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whiteqnn · 4 years

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PURE [3] - Corpse Husband x Fem! Reader

A/N: Over 1 thousand notes. You guys are insane. I can’t see any other explanation.

Thank you so much for all the love and support under the previous parts, all those comments just absolutely made my day! I would never expect this story to receive such a positive feedback, which I’m extremely grateful for!

Anyway, I decided to add some additional plot to this story - mainly, the sudden criticism and hate directed on Y/N after the last Among Us stream. I thought it would make things more interesting.

That being said, I hope you enjoy the third part ^^

part 1

part 2

part 4

part 5

PURE [3]

Y/N stared at her phone screen, reading through the latest tweets of her friends inviting their fans to watch their streams. It was Thursday evening and just as it was planned, everyone was getting ready for another game of Among Us. Just as she would do if it wasn’t for all those comments...

The last stream caused sudden, unexpected amounts of attention on her social media. She probably shouldn’t be that surprised by it, given the fact that by appearing in Sean’s and Felix’s videos she wasn’t all that strange to their fans. But people who watched Rae, Toast, or Corpse’s streams didn’t know her. And apparently, some of them weren’t that happy to see a new face among the group of well-known gamers.

She always tried to avoid the unnecessary spotlight as much as she could, preferring to stay hidden somewhere behind other, much more popular streamers. And it never bothered her. She was never one to enjoy too much attention anyway.

That’s why when she discovered how upset, or even angry, some people were when she played with all those famous streamers, she was quite shocked, to say the least.

Like all those comments under Poki’s tweet, in which she mentioned who’s gonna be playing this time...

“Duh, why’s that Y/N chick supposed to play with them again? There are at least hundreds of other, much more popular streamers I can think of who would be better than her.”

“Who the fuck is she anyway? Why’s she there?”

“lmao, some random girl who got lucky enough to know jacksepticeye. Don’t get why she’s playing with them though.”

“NOT HER AGAIN. I SWEAR TO GOD SHE WAS SO FUCKING ANNOYING LAST TIME”

Sure, she wasn’t as famous as Felix, or Sean, or Rae, or anyone else for that matter. Her audience wasn’t very small, but it was nothing compared to the number of fans other YouTubers had. It was understandable that most people didn’t know who she was, and didn’t understand why she was there in the first place.

She was, in fact, just some random girl who was lucky to have Sean as her friend. But in a group of such great and well-known streamers, she definitely stood out like a sore thumb.

Y/N almost jumped in her seat when her phone beeped with a new message, Sean’s nickname showing up at the top of her screen.

Jackaboy: We’re starting in a few kiddo

Jackaboy: But join the call now so we can both make fun of Felix

After the last game, she was so excited and couldn’t wait for this evening. She looked forward to cooperating with Sykkuno again, to arguing with Toast, to laughing with Sean and Felix, to murdering other people with Corpse... Yet now, all this excitement seemed to vanish just like the mood to play, let alone talk with other people. They would surely see right through her and try to make her spill the beans, which would ruin the stream. And the last thing she wanted was to ruin their game.

Jackaboy: You there Y/N??

She sighed, thinking of some believable excuse that wouldn’t arouse suspicion, but her mind was flooded with all those comments and DMs she received over those past days, which expressed nothing but hatred towards her.

Y/N: I’m really sorry Sean, but I don’t think I will be joining you today... I don’t feel very well.

She waited for Sean’s reply impatiently, expecting him to send her some angry emoji or tell her to move her ass and join the discord call. What she didn’t expect though, was that he would facetime her.

Her first instinct was to throw her phone across the room as if it would make Sean stop calling. He wouldn’t stop unless she’d tell him the truth.

So she cleared her throat and plastered the widest smile on her face, before answering his call.

“Alright, what is going on?” Sean asked right away, staring at her with his brows furrowed. He wasn’t in his recording room, but in his kitchen, which meant that he left his stream to call her. “And please don’t tell me you’re sick cause I won’t believe it anyway. And neither will Pewds.”

“I’m tired, Sean... I was working late again and I really need to rest.” she lied, trying to keep her voice steady and calm. She really didn’t want Sean to interrogate her now, not when his fans were waiting for him. “I’m sure you’ll find someone else though. Please tell the guys that I’m sorry”

“Y/N, c’mon, cut this bullshit. What’s wrong?” he asked softly, moving his phone closer to his face. “You know you’re a terrible liar, just tell me what happened. If you don’t wanna play then neither do I.”

“Sean, please don’t do it” she shook her head with a sigh. “Your fans are waiting for you, I’ll be fine.”

“Well they’re waiting for you too you dummy, I already promised them you’ll be playing with us tonight” he stated matter of factly, rolling his eyes. Y/N remained silent for a moment, and Sean suddenly furrowed his brows, narrowing his eyes at her in a suspicious look. “Did someone tell you something rude last time we played? Who and what?”

“What? No, Sean, oh my God. Everyone was super nice, it has nothing to do with the last stream... not with you guys, at least.” she mumbled under her breath, dropping her eyes from Sean’s confused face.

“What do you mean not with you guys? Y/N, what the hell happened?” he demanded, slowly getting more and more worried. She wouldn’t tell him though, too scared that Sean would just laugh it off, even though he also sometimes had problems with dealing with hate. And just as if he was reading her mind, Sean sighed, his face softening in a sad smile. “You’ve read the comments, didn’t you?”

She felt so stupid for being so easily offended by comments of some random people on the Internet, that she just nodded her head meekly, still looking anywhere but at the man.

“Look kiddo... I’m not gonna tell you to get yourself together and just ignore them, cause it won’t help, and I know cause I’ve been there. Hell, I’m still there.” he chuckled to himself and continued “Anyway, you really shouldn’t be worrying yourself about people who don’t even know you. They don’t know you, Y/N, why would some complete stranger’s opinion matter to you?”

“They said I shouldn’t be playing with you guys... that I’m nothing but a burden and you should be playing with someone who’s at least recognizable.”

“Well excuse me Miss, last time I checked I could choose who the fuck I want to play with.” Sean scoffed, clearly irritated by such comments “You’re one of my best friends Y/N and I don’t give a fuck what some haters say. And neither should you.”

“Maybe you should just invite someone else... It would make everyone happy.” she muttered almost inaudibly, but Sean almost barked at her when he heard her words.

“I told you to cut that bullshit, Y/N! Everyone couldn’t wait for this game and now you wanna back out? C’mon, kid. Do you have any idea how heartbroken Sykkuno’s gonna be? When you left so quickly last time, he kept complaining that he has no one to team up with.” she couldn’t help but smile at that, letting out a tiny giggle. “And Corpse? Have you even seen his last tweet?”

