#a headstrong man and a headstrong woman can be treated completely differently by the same people

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

Anway genderswap au's can be really good if you're ready to deal with the full implications

[semper-legens]

188. The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea, by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Owned: No, library Page count: 411 My summary: Florian is a pirate, whose ship cons people into captivity. Evelyn is the daughter of a rich family, being shipped away to marry a man she's never met. When their lives clash together, nobody would expect them to become close. But these two people who have lived by their society's rules are finding themselves slipping out of the roles cast for them. When you aren't who you were told to be, who are you? My rating: 3.5/5 My commentary:

This is a curious one. If you know anything about me, you can guess just from the cover of this book why I picked it up. It's about the sea! And mermaids! And pirates! Literally, it was just calling out to me to be read. And I…have struggled over the last few days to make sense of what I think of it, if I'm being completely honest. I liked it, that much is true, but there's a certain reservation on that liking, something I'm not entirely sure of. It's a curious world that's built up between these pages, and I did come away wanting to see more. In the end, this is very much a story that's up my street, and I certainly don't regret reading it. I'm just…you'll see what I mean under the cut.

Our main character is Flora, except when they are Florian. The narrative in her sections refer to her as she/her and Flora, so that's what I'm sticking with, even if it's made abundantly clear that Flora's identity is not a simple thing. Really, the issue of her identity is the core of her part of the book. Is she a man or a woman? A person or a pirate? A brother, a sister, a lover, a liar? Coming to terms with who she is forms the emotional climax of Flora's story, and it's not a simple question to answer. I admire the effort here, trying to name a trans identity in a quasi-historical narrative like this isn't tricky. Flora doesn't have the language to say 'nonbinary', let alone 'gender identity'. But at the same time, it makes the handling of Flora's character somewhat clumsy. The narrative is a little too in your face about it, making up for the ambiguity of the language by shoving the end result at you a little too hard. That said, however, I'd prefer a story that clumsily includes LGBT+ narratives over one that doesn't even try, so kudos there. Flora's interesting. She's hardened her heart because of the tough life she's lived, which makes her an excellent foil for love interest and secondary protagonist Evelyn. But she also loves, and is loved, and wants so desperately to cling onto that love even when it seems impossible. She carries a lot of guilt from being complicit in slavery and abuse, even when it's clear she had little real choice. There's tragedy to her, and it's compelling.

Evelyn, meanwhile, is in a tragedy of a different stripe. She's attracted to women in a patriarchal society where her role is to marry and have children. She's a boisterous, loud woman in a society where women are meant to be demure and polite. She's sheltered and naive, but at the same time hopelessly outspoken to a fault. And her apparent inability to see the boundaries of class lead to her befriending, and subsequently falling in love with, Flora. She's another really engaging character, her headstrong nature a good match for Flora's tendency to lurk in the shadows. And I liked that she was a confident and strong character without falling into the trap of needing a female character to be 'just as good as the boys' or physically strong rather than emotionally. She's strong in a way that's very credible to her station in life and her backstory; much like Flora, actually, who is the more physically capable of the pair. They play off each other well and are great to read about. It's really that clumsiness that gives me pause - Evelyn's attraction to women is treated with the same subtlety as Flora's gender. Not bad, just kinda clumsy.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding here. Mermaid's blood that, when drunk, acts like a powerful intoxicant; spells woven out of stories; a genderless Pirate Supreme in a neverending pact with the Sea; the Sea as a character, as a mother with an agenda of her own; imperialism and colonialism examined under a magnifying glass. It's some good stuff, especially because I never felt as though it was force-fed to me or that there were large swathes of exposition. I'm leery of some of the choices made, though - the colonising force is a fantastical Japanese-inspired culture, but some of the colonised nations are explicitly white, like red-haired Rake. Tokuda-Hall herself is, obviously, of Japanese descent, and I'm white, so I'm hesitant to start throwing labels around, but this seemed a strange choice to me. So too did the decision for Flora and her brother, two of exactly three explicitly black characters, perpetrators of slavery, given the real-world context? I'm not sure what to make of it, but it did give me pause.

Next, still in the sea, but back to reality, as a great ship sinks.

[caye-otome-translations]

100 Days Princess Event - Royal Prince Stage Premier End (Translated)

Quick Links:

Events Page

Prologue

Previous: Episode 03

Next: Epilogue

Louis Howard’s Route

Byron Wagner’s Route

Giles Christophe’s Route Premier End Part 01/05

Giles: “And if that’s not enough to convince you to stay…then I want you to grow to love me.”

MC: “...”

As practiced, Giles forcefully grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him.

(It’s okay. Just like we practiced…)

Just as I told myself that, Giles’ gaze on me suddenly burned hot…

MC: “...Mmph…!?”

Our lips met, and the feelings that I was trying to suppress suddenly flowed out of me.

MC: “...Nn…”

I instinctively pushed Giles’ chest away from me and opened my eyes.

(I can’t believe he completely went off script…! But…)

MC: “What are you doing...!”

Giles smiled viciously when I immediately switched back to being a heiress.

Giles: “You’re trying to act so graceful, but you’re just scared deep down.” *Top Left Picture*

Giles: “Is this the first time a man has stolen a kiss from you?” *Top Right Picture*

MC: “...”

Director: “...Cut!”

After a moment of silence, applause bursted from around us.

Director: “That was wonderful! It was a performance that drew me in when I was watching.”

Giles: “It was an honor.”

MC: “...Thank you.”

As I smiled awkwardly, I was relieved that the scene was successful.

(But…)

I glanced at Giles who gave me a mischievous smile.

MC: “...Giles, come over here for a moment.”

Giles: “What is it?”

I took Giles to a place a little away from the crew so we could speak privately.

MC: “Did you do that on purpose...?”

Giles Christophe’s Route Premier End Part 02/05

MC: “Did you do that on purpose...?”

Giles: “Yes, I did.”

MC: “...Why…?”

Giles: “I was upset.”

Giles: “You told me that you were used to the idea of fake kissing...”

(...! That’s why he kissed me…?)

Giles: “And shouldn’t you feel more towards your fiancé...?” *1st Middle Left Picture*

MC: “I guess so…”

I couldn't look at Giles’ face so I looked down at the sandy beach instead.

(Did he really do it to make the scene look better? But...)

(If he says he was upset…then perhaps he was unable to control his emotions.)

My first kiss from the one I love didn't calm me down at all.

...After that day, shooting proceeded normally and I was never able to hear Giles’ true intention behind that kiss.

After a few more days of filming, the drama finally wrapped up.

***

A while after, the drama officially aired...

The crew gathered to celebrate the high audience rating and a party was held.

Cain: “Hey, did you know that your kiss scene is a hot topic now?”

MC: “No, this is my first time hearing anything about it...”

Giles: “What are you talking about?”

Cain: “Well, people are saying that Giles’ forcefulness and MC’s headstrong attitude were good. But...”

Cain: “It looked like a very real performance, so there is a rumor that you two are actually dating.” *1st Middle Right Picture*

(What…?)

Giles: “...That’s interesting.”

Cain: “What’s really going on?”

MC: “What do you mean by that...?”

I gave Giles a side glance…

*princess check*

Giles Christophe’s Route Premier End Part 03/05

Cain: “It looked like a very real performance, so there is a rumor that you two are actually dating.”

(What…?)

Giles: “...That’s interesting.”

Cain: “What’s really going on?”

MC: “What do you mean by that…?”

I gave Giles a side glance.

MC: “...We're not dating.”

Cain: “Well, I thought that was the case.”

Cain: “It's very common for rumors like this to start when two people play the role of lovers.”

Giles: “Yes, if we really portrayed our parts well, it’s only natural.”

Giles: “But enough of that, your glass is empty. Should I pour you another?”

Cain: “Oh, yeah. You go do that.”

I looked away as Giles poured liquor into Cain’s glass.

(Every time I’ve seen Giles since we shot that kiss scene…my heart hurts.)

Whether it’s when I happen to see him in the studio or in the company, or when I see him on TV…

Frustrating feelings always consume my heart.

(But I’m afraid I can’t help it...)

When I looked next to me again, my eyes met Giles’.

Giles: “MC?”

MC: “...I’m fine, I was just thinking about getting some outside air.”

(I need to cool my head a little…)

Standing up from my spot, I left the restaurant with a hot face.

***

(To escape Giles, I walked a long way.)

As I sat on the bench and looked up at the night sky, a tall shadow casted over my face.

Giles: “...How did you wind up in a place like this?” *2nd Middle Left Picture*

MC: “Giles…”

Giles: “It's dangerous for a woman to go out alone late at night.” *2nd Middle Right Picture*

Giles: “If you’re drunk, should I take you home?”

Giles extended his hand out to me.

(Hadn’t he said something similar at the previous party...?)

-flashback-

Giles: “MC, do you want me to help take you home?”

-flashback ends-

At that time, I had refused because I was afraid of starting a scandal.

(If I take his hand now…will anything be different?)

(I know we must not do it to ruin our future...)

As he looked into my worried eyes, I spoke.

MC: “Can I ask you to do that...?”

Giles Christophe Premier End (4/5)

I took a deep breath as I grabbed Giles’ hand and looked up.

Giles: “Are you really okay with me doing this?”

MC: “Yes. ...I want you to take me home, Giles.”

Giles frowned slightly when I spoke clearly.

Giles: “You talk as if it’s something you are sure that you want…”

Giles: “But what if I didn’t take you home like a proper gentleman should?” *3rd Middle Left Picture*

MC: “...Okay. I would regret it if Giles treated me badly.”

Giles: “...Alright, I will take you home.”

As I stood up, Giles’ eyes looked at me as if he was searching for something.

***

We entered my house through the front door and shut it behind us.

At that moment, Giles pinned me against the wall.

Giles: “...MC, when are you going to stop hiding your feelings for me?” *3rd Middle Right Picture*

His quiet voice rang in my ears as he moved up close to me, and the more suffocated I felt the faster my heart pounded.

MC: “Did Giles...give up?”

Giles: “You were hiding them first, so I just decided to play along.”

Giles: “Did you really think we were both afraid of scandal…?”

MC: “...I had always assumed Giles was just worried about the same thing as me.”

(But…I don’t think I can keep hiding my feelings anymore, either.)

It seemed that Giles, who looked at me with an annoyed expression, felt the same way.

Giles: “No, I just didn’t want to rush you.”

Giles: “You weren’t always very clear with how you felt towards me. But...”

Stroking my hair, Giles’ hands were gentle as he spoke.

Giles: “I also didn't want your feelings for me to disappear before you even had a chance to tell me.”

Giles: “So I admit that I tried to pull some childish tricks here and there.”

MC: “What do you mean…?”

The corners of Giles’ lips lifted up mischievously as he cupped my cheeks with his hands that had just been stroking my hair.

Giles: “Do you remember what you had asked me before?”

GIles: “Why I became a news anchor?”

MC: “Wasn’t that the question I asked you when we were practicing our acting...?”

Giles: “Yes.”

-flashback-

Giles: “Actually, there’s another reason why I became a news anchor.”

MC: “Is that so?”

Giles: “Yes. ...But that’s a secret.”

-flashback ends-

Giles: “I told you that there was another reason why I became a news anchor…”

*princess check*

Giles Christophe’s Route Premier End Part 05/05

Giles: “I told you that there was another reason why I became a news anchor…”

Giles: “It’s because I knew you always watched that specific news program every week.”

(What…?)

MC: “But you said you were asked by the producer to be on the program…”

Giles: “That’s true. But I accepted it because of the good opportunity it gave me.”

Giles: “It would make you see more of me, since we rarely see each other outside of co-starring in the drama...”

MC: “...!”

(So that’s why Giles decided to appear as a news anchor on the news program I always watch?)

(It wasn’t just a coincidence, he actually did it because of me…?)

Now knowing how Giles’ felt about me with this unexpected fact, my cheeks grew hot.

Giles: “I wish you knew how much I struggle to control my feelings for you.”

Giles: “I had been hoping all this time that I could draw out your feelings from you…”

MC: “I wish I had brought out my feelings sooner…”

When I looked up, Giles smiled softly.

Giles: “I’ve already long decided I wouldn’t mind being in a scandal with you.” *Bottom Left Picture*

Giles: “That’s why I have been waiting for you to catch up to me.”

MC: “Giles…”

(So I hadn’t misunderstood his feelings for me after all…)

(He’s really kept me in mind up until now...)

My heart was full of love, and I gently spoke.

MC: “...I’m sorry. I made Giles wait for so long.”

Giles: “MC…?”

(Now that I’ve heard Giles’ put his feelings into words…)

(I can’t hold back my own feelings anymore.)

A natural smile spread across my face as I put my hand on top of Giles’ larger one.

MC: “I’ve always loved Giles.”

MC: “Whenever I think of Giles, my heart hurts…the kiss scene wasn’t enough to satisfy me.”

Giles: “...I finally got to hear you say it.”

Giles wrapped his arms around me tightly, and his face approached mine…

MC: “...Mm…”

Our lips touched as he grabbed my wrists.

Giles deepened the kiss, pressing me up against the wall.

MC: “Mm...Ha…”

(...It feels completely different from when we kissed in front of a camera…)

When he pushed the tip of his tongue inside my mouth, I couldn’t think of anything else as wet sounds echoed. Finally, our lips parted.

MC: “Ah…”

Giles: “If I was asked to do another kiss scene with you next time we act together…”

Giles: “I don't think I’ll be able to just act with you.”

MC: “You’re right…I don’t think we will be getting away from the rumors anytime soon either.”

(I’m sure we will face a ton more problems together before we can be recognized by the public. But…)

MC: “Still…will you go out with me?”

When I asked that, Giles smiled and placed his forehead on top of mine.

Giles: “Of course.”

Giles: “I don’t think I’m capable of suppressing my feelings for you anymore.” *Bottom Right Picture*

This time, I looked back at his gaze without turning away.

I had a good feeling about the both of our futures starting from now on...

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Roguish Women Part 33

Summary: Kate is an American who fled to Paris to escape her past life. Now she's dancing and playing the part of a courtesan at the Moulin Rouge. There she meets Tommy Shelby who thinks she can be useful in expanding his empire. But has he been blinded?

Part 33:  Kate finds solace in her new friends and Tommy wants to escape for a bit. 

            When Michael returned to the office, it was tense, to say the least. He and Tommy got into shouting matches a few times and everyone could clearly hear them in the office. But it seemed that Michael was too invested in the company to let things get in the way. As well as Tommy wasn’t willing to give up his accountant.

            So, things died down a couple of weeks after he returned. Meanwhile, the deal was written and the company was now working with the Forty Elephants. Kate kept in regular contact with Alice and Maggie, building a repertoire as she did with Alfie. Of course, like with Alfie, she found she enjoyed the women’s company. They were women who understood her, understood the things she did. Before, Kate had no one who really understood her other than a group of men. Still, how could they understand what it was like to be a woman in their line of work?

            So, being friends with Alice and the rest of her close cohorts was refreshing.

             “So, Alfie told me you were in Boston for some time.”

