists meeting flesh. All of it was so loud that Lilah had to turn down the volume on the laptop to stop the ringing in her ears. Seth ducked under the arm of a guard and caught the gun Richie threw at him. He barely managed to aim before his hand was grabbed and twisted to the side. He followed the movement and gave the guard a headbutt that sent the other man’s body backwards a few steps. Meanwhile, Richie snapped two necks and grabbed a third to hoist the man in the air so that he could get at a vein. Blood sprayed against the wall in a messy shower.

It lasted only two or three minutes. Just two or three minutes and several people were dead, a few more wounded or unconscious. Seth and Richie looked at each other for a moment and she thought she could see them grinning. Then, just like they were supposed to do before things went sideways, they hustled to the back stairwell. Lilah kept one eye on them while she shut down two of the laptops and slipped them into their carrying cases. She waited until they cleared the back alley before setting the casino cameras back to their original feeds. All, except for one.

Lilah pulled a hooded sweatshirt over her head and wrapped a long strip of fabric around her lower face. Then, ensuring her hair was covered by the hood, she climbed out of the van and went up to the internet line that fed into the casino. Careful not to touch the line, itself, Lilah tore the small box from the line. It didn’t matter that the hasty removal would sever the internet until a technician could come out and reattach the wire. Lilah already had everything she needed, anyway.

After shutting the last of her programming down, Lilah closed up the van and drove out of downtown towards the highway. There wouldn’t be time to get back to the bar before sunrise. She would meet up with Richie and Seth at a hotel a couple towns over to sleep and debrief the job. The both of them brought a lot more attention to it than Lilah liked. A lot more attention. It wouldn’t be long before the authorities were looking for them and neither brother seemed to be very good at laying low.

Lilah worked through her frustration by telling herself that they had accomplished what they needed to accomplish. Seth got into the game and was a very convincing decoy. Richie cracked the safe. Lilah’s programs worked. Even though it hadn’t gone exactly to plan, they still had the money. Did it really matter that there were upwards of ten bodies left behind?

She went back and forth on that point until the van reached the hotel. Lilah backed into a spot on the far end of the parking lot and grabbed her things before stepping out. The night was sticky and warm, clinging to her skin. It made her want a shower. She hurried to the room and keyed in, surprised to find Seth and Richie inside.

“You beat me,” she said as she set down her bag.

Seth looked up from where he was reloading a gun, “I told you that van was slow.”

Lilah rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah. I needed the space. You can’t look at multiple screens in a coupe.” She noted that the tie and glasses were sitting neatly beside a box of bullets on the table.

“Ah, but its so much cooler,” he replied.

Richie, who had been flipping through the TV channels from his perch on the bed, interjected, “Slow is fine, as long as you made it here.”

Lilah pointed at Richie, “See? He gets it.”

Seth finished loading the gun and pushed the mag into place. He chambered a bullet and checked the safety before standing and slipping the gun into his belt, “We got three hundred thousand in the bag. A hundred of that is yours.”

“Thank you,” Lilah said. Then, “What about the fifty k I owe you for the tech?”

He shrugged, “Consider it the cost of business.”

“Awful generous of you.”

Another shrug, “You’re part of our team. We split our bag equally.”

She stared at him, set back on her heels that he thought they were a team. Sure, this was one job and it was customary to spit the pot evenly. But, even Lilah had to admit that he and his brother did most of the heavy lifting.

He moved past her to the door, “I need a drink.”

Lilah lifted a brow, “You think its a good idea to be out and about right now? I’m sure we got a shit load of cops looking for us already.”

His smile was brittle, “Ain’t no one gonna care where I’m going.”

And then, he was gone. Lilah stared at the closed door for a moment before sighing and setting her bag down on the bed Richie wasn’t sitting on. She dug through it to find some clothes, then headed off to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Afterwards, Lilah padded back out into the room. Richie barely spared her a glance. He’d moved up to sit against the headboard and was smoking a cigarette. The TV was on and an old episode of X-Files was playing. Richie turned his attention to the screen while he flicked ash into the tray sitting on his thigh. His jacket and shirt were folded neatly on top of a nearby chair, shoes sitting on the floor. Lilah could see the splatter of blood on the fabric. She shivered as she remembered how it had gotten there.