“What? No, I- I don’t follow him...” she said, wondering what Sean was talking about. She quickly searched for Corpse on Twitter, still being on facetime with Sean, and her heart almost dropped when she saw the last tweet.

@.Corpse_Husband Really excited for tonight’s Among Us stream, 8PM PST.

Jacksepticeye

Valkyrae

Pewdiepie

Pokimane

Sykkuno

Disguised Toast

Logic

Mr Beast

and, hopefully, my partner in crime - Little Y/N

She stared at the screen with her eyes widened, and her lips corners curling up in a small, bashful smile. It was so nice of Corpse to mention her as well, especially with the nickname that he seemed to like so much since their last game.

“God, if you could see yourself right now. How’s it that my pep talk didn’t do shit, but Corpse’s tweet magically made you smile, ugh.” Sean reminded her of his presence, and she quickly returned to the call, trying to somehow control her burning cheeks.

“It’s not like that, Sean, I really appreciate that you’re trying to cheer me up... I just didn’t expect your friends to like me...” she admitted quietly, and if Sean could, he would probably strangle her at that moment.

“I JUST TOLD YOU THAT SYKKUNO KEPT BUGGING ME ABOUT YOU FOR TWO FUCKING HOURS. YOU THINK HE WOULD TALK ABOUT YOU IF HE DIDN’T LIKE YOU?!”

“I just... what if they’re just being nice, but they don’t actually want me to play with them?”

“I’m done.” Sean groaned, shaking his head furiously. “Alright, here’s what you’re gonna do. You stay away from your phone, join the discord call, say hi to everyone, and we’re all gonna have fun, okay? If not, Pewds is gonna murder you, cause he was already growing impatient even before I called you.”

“I’m still not sure if that’s a good idea, Sean...”

“But I am sure, Y/N! Now come on, we’re playing in five. I’m telling everyone you’re joining as well.”

And before she could even reply, he hung up. Y/N groaned, rushing to her computer to turn it on. Now it would just be plain rude not to join the game, especially after Sean wasted his time talking with her, while he should be talking to his fans. Just as he suggested, she kept her phone far away from her desk, deciding to stay away from Twitter and all those comments for a bit. Maybe it would help her clear her mind and at least try to have some fun.

An invite to the group call was already waiting for her, along with a message from Sean with a code to the game. Y/N put her headphones on before joining the call and quickly typing in the code.

“... so let me repeat myself. I ALWAYS sound guilty, no matter what. Please, guys, don’t vote me out!”

Y/N shook her head with a smile on her lips when the first thing she heard after joining the call was Felix’s pleading voice. Clearly, he was already trying to save his own ass even before the game began.

Y/N could hear Sean’s loud voice as he commented on Felix’s plea with some snarky remark, later also catching the sounds of Rae’s laughter. Everyone was already there, they’ve been clearly waiting for her to join.

“Hey, look who’s finally here! Hi Y/N!” Poki noticed her presence first.

“Hello everyone” Y/N said, as shy and quiet as usual.

“Oh, Y/N! It’s so great to see you again, I was worried you weren’t joining us tonight” Sykkuno said, a pout clear in his voice.

“WELL ABOUT DAMN TIME” Felix all but yelled, making her roll her eyes with a smile. “What did I tell you about being late?!”

“Give her a break Felix, her mic wasn’t working again... Luckily, I was there to save the damsel in distress” Sean said, and even though she couldn’t see him, Y/N was almost certain that he was smirking.

“Yeah, I’m really sorry guys to have kept you waiting so long...” Y/N said, feeling genuinely bad. Maybe Sean was right after all? They could have just invited someone else, and yet they decided to wait for her.

“It’s okay, you’re here now and it’s all that matters” a deep voice sounded out, and whether she liked it or not, Y/N grinned like an idiot with a blush rising up her cheeks.

“Shit, here we go again...” Felix sighed, making everyone else laugh. Y/N bit at her lower lip, feeling her heart thump in her chest as she felt a sudden wave of courage, deciding to speak up despite her initial shyness:

“Well... I couldn’t just leave my partner in crime alone, right?” she asked, and she could swear she heard Corpse stutter as if he completely didn’t expect her to say that.

“Ah yes, after all, killing wouldn’t be the same without her, right Corpse?” Toast teased, repeating Corpse’s words from the last stream. Everyone in the call laughed, Y/N included. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling, even though just mere minutes ago she was on the verge of crying. “It’s good to have you here, Y/N/N. Maybe I’ll actually get a chance to finally kill you this time.”

“Jesus Christ, Toast. You sound like a psychopath. Hey, I’m happy you’re here, lemme stab you in the back, please?” someone whose nickname was MrBeast spoke up with a chuckle, before directing his next words to Y/N “I believe we haven’t played together before, I’m Mr Beast, it’s really nice to meet you Y/N”

“Yeah, pleased to meet you!” another player, Logic, spoke up “I also didn’t have a chance to play with you yet, but I’ve seen Sean’s last stream... Let me just say, that Toast murder was absolutely perfect!”

“Wow. And here I almost managed to block it out. I’m fucking traumatized Y/N, you should be ashamed of yourself” Toast scoffed over Felix’s laughter.

“You should be proud of yourself!” Sean interfered “Just so you know lads, Y/N may seem like a little angel, but she’s a little demon. You’ve been warned.”

“Yeah, she’ll charm you with her voice only to snap your neck next second.” Felix scoffed.

“Just like she did with Corpse!”

“Charm?!” Y/N gasped, her cheeks burning.

“I don’t recall Y/N killing me...” Corpse said in his low voice.

“I love how that’s the only thing he denied” Poki pointed out in a teasing voice, which only made Y/N sink further into her chair.

“Can we please start the game now?” she asked in a pleading voice, hoping that everyone would stop making fun of Corpse and her. She could only imagine how uncomfortable he felt, for some reason being the target of their jokes... They must’ve made him feel awkward, right?

“Jack, did you tell Y/N how we’re playing tonight?” Sykkuno asked, and she sighed in relief that they dropped the jokes.

“Oh, right! So there’s this mod called proximity chat, where we’re able to hear each other as we pass by another person, and it seems quite fun so that’s what we decided to try out tonight.” Sean explained to Y/N, and before she could ask another question, he added “I’ve just sent you the link, it’ll take a minute to install it.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you Sean” Y/N said, before downloading the mod and quickly installing it. When everything was set and ready, she pulled up Among Us again and typed in the code, and the game finally began.

“Woah”

“Holy shit!”

“Guys this is so cool!” Sykkuno exclaimed, his voice so happy and excited that Y/N couldn’t help but giggle.

“Okay, I’m scared now. I feel like encounters with Imposter are just gonna be perfectly cut screams” Felix chuckled, as they left the dropship and moved down the map. That’s when Y/N gasped in surprise, upon seeing the locations completely different than those she was used to.