            Kate had invited Alice and a few of the other women to join her for lunch at Arrow House. Maggie came along as well as Ruby Sparks and Lillian Goldstein. What looked like a typical ladies' lunch out on the patio was actually a gathering of some of the most dangerous women Britain had ever seen. And Kate felt right at home with them.

            “There were things from my past that caught up with me,” Kate admitted. “Things I needed to take care of.”

            While Alice looked genuinely interested, Maggie seemed a bit more intent on digging for anything that might garner mistrust. The contract was signed, but that didn’t mean they completely trusted each other yet. They were women who knew the true value of loyalty and how rare it was to find.

            “Stuff like what?” Maggie inquired.

            “A man I had dealings with.” Kate realized that there was no reason to skimp on details. These girls would understand. “I hired him to kill the man who killed my mother. A man in the Chicago Outfit. I promised him money for doing it but fell through. The deal was either I paid or I married him.”

            Ruby made a noise of disgust. “Fucking pig. Who on Earth does he think he is?”

            It made her smile a bit even though the memory was so painful. “He caught up to me eventually so I had to return to Boston.”

            “Do you need him killed?” Alice asked bluntly. “You name the day and way, love.”

            “Fucking castrate him and throw him out on the streets,” Ruby muttered into her teacup.

            “Thank you, but he’s dead,” Kate assured them. It was different, hearing them become angry about it. The reactions were similar to Alfie and Tommy. They all wanted to kill the man who treated her poorly. But Alice and the others were acting on empathy instead of sympathy. They understood the plight of being a woman. Struggling under the thumb of a man. They understood the anger and desire to change the tides. To make other men feel the pressure on the back of their necks. It was a shared existence. And as hard as he could try, Tommy wouldn’t understand.

            “Good.” Alice nodded. “You killed him?”

            “I wouldn’t let him kill me.” Her voice quieted as her brow furrowed in thought. “He took so much from me.”

            Lillian, who seemed to be the gentlest of the group touched Kate’s arm. “You’re still standing. You’re still here. He couldn’t take that away from you.”

            She nodded, not sure what else to say about the matter. There was comfort in knowing she had allies who understood. Then, Kate noticed the ring on Lillian’s finger. “Oh, I didn’t know you were married.”

            Alice, Maggie, and Ruby all snorted. “I’m not, technically.” Lillian looked to Ruby at her right. “Ruby and I…”

            It took a moment for Kate to connect the dots but she finally realized when they looked at each other. “Oh, oh of course. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed.”

            Maggie studied Kate’s reaction with scrutiny. “It’s something we accept.” She spoke in a firm tone as if to ward off any criticism.

            “Of course, no I…I completely understand,” Kate assured them. “There are no rules when it comes to love, least not in my eyes.”

            Lillian smiled as Ruby reached for her hand. Both of them seemed relieved to act normally around Kate. There wasn’t anything to hide between the women.

            “We hope your men understand that as well,” Alice added.

            “Well, I can certainly talk to Tommy about it if you want me to. But I wouldn’t call them my men.” She laughed softly. “I don’t call the shots around the company.”

            Alice just shook her head with an amused look. “Men can think they’re in control, but it’s usually not the case. It’s usually the woman behind him.”

            “Yeah, the one who’s got his balls in her purse.” Maggie quipped making them all burst out into laughter.