With a determined effort, Lilah made herself think of something else, “I haven’t seen this episode in forever.”

Richie’s brows lifted, “Yeah?”

She nodded and sat down on the bed next to her bag, “The first time of saw it, I think I had nightmares of being sucked into a jet engine for weeks.”

His smile was small and a little unsure, “Your unconscious mind didn’t think that Mulder and Scully would save you?”

Lilah laughed, “No. No it did not.”

“There’s a marathon, if you want to watch for a bit.”

“I’m game,” she said. Then, “Does Seth usually go out to drink after a job?”

Richie nodded, eyes still on the screen, “Yeah. Its kind of a tradition.”

“What’s your tradition?”

He looked at her, “This. I get the room to myself so I can watch my favorite shows without the sarcastic commentary ruining the mood.”

Lilah shimmied up the bed and stacked a few pillows up so that she could lean against them, “My cousin, Reba, used to do that same thing. I can’t tell you how many times I had to change the channel because ‘its just so boring’.”

“Same,” Richie drawled.

They sat there together in comfortable silence while the agents tried to figure out who the murderer was. When that episode ended, another started. And another. Lilah drifted off to the sound of the theme song echoing in her ears.

[newagesispage]

                                                                 FEBRUARY 2023

THE RIB PAGE

I hear good things about the book Beaver Land. Check it out!

*****

Will one of the next Knives out star The Muppets??

*****

Tom Brady and Ozzy Osbourne have retired. ** Dr. Phil is hanging up his show.

*****

Some singer I have never heard of named Chris Young apparently acted like an ass to Elle King on a new show called Barmageddon. Word is he could not take the heat when she started beating him in some sort of game. Do we care?

*****

Ok.. So I know pretty much nothing about Melissa Rauch who leads the new Night Court. I must give her respect though. She walked onto Seth Meyers in sweats. Yes!! Why these people want to sit there so uncomfortable is beyond me. Good for her for being herself. Hey, hooray for the people who wanna get dolled up but she should be herself. ** So it wasn’t but a few days later that I saw Colbert thanking Trevor Noah for wearing a tie and jacket. He also belittled Don Lemon for the way he was dressed on CNN. Colbert claims that it is a late -night show and people should make an effort. Oh please, it’s a late show, calm the fuck down. When did the Late Show host become the fashion police?? UGH!!! Colbert also asked Noah what his first concert was. That is a Kevin Nealon question. Let’s all hike with Kevin where one can be casual.**Bill Maher complimented a guest’s Converse but stated he couldn’t wear them at his age. When did these old liberal guys get so hung up on dress etiquette?? Please, nobody wear white after Labor Day on these programs. Live and let live? And one more thing about Maher. He gets a lot of shit about his thoughts on obesity. I don’t really care but on the Jan. 27 show, I have to admit that he really got himself worked up about it. It was almost comical.

*****

For the first time since 1923, there were multiple votes in the House of Representatives to pick a leader. Boebert and Greene reportedly had it out in the ladies room and Gaetz and Rogers about went at it out on the house floor. Kevin McCarthy did finally prevail after many promises to other Republicans. ** It seems to have brought he and Marjorie Taylor Greene together. They love the attention. Steve Scalise is the majority leader. Should we let the 118th congress hold us hostage? ** We have their rants against the IRS and indoctrination in schools to look forward to. The Republicans have gotten rid of the metal detectors. It seems they are itching to get the public and their weapons inside. The southern border and Ukraine will probably suffer because of their cuts. To be fair, we have spent about $50 mil or is it billion so far? Biden is sending the Abrams tanks but that could take a year.  ** Do we have enough proof yet that most of the dysfunction stems from Republicans? They sure keep filling up the swamp. ** I heard someone say that there were twice as many Mikes in the GOP as women. That sucks but there really are a lot of Mikes out there. I was engaged to 3 in a row!!