“Wait- is that a different map?” she asked through her mic, hearing Toast’s distanced, devilish laugh. There was only Rae and Sykkuno beside her, as everyone else have already split up to do their tasks.

“Oh yeah, that’s Polus, it’s much more fun than the one we were playing in last time.” Rae explained happily and Y/N groaned. She didn’t know that map.

“Great. I don’t even know how am I supposed to do tasks in here...”

“Oh, it’s not that hard. They’re in most cases similar to those you already know, they only look a little bit different.” Sykkuno said in his kind voice, before asking “Do you want to team up again, Y/N?”

“I thought you would never ask Sykkuno” Rae chuckled under her breath.

“Yeah, that would be great! I need someone to show me around” she smiled. The trio finally moved from their spot beside the dropship and went to the left where, as Y/N later realized, was electrical. She quickly did her task in there, being under the watchful eyes of both Sykkuno and Rae.

Before the latter could do his own task, the first body was reported.

“The body is in the lab” Felix said, and Y/N couldn’t help but smirk as she saw that it was Toast who was murdered first. One less person to accuse her or try to frame her, if he was the Imposter.

“I just ran towards the lab from the left side, I only saw Poki on my way there” Corpse said right away, and the accused girl was quick to try and defend herself:

“Okay, I wasn’t in the lab, I was doing that engines task which is next to the lab.”

“Did you see someone else there?” Jack questioned.

“Nope, just me and the engines.”

“Okay. Sykkuno, where are you?” the lime astronaut was next on Jack’s list of suspects, which made Sykkuno groan.

“Why do you sound so suspicious right away?” he asked in disbelief, causing the rest to giggle “I was with Y/N and Rae all this time, we were all doing our tasks in electrical.”

“Is that true Y/N?”

“Yes Sean, that is true” she rolled her eyes with a laugh “I don’t even know this map, I have to stick with someone so I don’t end up like Toast.”

“Alright, what about rest? Logic? I think I saw you in admin but then you disappeared somewhere.” Felix said.

“Yeah I’m with Mr Beast in the office”

“That’s right” Mr Beast confirmed, which didn’t bring anything new to the investigation, so everyone decided to skip.

“Wo- Okay where are we now?” Y/N asked in surprise, when the new round began in some completely new place Sykkuno didn’t manage to show her yet. She could hear as Corpse laughed at her shocked voice, which made her smile widely.

“Yeah, I’m also not used to this new map yet” he admitted, his black astronaut walking up to her white one “Hey, wanna see something cool?”

“Sure!”

*Meanwhile Sykkuno*

“Okay this is bad guys, we lost Y/N” Sykkuno said to his mic, running around the map to find the girl he was earlier teamed up with. “I thought she followed us when the new round began, but she must’ve gone the other way... What if she’s dead already? Not good, not good...”

"Woah! This looks amazing! Is there some task here as well?”

“Yes, there’s temperature recording right here” Corpse said, standing by the lava pit, watching as Y/N’s character ran back and forth over the pool of lava.

“I wonder if you could jump into it. What do you think, Corpse?” she asked curiously, standing close to the edge.

“Not that I’m aware of it...” he mumbled coming closer to the edge as well “Why would you jump into it?” he asked with a half-smile on his face.

“So Felix can’t stab me in the back.” she whispered, even though there was no one around them.

“You think it’s him?” Corpse mirrored her voice, and she hummed in response “Why?”

“He’s constantly suspicious of everyone, last time we played he also kept interrogating us all, without even telling his own location.” she stated as if it was very obvious. Corpse couldn’t help but let out a laugh “What? Why are you laughing at me?”

“Not at you, Y/N. I’m just impressed by your investigation skills” he admitted “In that case, we better both jump in. Felix likes to frame other people.”

“You wanna jump into the lava with me?”

“Sure I do.”

“There you are!” Sykkuno’s lime astronaut came out of nowhere, followed by Mr Beast. Two of them walked up to Y/N and Corpse, and before the latter could even say anything, Mr Beast snapped Y/N’s neck.

“WAIT, NO-”

“OH GOD, OH GOD” Sykkuno yelled in panic.

“KILL HIM CORPSE” Mr Beast screamed, frantically running around.

“What the heck?” Y/N stared at her screen in shock, her dead body laying over the lava pit. Mr Beast had already fled to the left, leaving her, Sykkuno and Corpse standing between two of them. None of them said anything for a moment before the black astronaut finally spoke up.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Y/N” he kept repeating, regret clear in his voice. “And Sykkuno, I- I can’t even express how-”

He was cut off by Felix’s scream, who reported the bodies before Corpse could kill him as well.

“IT’S CORPSE ALRIGHT” Felix yelled right away “HE’S STANDING OVER Y/N AND SYKKUNO, HE HAS THEIR BLOOD ON HIS HANDS”

“That is- I did not kill them” Corpse replied, calm as ever, as opposed to his frantic apologies.

“Then why were you standing there?! Without reporting the bodies?!”

“I was... mourning their death.” he replied, which caused the whole group to burst out laughing. “Seriously guys, you think I would murder Sykkuno? And Y/N? I would never even think of hurting them.”

“The simp is strong, we get it, but it doesn’t really save your situation” Rae laughed.

“Let’s kick him out guys, he can’t even defend himself” Sean chuckled, and everyone else didn’t need to be told twice. Soon enough, Y/N watched as Corpse’s black astronaut was thrown into the lava pit... Oh, the irony...

The game continued with her wandering around the map, doing the rest of her tasks to at least support somehow her fellow crewmates. She stumbled upon Corpse’s ghost at some point and laughed wholeheartedly when he started circling her little character in something she read as an attempt to apologize.

A little while later another body was reported, this time it was Felix who lost his life. Y/N didn’t really focus on the conversation this time, glancing at her phone instead. There was this urge to reach for it and check how people reacted to her joining the game, but she kept repeating Sean’s words in her head. There was no point in worrying about the opinion of somebody who doesn’t even know her... or at least that’s what she tried to convince herself to think.

Her attention was brought back to the game when she heard the sound of a new message from someone who was also dead. She clicked on the chat, seeing that it was one of the Impostors.

Corpse: :(

Corpse: I’m sorry

Y/N thought it was sweet of him to apologize for it, even though it was his main goal to murder everyone after all. She believed he was genuinely sorry for it, just like she was each time she was an Impostor and had to kill somebody.

Sykkuno: Welcome to the afterlife, Corpse!

She laughed at Sykkuno’s constant happiness, which was evident even in his messages, before typing one as well:

Y/N: We’re all corpse here

Sykkuno: Oh, so it means we’re all really cool then ^^

Y/N: Fair point

Corpse: See Y/N

Corpse: I told you I would jump into the lava for you

Y/N: You didn’t exactly jump...