            Kate realized how nice it was to laugh again.

 ~~~~~~~

            That same night, Tommy came home earlier than usual. Kate found him downstairs smoking a cigarette and flipped through some mail.

            He smiled when he saw her walk into his study. “Did you have a nice lunch today?” He asked. “Mary said you four were in stitches the whole time.”

            Kate laughed softly. “They’re very fun to be around.” She agreed.

            “All they do is give me the cold shoulder.”

            “Hm, maybe it’s how you come across.” She walked over to him, adjusting the collar of his shirt to turn his attention away from the mail in his hand. “I wasn’t very fond of you at first.”

            “That’s not true, you liked me.” He dropped the envelopes to pull her close.

            “Eh, you were difficult to like. At least you’re handsome.” She teased.

            He scoffed and shook his head. “Those women are a bad influence on you.” He joked.

            Kate laughed and ran her fingers through his hair. “It’s nice to have other women to talk to. It’s boring talking to men all day.”

            “Hm.” He hummed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

            “But I am glad to see you again.” She murmured and kissed him.

            He deepened the kiss, pressing his hands to the small of her back. But he knew it was up to her to lead. There had been a few times when Tommy overstepped, getting carried away with the moment and Kate shied away. She said it wasn’t his fault, but he knew he was responsible for making her feel safe.

            She pulled away and hugged him close, inhaling his cologne mixed with cigarettes to feel at home again.

            He lightly peppered kisses down her jaw and neck, holding her tenderly. “Want to go away with me this weekend?” He asked.

            “Sure, where to?” A little break sounded like heaven to her.

            “Doncaster. I’m going to buy another racehorse and there’s an auction there on Monday. But I figure we could make it a longer trip. If you’d like.”

            “That sounds perfect.”

            “We could make a week of it.” He proposed. “Go further north, somewhere on the ocean. Scarborough has a nice place to stay by the water.”

            Kate lifted her head to look at him. “I’ll follow you wherever, Tommy Shelby.”

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

            “Morning, Kate.” Michael greeted her as she entered the office.

            “Michael, how are you?”

            Tommy’s cousin didn’t answer because he noticed she had a luggage case with her. “Are you going somewhere?” He asked.

            “Tommy and I are leaving this afternoon for Doncaster then to Scarborough.” She answered, setting her case down so she could take a paper that Michael was holding out for her.

            The young man seemed a little disgruntled at the fact that his cousin was taking the time to have a holiday while the rest of the family was in turmoil. But there was little he could say or do. Mentioning anything would only lead to another argument. And Michael didn’t have the energy. He was only barely making it by, using snow to keep from crashing as he worked tireless hours.

            “I suspect he’s getting another horse,” Michael noted, remembering the last time he went to Doncaster with the rest of the family. When they were all still speaking to each other. Before the terrible nightmares, he had.

            “I suppose. I guess we’ll see when we get there.” Kate looked to the door. Tommy had followed her into the building but stayed on the first floor to speak with some of the workers. “How is your mom?” She asked. Seldom could she ask Tommy about the others. He never wanted to talk about what happened and always cast aside her concern.

            Michael sighed. “She’s not well. S’been seeing things because of the tablets they have her on.” He admitted. “Talks to spirits.”

            Kate had always known Polly as the strong, woman in charge. Secure and reliable, it was hard to hear how the imprisonment had such a negative effect on her. It didn’t matter how strong one was, there was always something that could break them. “I’ve tried to talk to Tommy about everything, I really have but…”

            “I know.” Michael nodded. “It’s okay, Kate, it’s not your place to fix things. It’s Tommy’s responsibility.” He scrubbed a hand over his weary eyes. “But they’re all too headstrong to face each other.”

            “Right, I’m aware.” She agreed, still glancing at the door every so often just to see if Tommy would walk in. She didn’t mind if he heard her talking about his family. But she also didn’t want the subject to sour their trip together. “And John and Arthur?”

            “Out in the countryside. Linda’s due any day now.” Michael figured. “Ada said she’d tell me when the baby was born. He won’t talk to me. Ada’s been…well the buffer I suppose.” He mumbled.

            “I haven’t spoken to her in a bit.” Kate admitted. She’d been so caught up in the deal with the Forty Elephants that she’d neglected to stay in touch.

            “Tommy’s sending her to Boston soon.” Michael shrugged. “Guess he’s got plans out there.”

            Kate’s heart nearly stopped. “What?”

            He looked at her blankly. “He didn’t tell you?”

            “No…no he didn’t.” She cursed under her breath. “I’m going to leave this here for a moment.” She said, gesturing to her luggage before leaving. “I need to find Tommy.”  

Permanent Tag: @papa-geralt-of-cirilla @giftofdreams @biba3434 @kimmietea @karmezii @enrapturedbythemoon @vampgirl1997 @tarafaithe @evelynshelby

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[laylacooke]

Teenagers Scare The Living Shit Out Of Me || Carrington & Layla

timing: wednesday afternoon (6/17) parties: @carringtonblackwood & @laylacooke summary: carrington’s had enough of layla’s shenanigans. warnings: mind control tw

It wasn’t that she was actively searching out the place, she had just stumbled upon it, but the way it towered over her begging to be vandalized screamed out to her. It’s why Layla had left and made sure to return late in the evening with a bag full of rotten fruits and vegetables that she found behind Veggie Tables and a few of the other restaurants she used to dumpster dive at. And now it was time to put her werewolf strength to good use. Letting off some steam via trash pelting was just what the doctor had ordered, and this random house in the woods was the perfect place to do it without the threat of Ariana, Ulfric, or Frankie finding her. Pulling back her arm, she aimed, fired, and released with a good targeted hit on one of the windows. And within a matter of minutes, she was pulling out another disgusting piece of produce and chucking it again.

Carrington had not had the best week. In fact, his week had been shit. Utterly and completely. And while he was recovering now that he had a steady supply of blood that didn’t make him high as a kite, and a proper place to rest, surrounded by his own kind - though that had its own ups and downs - he was still a good ways to go. The poison from the slayer’s blade had left him weaker than usual. Even with the substance gone from his system, the toll it had taken - along with his week-long ‘captivity’ - was obvious to anyone that knew him. 

He had taken to spending more time outdoors in the evenings, for one. Bloodhaven was a large, spacious home, but even those walls felt like they were closing in on him more often than not. Which explained his presence on the balcony overlooking the front lawn when the sound of something hitting the windows drifted towards him. 

Carrington paused, cigarette halfway to his lips, and tilted his head just a bit. The sound came again, thick and wet on impact. He sighed, wondering ‘What now?’ as he got up - clad in joggers and a plain, dark-blue t-shirt - and padded barefoot down the steps before moving silently into the yard. The figure wasn’t hard to spot, nor was it hard to discern what they were doing - the smell of rotten fruit was easy enough to identify - but the question was why were they chucking it at the house?

Carrington didn’t say anything right away, taking a moment to eye the small woman so aggressively slinging the stinking handfuls of trash at the windows. He recognized her smell when it finally drifted to him over the scent of the fetid cornucopia, she’d brought with her. A small moment of surprise passed over his face, but it was gone a moment later.

He exhaled smoke through his nose, in no mood whatsoever to play childish games with the young wolf. Whether he owed her a debt or not. “Something vexes?” he said without preamble, ashing his cigarette as he locked his eyes on Layla’s red hair. “Because I’m afraid you can’t do that, darling.” 

Layla continued to throw the rotten fly infested food towards the windows and walls of the large abode. Giving it some color, other than just the stained wood that held the home together. With each throw, she became more and more fascinated with turning it into a game. What part could she hit this time? What kind of art could she make? Would anyone come out that would allow her a moving target with a little challenge? The ideas were endless. However, she had gotten so caught up, that by the time she had smelled death, she realized the vampire residing inside had already come out to greet her.

Stopping what she was doing, Layla glanced over in his direction. Carrington. He had been the last person, she expected to see, but so be it. It just happened to make things more interesting, “Well, well, you’re the last person I expected to see walk out from a random mansion in the woods.” Looking at the bag and then at him, she held it towards him, “Care to join me?” She had completely ignored his warning, and instead, waited for a reply to her answer, cockiness apparent in her attitude.

Carrington knew the act was technically harmless. A bit of rotten fruit wouldn’t hurt the house, other than needing to be washed off before it drew flies or other creatures. It was simply the principal of the matter. And he wasn’t in the mood for teenage disrespect. 

He ashed his cigarette as Layla recognized him. They’d only met once, but the young woman standing in front of him was a far cry from the one he’d met that night in the parking lot. Though he was old enough to know that one meeting could hardly give one an accurate read on a person. This might be perfectly normal behavior. Though Carrington didn’t buy it. Something was going on. His eyes moved idly between her and the fruit-covered windows. “And you’re the last person I expected to see chucking garbage at that same random mansion.” 

When the bag was offered, Carrington gazed at her, head tilted curiously. She hadn’t heard a word he’d said. Alright then. So much for the easy way. He reached for the bag, but instead of taking a handful of what was inside, he deftly removed it from Layla’s grasp. “No offense, darling, but no, I’d rather not. And if you’re smart - which I know you are - you’ll go home and sleep off whatever it is that’s gotten into you.” He gave her a very pointed look. “Before something far worse than me finds you out here in the dark. Behaving badly.” 

Layla didn’t like it when Carrington took the bag from her. She also didn’t like being treated like a child. A low growl coming from her throat, she reached out and snatched the bag back. “What is it with you old people and not wanting to have a little fun? I’m sure you had your moments back when you were young. Now let me have mine, old man.” She pulled out another piece of rotten fruit, let her arm go back, and just before she released the rotting tomato, looked to Carrington with a grin just to spite him. “What are you gonna do now, huh? Bite me?”

This version of Layla had been far different from the girl he had met nearly two months ago, when she had first arrived at White Crest. And while something deep inside of her was telling her this was wrong, she still did it anyways and took great pleasure in her newfound freedom of just not caring.

Carrington didn’t react as Layla growled at him. He even let her take the bag back, looking at her with a flat, humorless expression. Perhaps it would’ve been easier not to treat her like a child if she hadn’t been acting like one. Her words had little effect on him, other than making him wonder just what was the matter with her tonight. “When I was your age, I was fighting a civil war for my king. There wasn’t much room for fun.” 

Her taunts only made him sigh. It was clear she wasn’t going to stop just because he asked her to. Taking one last drag of his cigarette, he flicked the cherry to the dirt and doused it beneath his foot before tossing the rest away in an appropriate place. “I don’t bite children,” Carrington told her, his tone shifting to something with a bit more warning behind the words. “But if you insist on continuing to act like one, then I’ll have no choice but to make you do as I ask.” He didn’t use compulsion lightly, but in this instance, it was better than letting her continue this idiotic - and potentially dangerous - behavior. 

“And I can assure you, neither of us will enjoy it.” It was her last warning. 

Layla had ignored his comment about fighting a civil war. Something, she normally would have reacted to and been more sympathetic towards. However, it was his comment about not biting children that resulted in a loud laugh coming from her mouth, “Don’t bite children?” She waved her wrist in front of him; the one that had been bitten month’s prior in order to save a life. “You don’t recall the bite you gave me? That’s funny. You must me going senile, too, Old Man.” Turning her attention back to the house, she grabbed another piece of food and chucked it as hard as she could watching it splatter across one of the windows, “I enjoyed that.” She looked to him with a wide grin on her face.

Carrington remembered the incident vividly. The way her blood had tasted, the way her heart had raced like a wild thing trapped in her chest. But that wasn’t the same as biting someone out of the desire to feed, or out of anger. Or for any other reason besides needing to save a life. “Perhaps. Though that hardly counts as a bite, now does it?” He could bite her for real if he wished. It would be so easy. Almost effortless. She was young, foolish… headstrong. Caught up in whatever was happening inside her head. 

He could drain her dry before she could even think to scream. 

For a moment, Carrington felt his fangs prick the edges of his lips, but then he remembered himself, and they receded. But the problem of what to do now remained. Layla wasn’t going home on her own, that much was clear. And he had warned her, after all. The young wolf had made her choice. So, when she turned back towards him and met his gaze with her own, Carrington didn’t hesitate. 

Compulsion came easily enough to the vampire, especially on a consciousness as chaotic and untethered as Layla’s currently was. He didn’t enjoy it. The idea of making someone do something against their will was utterly abhorrent. But it was the lesser of many evils. So, he locked eyes with the young wolf, unblinking as he took a slow step towards her. His voice was low and soothing as he spoke. “Look at me, Layla. Don’t move. Don’t speak. Stay right where you are until I say otherwise.” There was no question in Carrington’s words. They were orders. Firm and precise. When he was close enough, he cupped her chin in his hand, gentle but firm, and tipped her face towards him. Never losing her gaze, never blinking. 

“You will leave your bag here, with me. You will go straight home, safely, and go to bed. You will wake in the morning like normal, but you will not recall this moment, or this place.” He paused a moment to let the compulsion sink in. Then he let her go and took a single step back. When Carrington spoke again, his voice was no less precise in its commands, but there was a weariness that hadn't been there a moment before. 

“Go home, Layla. Now.” 

Layla was raring and willing to go, however as she gazed into his eyes, something took over her. She felt like how she did the day she hypnotized herself. Everything Carrington was saying was making sense. It was all she wanted to do now. And his voice drew her in so easily that she didn’t dare blink or make any other movements. She had barely noticed when he cupped her face in his hands simply listening to all the man had to say. And before long, she felt at peace. The rage in her body silenced for the time being.

Blinking a few times, after he had finally released her, Layla, without resistance, sat the bag at his feet. She didn’t dare look back at the house, and she barely kept her focus on him, before he gave her the command. Turning around without so much as a goodbye, the young werewolf let her feet carry her back home. And just as he had instructed, Layla didn’t leave her place on the floor, until the very next morning. A day that would certainly make up for the eventless day she had before.

[swanky-batman]

Damaged

Kylo Ren (Ben) x Reader

Warnings: Some light swearing, fluff, angst, some anger and mentions of violence.

You and Ben have started training together and have a little in common, you find yourself wanting to know more about him.

Masterlist

Next

----

"Ben, knock it off," You laughed, blocking a small branch and grass flying at you as you were running through the forest.

"Come on, Y/L/N." He mocked with more than a hint of humor, "don't let me distract you." He laughed, running after you, reaching down and grabbing another handful of debris.

"Cut it out," You giggled, gasping as you ran closer towards the edge of the rocks, trying to stop your momentum.

Ben grabbed you and pulled you back and you both fell onto the grass, laughing.

"Hey," you turned to face him after a moment, laying on the grass next to him.

"Yes?"

"How come you're never this open in training?" You mused, "With the other students? With Master Skywalker?"

He frowned a little, "They're not very interesting or talented. And they all follow him like he's a force of nature. Like they can't do anything he doesn't say." He met your eyes, "You seem to be different. You're strong. You like to complete studies independent of him."

"Sounds like you've got family issues." You mused a little. He had let it slip that Luke had probably been related to him, and he didn't seem to open past that, "Sorry." You admitted after seeing his demeanor change, "I don't mean to push."

"You do," He smirked to you, absently pulling a leaf from your hair before patting your hair down in that spot and you went pink, realizing how close he was.

"You push all of your boundaries. It would be unfair of me to compliment you for the same thing in one subject and condemn you for another." He met your eyes and grinned. "I might tell you." He turned so he was on his side facing you. "If," His eyes flashed, "You'll allow me one favor afterwards."

You giggled, "You're intense. I may regret this but... proceed." Your eyebrow twitched in a flirty way before you realized it. You only had one person you truly got along with, you needed your best friend.

He grinned back to you, "My mother is Luke's sister."

You're eyes widened a little, you were from a small outer world village but you still heard about the rebellion in high talk. You knew Luke's family before you had come to the training. "Which means General Han-"

"Yes." He frowned, "They are very famous. Well known and lacking in the ability to communicate properly with their own kin." He sat up. "I’m my own man.” He begged for eye contact and you gave it to him.

“I know.” You answered quietly, “You’re strong too.” You couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have that much attention on you growing up.

He seemed more than content that you acknowledged this and shifted his mood to a lighter one- something he seemed to do with you around and you appreciated it. “So now you know my dark secret.” He smirked to you.

“Battered soul,” You smirked back, not sure if you were actually mocking or not but he took it in a friendly way. “Alright, what is this favor I owe you?”

“You seem to be taking this much better than I would have guessed. Not going to treat me like royalty?”

“Why? You’re a pain in my ass.” You chuckled, jabbing him a little in his ribs with your elbow. He laughed at this, relieved.

“Right.” He smiled, controlling his laughter, “So- I need to know. You seem to prefer being around me more than other students as well.” His gaze lightly falling over your form and you turned slightly pink again.

“That’s a statement?” You asked, “I don’t understand the favor.”

He chuckled, “Would you stop talking for a second?” You rolled your eyes but stayed quiet.