*****

There are reports that gas stoves should become a thing of the past. I get it but cooking would suck.

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Is someone going to make a feature film about Michelle McNamara’s life?

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The Dallas zoo is under tight security. Recently there have been cut fences and shady dealings with the Leopards, monkeys and a dead vulture.  

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New Zealand’s new Prime Minister is Chris Hipkins.

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Ryan Seacrest and Andy Cohen seemed to be in a bit of a feud after the New Year. That sounds like THE  blandest fight of all time. I mean who gives a fuck? How did these guys even become famous. I will never get their relevance. `1

*****

What the fuck is going on in Mexico and Brazil??El Chapo’s son, Ovidio Guzman was arrested and people were told to shelter in place. Airports were closed and school suspended. South America is pulling a similar coup ala USA. It is all a big game to Bannon and Bolsonaro and all the partners in crime. The haters won’t stop until the whole world blows itself up. ** Why does the main stream media practically ignore these international stories?? Talk about Trump or the housewives and they are all over it.  

*****

We have 3.5% unemployment!

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Biden gave the Presidential citizens medal to 14 people who defended democracy. We all owe them so much.

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Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain of Journey are in a feud. In the legal battle, Schon alleges that Cain’s wife, Paula (televangelist and Trump’s spiritual advisor) has access to Journey’s personal accounts and is racking up personal bills. She is also playing Journey music at Trump events which the rest of the band would like to stop. . Is everyone associated with Scary Clown a shady character? Well, Yes, I suppose so.  

*****

Scary Clown 45 has renewed his ridiculous beef with Ruby Freeman. He is putting new garbage out there to make her life miserable. Trump and his ilk seem to treat people like chess pieces, not actual people. ** Trump and 2 rioters have been sued by the estate of Brian Sicknick for $10 mil. The suit states that there was “a direct and foreseeable consequence of Trump’s words that day.”

*****

42,964 cannabis convictions have been erased.

*****

I am so sick of both sides yelling that the voting public does not care about this issue or that. I assure you that myself and the that people I know care about who leads the house of representatives and what classifies docs are floating around out there. Transparent?? Not quite. Pence, Trump and Biden all have documents?? This would lead us to believe that all politicians take home stuff they probably shouldn’t. The government does appear to be pretty loosey goosy. It just seems that the quality of work and discipline have gotten sloppy. If I walked out of work with stuff I shouldn’t, it would probably end right then and there for me. ** Sen. Graham claims that he has no docs, just chicken sandwich wrappers.  

*****

Pam Anderson claims that Tim Allen flashed her on the set of Home Improvement. He denies the accusation. That sounds about right. Why do men think everyone wants to see their penis?

*****

Succession will be back on March 26.

*****

There was a stupid incident with Rooty, the great root bear from A&W. They put out a joke statement that the bear would wear pants now. Fox news ran with that with a ‘woke’ headline. They sure love their buzz words.  

*****

NPR’s John Burnett is retiring after 36 years. His parting words: “Elect more women leaders. There’s too much testosterone in positions of power. They get us in these foolish, macho, prideful and unnecessary conflicts over and over and over.”** “I don’t know if men should hold political office, they are too emotional.” -Steve Colbert

*****

Nepo?? C’mon!! Every business has families. How many ‘and sons’ have we seen in a lifetime? Don’t families work farms together? Why is Hollywood different? Where would we be without some famous family members like Anthony Perkins, Natalie Cole, Jamie Lee Curtis, Colin Hanks, Angelica Huston, Danny Huston, Jack Huston, Rashida Jones, or Rob Reiner??? These are some of our finest artists.