Corpse: :(

Y/N: But let’s say it counts as well :)

Corpse: :)

Before they knew, the voting ended. Mr Beast was thrown into the lava, which ultimately lead to the victory of crewmates. Y/N cheered happily, when the blue sign appeared on her screen, right above everyone else who was innocent.

“Yaaay, the first time I wasn’t killed in the first game!” Sean announced enthusiastically, his astronaut running around the dropship.

“Yeah, and the first time it went so fast...”

“Right? Corpse, I’m disappointed in you. What happened to the King of Impostors?” Rae asked.

“Well.. no matter how good you are, you can’t always win, right?” Corpse replied calmly.

“Hmm, you seemed kinda absent-minded during the game, though...” Poki suggested with a smirk hiding in her voice, and Rae was very quick to pick on it.

“Oh, you’ve noticed that too? Almost as if he was distracted by something”

“I don’t know what are you talking about” he chuckled nervously, and Y/N just sat in her chair confused about what was going on. “Anyway, who’s up for another round?”

“Yeah, I have an idea” Sean said, effectively shutting everyone up “What if we play something along the lines of hide and seek? Let’s have one impostor, and everyone else needs to get their tasks done before he finds them.”

“That is...” Felix took in a dramatic breath “THE BEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD ABOUT”

“Yeah, I think it will be fun” Sykkuno replied.

“It sounds really cool, but let’s maybe tell who’s the impostor? I think it would be more fair” Rae suggested.

“I think it’s a good idea” Sean concluded, before changing the settings for one impostor only. Y/N waited patiently for the game to begin, and when she saw that she was a crewmate again, she sighed in relief. Only to gasp in a panic a second later...

“It’s me.”

Everyone stumbled out of the dropship as Corpse admitted that he’s the impostor. It seemed that knowing exactly who can murder everyone made the whole game a little bit terrifying...

“I don’t know where the heck I’m going” Y/N mumbled to herself with a nervous laugh when instead of doing her tasks, she searched for the perfect place to hide. When she entered security, she spotted Mr Beast fixing the wires, so she decided to join him.

“OH SHIT- god damn it, you scared me to death!” he all but yelled when she appeared next to him, doing her tasks.

“Sorry” she giggled, quickly finishing the wires, before speeding out of the room. On her way to weapons, she stumbled across Felix’s dead body, and could hear some screaming in the background... but didn’t recognize who was murdered next.

Y/N managed to do most of her tasks without meeting Corpse, whom she hoped not to see probably for the first time since they played together. She was just leaving decontamination when she heard Sean’s panicked laughter:

“...tee, bitches love me?”

“Wrong.” Corpse’s voice almost made her squeak in surprise, only to really scream when he suddenly snapped Sean’s neck.

“Retreat, retreat!” Y/N laughed as she sped past oblivious Rae and Logic, Corpse hot on her tail. She quickly returned to the decontamination room, hoping to flee from her inevitable death, when Corpse’s black astronaut walked in, and the door closed.

“Please don’t kill me” she chuckled, even though there was no hope for her.

“Finish my lyrics, and I’ll let you live...” he began, and Y/N furrowed her brows in confusion “ I spilt wine...”

“Wait- what lyrics? You sing?” she asked, completely dumbfounded. Corpse was silent for a moment as if he didn’t understand her, before bursting out laughing “What’s so funny again? Corpse, come on!”

“Yes, Y/N, I do sing, I was actually hoping you’ve heard some of my songs...” he admitted, still chuckling to himself. She felt a blush rising up her cheeks.

“Oh- I- I didn’t, I-... but I will, okay? I’ll do it right away!” she promised, quickly jumping up to grab her phone and listen to Corpse’s song. She was genuinely shocked, she would never expect him to sing!

She unlocked her phone with a wide, somehow nervous smile on her face, which, however, dropped the moment she saw her notifications. Hundreds of notifications.

“You there, Y/N?” Corpse’s voice reached her after a moment, when she still didn’t say anything, just kept looking at her screen. “I hope my music isn’t so bad that you passed out from listening to it...”

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, her phone gripped tightly in her shaking hands.

“Um, Y/N?” his voice became more worried now “Is everything okay?”

Y/N cleared her throat and quickly wiped her eyes, closing them for a moment to steady her breathing.

“Yeah, all good Corpse” she forced herself to smile, so her voice wouldn’t sound weird. “Look, um, I need to leave, can you tell the others bye from me?”

“Is something wrong?” Corpse asked confused.

“No, of course not!” she laughed through her tears “Something just came up and I really need to leave.”

“You sure you’re-”

“Bye Corpse. It was nice playing with you.”

A/N: I hope you guys are not too disappointed in me... It didn’t turn out as I initially thought it would. Isn’t it too dramatic? And is this hate plot fine? Or is it not? What do guys you think?

TAG LIST IS CLOSED!

@slytherin-chan @pillowjj @afuckingunicornn @love-and-virtues @ignooynim @crapimahuman @hannahjsworld @laugh-like-the-moon @fallengoddess772 @kingric03 @dolphinpink310 @paigeyisme @bunnychano3o @dxrtygxrl28 @z-nyx @baby-iyania @trashygeek

#corpse husband #corpse x reader #corpse husband x reader #fanfiction #youtubers #corpse husband imagine #writing #imagine

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timelessduet · 3 years

Text

For Them: Hopefully 1st & Last Entry

Hello. I was already in the process of writing my next work for the boys to be posted soon as requested to me but what’s been happening in MLQC... I wanted to stay quiet and everything but this is too much.

To those who aren’t aware yet, apparently Victor’s new VA, Jonah Scott got his contract terminated just because of saying Taiwan is a country. When I first heard of this I was like... isn’t he saying a fact? I was literally shocked and speechless... he was getting fired over something like that and as VA of Gavin (Joe Zieja) said was a Google-able fact.

As a Victor stan, it was indeed a rollercoaster. I’m sure fans of Victor aren’t the only affected but the whole MLQC community. When Ben Diskin had to step down from his role as Victor, it was sad but all we could do at that time was respect his choice and be happy for him. He did Victor so amazingly it was just so difficult to part with the voice and interpretation he gave us. Aside from the way Victor’s character was made, I won’t deny how his baritone “dummy” got me hard. This was unexpected but it was mutually agreed upon by the two parties. The MLQC team and Ben parted in good terms (so I hope that’s the case). But at least they talked the whole thing through and prepared for his replacement.