“Would- would you happen to feel... things for me?” He met your eyes and it was his turn to go red.

“Feel...?” You asked gently.

He searched your face and shook his head, “For a headstrong intelligent young woman, you are not very bright.” He smirked before coming close to you and holding the side of your face with his hand, pulling you into a kiss. You slowly closed your eyes and leaned into it.

His lips were light and gone almost immediately- you almost wondered if that was going to be his kiss.

“Ben! Y/N!” You heard from a distance, and opening your eyes you had seen that Ben was looking into your face for another moment but that he had heard the calling before you- was that why he pulled back? You didn’t have a lot of experience with this sort of thing- had you done something terribly wrong?

He stood up and offered a hand and a smile to you before calling, “Coming.”

“There you are.” Luke frowned a little after you both came closer. “You both are supposed to be going through the ancient temple and meditating.”

“Yes,” He bowed his head instead of arguing with him which surprised yourself and Luke, who was bracing himself. He walked towards the temple, turning back for a moment to gesture you follow. You looked from Ben to Luke to Ben again and started up towards him.

You walked into the temple, after most of the other students had left and both sat to meditate.

“Are we going to talk about what happened?” You asked quietly.

“Sure,” He smirked, offering out his hand as he was sitting next to you and you cautiously took it. He seemed different. “I now know it isn’t me against the world. You are.” He met your eyes, “You mean so much to me. I can’t believe I haven’t realized it sooner. Please tell me you feel this power between us.”

You turned super red but nodded slightly, “I do feel this connection with you.”

He smiled, “Good.” He nodded.

You both got to meditating and Luke called you out a while later, alone. Ben smiled to you before heading off towards one of the huts. Luke talked to you about not getting enough practice in and although he looked like he wanted to ask you more, he didn’t. You walked out a ways towards the edge of a hill by a river. It was higher up but you felt the surroundings there and practiced.

Over the next week, Ben had gotten worse at leaving your side. He wanted to be around you all the time and you didn’t have any complaints, although it attracted some attention.

And just as soon as he had gotten close, he started becoming distant. You were confused, trying to stay by his side.

“What’s going on?” You asked one afternoon.

“Nothing.” He shook his head.

“It’s something.” You stated, “You seem different.”

His eyes met yours briefly, “Why are we staying here? I’m more powerful than silly Skywalker.”

“Ben,” You started and he flinched at his name. “Maybe you are.” You allowed, “I am not.”

“I can teach you.” He explained.

“Not to control myself.” You shook your head.

“Control yourself? Why?” He seemed to be getting upset. “Let it go, let yourself be heard.”

“You’re angry.” You set your jaw, “I don’t know what changed in you but I don’t like it.”

You saw a rage burning underneath his facade. 

You shook your head, “I’m gonna get a breather.” He grabbed your wrist as you turned and you squeaked, “That hurts, Ben.” He saw the look of hurt on your face and let you go, looking sorry.

You walked out and towards your cliff, trying to calm down and focus your mind.

“There she is.” There was a laugh as two of the male students came up behind you. “No Ben?” They mocked.

You forced yourself to calmly stand up and turn around. They walked closer to you and you backed up a few steps, feeling the air behind you.

“What do you guys want?” You shifted.

“Just some information.” The one asked and the other nodded. “On how to get Master Skywalker’s favorite student to leave.”

“You should be welcoming to all of those learning the force, as there are few.” You stated.

“Just because you get the attention from the teacher’s pet you think you’re above us?” The other asked, as they took a step closer- you could smell them from the few paces back. 

“We want answers. Or you’ll be fairly useless.” The one mocked, and the other starting, “None of us want you after that fool, not even for a pity bang.”

“Good.” You stated, growing a little angry but trying to keep your calm.

“She’s a useless one, just like her nobody parents.” The one came up to you and you punched him, the other one coming in to help his friend you pushed him back with the force. “That’s how you want to play?” They both turned their powers on you and started to push. You held them off for quite some time but you lost your footing, falling almost in slow motion for a second before sliding down the side of the cliff, tumbling and *splash* landing in the water below.

----

“What do you mean you haven’t seen her?” Ben shouted, turning on some of the other students. After questioning everyone he met, he found two guys asleep outside, smelling of alcohol. His anger growing, he lifted them both up with the force and started to apply pressure.

“What the hell, dude?” The one started, kicking his feet.

“Where is Y/N?” He boomed.

“Y/N?” The other one questioned, rubbing his head before his eyes widened. “That wasn’t real, that was a dream.”

“What wasn’t real?” His heart dropped and his pressure applied even more.

“She- She fell.” The other one squeaked out.

“Where?!” They could only point towards the cliff and he let them drop. 

“Ben,” Luke called after him, tending to the students he just dropped. He didn’t stop, only quickened his pace- racing to the top he looked down. His breathe caught as he saw a path that had been disturbed recently. He moved his way down towards the water, searching.

He searched all day, through the water. Finally, Luke caught up with him near the evening.

“They-” He started slowly and quietly, “Filled me in. Any luck?”

Ben shot him a look that possibly could kill him, “This is your fault.” He yelled, “How could you not sense this if you’re so powerful?!” He made his way back to the huts, Luke following behind him. Entering his room, he turned on him, “Leave.” He shot out at him.

“Ben,” Luke shook his head, and then was pushed out by Ben’s power. 

-----

Later that night, Luke returned- a little scared of Ben. He didn’t want to hurt him, but he was on a rampage. After a fury of actions, Ben successfully knocked Luke down, making him pass out.

He was beyond hurt and betrayed- he lost the only one he knew. The only one he needed. Before he knew it, his power and burst through him. Why had he been so stupid to push her away? He could have told her.

He opened his eyes to see fire all around. He needed to leave, he couldn’t stand to be here. He had blocked out all of the screaming and left the area, knowing now what path he was going to choose.

-----

You were hurt, badly, but you pushed yourself to make it towards the huts.

You needed to see Ben, and were hopefully when you got towards the top. 

Your hope plummeted when you saw flames dying down, “Oh, Ben.” Tears filled in your eyes, “What have you done?”

---------

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[theabbyabbctt]

                                           ABIGAIL ABBOTT

                       born twenty-seventh of july, year nineteen fifty-five.

                       twenty-three (sixty-three).

                       vampire

HISTORY.

Abigail Abbott. The youngest child and the apple of her family’s eyes. Quaint and always on her best behaviour, Abby was the perfect image of the youngest child most families wished they had. So far from their neighbour’s brat; far from the rascal who often caused havoc in their neighbourhood’s park; as long as Abigail was in the company of her sisters, she was the perfect balance of mischief and discipline. So to wake up one morning with a missing sister — without even as much as a goodbye — it completely ruined the person that Abby was until Lindy’s disappearance. She’d failed to find the letter Lindy left for her, displaced from its post underneath her pillow because of an entire night of moving head and limbs, and Abby spent the following years of her life resenting her eldest sister for abandoning her. Gone were the seemingly permanent smile on her face, the bounce in her steps, and the pleasant aura that seemed to surround her no matter which hour of the day. Abby withdrew from her parents’ invitation to go to the beach (“just like old times, Abby.”); withdrew from coming near the water; withdrew from everything that reminded her so much of her sister. Abby grew to hate the beach, the salty scent of the air, the calming ( — maddening ) noise of the waves against the sand, and whilst she knew it was unreasonable for her to do so, Abby somehow knew that the sea was one of the reasons why her sister left; the one who took her sister away from her.

Abby, however, did not change drastically. She was still the nicest child to her parents, still obeyed their wishes as long as they were within reason; still a loving sister to Ginny and treated her just the same up to the day the latter had to move to the other side of the country after her wedding day. It was bittersweet, knowing that she lost yet another sister, but — at least, Ginny said her goodbyes before she left, right? At least, Abby was given the time to prepare herself; to slowly accept the fact that she will be the only Abbott child in their home from then on. So unlike Lindy who just up and left without a word. Abby was unprepared, just as she was unprepared to see a small box containing two papers from one of Ginny’s drawers. Abby knew she shouldn’t have touched her sister’s things �� those letters could have been from her sister’s husband from when they were still in the stage of courting – but staring at one of them, browned by age, made her fingers itch and twitch. She knew she had to touch it - to read it.

And when she did, Abby was breathless in her rage, regret, confusion, and longing. Lindy hadn’t left without a word. Though, yes, she was still furious for being abandoned, if Abby had known about the letter’s existence, she would have tried to understand — she would have understood. The discovery of the letter began Abby’s further snooping, resulting in her finding her sister’s journal, which contained so much to know about the supernatural world. Of course, like most people, she found it quite hard to believe that even her sister had succumbed to the idea that there were creatures built differently than humans. But Lindy had always been fascinated by the sea, wasn’t she? She’s always been drawn to it, and if there was an explanation to that, whatever her sister wrote was something that she would accept as a fact.

Thus began Abby’s travels away from home. She’d intended on following her sister’s track, pick up the little crumbs of her sister’s presence in places her friends have pointed at, and within a year, that was all Abby did until she met a man who claimed to have seen the transitioning of her sister into a creature capable of living underwater. He’d been convincing — spoke so kindly and sympathetically for her, saying things of him being in the same boat as her before when he lost a relative to the temptations of the supernatural realm. it didn’t take long until Abby was doing whatever it was that he asked of her to do in exchange for her sister’s whereabouts. All she had to do was participate in an experiment, an endeavour to find a cure for an incurable sickness for a particular species (what it was, they never said). A small part of Abby knew that it was suspicious, but she’d been too eager to find out where her sister was that she took whatever it was inside the cup in one swallowing.

It was all a blur after that. Her vision was swaying; her ears felt as though there were cotton balls shoved into them, and she was falling… falling deep into something she couldn’t quite tell until there was just nothing. It felt so much like sinking into the deep water; fear enveloped her, she panicked and tried to swim back up to the surface, but it was an inevitable force that kept her from floating. For a second, she feared that she would die not knowing where her sister was, but she was waking up; she was opening her eyes and she was seeing things — hearing things more than she ever did before. She was being led to a group of individuals groaning and clawing for anything they could grab, hunger and desperation evident in the way they glanced at … food. Abby’s mouth began watering at that point, and it was then that she felt the pain in her stomach, the gnawing feeling in her gums as her mouth parted on instinct.

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

And she was drinking plenty of crimson liquid, thick and delicious against her tongue and taste buds from a neck of a crying woman. But she was not sympathetic. All she knew was that she needed to drink to survive, to live and find her sister, but mostly, to survive. And the man; the man, who fooled her into thinking that it was for a good cause, had turned out to be a dictator who was out to eradicate the werewolves from life itself. Brainwashed into thinking that he had done her a favour by giving her a lifetime of chances to find her sister, Abby trained and served as one of their hunters for so many years, to use their necks as sources of food as soon as they saw one within the vicinity. All the while, she held her sister’s journal dearly in her arms, against her heart, still hoping for that day to come when she would finally be able to be free from her responsibilities, so she could focus on finding her sister.

And that day would eventually come. When it did, Abby had been in the middle of patrolling the area when war broke between her clan and the pack of a neighbouring town. Abby, herself, hated to shorten the story of the very first war she’d taken part of, but it had been quick — relatively quick. The alpha of the werewolves had been prepared for every possible drawback and aggressive with each success. Perhaps, if it wasn’t for her clutching her sister’s journal tightly against her chest, Abby would have been one of those who were staked to death. The alpha, while cruel and headstrong in his eagerness to make a message (to remove the ‘bad’ vampires), had also been sympathetic for her case after giving her the chance to beg for her life. After a promise of never stepping into their lands and advocating for peace between vampires and werewolves, Abby was allowed to go and start a new life. Somehow, even after years of being with what she once called her clan, Abby was more than happy to get up and never look back as she began her search for her sister once more.

PERSONALITY.

Even after the changes she went through because of the disappearance of her sister, Abby will always be the gentle, soft-hearted, and (by nature, though limited to her family) tactile girl her family knew her to be. While not as caring as her elder sisters, Abby is compassionate enough to treat a homeless person with food and a few clothes; help a lost child find its parents in the park; or help an elderly cross the street when no one else seems to care. However, she does care so much about her family. It is something that she will choose over everything or anything. Because of which, Abby hasn’t formed a bond which can rival or, at least, is at the same level as what she had with her family. She has a history of leaving people behind when she feels like someone (even herself) is starting to get attached. It’s not so much that she doesn’t care at all about the other’s feelings, but it’s more like, she simply doesn’t want to have to go through the pain of watching people leave, whether it is because of her being an immortal or them leaving her without as much of an explanation — just like what Lindy did —, so she thinks it’s better to leave first. Despite which, in general, Abby is a pleasant person to be around with, a mirror of the person she’s interacting with. Smile at her, and she will smile at you in return; scowl, and she will wear a deeper frown.

[sending-the-message]

Jesus has already returned. And He is Terrifying by AsDeathBeckons

My best friend Alvin and I have known each other since we were little kids. We’re in high school now, and though I love that guy to death, he has…changed. And I fear that all of this is only the beginning.

It all started back in March. Our group-me, Justin, Maria, and Alvin-had been planning our first road trip for Spring Break. Justin’s dad, who owned a liquor store, was going to supply us with a little bit of booze. Only after Justin swore to be responsible and to ensure we would too, of course. Maria had the hook-up for the weed. Alvin was going to bring munchie food and soda. That left me, the only one in the group with a car, to do the driving. We were gonna drive from Louisiana to Texas, and see what South Padre was all about.

Of course, fate had another plan. Four days before our break, Alvin’s parents blindsided him by declaring that he would be going with them to visit the Middle East. Alvin’s mother is Middle Eastern, but he had never had any interest in her homeland. Regardless, he was forced to go with his parents rather than chill and get high with us on the beach. Spring Break changed everything. Justin and Maria got drunk and ended up having sex in my backseat (I still have stains I can’t get rid of). This started a relationship between the two, which normally I wouldn’t have minded except for the fact that Alvin has been crushing on Maria since middle school. Something that Justin knew full well.

But speaking of Alvin, he came back from his week in Jerusalem a completely different person. His easygoing personality had become suddenly serious. He also started asking me philosophical questions and about human existence. I am a Christian, but Alvin had always been atheist; it seemed his trip to the homeland had sparked a new belief in God within him. He began reading the Bible religiously, and stopped doing drugs and drinking with us. I would have expected him to be enraged or at least bitter when he found out about Justin and Maria, but he was neither; No, instead, he seemed rather indifferent. He wouldn’t hang out with them unless I was there, of course, but otherwise he treated them just the same. Justin was relieved.

In May, however, when it was just us guys, Justin got high and started cracking jokes and telling us intimate details about Maria. Alvin, who was staring quietly up at the sky, turned to Justin and told him to shut his mouth. Justin, who is bigger and gets a bit aggressive when high, shoved Alvin and I had to get between the two of them. Not because there was going to be a fight, but because Justin would’ve pummeled Alvin, who was seemingly opposed to any sort of violence now.

“My Father wouldn’t want me to fight. I had to turn the other cheek,” said Alvin as I drove him to his house. I thought this was rather strange; I knew his dad, and he was just as abrasive and headstrong as Alvin had once been. “Justin will get what’s coming to him anyway. All sinners will.”

The next day, Justin came to school livid. Apparently, his father had been robbed; Or else, someone was playing a terribly clever and nearly impossible to pull off joke. All of the alcohol in Justin’s dad’s liquor store had been replaced in their bottles with water. The brandy, whiskey, scotch, vodka, even the wine, was all gone. Local PD investigated, but the security cameras showed no intruders entering the store; And the corks were still firmly in place, the beer cans tabs undisturbed. It had all seemingly turned into water. Justin’s family lost a hell of a lot of money along with that alcohol.

Alvin, meanwhile, continued to freak us all out with talk about the coming apocalypse, and about how many people were doomed to burn.

“My Father is a loving God, but man has no love. Man doesn’t even love man anymore; there are so few that are worthy to inherit the kingdom. I will be his instrument, as I was when I lived in Bethlehem.”

Maria and I exchanged glances, while Justin merely rolled his eyes. This was not the first nor the last time Alvin would refer to himself as the literal Son of God. It was also not the first or last time Justin would roll his eyes. Of course I still didn’t believe it myself, even considering the alcohol incident. It just couldn’t be. It didn’t make sense. I had known Alvin all my life, and he was not the perfect model that he was now trying so hard to be.

Besides, I knew that the Bible had foretold a completely different scenario for the moment when Christ returned. It certainly didn’t mention a teenage boy having a sudden rebirth after visiting his roots in the holy land.

And then the pool incident happened.