*****

The Golden Globes were back. My best dressed were Colman Domingo, Britt Lower, Niecy Nash Betts, Rhea Seehorn, Jessica Chastain, Jean Smart, Jenny Ortega, Quinta Brunson, F. Murray Abraham, Anya Taylor-Joy, Viola Davis, Stephanie Hsu, and Michelle Yeow. Not crazy about Claire Danes and Michelle Williams but I usually do not favor their fashion choices. It works for them. I will never understand why the E reporting can’t be a little more seamless. Quicker cuts would help that awkward exiting of the stars. Jerrod Carmichael was the host. The show seemed to move awful slow and was really ready to rake themselves over the coals. The best part was Chloe Flowers, the pianist. I found that to be a nice addition. The dude from ‘The Bear’ could not have “Um” anymore if he tried. It seemed that they picked all the winners from the back. Half the show was watching winners get to the stage. C’mon Quinta Brunson.. You looked good but that dress seemed like a nightmare to travel all that way!! And I was disgusted by the fucking phones. It is bad enuf that the world is staring at their cells. It sucks that so many tv scenes are between people on their phones, talking and texting. Now, people have their speeches on their phone and they are wasting time scrolling to find it. Pull out a note card and surprise! There it is!!!!! Ok, call me old fashioned. I also don’t ever remember so many winners telling their WHOLE life stories. Most of my choices did not win the big prize like no Hader, no Odenkirk and no Glover. Hooray for Evan Peters and for Julia Garner and her short but sweet acceptance speech. Billy Porter was fab in his intro to Ryan Murphy who took the Carol Burnett award. How impressive is Murphy’s body of work. Wow!!** Eddie Murphy was given the Cecil B. DeMille award.

*****

And I am glad for Abbott Elementary and the love they are getting. Please put white nerdy teach and the janitor together more often. They are such a great comedy team!!!!!

*****

There is a new House Party. The trailer reminds of an episode of Atlanta.

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Alec Baldwin has been charged in the shooting on the Rust film set.

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Season 4 of Barry just wrapped shooting!!

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Ron Jeremy was declared incompetent with severe dementia in his rape trial.

*****

2023 brings Europe and Australia the Weird Al/ Emo Phillips tour.  Yeow!!!!!!

*****

Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting have filed a lawsuit that accuses Paramount of sexually exploiting them and distributing nude images of adolescent children. The suit stems from the 1968 film, Romeo and Juliet.

*****

Was it coincidence that there were technical difficulties during Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s segment remembering Barbara Walters on The View??

*****

Football fans came together Damar Wilson from the Buffalo Bills as his heart stopped on the field. He is actually up and moving again.

*****

In sexual assault news: Cosby wants to tour again.** Andrew Tate was arrested for human trafficking. Before that he took pride in putting down Greta Thunberg but she responded: smalldickenergy@getalife.com. Go girl!!

*****

The release of Trump’s taxes has revealed a few things. He wrote off the Stormy Daniels payment. He did not donate his presidential salary as he promised. We are not hearing much about it after all the preamble. ** And now, he can come back to Facebook. He is supposed to be exclusive to Truth Social but we will see. ** Word is that about 25% of our national debt occurred during the Trump administration.** The average American pays 13.3% in taxes. The 25 richest of us pay about 3.4%.  

*****

The 95th Oscar noms were announced. There is already an investigation into the way some people were nominated. We will see how that plays out. It was great to see noms for Judd Hirsch, Brendan Gleeson, Andrea Seborough and especially Brendan Fraser and Brian Tyree Henry. The films up for best pic are All quiet on the western front, Avatar, the way of water, Banshees if inersherin, Elvis, Everything, everywhere all at once, The Fabelmans, Tar, Top Gun Maverick, Triangle of sadness and Women talking.

*****

Beyonce and Rebel Wilson were slammed for living it up in Dubai. Beyonce gave a concert for $24 mil. Human rights be damned. Perhaps she gave it to charity.

*****

Should Leno quit driving?  

*****

Why does it take so many overpaid pundits to talk football on these playoffs?? You look up at halftime and there is like 7 guys sitting there. What?

*****

Are there really 2 states, Alabama and Mississippi that celebrate King-Lee day?? Is it true that 2 states honor Martin Luther King AND Robert E. Lee?