This time however, was not the case. I didn’t know who Jonah was when he was first introduced by MLQC as the new voice of Victor. So as someone who was curious, I did a little research on his previous projects and tried watching a recent anime which he dubbed for and I was impressed. He had this deep voice plus he had this jolly character in real life that I’m sure fans would really like and appreciate. It didn’t take long for me to accept Jonah as the new Victor though I admit I’m still getting used to it. He was doing so well becoming the new Victor but then it had to be cut short just like that. He was the perfect VA for Victor. His voice was similar, he was very nice in person and interacted with the fans, he likes Victor, and Ben approves of him as the next Victor.

But I could only think they decided to terminate Jonah’s contract without even asking for his side. Like there was no room for further discussion. I think all Victor fans are very strong and understanding towards the MLQC team for taking so many problems/announcements well. But now, I’m speaking up that this is too much and unacceptable. I am very aware that this game I came to enjoy and love for almost a year is made in Ch*na. That’s why they’re so sensitive af with the whole Taiwan is a country because of the long history and all that. Some fans could only guess the MLQC team is doing such extreme lengths to protect this server from shutting down but I think it’s already nearing that point.

I honestly love the game. I’ve never been more hooked and invested with an otome game than I did with MLDD/MLQC. I also hope the MLQC server won’t have to shut down but that would probably be the case especially now that Sean Chiplock (Kiro), Joe Zieja (Gavin), and Aleks Le (Shaw) said they won’t be doing/reprising their VO roles for their characters unless Jonah is reinstated as Victor’s VA. That’s definitely a huge blow on the server as it is. The worst case scenario is MLQC won’t accept and we’ll have a voiceless Victor, Gavin, Kiro, and Shaw. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bill Rogers (Lucien) would decide to do the same anytime soon. This news today has definitely made me sad. But I also understand and am very proud of these guys with their decisions. They chose to stand by their friend and colleague who didn’t do anything wrong that was worth the termination of his contract.

At first, the choice affected Victor and the people who loved him dearly. But now MLQC team, YOUR CHOICE affected the ENTIRE FANBASE of the whole server. Your intentions are unknown to us but please act to it accordingly. Please do not make us hate you disappoint us.

P.S. I have stated some facts/truth in this letter but majority of its content is personal views and does not reflect the official game. MLQC would probably release their own official statement soon so we could just wait it ends in the best/better note for all of us.

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brokehorrorfan · 3 years

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4K Ultra HD Review: Maniac Cop 2 & Maniac Cop 3

Unlike most franchises that reach a third installment, particularly in the horror genre, the Maniac Cop trilogy comes from the same creative team: director William Lustig (Maniac, Vigilante) and writer Larry Cohen (The Stuff, Phone Booth), two icons of cult cinema. They also share several cast and crew members, most importantly the unmistakable Robert Z'Dar (Tango and Cash) as the titular baddie. They may not be of the same quality - more on that later - but there's a sense of consistency throughout. A notable disparity is their producers, distributors, and availability over the years. While a different company has the rights to the 1988 original, Lustig's Blue Underground owns both sequels. As such, they have arrived on 4K Ultra HD before the first film.

Following a gratuitous flashback that replays the final moments of the previous film, 1990's Maniac Cop 2 begins with a bang. An attempted robbery of a New York City bodega turns deadly for both the owner and the criminal after Matt Cordell - a wrongfully disgraced police officer back from the dead for vengeance - shows up. While Maniac Cop was quite ambitious for a $1.3 million movie, the second installment utilizes its increased budget of $4 million to go even bigger. Every cent is on screen, with more bloodshed, more explosions, more gunfire, more car crashes, and a hell of a lot more fire. The result is a rare sequel that eclipses the original.

Robert Davi (The Goonies) as the headstrong Lieutenant Sean McKinney and Claudia Christian (Babylon 5) as police psychiatrist Theresa Mallory are the new leads tasked with stopping the maniac cop. Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead) and Laurene Landon (It's Alive III) reprise their roles as officers Jack Forrest and Theresa Mallory, respectively, but they're unexpectedly killed off in the first act. Lustig and Cohen felt that their stories had already been told and utilized them for a Psycho-esque twist; certainly preferable to writing them out entirely. Campbell's charisma is difficult to replace, but Davi is an inspired choice and feels more like a cop. He goes full film noir, complete with fedora and trench coat. Christian seems to be less engaged in the material than the rest of her castmates.

Leo Rossi (Halloween II) chews the scenery as a serial killer who serves as the Igor to Cordell's Frankenstein. The unlikely pair work together to recruit an army of deadly criminals to lay waste to the city, including Clarence Williams III (Tales from the Hood). The impressive cast also includes Michael Lerner (Barton Fink), Charles Napier (Rambo: First Blood Part II), Robert Earl Jones (Sleepaway Camp), a background role by Danny Trejo (Machete), and a cameo from filmmaker Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead).

Following the example set by the first film, Maniac Cop 2 is an action-horror hybrid that doesn't skimp out on either. On the horror side, Maniac Cop 2 adopts the typical slasher sequel trajectory of placing more focus on the killer and giving him a higher body count. No longer merely lurking in the shadows, a chunk of the runtime is dedicated to Cordell's perspective. He's considerably more disfigured this time around, courtesy of a 1.5-hour makeup process by special effects artist Dean Gates (Maximum Overdrive, Phantasm III).

But the action steals the show. The French Connection-inspired car chases are anxiety inducing, none more so than the stunt in which a woman is handcuffed to the steering wheel of a runaway car from the outside. But the piece de resistance is the picture’s climax in which Cordell and his minions break into a state penitentiary to free death row inmates. What follows is one of the greatest fire stunts (or, more accurately, series of fire stunts) ever committed to celluloid. It's not just long but involved, with multiple people fighting while ignited, culminating with flaming bodies - not dummies, but stunt performers fully engulfed in fire - dropping from the seventh story.

1992’s Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence is part of the notorious pantheon of movies credited to Alan Smithee, a pseudonym adopted by directors who disown their films. In this case, Lustig quit during filming, with producer Joel Soisson (who went on to helm Children of the Corn: Genesis and Pulse 2 and 3) stepping in as first-time director to complete the project. Lustig had a myriad of reasons to leave, mostly stemming from the fact that the Japanese financiers refused to fund the original concept about a Black detective in Harlem. As a result, Davi was brought back for the lead role and production began with an incomplete script.

Although his name was cleared after dying for a second time at the end of Maniac Cop 2, Matt Cordell is resurrected yet again - this time via an occult ritual performed by a voodoo priest, Houngan Malfaiteur (Julius Harris, King Kong). With Cordell back on the streets wreaking havoc, Sean McKinney (Davi) also returns to stop him once and for all. A melodramatic subplot involving a wounded officer left in a vegetative state (Gretchen Becker) becomes increasingly important as the film embraces a Bride of Frankenstein motif; one that could have been really interesting if not so half-baked.