School was out, and, due to the late hour, the four of us had the pool to ourselves, save for one other couple. Justin was barbequing and cracking jokes, Maria and I were laughing together, and Alvin sat with his feet in the water, reading the Bible. He glanced over at the couple canoodling by the pool. They had gotten there before we had, and both were wasted. I could almost feel the judgment emanating from Alvin. As I took a swig of beer, I wondered what he thought of us, his own substance abusing friends. Justin looked up slyly at the couple as well, then at me.

“Hey, watch this.”

He picked up a football he had brought along and took aim at the water. I knew that he intended to just splash the two of them, but he had thrown the ball too hard; It struck the man in the back of the head and he fell over, still as a stone, into the water.

The man’s girlfriend shrieked; I hopped up, as did Maria, and both of us glanced at Justin. “You have to save that guy, man, none of us knows how to swim!”

Justin, however, seemed frozen; His eyes were wide with fear, and he merely stared at the ripples the man had left behind after falling in. I wanted to call 911, but I knew the man would be dead long before they arrived. I had to spur Justin into action. I was just beginning to walk towards him when I saw Alvin stand up. Every eye was suddenly on him as he calmly, and I know you won’t believe me when I say this, but he calmly just walked out onto the pool. Not by the pool, not near the pool, Alvin was walking on the warm blue water as if it was another part of the concrete. No one said a word, no one moved as he made his way over to the where the man had fallen, knelt down, stuck his arm into the water, and hoisted him out. Alvin laid the man down beside the pool, and, snapping back to reality, I ran over and pushed down on the man’s chest. He sat up, coughing out water, and then blinked quickly, looking around in confusion.

After that, things got tense, real quick. Justin began to fall apart. He didn’t hang out with us as much, and tried encouraging Maria not to either. He believed that Alvin had drugged us or something, even though we all, including that woman, saw Him literally walking on water. Alvin Himself continued acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. I confess, I only continued hanging out with Him out of pure terror. If He truly was Jesus risen, then how would He respond if I suddenly didn’t want to be around Him anymore? What else was He capable of? I didn’t want to find out.

The next incident occurred about a week ago. Alvin and myself were relaxing in Alvin’s living room, with Alvin playing Gospel music on His phone. I was trying and failing to focus on finishing my homework, instead stealing glances up at Alvin, who was munching on an apple. There was a knock at the door, and Alvin turned, His eyes unblinking. “That would be Justin. He’s come to kill me.”

“What?” I knew Justin wasn’t coping well with what he had seen, but murder? No, that didn’t make sense. But if Alvin said so…I figured that it must be true. I didn’t know whether or not He wanted me to open the door, but suddenly it didn’t matter. The lawn chair from Alvin’s yard came flying in through a window, setting off the house’s alarm. Justin began climbing through, clearly intoxicated, a butcher’s knife in his hand. Alvin sat calmly on the couch, looking at Justin as he came in.

“You weird, good for nothing freak, I have had enough of-“

Justin, who was clearly in no state to be walking let alone climbing through a broken window, suddenly slipped; His arms sliced through the broken glass shards and he fell, the knife facing upward. I watched as it penetrated my friend’s neck; and that wasn’t the cruel part. He didn’t die immediately. Instead, he looked up at us, his eyes bloodshot, blood dribbling down the side of his mouth. He raised a bloody hand, pointed at Alvin, and then, a few seconds later, slumped over.

Rumors began to spread around town that the “Jesus freaks” killed their own friend. I tried to avoid all the talk, but it was impossible. Maria was inconsolable; Every time I saw her she was crying, and nothing I said or did could help her. She did not, however, try to distance herself from me or Alvin. I was glad that she didn’t blame us for what had happened. I suggested we have a movie night, in Justin’s honor. Maria and Alvin both agreed to it, but, from the moment she arrived at my house, Maria was leaking like a broken faucet. I paused The Silence of the Lambs so that I could console her, allowing her to cry into my shoulder. Thunder boomed outside, and rain ran down the windows like Maria’s tears on my shirt. Alvin, meanwhile, had gone from looking bored to being straight up amused. He looked happy, maybe even impressed, and it was unsettling to me.

“I-I-I-“ Maria stammered, unable to make her thoughts into words. I patted her back, and then the both of us jumped, startled, as there was a knock at the door. I hadn’t been expecting anyone; My parents were out and weren’t going to be back anytime soon. I shot Alvin a glance as Maria resumed her crying. “Hey, bud, do You think You could grab the door for me?”

“No. It would be much better if Maria grabbed the door.”

Maria looked up from my shoulder at the mention of her name. Alvin was smiling as though He were a toddler who had just built the Taj Mahal out of Legos.

“Why should it be Maria?” I asked tentatively.

“Because I did it for her. A surprise.”

I felt a chill. I suddenly knew what Alvin had done, but it was too horrifying to put to words.

“A surprise? Alvin, You know I don’t like surprises. Who is it?”

“It’s Justin.”

There was another series of long, slow knocks. Maria and I both stared at the door, and then she turned to Alvin. “That’s not funny.”

“And I’m not joking. Clearly you aren’t over him. You’re in love with him, I think. I hate to see you like this, Maria, so I brought him back. He’s here for you, not us.”

There was yet another procession of long, slow knocks on the door. Lightning flashed and I leapt to my feet.

“Hey, Alvin, we’ll be right back down. Wouldn’t want Maria looking like a mess when she sees Justin again.”

Alvin was still smiling. “Alright. Go ahead and let her clean up. I’ll let him in.” As He moved towards the door, I yanked Maria upstairs and into my bedroom. I slammed the door closed and sat down on my bed, shivering. Maria asked me what the hell was going on, and, just in case something even stranger were to occur, I decided I needed to document this. All of it. I am still here, in front of my laptop. Maria is staring in fear at my bedroom door, which is now being knocked on. Alvin is still downstairs. I wonder if He is amused.

[cutegirlmayra]

this prompt is VERY au but ive had this for a while , and ive always wanted to see u write it: okay so amy & sonic haven't seen each other for a while bc shes been away studying or something & when she comes back shes more mature & understands the concept of personal space xD and sonic gets a bit upset bc shes not paying him much attention like she used to or maybe he can get jelly of someone!! its okay if u dont want to but ur writing is soooo good i would just love to see it !! ur the best!

Actually, I wanted to do a fanfiction on this idea of Amy leaving for a ‘monastery retreat’ where they promise enlightenment. She leaves a letter and purposefully states she’s not saying where she’s going until she’s found ‘inner peace’ with herself. She goes on the journey that tests her, then gets a job when she realizes the retreat needs to be paid for. She works for some cruel tavern people and gets swindled/con’d. She stands up for herself and gets the money back (by/with some force, lol). She is selected by a teacher who is usually very picky about his students, an armadillo who is infamous for whacking his students with his long stick to train them.

After all this, he teaches her ‘self control’ and ‘balance in her chi’ or whatnot.

I’m starting this concept off after Sonic receives many letters/postcards with different buildings and locations from the mountain she’s at. He takes out the photos, and one by one, races off to each landmark till he finds the mountain and finds her.

Prompt:

Sonic sped forward till halting and slightly wagging from the left over momentum as he looked up at the monastery.

Moving his mouth to the corner of his muzzle, he then pulled out the last postcard Amy sent him, and held a finger up to his chin, tapping his pointer finger to see if it matched.

Yep, definitely.

He looked over, “And that must be the tavern that treated her so poorly.” he put the photo away, but never took his eyes off of it.

“Time to teach them some manners when it comes to rooming guests.” Sonic adjusted his gloves, and smirked, knowing he was gonna cause some mayhem before saying hello to Amy. (his form of justice, he really didn’t like how she described how they treated her.)

After being the most annoying and stuck-up snob the tavern had ever known, they tried to kick him out, even if he did have rings, he wasn’t going to pay them, and fought his way out scott-free.

He chuckled to himself, before looking up at the monastery again. “Check.” he seemed to mentally be checking something off a list, and then threw a ring back at a dog-pile of beaten up men, all having their eyes spin around in their dizziness.

Sonic raced up the monastery before leaning over a counter, smiling charmingly to the woman present.

“Hey.”

“Hello.” the woman gave him a cold look up, and continued to look at her scrolls.

“…Eh-heh.” Sonic smiled nervously, seeing she looked a bit stingy. He straightened himself out, “Is there an Amy Rose that goes here?”

Her face suddenly shifted, and she immediately threw up a cane, pointing it directly at him. “I HATE THAT GIRL. DO YOU KNOW HER!? ARE YOU HERE TO TAKE HER AWAY!?”

Sonic put his hands up, “Y…yes?” he raised an eyebrow, amazed someone could hate Amy… w-well, maybe not THAT amazed, but..

“Oh good~” she suddenly looked cheery and her age, putting her hands together and up by her cheek. “Right this way~” she swished her black cat tail and gestured for him to follow her.

She smirked as they walked into the inner arena, within the walls of the ancient ground.

Sonic peeked over, “Ah!” He was amazed to see two girls battling, one was..

“Amy!”

“Pfft. I’ll admit, she’s improved.” the girl rolled her eyes. Was that a hint of jealousy?

Amy rolled to dodge a girl holding a stick with two spiked knifes tied to the ends of it.

She got up quickly to duck from another swipe before the girl jabbed, and she had to lean away, holding her hammer with both hands.

“Woah!”

Her sensai watched safely away, placing a hand slowly on his staff. “…Focus… Right foot… now!” he muttered to himself, but Amy couldn’t hear him.

Amy leaped to the right side, as if dodging a hint that she was predicting. (He would have naturally hit her with his staff on her ankle if this was training so she’s used to expecting a staff hit xD)

She jumped from her hands and did a few back-flips, before positioning herself again and waiting…

Sonic was slightly confused. Amy’s one to charge in headstrong, but now she’s being..

patient?

She then saw the girl charging her, shouting out a battle cry, as Amy innocently looked up, and seemed calm before looking back down.

She jumped and did the splits, as the girl whammed her face into the wall behind her, and looped her hammer over a wall decoration.

She waited a second in the air for the girl to lean back, holding her face.

She then fell on the girl and whacked her out.

“Winner! The Reformed Rose!”

Amy got up and giggled, thinking the nickname funny since the first time she got here, and then looked up.

Her smile and waving completely halted, as her eyes fixated…

On her favorite shade of blue.

Her master looked confused, before following her eyesight with his own. He gasped, picking up his long stick. “Oh no.” he quickly rushed to where Sonic was.

Amy raced up with acrobatic skills to him.

While keeping her pace, her master kept looking over to her, worried. “Remember your training, remember your training!” he kept muttering, as finally they both made it up to the final wide ring of the arena, and Amy, in her monk attire, held the biggest open smile on her face, panting from her effort to get all the way up here after a battle like that.

Sonic stepped back, as the counter-girl just glared and ‘hmph’d, folding her eyes and giving Amy a snake-eye, then turning away.

“You’re so-called ‘boyfriend’ is here to take you away.” she left then, fanning her arrogant hand behind her.

Sonic hadn’t seen her in months, and this new look… she definitely had grown. Did he miss a birthday?

Her figure was more built, and her muscles, a bit a intimidating…

Amy was about to cry out his name, before her master whacked a stick to her head and she rubbed it hard, looking to him.

“Restrain yourself…” he eyed her cautiously, as if squinting a warning.

“This will be your final test of all your training. Fail it. And you will not be leaving this monastery.” he warned her, and slammed his staff’s end down, nodding his final statement.

“W-wai-wait a minute there…” Sonic held his hands out, as Amy’s whole body suddenly shifted to them, as if longing to be in them again…

“Uhh..” he held his hands back, seeing her reaction. He knew she’d have withdrawals… but not this bad. “I think we may have to change that ruling a bit.” Sonic scratched behind his head, then looked to Amy.

“Amy, Cream and the others have been worried sick about you.” he lightly spoke to her, arching his eyebrows back to show tenderness, and gesturing to try and entice her to come back. “We’ve all been wondering where you’ve been. Now that I’ve found ya, I plan on taking you back so they won’t have to miss you anymore.”

Amy was still fixated on the way he lovingly said her name, but then heard about her dear friends and looked shocked to hear that, before guilty and bending her ears down.

“Oh, S-”

“Ehem.”

Amy flinched, expecting a staff, but realized her master only gave her a light warning. She was forbidden to say his name…

“..My… friend.” she twitched an eye down, before taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. “I would love to go back. But I have to receive permission from my sensai.” she gestured lovingly to her master, who kept his eyes shut, but motioned his head up high, showing status.

“Your sensai?” Sonic narrowed his eyes to the old man, and folded his arms. “You mean this geezer with the long mustache and goatee?”

Like a statue, her master did nothing.

She freaked out though, bending her arms to guard herself but he did nothing to retaliate.

“You would do good in training somewhat in your mouths formation of words as well, boy.” He stuck a piece of his sticks cut off small branch into his ear, wiggling it around. “I could barely hear the insult you said.”

Sonic twitched an eyebrow, this man could dish one back just the same.

Sonic smiled though, liking the fight in him.

He was impressed and held out his hand. “Sonic. Sonic The Hedgehog.”

“I know who you are.” The man moved the hand to the side, before walking to the ring.

Sonic looked confused, before shrugging to Amy, who lightly nodded an apology before turning to her master.

“If you wish to truly see if you’ve mastered all I have to teach you… you must fight your love in the arena!” he spread his arms out, as the crowd suddenly hushed and the battle happening below stopped.

“W-what?!” Amy was shocked. “B-b-but Master!”

“Your speaking back!” He swung his stick into her gut, as she whinced a minute in pain before motioning her fingers around to harness any noise and keep it together.

“No, … M-master.”

“Hmph. Good.” He removed the stick and nodded.

“Amy!” Sonic’s hand went to her, but the master’s eyes shone with a spark and he hit them away from her.

“O-ow! Hey!” Sonic held his hands and glared at the old man. “You know, some could call this abuse!”

“Heh. He is your friend, isn’t he?” The man smiled, knowing she had said the same thing.

Amy got up, shaking a head to Sonic. “You can’t touch me. Cause I’m not allowed to touch you.”

Sonic’s head flung back to him. “W-what?” he blinked a moment, before trying to put to and to together. “Amy… you’re not.. a literal monk, are you?”

She flinched, “WHAT?! NO! I’m not a nun!”

“O-oh…phew~” He was glad he wasn’t THAT late…

“To the arena with you!” The master had skillfully maneuvered himself behind the two, and with one fell swoop of his staff, pushed the two off the ring as they fell towards the arena.

Amy used her hammer to help Sonic spin away, and then flipped and pushed off landings to roll down safely as well.

“Oh! Sonic are you al-!” She cupped her hands over her mouth, about to rush towards him before a staff thrust itself in front of her and stopped her progression.

She realized her mistake and bowed to it, before letting the access energy from Sonic’s presence being there out through training drills, punching around herself and shouting out battle cries before returning to inner peace…

“I am more than my affections… alright!” she prepared for battle. “If I can defeat you, S- I mean!” she shook her head. “My friend. Then I can go home with you!”

He was irritated that someone was forcing her to not even say his name. But then also pushing such limitations onto himself.

He cracked his knuckles, and started to stretch. “Very well, Amy. If I have to fight you, then I won’t go easy on ya.” He then smirked, getting ready. “But not being able to touch me won’t be very easy… I’m fast, you know.” he winked.

“Begin!”

He charged around her in a circle, and she closed her eyes to sense him, before swinging her hammer up to dodge a fast on-going, bullet frenzy of blue.

‘Heh, so she’s learned to listen and wait it out, huh?.’ Sonic looked amused, stopping then and then walking towards her.

“What else have you learned?”

She smiled, seeing he was having fun with this.

He jumped to fake a kick down, before swinging his other leg and hitting her to the side.

She caught herself quickly as he went for a punch, but was able to block and then slide her hammer under his ankle, pinning him and then looking apologetic.

“Sorry.” she squinted her eyes as she bonked him on the head.

“Ow! Ooohhh, almost missed that…” his eyes spun a moment, but he shook it out.

“Heh.” he reached up and grabbed her arms.

“Ah!”

Her master narrowed his eyes.

“Got’cha!” Sonic rolled back on his spine and kicked her over him, getting back up as the crowd cheered.

The sensation of Sonic holding her was a lot for Amy, even if it wasn’t a true ‘hold’ she still got up and tried to restrain herself.

“Okay… okay…” she took calming breathes and turned back around.

Sonic watched her struggle, and started getting upset.

What was wrong with Amy hugging him?

‘I’m more than my affections…’

She had said that, right?

He glared up at her master, who returned the look to him.

“What has he been teaching you…” Sonic lost trust then, even if the man had witty comebacks, if he had brainwashed his friend to believe that touching him or even saying his name was bad…

Unforgivable.

Amy, after seeing him not moving, decided to go for it.

She held her hammer high up by her shoulder, and leaped from one side ot the other, “Here I gooo!!!”

Sonic turned with a calm expression, looking seriously to her.

She suddenly saw him not move and halted her attack, stopping in front of him.

Her master rose his head, eyeing Sonic’s next move.

“S-So-I-I mean! Friend..?” she blinked her eyes, not sure what he was doing.

“Sonic.” He almost bit down on his teeth while saying it. “And I’m not playing this game anymore…”

He walked over to her, as she stepped back slightly, lowering her hammer.

“W-what are you-?”

He embraced her, and held her close.

The crowd gasped, as the master moved himself to the ring’s railing, and waited… patiently…

Amy’s whole being twitched.

She wanted to just smoother him with affection, kiss him over and over, and hold him tighter and tighter!

Her hands moved to hold him back, before stopping.

She had learned so much… about herself, love, and freedom… about inner peace and self-reliance.

She even learned that her own feelings could be managed, and that it’s better to discipline them than let them run amok.

She did touch him, but only to pull him away.

With a kind smile, she closed her eyes, and tilted her head. “I missed you too, Sonic. I’m glad I get to see you again.”

Her master jumped down as Sonic’s approving smile turned to a frown of protection, and he moved his hand over Amy and pulled her behind him.

“Amy’s coming with me!”

He walked forward, head down. “I know she is. Because she won.”

The two blinked for a moment.

“W-wha?” Sonic seemed more startled by that then Amy, as she moved passed his protective arm and over to her sensai, bowing low for him.