*****

Sundance is back in person. The U.S. dramatic grand jury prize went to ‘A thousand and one.’ The audience winners were The Persian Version and Beyond Utopia. The festival favorite was Radical.

*****

The trials involving the proud boys have brought to light their club rules. Proud boys are to sing their anthem, Proud of your boys from Aladdin, every night. Members are only allowed to ejaculate alone every 30 days. Otherwise, ejaculate must be within 1 yard of a woman.

*****

George Santos lied about his Mother’s death and just about everything else he claimed about his life. Hey Voters: Check into these candidates out BEFORE you vote them in. One would think that full throated lies would get a person thrown out but this is politics. Santos did admit to buying merchandise with a stolen checkbook and was not prosecuted because he could not be found. This may be the only offense that anyone can prosecute but to what consequence?? Is Santos his real name? Was it legal when he filed to run his campaign? He recently did a re-do on his paperwork. Where did he get his $?

*****

Tyler Massengill of Chillicothe, Il was arrested for the malicious use of fire and an explosive to damage and attempt to damage a place of interstate commerce. Massengill, according to the video tape threw a molotov cocktail into Peoria’s planned parenthood health center on January 15th. He claims that Illinois right to life will provide an attorney but they say, “no.”. He could get 5- 40 years for the $1 million in damages.

*****

So, they investigated the leak in the Supreme Court and they did not interview the Justices themselves??

*****

Have we all seen this holy spirit board?? We can buy a Christian talking board with a planchette to communicate directly with Jesus. Any takers?

*****

Some people seem upset about a 50th anniversary Dark side of the Moon set because of the rainbow on the cover. Yes, the prism colors were on the original design so I don’t get the beef.

*****

Last year, there were 7,501 threats against congress. Stop the hate people, do we really want to be spending our $ here??

*****

The Illinois Supreme Court has blocked the new No Cash bail or The Pretrial Fairness Act just before it should start on January 1.  On Dec. 28, a Kankakee judge ruled the provision unconstitutional.  

*****

Five former Memphis officers, Bean, Haley, Mills, Smith and Martin were fired and charged with multiple counts including 2nd degree murder for the murder of Tyree Nichols. The swift action could be contributed to their skin color but ALL police misconduct should be handled this way. It is being called the Blueprint. Yes! Of course, it all depends on local laws. Some states are more protective of the officer’s rights and things may have gone very differently.

*****

R.I.P. Anita Pointer, Fred White, Chris Ledesma, Frank Galati, Don Williams, Fay Weldon, Adam Rich, Lisa Marie Presley, Dorothy Tristan, Fred White, Jeremiah Green, Michael Levin, Jeff Beck, Gina Lollobrigida, Robbie Knievel, Carole Cook, Russell Banks, Jerry Blavat, Jean Veloz, Charles White, Sister Andre, victims in the latest mass casualties ( I think about 30some shootings so far this year), Yoshio Yoda, Haiti cholera victims, Tyre Nichols, Dean Daughtry, Tom Verlaine, Barrett Strong, Piers Haggard, Lance Kerwin, Cindy Williams and Alice Green.

[laf-outloud]

kat.mcnamara Happiest of birthdays to the one and only @bradleyjames . Thank you for being one of the kindest, funniest, most insightful friends, most devious mafia players, and the best damn trash thief a gal could ask for. Hope you have a day as exuberant and lovely as you! x

Did I go into today expecting a Merlin/WIndy/Mafia mashup? No. Am I absolutely loving it? Yes! Happy Birthday, Bradley James!

[vivis-crazy-world]

Well, first we have Sam and Sal, the main duo of my current side project G.H.O.S.T.

Sam is the ghost of a bellhop who, just a day before his seventeenth birthday, got hit by a car and unfortunately passed away. He's a very smart kid, loves to chat with people, and tries to act like he never died. That wish came true when Sal tossed him a book to read and he learned he could gain a physical form at will. Sal went on to introduce him to the rest of the G.H.O.S.T. crew including Mira, Octavius, Seth, Sandra, and Soren. He's a pretty chill dude, a tad shy and a bit of a people pleaser, but he's always there for the crew, and the crew is there for him.