The messy plot often fails to coalesce, but with the context of the behind-the-scenes struggles, it's amazing Maniac Cop 3 turned out halfway decent. Even facing such limitations, Lustig is incapable of making a completely uninteresting movie. His brilliance shines through in several set pieces; they're just fewer and further between than usual. Attempting to one-up Maniac Cop 2's fiery conclusion, the climax features a lengthy car chase in which Cordell is on fire while driving a car and attacking an ambulance driven by McKinney.

While the underdeveloped story is the biggest issue, it's not the only one. The characters are less engaging, and many are tasked with delivering heaps of exposition. The action is subdued, with a couple of notable exceptions. It largely plays as a generic, forgettable slasher, often falling into the trappings of a direct-to-video B-movie. It's particularly disappointing coming off the strength of the previous installment, bringing the trilogy to a hasty conclusion.

Davi is always interesting to watch, but his character doesn't gel as well with the plot this time around. He’s often wasted by pining over Dr. Susan Fowler (Caitlin Dulany, Class of 1999 II: The Substitute). Z'Dar is also given less to do. Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) steals every scene he's in as a junkie criminal. Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) has a small role as a rather goofy doctor; he has a fun scene with Paul Gleason (The Breakfast Club). The cast also includes Doug Savant (Desperate Housewives), Vanessa Marquez (ER), and a cameo by Ted Raimi (Evil Dead 2).

Both films have been newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision HDR and new Dolby Atmos audio mixes for the 4K Ultra HD releases, which also include a Blu-ray disc with the restoration and additional extras. As viewers have come to expect from Blue Underground's recent restorations, each picture receives a flawless presentation plus worthwhile extras. They also sound great, down to the infamous "Maniac Cop Rap" that rings in Maniac Cop 2's end credits. The first pressings include embossed slipcovers.

Maniac Cop 2 doesn't have any new extras, but the existing special features are munificent enough. The making of featurette really sings, with 47 minutes of anecdotes from all of the main players: Lustig, Cohen, Davi, Christian, Lerner, Rossi, Z'Dar, Gates, stunt coordinator Spiro Razatos, and composer Jay Chattaway (Maniac, Silver Bullet). Lustig discusses how he did not get along with Christian and details the inspiration of Jackie Chan's Police Story and The Thing from Another World on key scenes. It's also fun to hear both Davi and Z'Dar impersonate Lustig's distinct voice.

An audio commentary by Lustig and filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon) is a fun listen. Refn has been developing a Maniac Cop reboot for years, but he largely serves as a moderator, prompting Lustig to share insight on the film, much of it dedicated to identifying what was shot in New York vs. Los Angeles. Other Maniac Cop 2 special features include a 2012 screening Q&A with Lustig, a deleted scene, four trailers (international, French, German, and UK teaser), and gallery of posters and stills.

Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence boasts a new audio commentary by Alan Smithee - that is, Lustig and Soisson. With the hatchet long since buried between the two, they're able to offer a candid conversation about the troubled production, even poking fun at its faults. Lustig begins by noting how depressed he was from the start, as on the first day of principal photography he was replaced as the director of True Romance after a year of prep. They also touch on the original concept, noting how Cohen had already been paid so he had little motivation to write the script. Lustig also points out a couple of minor touch-ups he made to the film when overseeing the new transfer.

Maniac Cop 3 has a comprehensive featurette of its own, with Lustig, Cohen, Soisson, Davi, Z'Dar, Fowler, Becker, Razatos, and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Wishmaster). It's a fairly candid 25 minutes - with Lustig notably more negative here, circa 2013, than in the new commentary. Special features are rounded out by seven deleted/extended scenes, the theatrical trailer, a gallery of posters and stills, and the original synopsis used to sell the movie in 1991, which shows a considerably different take on the movie.

Maniac Cop 2 and Maniac Cop 3 will be released on 4K Ultra HD on November 16 via Blue Underground.

#maniac cop #maniac cop 2 #maniac cop 3 #robert davi #bruce campbell #blue underground #dvd #gift #review #article #horror #william lustig #larry cohen #claudia christian #nicolas winding refn

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whatisthiswritingthing · 4 years

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Observation Skills - Part Three - Lindsey Horan x Reader

Note, sorry not sorry it is a little long. I’m not wild about my ending, so let me know what you think

Lindsey gets to know the trainer some more, and feels like a teenager again.

“Just so you know, I mean this in the most loving way, I currently hate you,” is the first thing Emily says when Lindsey phones her back in the car.

“Yes, Sonnett, the work out went great. How is your day going?” Lindsey replied sarcastically.

“How could you leave out the fact that she is a firefighter?” Sonnett asked incredulously, “Lindsey, you forgot to mention a lot of stuff! And you seriously downplayed how hot she is.”

“What? I didn’t know she was a firefighter, I thought she just worked at the gym,” Lindsey trailed off, thinking how she wanted to get to know more about the blonde trainer, “wait, how do you know that? How do you know what she looks like?”

“Well, you were so skimpy on the deets, so I had to find some out on my own, did a solid deep dive on your girl. Had to make sure she would be good enough for the Great Horan,” the goofy blonde replied with a chuckle. “Want to know what else I found?”

Lindsey could picture the mischievous expression on her best friend’s face. With a smile of her own and a small sigh Lindsey confirmed she wanted to know what else Emily had found.

“First, I hate you and if you don’t do something with her number, I am stealing it and using it for myself. You chose a good one for your first girl Linds,” the defender began, earning a blush from the younger blonde.

“What can I say, I have a good taste. Now get on with it.”

“I’m serious Linessi! I just started my deep dive, checked the usual, got her whole name from the gym website, creeped her Gram and Facebook. Dude, she is like super smart, degrees and certificates like crazy on her gym profile. But Linds, the gram is where it is at, I can’t even do it justice, you need to see it for yourself.”

Lindsey could feel her blush deepening, but feeling her anxiety beginning to creep back in. Was she good enough for the trainer? Sonnett didn’t even meet Sara and here she is gushing about her.

“And she has cutest dog! Weird name though, I can’t remember it.”

“Blaze,” Lindsey prompts, brought out of her thoughts, “He was at the gym with her today. Really well trained, he followed us around the gym. And you’re one to talk, Bagel Bongo.”

“She brings the dog?” Emily exclaims, ignoring the dig back, “I need to come to this gym. Alright, now tell me about the workout? Do the biceps look as good in person as they do in her pictures?

“Really, that’s all the information you got? I already knew she was educated and hot! The only thing you told me I didn’t know was that she was a firefighter too.”

Pulling into her spot, Lindsey grabbed her stuff and made her way inside, immediately squatting down to pet Fergie at the door.

“Guess you just need to use that number and find out for yourself then,” Sonnett countered smugly.

At this, Lindsey hesitated, should she use the number? The blonde trainer encouraged her to. That meant she wanted to talk Lindsey as much as Lindsey wanted to talk to her. Right?