“Forgive me, Sensai.”

“No. You’ve done all I expected you to do.” he bowed to her, as the crowd gasped, and she leaned up, shocked.

“M-master!”

“You’ve conquered your emotions, tamed them, and held your being with dignity and every grace a woman can procure.” he leaned up, smiling kindly to her, showing he really did care for his pupil. “You’ve surprised me. Even with great temptation, you valued your new found strength and knowledge more than the cardinal demands of the body. You’ve mastered both body and spirit… and now, you’re heart.” he put his hands together, his staff resting on the crook of his arm, as if showing he wasn’t going to discipline her anymore.

“You may leave… with Sonic.” he nodded the permission of her to speak his name. “And even hug him if you’d like.”

Suddenly, Amy squee’d as all her energy burst from her, and she was about to tackle into Sonic. “SOONNICC-OOFFHP!”

His staff had masterfully slammed into her tailbone, as he glared a moment before pulling it back.

“Don’t let old habits own your new found success… Rose.”

“Y-..Yes, Sensai.” she realized he wasn’t going to let her slip on her training either.

The two left the wide, Asian gates as Amy left with her old red dress, but a sash around her waist with decorative beads hanging down one end of it, showing she was a master monk now. She giggled as it made her dress stick down, and then held Sonic’s arm.

“Shall we?”

Sonic smiled, before pulling her closer and seeming okay with the intimacy. He scratched his nose as some men from the tavern recognized him, and saw who he was with, and fled crying out for mercy.

Amy blinked her eyes in confusion, raising an eyebrow, before looking over to Sonic with suspicion.

He shrugged and chuckled nervously, before scooping her up and taking off.

“Ah! I missed this!” Amy cried out, as Sonic looked down, unamused.

“W-what?” she saw something was troubling him and wondered what on earth it could be. “too tight?” she loosened her hands from his neck, before completely moving them off. “S-sorry.” she looked away.

“…Not tight enough.” he motioned his head down, seeming upset.

Her smile grew wide, and she giggled as she put her arms back around him, and moved her head up. “Hehe, I think I like having you ask for it, now~” she cooed, winking to him as he rolled his eyes.

“I’ll admit. It’s nice to actually have you act grown up for once.”

“Why you-! Hmph!” she puffed up her cheek and looked away. “I don’t have to get angry at those foolish comments anymore.”

“Haha! I’m free! No more hammers!” he jumped and clicked his heels together.

“Oh, Sonic!”

“Say my name!”

“Sonic?”

“One more time!”

He giddily danced off as she laughed, chanting his name and clapping as he really did seem happy to have her back, new and improved, with some of her old habits still being wanted and liked, so it seemed~

“I appreciate the restraint. But you can still hug me.. j-just not randomly or in the middle of something… alright?”

“Now look whose making the rules…” Amy pouted.

“But no hard sticks included!”

They laughed.

(hope that’s what you wanted >w

[placetobenation]

Beauty and the Beast

Release Date: November 22nd, 1991

Inspiration: “Beauty and the Beast” by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont

Budget: $25 million

Domestic Gross: $219 million

Worldwide Gross: $440 million

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

IMDB Score: 8.0/10

Storyline (per IMDB): Having lived a life in selfishness, young Prince Adam is cursed by a mysterious enchantress to having the appearance of a monstrous beast. His only hope is to learn to love a young woman and earn her love in return in order to redeem himself. Ten years later, his chance shows itself when a young maiden named Belle (Paige O’Hara) offers to take her ill father Maurice’s (Rex Everhart’s) place as his prisoner. With help from the castle’s enchanted staff, Belle learns to appreciate her captor and immediately falls in love with him. Back in the village however, unscrupulous hunter Gaston (Richard White) has his own plans for Belle.

Pre-Watching Thoughts: We continue on through the Disney animated films with the historic 30th film in the canon and in many people’s opinion, arguably the greatest film in the canon and possibly one of the greatest films of all time. There is something that has to be said for the fact that this was the first animated film in history to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and to this day only a handful of animated films have been nominated for that award. This was another film that was also one of my personal favorites and I was also a fan of the live-action remake from a few years ago, but again it is all about the animated film and something tells me that this film will hold up very well.

Voice Cast: So as I mentioned, we are right in the middle of a trend where the majority of the cast for these films are mainly different actors for each film, but there are some that are in multiple films though they are mainly smaller roles and not major ones. As such, we do have a few returning actors as we have Hal Smith who voices Philippe the horse in what would be his final film role as he would sadly pass away a year later, and then we have Kimmy Robertson and Frank Welker who play the Featherduster and Sultan the footstool respectively in minor roles. We now move onto the new actors as we start with Paige O’Hara who voices Belle in what would be the role that defines her career, and then we have Roddy Benson who voices the Beast in what ends up being his defining role as well. Next, we have Richard White who voices Gaston in his biggest role as he would become more known for his Broadway career, and then we have Jerry Orbach who voices Lumiere in perhaps his most memorable role amidst a long career. We then have David Ogden Stiers who voices Cogsworth and he also provides the opening narration as he would become a mainstay over the next few years, and then we have the legendary Angela Lansbury who voices Mrs. Potts in her first big role with a Disney film following Bedknobs and Broomsticks. We then have Bradley Pierce who voices Chip in one of his first roles as he was starting to make a name for himself, and then we have Rex Everhart who voices Maurice as this would end up being his final film role. Next, we have Jesse Corti who voices LeFou as he was starting off his career as well and he would make more appearances over a decade later, and then we have Jo Anne Worley who voices the Wardrobe as she was at the height of her career by this point. We then have the pair of Mary Kay Bergman and Kath Soucie who voice the trio of ladies who fawn after Gaston and they were just getting their careers started, and then we have Brian Cummings who voices the Stove as he was in the midst of his career in terms of film and TV. Next, we have Alvin Epstein who voices the Bookseller in a minor role and Alec Murphy who voices the Baker in another minor role, and finally we have Tony Jay who voices Monsieur D’Arque though he would become better known for another role later in the decade. It was interesting that you had a solid mixture of known voice actors and those that made their name on Broadway and in theater which would come into play in terms of the musical numbers, and it made for a solid mix of talent and they all made these characters memorable.

Hero/Prince: Prior to this film, the hero or prince of each film are firmly established from the start and we know that they are going to be the hero or prince of the film, but here we flip the script a bit as our prince of the film, the Beast is not that when we first meet him. He is an arrogant, selfish, cruel prince who turns away a beggar woman looking for shelter, but she reveals herself to be an enchantress and she turns him into a Beast to punish him for his selfishness. She then transforms the castle’s inhabitants into various objects and enchants her rose that will bloom on his 21st birthday, and if he can learn to love another and receive their love back the spell will break otherwise he will remain a Beast for the rest of his life. Resigned to his fate, he keeps in his castle until Maurice inadvertently shows up and he throws him into his dungeon, and then Belle comes and asks to take her father’s place which Beast agrees to. He is initially cold to Belle and chastises her when she tries to touch the rose as she attempts to leave, but she is attacked by wolves until Beast makes the save and he takes her back in as they warm up to each other. Eventually, he falls in love with her but decides to let her leave so she can be with her father and he once again resigns to his fate, but then Gaston and the townspeople show up to kill him and he fights with Gaston as he nearly kills him until Belle returns. Beast turns back to her and Gaston stabs him in the back only to fall to his death and Beast dies from his wound, and Belle expresses her love for Beast just as the last rose petal falls and he is brought back to life in his human form as is everyone else in the castle and he marries Belle. Beast is an interesting case study of someone who has been blessed with everything he could want and instead of being grateful, he is selfish and cold towards others as he believes he is above the common man. Having him transformed into a beast makes sense as it is a physical representation of his personality, but you can see he still has some humanity still in him which starts to come out when he saves Belle from the wolves and she begins to trust him. Seeing him slowly transform from this beastly figure back to a humble man while still as a beast is very impressive, and thus when he finally is transformed back into a human it is the final piece of his humanity completely restored. It is pretty refreshing seeing Beast have this storyline where he redeems himself as opposed to the previous princes who don’t have the same arc that he has, and as a result Beast is still one of the best heroes in Disney’s history and may well be the best when we get there.

Princess: For the first time since Cinderella, we have a princess that doesn’t start off as a princess and is instead just a normal girl living a normal life and that is of course Belle. She is the daughter of inventor Maurice and is considered odd by the townsfolk as she is seemingly unaware of her beauty and she prefers to read unlike most girls in the village. She is the desire of Gaston who tries to convince her to be his wife though she refuses, and when she learns her father has disappeared she rides out to the castle where he was last seen. She encounters the Beast who is keeping him as a prisoner and she offers to take his place which Beast accepts, and she meets the servants of the castle who have been turned into various objects due to a curse on the castle. She finds the enchanted rose and nearly touches it only for Beast to stop her and he scares her out of the castle, and she encounters various wolves in the forest only for Beast to save her and he brings her back where she nurses him to health. They eventually become close and start to fall in love though Beast lets her leave so she can care for her father, and when Gaston and the townspeople try to have Maurice committed she reveals the Beast is real and Gaston vows to kill him as he knows Belle loves him. She returns to the castle just as Beast is about to kill Gaston though he eventually allows him to leave, but Gaston turns around and stabs Beast in the back though it proves fatal as he falls to his death. Beast dies in Belle’s arms and Belle professes her love just as the last rose petal falls, and Beast is restored to his human form and the curse is broken on the castle as Belle becomes his wife and they live happily ever after. One of the knocks on the Disney princesses is that they are too cookie cutter and rely too heavily on having a strong male counterpart, but Belle shatters that stereotype as she is clearly a headstrong character and more independent than previous princesses. She values more than outward appearances hence her utter disdain for Gaston and she sees more to Beast besides his appearance, but there have been some who feel she is more of a victim of Stockholm Syndrome as she falls in love for Beast who is considered her captor though one could argue that he treats her like an equal as they start to become closer. She is widely considered one of the greatest feminist characters in history and set a new standard for the Disney princesses, and she is often considered the greatest Disney princess though I will be my own judge of that when I rank her against the other princesses.

Villain: We talked about a memorable hero in Beast and we talked about a memorable princess in Belle, and now we have probably one of the most memorable villains in history in the man known as Gaston. He is a hunter that believes he is the best man in the entire village and as such, he should marry the best girl in the village which he believes to be Belle simply based on her beauty as he could care less about her other attributes. He even goes as far as to set up a full wedding ceremony though she adamantly refuses his advances and leaves him embarrassed, and when Maurice tries to convince everyone that the Beast is real Gaston devises a plan to have Maurice locked up in an asylum and will release him when Belle marries him. She again refuses and proves that the Beast is real as Gaston realizes that Belle is in love with Beast, and he rallies the townspeople together as they storm the castle to kill the Beast. The castle’s occupants beat the townspeople out though Gaston manages to reach Beast and attacks him as Beast is unwilling to fight back, but when Belle returns Beast fires up and nearly kills Gaston though he ultimately decides to spare him. Beast and Belle reunite only for Gaston to stab Beast in the back with a knife though he ends up losing his footing and falls off the castle to his death. Gaston is an interesting villain in that he is not completely evil to start and he is simply narcissistic and conceited, and he is of the belief that Belle is the one for him simply because she is the most beautiful girl in town though she sees through him. Despite his characteristics, he also has a lot of charisma and is viewed very highly by the townspeople to the point that they blindly follow him when he goes to kill the Beast. Once he learns that Belle will never marry him as she is in love with Beast, that’s when the switch flips on him and he transitions into a true villain which is showcased when Beast allows him to live only for Gaston to turn around and stab him in the back though it ultimately leads to his demise. Gaston is another one of those villains that you can’t help but like at certain times and he is still one of the most iconic villains of all time.

Other Characters: This is an interesting film because we seem to have a lot of characters in the film, but the majority of them are mainly background scenery whether it be the townspeople or the other inhabitants of the castle. We start off with the more important characters that live in the castle and first up in Lumiere the candelabra who is the most outgoing of the group and truly believes that they will be human again, and then we have Cogsworth the clock who is a bit more pessimistic than Lumiere as he is more loyal to Beast though he does consider Lumiere his best friend. We then have Mrs. Potts the teapot who serves almost as a mediator to the group and serves as a mother figure to Belle while she is there, and then we have her son Chip the teacup who immediately latches onto Belle when she first arrives. We also have other secondary characters such as the Wardrobe and the Stove that make a few appearances, but for the most part are there as mentioned as background characters. We then have Belle’s father Maurice who is an inventor and is ready to take his newest invention to a fair, but he gets lost and ends up in the castle where he is captured by Beast and held prisoner until Belle agrees to take his place. Maurice tries to get help to rescue her though no one believes him and Gaston threatens to have him placed in an insane asylum until Belle saves him, and he is by her side when she becomes Beast’s new wife. We then have Gaston’s sidekick LeFou who is loyal to a fault to Gaston and constantly sings his praises, and he stays by Gaston’s side despite Gaston constantly belittling him and he joins Gaston when he invades the castle though he is scared off along with the other townspeople. We finally have the other townspeople that Belle interacts with like the Baker and the Bookkeeper, and we also have the three ladies who continuously fawn over Gaston though he repeatedly ignores them as all he cares about is Belle. While there is a pretty large group of characters in this film, a lot of the focus went on a handful of them as they helped further the plot along and played a vital part of the film.

Songs: I had mentioned back in my review of the Little Mermaid that Disney seemed to be making these films more like Broadway musicals, and that is on complete showcase here as this film feels like a stage show that was animated. They even made it a point to cast people that had good singing voices which is why most of the actors in this film were Broadway stars and had appeared on stage before which certainly helps considering the songs in this film are some of the most memorable in Disney history. The film kicks off with the song “Belle” sung by Belle and the townspeople as she laments on her life while the townspeople sing about how strange Belle is, and then we have “Gaston” that LeFou and the townspeople perform as they sing the praises of Gaston in a fun number. We then have one of the centerpiece songs of the film which is “Be Our Guest” which is still one of the most memorable songs in history, and then we have “Something There” as Beast, Belle, and the servants sing about the budding relationship with Beast and Belle. Next, we have the other centerpiece song of the film which is “Beauty and the Beast” and it is still considered one of the greatest love ballads in history, and finally we have “The Mob Song” that Gaston and the townspeople sing as they prepare to attack Beast and the castle and you feel the tension throughout the song. I would like to mention the song “Human Again” which was cut from the original and added in the re-release while also being added when the film was turned into a Broadway show, and that is also a solid song but it is not a major loss when it was cut. I would also like to briefly acknowledge the lyricist of these songs Howard Ashman who also worked on the Little Mermaid and briefly on Aladdin, and he also served as executive producer though he would tragically pass away from AIDS just 6 months prior to this film’s release. Even though he was only involved in 3 films, he was very instrumental in the songs for those films as they are still very highly regarded to this day and you do wonder what he would’ve done for Disney going forward had he lived and I felt it important to pay him his due as the film was dedicated to him and he was honored as a Disney Legend.

Plot: After going for so long without a fairy tale being adapted into a film, Disney broke the trend with the Little Mermaid and now that continues here as this film is based off a fairy tale from French folklore. Reading up on the original story, it is vastly different from the film though you can see the similarities and that they took parts of the fairy tale while adding a bit of a different spin on it. In this film, we meet the prince of an unknown castle somewhere in France and he is selfish and heartless, and a beggar woman comes and asks to stay as she offers a single rose in exchange though he refuses. The woman turns into an enchantress and transforms the prince into a Beast while placing a curse on the castle and she leaves him the rose which is enchanted, and she tells him if he can love another and receive love in return before the last petal falls the curse will break though he will remain a Beast if he fails. Years later, an inventor named Maurice happens upon the castle and the Beast takes him prisoner, and his daughter Belle finds him and offers to take his place which Beast agrees to. She is welcomed by the servants of the castle who have been transformed into various objects, but when she nearly touches the rose the Beast scares her out of the castle though he ends up saving her from a pack of wolves. She nurses him to health and they begin to warm to each other, eventually with the Beast falling in love with her though he lets her leave to take care of her father. When the townspeople led by Gaston try to have Maurice committed to an insane asylum, she reveals the Beast to them and Gaston then leads them to the castle to kill the Beast. He fights the Beast who is about to kill him though he lets him walk away and he reunites with Belle only for Gaston to stab him in the back though he ultimately falls to his death, and Beast dies in Belle’s arms and she professes her love as the last rose petal falls. Beast is then transformed back into a human and the curse is lifted as the servants also return to their human forms, and Belle and the Prince marry and live happily ever after. It’s funny because when you look at certain aspects of this film and the fairy tale, there are parts that seem like it would be too dark and scary to turn into an animated film directed mostly at kids. But as Disney seems to do nearly flawlessly, they make a film that is very light-hearted for kids though keep it just dark enough to entertain adults as well and that balance is on perfect display with this film.