Quote: "You know how ghosts get when people go into their homes... like when you first met me."

Sal is a very smart but dumb gal. She's around sixteen and goes on all manner of adventures with Sam and the G.H.O.S.T. crew. The first adventure I'm writing for them is one involving a supposedly haunted hotel. She's used to the paranormal, but that's kinda her version of normal. I mean, what else is normal when your dad got attacked by a shadow egg, your mom got attacked by another demon, and your neighbors to the East are possessed? Besides, her family never seems to be able to escape the paranormal, so why not embrace it?

Quote: "If you put your hand any closer to my face, I can and will lick it." In response to a ghost reaching towards her face. The ghost was quick to retract their hand.

Sandra's a very lively gal. She hardly has much of a schedule, but she's somehow almost always on time. She and most of the crew except for Soren and Oct are night owls, often staying up till sunrise. She somehow manages to get the cooking done perfectly fine by just tossing together a concoction of who knows what and a perfectly innocent ingredient like chicken or corn. She learns by doing, and that's how she met the crew!

Quote: "I mean, I just keep throwing random things together, and it keeps working!"

Seth is a very quiet and kind young man who has a gift in seeing what is to come. He usually specializes in the tech part of things with Oct and Mira, often helping from behind a screen thanks to his fear and curiosity towards the paranormal. If and when he does go on trips, it's usually to places he knows the layout of by the back of his hand. In those places, he basically becomes not only tech support, but also the map and danger detector. He once had three siblings, all of whom have since passed on, but he knows their spirits are out there.

Quote: "Calm down, I've got this handled."

Mira is the animal expert of the crew, often getting critters to help with SAPs(Search for, Assess, help Pass over). She's smart, and, much like her height, has a short temper when it comes to rude comments. She always knows how to get the crew to laugh, sometimes even making a ghost accidentally reveal where they are because of their laughter. She also loved to draw, write, play video games, and animate in her free time.

Quote: "Let's just say that we had another god-lin incident."

Soren is a very brave kid, often venturing into the more dangerous locales without a second thought- except for being prepared for anything. They aren't stupid, y'know... while they do love risks, they know their limits and are ready to push some limits, but not others. They're a part time writer for the paper, and use that free time after school and work to help out with the G.H.O.S.T. project.

Quote: "I'm not dumb, Cassidy, I'm not gonna stick my hand into a hole in the wall because you said so."

Octavius is a very quick reflexed and flexible dude who loves to play games that test his skills and speed. He loves to play darts as a hobby, and usually gets a bull's eye, constantly challenging his dad to a round of air hockey anytime there's a free table when he's home(his dad's a traveling technician for a company in town).

Quote: "C'mon, let's play a round, pops!"

Screw it, I'm tired and don't want to do anything

Tell me about your ocs

[palmviewfm]

mw counterparts?

this  list  got  a  little  bit  longer  than  anticipated.  as  there's  soooooo  many  counterparts  to  consider  choosing  from  !  so,  i  put  it  under  a  read  more  for  you  !