“Linds?” Emily prompted softly, sensing the shift in Lindsey, “You still there?”

“What would I even say? How do I know she wants me to text her? Does she mean she wants to talk about training? Or like, talk talk?” Lindsey began to ramble, flopping on the couch.

“You lost me there Linds.”

“I told her Sean gave me her number and she told me not to be afraid to use it.”

“That definitely means she wants you to text her! What makes you think she doesn’t want you to use?”

“I don’t know, maybe she was just being polite.”

“Alright dummy, start from the beginning, tell me all about the workout.”

Lindsey proceeded to tell Emily about the morning. Describing how easily the conversation moved and flowed from banter to serious and back to banter. How naturally comfortable Lindsey felt around the blonde trainer, but also how the trainer made sure she was comfortable. But also that the trainer always checked with Lindsey before assisting her or touching her. The lack of effort it took for Sara to move the weights and the confidence she carried herself with the whole time.

The midfielder felt like she could go on and on describing an hour-long workout. Seriously, when had Lindsey turned back into a thirteen-year-old girl?

Feeling her phone vibrate, Lindsey pulled her phone away to see Emily switching to FaceTime.

“She really does sound great Lindsey,” Emily said softly with a smile, all joking gone, “and you should definitely use that number.”

“You think so?”

“Definitely! Worst that happens she did just mean for you to use it for training, no harm no foul.”

“I guess you’re right,” the blonde started unsure, “what should I say?”

“Just keep it light, thank her for the workout. Conversation flowed easy in person, it will on text too. Don’t over think it.”

Before she could second guess her decision, Lindsey pulled up the number Sean had sent her the day before, typing out a message.

“How about, ‘Hey! It’s Lindsey. Thanks for training with me today. If Blaze comes with you, I may need to consider switching trainers.’ Does that sound good? Or too cheesy?”

“Its perfect! Send it before you talk yourself out of it.”

Pushing send, Lindsey resisted the urge to throw her phone down.

With a sigh, she looked made eye contact with Sonnett on screen.

“Talk to me, distract me so I don’t totally regret this decision.”

The two blondes continued to Facetime for a few minutes, the defender telling her all about Orlando and Bagel, keeping it light. Moving to discuss camp coming up in a couple weeks in her new city. The Lindsey froze.

“She replied! She actually replied!”

“Open it,” the blonde encouraged with an eye roll.

Lindsey opened the message to a picture of the giant husky sprawled out on the large bed in the corner of the trainer’s office and two messages underneath

This guy? Unfortunately, I come with. But I will let Sean know Blaze gets more girls than he does.

Thank you for training with me! We still on for tomorrow? I promise Blaze will be there.

“Alright, based off the face, my work here is done.”

Lindsey switched screens back to see Sonnett grinning at her, then noticed her own large smile.

“Thank you Disani.”

“Just let me know how it goes. Or share that number if it doesn’t work out,” with that and a wink, Sonnett ended the call.

Lindsey: As long as Blaze is there, you can count me in.

Hot Trainer: I’m changing my bio on the website, “comes with dog”, and a picture of him.

Lindsey giggled to herself as she updated Sara’s contact information in her phone. Her grin growing when she saw the blonde’s response, appreciating the easiness and lack of awkwardness with starting to text. She took Sonnetts earlier suggestion, pulling up Sara on Instagram, she immediately understood was Sonnett meant. She needed to see all the photos for herself. If she hadn’t been interested before, she was now.

The rest of the day Lindsey had a smile on her face. Her and Sara texting back and forth all day, the conversation never slowing, always picking right back up when the other was busy. All nervousness of seeing the trainer were gone and replaced with excitement.

Lindsey woke up earlier than usual the next morning, excited to get to the gym and see Sara. Having a quick breakfast for herself and Fergie, Lindsey was out the door and on her way to the gym.

Pulling up to the gym, Lindsey noted the only other vehicle in the parking lot, a spotless red Range Rover. Could this woman get any more attractive?

Walking into the gym, Lindsey had expected to be met with the site of the blonde trainer working out, but only saw the large garage style door partially open and the cool morning breeze coming in. She proceeded to make her way to the change room and get ready.

As she made her way back to the gym area she watched Sara and Blaze come through the open garage door, both panting.

Lindsey took them both in before being noticed.

Blaze had on a vest with both a Canadian and United States Flag Velcro patch, along with a Portland Fire Department patch. He looked happy, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

Sara had runners, tights and loose shorts over top on her lower half, with a thick compression shirt and weighted vest on her upper half. She looked good, cheeks flushed from her run. Lindsey could see the definition to her muscles through the shirt and tights. Then Sara took off her vest, leaned over and removed Blazes vest as well. The dog giving a quick, full body shake. Lindsey could the definitely along her back and side.

Standing up Sara noticed Lindsey who now stood frozen.

“Hey! I’m not late am I? I thought I timed my run right,” Sara said while pulling her wrist up to look at her watch.

“No, I’m pretty early today. So that’s on me.”

“Ahh good, I was worried! I’d hate to get fired on my second day,” the trainer rebutted with a wink, “give me a couple minutes feed this guy, change, and we can get started. Cool?”

Waiting for confirmation, the blonde raced up the stairs to her office at Lindsey’s nod, Blaze right behind her.

Lindsey made her way to the stationary bikes to wait.

A few minutes later, the midfielder watched the trainer make her way down the stairs, Blaze trailing behind with a ball in his mouth. Both making their way to her. Lindsey again took this opportunity to take the trainer in. She had changed into new shoes, recovery tights with shorts, and t-shirt.

How does she look so good after a run?

“So, since we are just doing some recovery and mobility stuff, I figured I would work through with you. If that’s cool with you?” Sara asked, bringing Lindsey out of her thoughts.

“Oh for sure, i’m cool with that,” Lindsey stuttered. She was struggling keeping her focus, already very distracted by seeing the blonde in workout clothes. How the hell was she going to workout with her now?

Sara began to describe what all they would do and got them started.

Lindsey did better than she expected during the workout, the conversation and banter flowed so easily, she didn’t have a chance to get too distracted. But she definitely still did. It was hard for her not to, everything Sara did caused her muscles to flex and shirt to tighten. Lindsey didn’t think there wasn’t a part of Sara’s body that wasn’t strong and tight. Her body flowing through the movements effortlessly.

“So totally creeped your bio on the website after you mentioned it yesterday,” Lindsey started, “I don’t think you need Blaze to help you get clients.”

At hearing his name, he trotted over with his ball, dropping it into Lindseys lap then backing away and waiting for her to throw it. With a chuckle, she threw it the length of the turf.

“He is going to be your best friend now, add some belly rubs, and he’ll probably just get in your car with you,” Sara chuckled as Blaze dropped his ball in her lap again.