Random Watching Thoughts: Instead of a storybook beginning, we have the prologue told via stained glass pictures; I wonder what the enchantress would’ve done if the prince brought her in and not rejected her while in her old woman form; Only when she turns into an enchantress is the prince remorseful for his action; I understand wanting to punish the prince for his actions, but I feel the servants got a bad rap being transformed into objects when they had nothing to do with the prince rejecting the enchantress; If the rose was in bloom until his 21st year, how old was he when the enchantress came to the castle?; It was such a nice day that even the man in the stocks was in a good mood; So basically Belle was reading the story of Jack and the Beanstalk; That barber must’ve had his head in the clouds if he cut off half of that poor customer’s mustache; I wonder how many listening to this song felt the woman asking about the eggs was trying to pay when the other guy mentioned something was expensive; She was focused on that book yet had enough sense to push the sign up to prevent from getting wet; A bit of foreshadowing as she describes the book to the sheep not knowing the same thing would happen to her; Poor LeFou really wanted to bag that bird only to miss it; Right off the bat, you can tell what kind of man Gaston is that he wants to marry Belle simply because she is the most beautiful girl in town; Just from this opening number you can believe that this belongs on a Broadway stage which would end up happening in 1994; The townspeople were singing at the top of their lungs and it’s only at the end of the song that Belle believes they are singing about her; Of course Gaston would complain about a book not having any pictures; Belle calls Gaston primeval as an insult and he takes it as a compliment; Not a good sign when Belle calls her father a genius and then an explosion happens in their basement; Interesting that Belle acknowledges that Gaston is handsome, but also that he is rude and conceited; Was Maurice that tired of chopping wood by hand that he had to make this insane invention?; Maurice waits until he is lost to finally console the map to try and find his way; Philippe had the right idea not wanting to go down the dark path; Some shortcut, it led them to a cliff and near death; It’s a good thing he happened to stumble upon the castle and could keep the wolves at bay with the gate; You wonder what Maurice has seen in his life because he has just seen a talking candelabra and a talking clock, yet he is not frightened and more curious about them; Considering that no one has ever visited them since they were cursed, they were all too excited to serve Maurice even though he was a stranger; How long did it take Gaston and the townspeople to set up this wedding and how did Belle not realize what was going on since it was right outside her house?; That’s quite the invention Maurice made to see who is at the front door; Just like Gaston to make himself at home and kick his boots off while putting his feet on both the table and Belle’s book; Gaston is really asking a lot if he says they will have 6 or 7 boys; Gaston got basically thrown out of the house and into the pond, yet LeFou still wants to know how things went; As quickly as it was set up, the marriage party is dismantled just as fast; This scene where Belle sings on the hilltop feels very reminiscent of the Sound of Music; We saw Philippe run away and never go near the castle yet somehow he knew how to get there when Belle asked him to take her to Maurice; Mrs. Potts doesn’t believe Chip when he mentions Belle in the castle, but then she believes it when the featherduster says it; So a personal anecdote, my high school has done Beauty and the Beast as their musical twice to my knowledge and one of them was directed by one of my fellow classmates who was also a close friend of mine; That’s the scariest carriage I have ever seen; Lumiere suggest to Beast he give Belle a better room and he scoffs at that suggestion, but then when he sees her crying he decides to give her the better room; Such a waste of good beer that Gaston throws into the fire; Even though Gaston is supposed to be the villain, you can’t help but love him when you hear LeFou heap such praise on him through song; They say they are giving Gaston 10 points for that hit yet one of them gave him 9.8; Nice attention to detail by having the candle go out when Maurice knocked it down on the table; I don’t think Maurice should’ve been out in a short sleeved shirt given that it was snowing pretty heavily; The moment that the page turns for Gaston as he goes from likeable douchebag to evil villain; Much like Maurice, Belle sees inanimate objects moving around and talking yet she is not horrified; It’s been a long time that the wardrobe has opened up if all those moths came flying out; That is quite the spread for just two people; If Beast is aware that Belle could help break the spell, you’d think he would do a lot better at being nicer to her; Beast is saying that Belle’s being difficult, but you can’t really blame her at this point; Such a waste of food; It’s a good thing that rose has so many petals or Beast would be screwed; Lumiere picked the wrong time to get some loving from the featherduster since it let Belle leave the room; How many children does Mrs. Potts have?; I know Cogsworth is trying to follow orders, but giving Belle a glass of water and crusts of bread is pretty harsh; They are really going all out to make Belle comfortable if they are giving her in essence dinner and a show when they sing “Be Our Guest”; It is never officially stated when this film is set, but it would have to be in the early 1900s since the plates and silverware created the Eiffel Tower which was built between 1887 and 1889; Even though there have been great musical numbers prior to this film, I think it is safe to say that “Be Our Guest” is the standard bearer for musical numbers in Disney films; Cogsworth was so against them singing, but he gets into it at the end and is proud of them; Belle mentions the castle being enchanted while Lumiere and Cogsworth try to play dumb not thinking that she is smart enough to figure it out; To quote Cogsworth, “If it’s not Baroque, don’t fix it”, ahh…puns for the win; You can tell that she didn’t believe them when they said they had a library; I was reading up on the making of the film and it was said that Belle’s appearance was partially based on Judy Garland, and now that I look closer it does look like Belle’s blue dress has a similar look to Garland’s dress in “The Wizard of Oz” just not plaid; I always wonder what would’ve happened if Belle touched the rose; That moment of realization from Beast when he knew that he royally screwed up; Philippe was able to survive falling into the lake yet that one wolf couldn’t make it; Was there a den nearby that so many wolves appeared?; How strong is Belle that she was able to lift Beast up and put him on Philippe by herself?; What does Gaston actually do for a living that he was able to give that much gold to the asylum warden?; Talk about bad timing that Maurice would leave to find Belle just as Gaston shows up to have him taken away; Really Cogsworth, promises you don’t intend to keep?; Beast was so giddy to show Belle the library, but honestly when was the last time he was even in that library?; Poor Chip, so naïve; I also wondered that if Beast didn’t find love in time and he remained a beast, would he maintain his humanity or would he become a full beast?; They say that it may only take a few days, but what if the rose loses all its petals before then?; What was that hatstand thinking when he did Beast up that way?; I read that Angela Lansbury wasn’t sure if she could pull off singing “Beauty and the Beast”, but thankfully she went through with it and she made it memorable; Another pretty iconic scene here with the camera shot descending into the ballroom while Beast and Belle dance; It is a bit weird that Beast still called her his prisoner even though they were clearly falling for each other; LeFou was there for so long that he became a snowman; Considering how blue he was, it’s a wonder that LeFou didn’t have pneumonia; Gaston must really have the village under his thumb if they were all by his side when they tried to commit Maurice and then when he rallied them against the Beast; Again, it’s amazing that they knew where the castle was when they didn’t even know it existed until Belle showed the Beast in the mirror; 50 Frenchman can’t be wrong, huh?; I know how today most people are scared about robots and technology taking over, and if these villagers can’t beat a bunch of inanimate objects brought to life then us modern populace don’t stand a chance against the machines; I know Chip used the invention to free Belle and Maurice, but you do feel bad for Maurice given how hard he worked on that invention; Animation snafu of the film: LeFou is missing his shoe because Sultan took it from him, but when he and the other villagers enter the kitchen he is wearing both shoes and then when they run out of the castle, he is missing the shoe again; Gaston shot an arrow into Beast and after he knocks him onto the ledges, the arrow has disappeared; Beast was ready to die until Belle returned; When the lightning hit the spirals, I wonder if people thought the castle would be set on fire; Gaston still believes that Belle wants him despite all the evidence to the contrary; Gaston was so confident until Beast held him over the edge and then he begs for his life which Beast gives him; If there is one thing about this film that I wish was better, I feel like Gaston falling to his death was slightly anticlimactic; I do wonder what would’ve happened if the last petal fell before Belle expressed her love, and also does the spell still hold if Beast is killed because he clearly dies here?; It was a nice subtle touch to have Beast wrapped up in the cape like a cocoon since he is being transformed back into a human; She just saw him transform from the beast back into a human, so why is Belle suspicious that he’s not the same?; Cogsworth and Lumiere try to be friends again yet they can’t help getting into another argument; Even though he is a human again, Chip had to ask if he still has to sleep in the cupboard; Much like the storybook beginnings and endings, we started the film with a stained glass picture and we end with one; I believe this is the first time that a song from the film is given a pop version for the soundtrack as we have “Beauty and the Beast” sung by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson; “To our friend Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul. We will be forever grateful. Howard Ashman 1950-1991”.

Overall Thoughts: Overall, there is no question that this is one of the greatest films in Disney history and also perhaps in all of cinema as well. We have had 29 previous films to this point and only one has received a perfect score from me, and that one was more unexpected while this was I fully expected to give the perfect score too and it would’ve been a disappointment if I didn’t. This film is about as perfect as you can get and while there are some things that you can nitpick at, for the most part it is very memorable between the songs, the visuals, and the overall package which is why it deserved being nominated for Best Picture. It was fantastic when it came out in 1991 and almost 30 years later, it still holds up and it would be the first of arguably the greatest 3-film stretch in Disney history. In the end, this film is still one of the best of all time and right now has a great chance of being ranked as the best though we still have some that might challenge it.

Final Grade: 10/10

[anneedmonds]

Life Update: Red Wine and Muffin Puppets

I always have such good intentions for this monthly life update post (in fact even writing the first part of this sentence seems very deja vu), but however hard I try to do things in advance I always end up compiling it at the nth hour on the 3rd day of the month. (It has been on the 3rd day of the month since Ted was born; before that it was the 17th of every month, Angelica’s birthday. I have never failed to publish my post before midnight on the right day – I’m borderline superstitious about it now.)

Many people would have thrown out the whole “stick to the same date every month” rule years ago, no doubt finding it ridiculously restrictive and unnecessarily stressful. But I seem to be at my most productive when life is ridiculously restrictive and unnecessarily stressful so go figure – if I didn’t have a set date for my life updates then you probably wouldn’t be reading these very words. I’d just never get around to it, like my cookery videos and the post about sunscreens that’s been languishing in drafts since May 2013.

(By the way, if you want to catch up on all of the life updates – and there are almost four years’ worth now – then you can find them by clicking here and browsing backwards to reach the older posts.)

After that semi-apologetic introduction, which is now pretty much mandatory, let’s get down to business. Or pleasure. Or a mixture of both. I can tell you what hasn’t been a pleasure and that is the twelve days (and counting) of suffering from minor ailments that have been popping up with almost comical regularity. It’s become a standing joke, almost, that every morning brings a new gripe and I can’t tell whether I’m missing some sort of vital nutrient or mineral and need urgent fixing or if this is just what it feels like to get older.

Do I moan and demand that the GP takes my ailments seriously (“but how do you know that my stomach acid isn’t something to do with my eye strain and my running nose and they’re not all related and I have one great big super-illness?”) or do I moan (default setting) and accept that multiple ailments, aches and pains are just an inconvenient way of life. And be grateful that I’m generally well. And alive.

I mean I am always acutely grateful to be alive and not have any serious illness or disease – I’m actually very mindful of checking myself in that respect and reminding myself that every day is an absolute blessing, but by God it’s hard to keep perspective when you can’t breathe through your nose, isn’t it? If there’s one thing that makes me furious with the world it’s a blocked-up nose. Few things are more cruel. Being forced to mouth-breathe through the night, as the inside of your throat dries into something resembling an ancient piece of parchment from Caesar’s journal and then feels as though it’s been set alight, is one of life’s great injustices. Why someone hasn’t invented a sort of irrigation/misting system for the mouth I do not know; a little tube, perhaps, that just spritzes the tongue and throat with water when you have a cold – or better still, a glycerin/honey kind of affair that stops tickly coughs in their path and provides lubrication.

Coming soon on Dragons’ Den.

Anyway, the toothache/headache/stomachache/bottomache/throatache/cough has been exhausting and I would just like a whole week off. To reset. Preferably somewhere hot but not too hot (Greece? Spain?) and with a kids’ club run by Mary Poppins. Or the Greek/Spanish equivalent. Maria Haciendo Estallar. (Google translate has possibly let me down there.)

But enough of me, I must leave some time to talk about Headstrong Ted (two years and four months old) and Pre-Teen Angelica (turning four in a couple of weeks). They are chatting away to one another now, Angelica in perfect, surprisingly crisp English and Ted in his own strange little alien language that likes to elongate vowels and completely miss off the beginning consonants from words. “Ooooo!” is zoo. “Armer!” is farmer. “Iraffe!” is giraffe. But we now have sentences, sort of, or at least the seeds of sentences – the intention’s all there.

“Go! Go! Gaga’s ‘oom! ‘Ide! ‘Olf!” is, obviously, “Go! Go! Angelica’s room! Hide! Wolf!”

Apple is “pull”. Snack is “ack” and baby is “dee dee”. And all of this is monumentally boring to other people so I can’t quite believe I’m writing it. Next I’ll be telling you about the knee operation that my Mum’s brother-in-law’s friend had before Christmas and how he’ll always set off the beeper at the airport. I am turning into the woman I always dreaded, though I haven’t started wearing fleece tops or saving eggshells. Why do people save eggshells? I want to say it’s something to do with slugs but I’ve had a large glass of quite a fine Chianti (no fava beans!) and my brain has gone soft.

Oh but I do have to tell you about my favourite Angelica-isms. Can I? I promise I’ll be quick. She now  understands just about everything so I rarely have to stop to explain – in fact a lot of the time she can tell if I’m oversimplifying things for her and she pulls me up on it. So it makes it even funnier when she gets things wrong. My favourite is this one:

“Mummy I’m going to paint my face but not poke the brush in my eye bulbs.”

Eye bulbs! I think I prefer eyebulbs to eyeballs – I may adopt it. At any rate I can’t bear to correct her because it’s so sweet. She still says coldsnore for coleslaw, and then there’s the one that had me in stitches the other day: Muffin Puppets. Guess what Muffin Puppets are? She was desperate to watch a film we had saved on Amazon Prime and it was about Christmas with the Muffin Puppets. I had absolutely no idea what she was on about. “You know Mummy, the Muffin Puppets at Christmas. With Scrooge.”

She was talking about the Muppets. Muffin Puppets!

If someone doesn’t form a band and call it that I’ll be very upset. Maybe Angelica should form a band – her and Ted are becoming quite the duo when it comes to singing their little ditties and putting on dance performances. Granted, Ted just sort of spins about on the spot and then falls over, but Angelica is full-on Sylvia Young jazz-hand material. She even introduces herself in a (slightly creepy) man’s voice before she begins her show. “Ladies and Gentlemen, my performance is about to begin.”

One of the things that I wanted to write about this month was how intense it was all becoming, looking after two small kids. Sometimes I feel as though we’re on a treadmill and it’s stuck on the highest setting and we just can’t stop running, you can’t even shift your gaze to the control panel to find the slow-down button, let alone reach a hand towards it.  You’re desperate for someone capable to lean over and adjust the speed, give you some breathing space, but it’s relentless. I thought that the newborn phase was hard, and it is, but for such different reasons. Because it’s new, because you don’t sleep, because your brain and body are completely mangled. But then they get older and the guilt becomes a thing, and you have to try and navigate your way through disciplining and educating and trying to instil in them the values and behavioural traits that you find acceptable and it’s a BLOODY MINEFIELD!

Why is there not a course on this? Parenting? I mean for the love of God! You learn about algebra (haven’t needed it once) and you learn how to read maps (hello? Sat nav?!) and you do classes on 1066 at Hastings and the six wives of Henry VIII and all sorts of things that are inarguably interesting; but surely there should be some basic bits and pieces on kids? Like what you should do when you shout at them and they just laugh in your face, or what to do when NO, NO, I SAID NO! doesn’t work, or how to get yourself out of the black hole of doom that is the “using ice cream and treats as bribes for good behaviour” hole.