counterparts:  monica  geller, ross geller, joey  tribbiani,  chandler bing, janice litman, mike hannigan, ursula buffay, aria  montgomery,  emily  fields,  spencer  hastings,  mona  vanderwaal,  alison  dilaurentis,  caleb  rivers,  maya  st  germain,  toby  cavanaugh,  betty  cooper,  veronica  lodge,  cheryl  blossom,  archie  andrews,  reggie  mantle,  toni  topaz,  tabitha  tate,  quinn  fabray,  rachel  berry,  brittany  pierce,  olivia  baker,  layla  keating,  jordan  baker,  jaymee, spencer  james,  lucas  scott,  peyton  sawyer, brooke  davis,  quinn  james,  julian  baker,  anna taggaro, rachel  gatina,  blair  waldorf,  serena  van  der  woodsen,  dan  humphrey,  nate  archibald,  callie  adams  foster,  mariana  foster,  buffy  summers,  willow  rosenberg,  tara mclay, kendra young, faith  lehane,  cordelia  chase,  heather  mcnamara,  marissa  cooper,  summer  roberts,  seth  cohen,  angel, anya jenkins, ryan  atwood,  taylor  townsend,  elena  gilbert,  caroline  forbes,  bonnie  bennett,  stefan  salvatore, anna zhu, enzo  st  john,  sandy  olson,  betty  rizzo,  frenchy,  danny  zuko,  marty, jan, sonny,  jackie  burkhart,  donna  pinciotti,  eric  forman,  laurie  forman,  belly  conklin,  sloane  peterson,  ferris  bueller,  duckie  dale,  bianca  stratford,  kat  stratford,  patrick  verona,  mia thermopolis, sabrina spellman, harvey kinkle, libby chessler, barbie  roberts,  ken  carson,  jenna  rink,  allie  hamilton,  noah  calhoun,  brandon  walsh,  david  silver,  brenda  walsh,  kelly  taylor,  donna  martin,  conrad  fisher,  jeremiah  fisher,  steven  cokin,  taylor  jewel,  sarah  cameron,  jj  maybank,  john  b  routledge,  kiara  carerra,  pope  heywood,  cleo, topper  thornton,  prue  halliwell,  paige  matthews,  piper  halliwell,  phoebe  halliwell,  meredith  grey,  arizona  robbins,  jackson  avery,  callie  torres,  april  kepner,  derek  shephard,  alex  karev,  cristina  yang,  lizzie  stevens,  callie  torres,  jo  wilson,  addison  montgomery,  lexi  grey,  atticus  lincoln,  nancy  drew,  lucy  grey,  sam  montgomery,  austin  ames,  jen  lindley,  pacey  witter,  dawson  leery,  katherine  pierce,  rebekah  mikaelson,  hayley  marshall,  tatum  riley,  sidney  prescott,  casey  becker,  tara  carpenter,  samantha  carpenter,  beca  mitchell,  chloe  beale,  jessica  day,  winston schmidt, cece  parekh, laney  boggs,  dewey  riley,  gale  weathers,  georgina  sparks,  elle  woods,  francesca  bridgerton,  daphne  bridgerton,  penelope  featherington,  sookie  stackhouse,  karen  smith,  regina  george,  gretchen  weiners,  janis  ian,  cady  heron,  aaron  samuels,  dj  tanner,  stephanie  tanner,  marcia  brady,  cindy  brady,  greg  brady,  carrie  bradshaw,  cher  horowitz,  kirby  reed,  jim  halpert,  michael  scott,  kelly  kapoor,  pam  beesly,  peter  parker,  mary  jane  watson,  analise  keating,  olivia  pope,  tony  stonem,  effy  stonem,  joey  donner,  john  bender,  allison  argent,  scott  mccall,  lydia  martin,  olive  penderghast,  maggie  greene,  marty  mcfly,  bella  swan,  alice  cullen,  charlie  swan,  emmett  cullen,  jacob  black,  carlisle  cullen,  esme  cullen,  jane  volturi,  morticia  addams,  donna  and  sophie  sheridan,  lorraine  banes,  jennifer  parker,  sam  winchester,  luke  danes,  dean  forester,  tristan  dugray,  lane  kim,  paris  geller,  logan  huntzberger,  jeanie  bueller,  simon  basset,  kate  sharma,  colin  bridgerton,  shiv  roy,  gerri  kellman,  roman  roy,  olivia  benson,  clary  fray,  isabelle  lightwood,  jace  herondale,  simon  lewis,  daphne  blake,  shaggy  rogers,  velma  dinkley,  fred  jones,  cinderella, ariel, tiana, jasmine, tom  wambsgans,  kendall  roy,  greg  hirsch,  lestat  de  lioncourt,  louis  de  point  du  lac,  and  claudia  !