I’m sure it’s all basic psychology, but it’s the sort of stuff I needed drilled into me from teen years onwards; I don’t have the energy to learn it all now. It needed to be second nature. If I took my eye off the ball for long enough to read up about parenting now, the cat would probably have been shoved into the oven and the walls would be bright green with bits of dried pasta glued all over them. And we’d have no floor, because Ted would have picked the lock on the cupboard with the cleaning products in, managed to mix two highly flammable solutions together and blown a hole in the ground. All in the space of nineteen seconds, which is the time frame in which he can achieve pretty much anything, including climbing two flights of stairs, mounting a window sill ledge and unlatching a window that requires the skill and dexterity of a professional bank robber.

Right, I’m onto my second glass of red which is almost unheard of for me, but it has been a testing kind of week(s). Not that I’m going to make a habit of it – two glasses and I’m a felled woman the following day, I can barely tie my shoelaces. But I have a new book to read and it’s a sort of biography and I feel that it calls for slight tipsiness and perhaps some light weeping. I’m too embarrassed to tell you what the book is at the moment, it’s a daft sort of thing, but I do feel a separate post coming on. I have a weird connection with the woman in question – perhaps it’s a nostalgia thing – so I’m really looking forward to curling up and getting stuck in.

On that mysterious note, I bid you all farewell until later on in the week, which is how long it will take me to recover from my two glasses of wine! So it’s goodnight (or morning, depending on when you’re reading) from me and goodnight from the Muffin Puppets – if you have any funny malapropisms of your own then please do pop them into the comments below. They don’t even have to be kid ones – my parents still call memory foam mattresses the “Tempura Mattress”.

The post Life Update: Red Wine and Muffin Puppets appeared first on A Model Recommends.

Life Update: Red Wine and Muffin Puppets was first posted on June 3, 2019 at 10:00 pm. ©2018 "A Model Recommends". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at contact@amodelrecommends.com Life Update: Red Wine and Muffin Puppets published first on https://medium.com/@SkinAlley

[voiceactinguk]

兄姉: Thicker Than Water

Title: 兄姉: Thicker Than Water  Specs: RPG style game about the bonds that are and will be between siblings, schoolmates, and strangers.  Description:  Koichi Nakagawa is a normal Underclassman of Lazuli (Lah-ze-lei) City. He likes swimming, sports, and doesn't enjoy forced government volunteer work eating into his summer. His parents, always busy with their laborious technician jobs, pile the chores on him. His annoying younger sister Hikaru, a Bubble Bun™  enthusiastic and champion shrieker of eleven years, is somehow the favorite of everyone who lays eyes on her.   This summer is set to be terrible from the get-go. His best friend is on vacation on another planet, the community pool is closed for repairs, the baseball field is closed and his parents are demanding that he complete his volunteer hours before the family is fined for Indiscretion. And to make matters even worse, the witch woman's granddaughter, who came to Lazuli only last semester, hasn't done her hours either. So they'll do them together. He and that no-good liar of a next door neighbor, Matsumi Morioka. The same girl that thinks anyone would believe that that nuclear scrap of a planet Earth could ever have oceans, mountains, forests, and deserts all on one astronomical body.  The day, already bad enough, spirals out of control as Hikaru runs away to a Bubble Bun™ marketing campaign, taking with her an old journal given to her by Matsumi's Granny. Chaos ensues as, with her plans throttled by being underage as well as being cornered by her brother, Hikaru writes a wish in the journal to become an adult... and it comes true! As with many of Granny's old heirlooms, the journal is magic and everything written within its pages becomes truth. With the help of Matsumi, Koichi must chase his sister through the whimsical worlds she creates within the journal, and perhaps learn a few life lessons along the way in this tale of magic, technology, and the bond between a brother and his sister.  --- Characters Koichi Nakagawa (中川光一): Age: 17 Voice: Tired, Cynical, Authoritative Big Brother, Grumbler An Underclassman Citizen in the Domed City of Lazuli. Often has to watch his younger sister, who annoys him to the point that he wants nothing to do with her. Very cynical of the world around him; doesn't believe anything unless he sees it with his own eyes. Thinks he knows more than he really does about street smarts and the world. Has a passion for baseball and is surprisingly good at lateral thinking puzzles. He calls Granny a witch, but unlike Hikaru he's more hesitant to actually believe that anything he's seen so far is real magic, and not just his mind playing tricks on him. He's really a good person deep down, but he's at the stage in his life where he's trying to figure himself out and takes his insecurities out on the world. He internalizes the stress of society's pressure on him and it embitters him.  Test Lines:  "You listen to me because I'm your older brother. There is no other reason."  "Again with those stories!? Just because I don't try in school doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to fall for those tall tales."  "Do you want me to be ashamed of my fear? Because... I am, okay? I'm scared, and it sucks." Matsumi Morioka(森岡松美):  Age: 17 Voice: Matter of Fact, Smooth, Orotund, Accented** An Underclassman Citizen who was born on Earth, amidst the other remains of humanity jammed into the last livable corner of the planet and too destitute to afford even a slum apartment in a Domed City. Moved to live with her grandmother and aunt after her parents died. Thanks to living on the remains of the Earth, she's used to overcrowded tent settlements, no food, and choking atmosphere. Even the slums of Lazuli are a step up to what she was used to. She tells stories about the Earth either from her own experience, or what she's heard repeated from others. Few people in the "civilized" Domed Cities believe everything she says, though no one thinks her to be untrustworthy. She's calm, collected, and it takes a lot to rile her up. She hides any bad feelings and heartbreak for as long as she can, thanks to a lifetime of suppressing all her complaints for the good of the family. She makes comments towards her family's "magic" with a tongue-in-cheek humor, and it's never clear whether she's inherited magical powers, if there really are any to begin with.  **Because she lived on a post-apocalyptic Earth, her accent is different from the standard English spoken by everyone in the Domed Cities. It's noticeable enough to let others know she's a little different. I leave it to the VA to decide what the accent is (get creative!  ) but remember that you'll have to keep it up for the entire game, so use your discretion! Test Lines:  "You know, Granny really is a witch, in more ways than one."  "Why do you have to see things to believe them? I'd never seen a Domed City  before moving to Lazuli,  but that didn't mean I thought they weren't real."  "This forest... I always wanted to stand in a real forest. Even the park in the city is so manufactured. It was never anything like I imagined."  Hikaru Nakagawa(中川ひかる) Age: 11 / 22 Voice: Child: Bright, Not Squeaky but Penetrating, Often Tremulous; Adult: Dynamic, Speaking from the chest, Rich  **I would like for one VA to do both voices, but will consider two VAs if I can't find what I'm searching for.** Koichi's little sister. Like most girls her age, she loves the Bubble Bun TV series and doll line to the point of absurdity. Very smart for her age, and adventurous. She's as headstrong as her brother, and they argue often even over the most trivial of things. A typical brother/sister relationship. She secretly longs to be close to him and begs for him to do things with her, which often leads to him pushing her further away. She wholeheartedly believes that their next-door neighbor is a witch and can do incredible feats of magic.  The journal grants her wish to become an adult in the game, and as an adult she becomes more mature in her obstinacy, fighting less over trivial matters and even giving logical, adult arguments in exchange for the childish bickering of her younger self. She's very imaginative and creates large, detailed worlds based on the snippets of ancient Earthling life Matsumi tells her about as well as everything from the concept of snow to her mother's favorite soap opera.  Test Lines:  Child:  "But I haven't got this doll yet! It's the Bubble Bun spring line "Hanami" with picnic accessories and matching pink flower headband!"  "Granny said that this charm will bring rain if we put it in the window. So  I'm going to make eight of them."  Adult:  "This world, and everything in it, is my creation. If I control them, why  should I not be able to control you, too?"  "Go ahead and admit what we all know! You never wanted me to be  born in the first place! You always were selfish enough to want everything for yourself, even mom and dad!"  Minor Roles:  Granny: Age: 63 Voice: Elderly, yet Hearty. Slightly mysterious.  The Nakagawa's next door neighbor. Treats everything with a sort of pleasant disdain, cheerful in her dislike of the slums and open mockery of Koichi's and Matsumi's faults. Has a soft spot for Hikaru. She acts as if she's a witch, but it's hard to tell if she's being facetious or serious.  Test Lines:  "This charm will give you amazing courage! Or perhaps some indigestion.  Either way, you're going to feel something."  "Your problem is that you're too confident, sonny. No one needs a  confident trash man."  Auntie:  Age: ?? Voice: Smoky, Smooth, Snobbish Matsumi's maternal aunt. Studying to be a doctor and raise the family out of the slums. Acts cold and sarcastic, but probably isn't that bad of a person. Calls you out for walking in front of the TV. Wears revealing clothes. O-Ho-Ho anime girl type.  Test Lines:  "You two stay here more than you do your own flat. I said I'd be the guardian of one kid, not three."  "Shouldn't you be at school or something? Don't you  kids have to do volunteer work during the summer now?" --- TO AUDITION: 1. Gather your courage. 2. Do 1+ test lines.  3. Save lines in .mp3 format. Label as YourName_Character_Line(Number). Each line should be separate, but multiple takes for the line may be saved in the same .mp3.  4. Send lines (and demo reel, if applicable) to iplayitlike@gmail.com. Subject line should be "Thicker Than Water Audition: (Character Name)" 5. You may audition for more than one part, but be sure to list all parts you want to audition for in the email subject line.  6. In the body of the email, tell me what name you'd like to go by, a little about your VA History (even if you're just starting out),  and a little about yourself.  SEND IN ALL AUDITIONS BY 8:00 AM CST JUNE 4TH.  CASTING WILL BE DECIDED BY 8:00 AM CST JUNE 5TH. GOOD LUCK!  http://dlvr.it/PDF1hW www.voiceacting.space

[couchcushings]

ch 7 of trash fic 2.0

The hallways of Chateau Frankenstein always felt colder at night. Eglantine leaned out of her bedroom door, peering up and down the hall. Everything was dark and suffocatingly quiet. She stepped out of her room, taking care to make as little noise as possible, and tiptoed across the stone tiles. His room was only down the hall and up a flight of stairs, but it felt like miles. She skittered to a halt at the base of the steps. The coiled out of sight. Eglantine took them three at a time, hardly stopping for breath on her way. The upstairs hallway was just as dark and silent; but at least the tiles were covered by a long, thin carpet.

His door was old—perhaps even original to the chateau. It scraped her knuckles as she knocked.

The door opened. "I'm glad to see that you took my advice to heart."

"Advice," she pushed past him and into the warm light of his room, "it's not as though I had a choice. I could /feel/ Aldis staring at me tonight. I highly doubt that I am even safe here."

The baron closed the door. "I noticed. It made dinner a very awkward affair. He's becoming unstable at a far quicker rate than I expected. Mrs. Clemens spoke to me about him today. She's very concerned about his mental state. I told her there was nothing I could do about it. It wasn't a lie."

Eglantine rubbed her arms. "Do you think he'll act on his delusions soon?"

"Who can tell what an unhinged mind will do?" He shrugged. "Certainly not I. For the time being I would suggest that you continue to sleep in my chamber rather than your own. As we discussed in the laboratory, we have the advantage here."

"You keep saying that and yet I still think you're motives are licentious. In fact, you practically admitted it!"

"How many times must I assure you that my motives are pure? However, if you keep wearing that particular negligee I will be forced to reevaluate my intentions." He touched the lace edging of her collar. "It gives me all kinds of peculiar ideas."

"I can't say the same about your things. I still think you should invest in some new bedclothes."

"My bedclothes might not spark any lust, but you certainly were intrigued by my scars." He adjusted his collar so the scar on his neck was visible. "Tell me, what is a fine, upright young lady like yourself doing being attracted to an old man's scars?"

She frowned. "Who says they attract me?"

"You couldn't keep your hands off of me this morning, dear girl. It was pathetic!"

"I thought you said I wasn't your kind of woman—that I was too headstrong for your tastes?"

"We have already gone over this once today—however, I thought that you said that you wouldn't bed me if I was the last man on earth. Your actions this morning told a different story."

"It's unfortunate that you think so. I haven't changed my mind about that particular fact." She crossed her arms. "All I was doing this morning was playing with you. If anyone was being pathetic it wasn't me."

There was a knock at the door.

They both jumped. Eglantine's hand flew to her throat. "Do you think it's Aldis," she whispered.

"We shall just have to find out." Baron Frankenstein opened the door.

Mr. Clemens stood on the threshold. "There you are, Miss. I've been looking all over for you."

"What do you want, Clemens?"

"My master would like to speak to Miss Dupré, sir."

"At this time of night? Preposterous. Go back to your master and tell him that Miss Dupré is otherwise engaged and even if she wasn't she wouldn't come. Do you understand?"

"He won't be happy, sir. He's been getting all sorts of funny ideas lately." Mr. Clemens shook his head gravely. "Her indoors thinks that he's touched."

"The only thing that's wrong with Mr. Jones is a healthy case of syphilis. It beginning to effect his mind. Miss Dupré wouldn't be safe in his company. Which is why she's /staying here/."

Mr. Clemens gave a careless shrug. "Mr. Jones won't be happy about that."

"I don't give a fuck what Mr. Jones will or will not be happy about. My only concerns are for Miss Dupré and her continued well-being. Now kindly go back to your master and tell him to fuck off, will you?" The baron shoved Mr. Clemens out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Why, Victor, it's almost like you care about me."

He crossed his arms. "What did I tell you about calling me by my first name?"

"I don't know." She draped herself across the edge of the bed. "I don't /really/ listen when you speak. But onto a more pressing matter, I did happen to catch that you told Mr. Clemens that I was otherwise engaged. Are you sure that was wise? Aldis is likely to make his way upstairs to check on us again."

"Perhaps I was feeling frisky." He joined her on the edge of the bed. "Not that we've established that I'm at least attracted to you physically, we might have some fun." The baron began to kiss the lacy décolletage of her dress.

She didn't make any attempt to stop him. "Unfortunately for you, I still find you repellent."

He paused his kisses. "Are you forbidding me to touch you?"

Eglantine did her best impression of fluttering eyelashes. "I don't believe I said that."

"Are you having a seizure?"

She pushed him away. "I was trying to be seductive; but if you're too thick to understand then there's really no hope for you, is there?"

The door burst open. Aldis stood in the doorway, panting for breath.

Baron Frankenstein rolled his eyes. "We're a bit busy."

"I called for Miss Dupré."

"The word 'we' implies that Miss Dupré and I are /both/ busy, Mr. Jones. Perhaps you could learn to take a hint and fuck off?"

Aldis bristled at the baron's use of language. He continued to stand in the doorway, his chest heaving.

"How is the syphilis treating you, Mr. Jones?" The baron asked, narrowing his eyes. "Has your penis started rotting off yet? Or is that one of the many joys to come?"

"You!" Aldis' face turned scarlet. "You told me that you would keep that a secret!"

"Miss Dupré isn't stupid, boy. She has more medical training than the both of us combined, though I'm loath to admit it. She would have guessed it if she hasn't already."

"I told you that in confidence!" he hissed. "Does the word mean nothing to you?"

"I wouldn't keep the secrets of any man who spends his nights lurking outside of my bedchamber in hopes of hearing or seeing something that will give him a little thrill." The baron gave Eglantine a saucy wink.

She had a terrible feeling that she knew he was going to do something that she wouldn't approve of. /Just go along with it, it's all for your survival./ She returned the wink hesitantly, not wanting to dwell on what his plans might be.

"Tell me, Aldis, how does it feel to be excluded from the bedchamber? How does it make you feel when you realize you can't do this?" He pressed a burning kiss to Eglantine's lips, leaving her gasping for breath after only a few moments of contact. "Or this?" He pulled her into his lap and renewed his amorous attentions. "If you did this you could transmit your disease and all she would be good for in a few months would be a grave." He ran his hands over her breasts, caressing them through the thin fabric of her negligee.

Eglantine snuck a glance at him. Aldis was turning purple. "Victor," she said, "it's not fair to tease him so. Send him away so we can have our fun." She ran her fingers through his hair in what she hoped was a seductive manner. "I don't like the idea of him watching us."

"But why not, darling? If he wants to watch, let him."

"I could never." She did her best pout. "Please, Victor, make him go away."

"For you, my sweet, anything," he punctuated his declaration with one last kiss before pushing her from his lap. "You heard Miss Dupré, Mr. Jones, she wants you to leave."

"And if I refuse?"

"Mr. Jones, I am no longer a young man. It may have come to your notice that I am never going to see my half-century again. However, if you do not leave I will pitch you down the stairs—new body be damned!" Baron Frankenstein rose from the bed and took a threatening step toward him.

Aldis squeaked in an unmanly fashion and retreated into the hallway.

"You're not gone yet," he snarled, continuing to advance on Aldis' hapless figure.

"I'll get you for this, /Herr Baron/!" He tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. In an instant, he was back on his feet and down the hall.

The baron slammed the door and locked it. "I don't know how many more times I can push him like that before he snaps. The next time we're going to have to find an alternate means of expelling him."

"As long as it doesn't involve my bosoms." She frowned, adjusting her neckline. "You've mussed it all up!"

"It's no worse than what you did to my hair." He surveyed himself in the mirror. "What were you trying to do?"

"It was my best impression of a romance novel heroine. How did I do?"

"If this were a romance novel you would be naked right now and pleading with me to take you." He shooed her off the bed. "As it is, I'm going to turn off the gas and hope that Mr. Jones doesn't decide to murder us in our sleep."

"A worthy hope if ever I heard one." She turned down the edge of the coverlet as he turned down the gas. "I do believe that you're growing on me, Baron Frankenstein. Although I could do with you touching my breasts less." She shrugged. "Perhaps you really are a gentleman."

He slid into the bed after her, blowing out the last candle and leaving them in complete darkness. "Well, not completely."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"This." He reached across the space between them and pulled her in close.

Her eyes widened in the darkness. "You're not wearing your bedclothes."

"I am not." He shifted to accommodate her sudden nearness.

"There had better be a good reason."

"This is my bed, Miss Dupré, and when we are in my bed, I make the rules."