“I’ll leave him here for you, just incase that impressive bio doesn’t work,” Lindsey tried again, “seriously, you’re certified in everything and you work as a firefighter. How does that even work?”

Lindsey watched as Sara blushed and ducked her head.

“I like to learn?” Sara attempted humbly, “I work in a rotation with PFD, then on my days off when I’m on nights I’m here during the day.”

“And you work with the university Sean said?” Lindsey asked, impressed at how much this woman could do.

“I mostly just write the team and induvial training programs; some I work with in person here or at the university. I do their nutrition programs too.”

“Why not get on with a pro team of some kind?”

“Your athletic therapist, Bailey, keeps trying to get me with you guys full time, but just contract works for me. I can stay here and PFD,” Sara says with a shrug.

Lindsey looked at her with her eyes wide.

“You’re on contract with the Thorns?”

“I thought you guys knew,” Sara started awkwardly, “I’ve written your programs for the past two seasons. I just don’t have time to be there.”

Lindsey didn’t know what to say, she just stared at the blonder trainer. She needed to talk to Bailey.

“I’m really sorry, I thought you guys knew. The strength and conditioning coach you guys have Bailey and your other athletic therapists didn’t like, so she reached out to me. I offered to do contract and the programs and it just stuck I guess,” Sara apologized genuinely, standing up and offering her a hand. “My next client just got here, so I’ve got to go, but I’ll text you later?”

“Yea for sure.”

And with that the blonde was off, meeting her next client. Leaving Lindsey stunned with the new information. She could have met this woman anytime over the last two years.

#lindsey horan x reader #lindsey horan imagine #lindsey horan imagines #uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt x reader

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vegetalass · 4 years

Note

What about the RDR2 boys on a road trip?

Thank you so much for this fun request! As you can see.... I went a little crazy❤️✨😩

General

They fight about what snacks they should bring and end up forgetting them all

They all fart in the car and blame each other for it.

Literally ends up being the stinkiest ride ever and everyone wants to Die

The fighting about what’s played on the stereo is endless and someone is always unhappy about it

If they have to take two separate cars, Hosea switches up the groups so that no one is stuck with the same people for too long

If one car seats seven, Hosea and Dutch will take the other for themselves (smh)

I’m not gonna lie… literally all of them would pee in a bottle… how they feel about it is pretty different, though

Arthur

Can drive one-handed

Drives in silence, not because he likes silence but because everyone else is Too Loud and he needs a break

Tries to talk about the scenery but that’s boring and he gets ignored

Also gets ignored when he points out cool cars.. and cows… and license plates…

Even Charles can’t be bothered to respond

Backseat driver

Gets yelled at constantly for this but doesn’t stop

John gets it the worst

He doesn’t have road rage, just thinks that everyone is a bad driver

His favorite thing is to roll down all of the windows in the car

Rarely gets to do this because of how many complaint’s he’d get

Stops at every farm stand on the side of the road that he sees

After a while he doesn’t even need anything and just does it because he feels bad if he drives past them

The only thing he’ll eat while driving is chips

His clothes and seat get covered in crumbs

Wears his hat, jacket and boots in the car even though it’s hot and doesn’t make sense

Also probably buys one of those dangly pine trees to hang on his rearview mirror

Can’t read in the car because he gets carsick :(

Would he pee in a bottle? - Yes, but he doesn’t want to talk about it

John

If he’s not driving, he’s probably asleep

And if he’s not asleep, he’s “resting”

Honestly, he just doesn’t want to talk to anyone in that environment

The grumpiest one of them

He’s just mad (sad) because Abigail wouldn’t let him go with Ms. Grimshaw and the girls

Probably ends up spilling something and tries to blame it on whoever is sitting next to him

Spends most of his radio time just browsing through stations

When he finds anything he likes, it immediately goes to ads and the process starts all over again

Takes all his rest stops at 7/11 just so he can get a slushee and a hotdog

He’s okay with stopping at gas stations too but they’re just not the same

Takes off his shoes in the car and just wears his socks the whole ride

He probably drives like that, too

This is why Abigail didn’t let him go with them

Would he pee in a bottle? - Yes, but he’d be mad about it and would try to bring it up a lot

Charles

Plans out where and when he’s going to make stops

Probably does a few stretches and some jumping jacks when he gets out of the car

He will let the gang stop at McDonalds but only if he thinks they deserve it

The only thing he orders for himself is an ice cream cone

The safest driver out of everyone

So safe, in fact, that he’s always made to drive at night

He doesn’t mind much because everyone is pretty quiet when it’s late and that means less complaining

Makes a long playlist full of music like Sufjan Stevens and Mumford & Sons (and The Black Eyed Peas)

Everyone tries to clown him for it but he’s the King of brushing it off

“When it’s your turn, you can play what you want” or “I didn’t complain when you were playing 100gecs”

First of all: drag them…

Second of all: okay, Dad.

Talented because he can read in the car without getting carsick

Apologizes for everyone’s behavior when they go anywhere

Makes everyone use hand sanitizer after doing literally anything

They have to pass it around the car like little kids

It’s probably Bath and Body Works

Would he pee in a bottle? - Yes, but pretends that he wouldn’t

Micah

If he’s driving, he gets control of the radio. Doesn’t matter if it’s his turn or not, he gets Full Control.

If anyone even suggests changing what he’s playing, he snaps at them

Dummy probably smokes in the car

Dummy also probably eats while he drives

Holds his food while steering

Everything gets greasy

His rest stops are incredibly short

So short that they practically don’t exist

Threatens to drive off without people

The only time Dutch intervenes with his behavior is when he tries to pick up a hitchhiker

He’s like, “Look Arthur, it’s your long lost brother!”

He also probably tries to stop at a gentlemen’s club in the middle of nowhere at some point, too

“I could crash this car right now if I wanted to”

He only says this once though because it causes a riot

Backseat driver but only to Arthur

Sean swerving and Hosea speeding: I sleep

Arthur accidentally cutting someone off: REAL SHIT?

The only other one who gets to use the charging cord (because he’s mean and demands to)

Would he pee in a bottle? - He’s almost happy to

Hosea

Is never allowed to drive because he doesn’t like to make stops. He 100% will drive past every single rest stop and every single McDonalds they see

Everyone could be screaming at him to pull over and he’d just ignore them

Drives way too fast. Catch him going 90 MPH saying “I’m just going with the traffic!”

Everyone else: terrified

When it’s his turn for the radio, he chooses to play an audiobook

If you complain about being bored to him, he’ll try to get everyone to sing campfire songs

Everyone gets to about ninety-five bottles of beer on the wall before giving up and start fighting

He’s also the one to suggest playing “I Spy”

The gang will play but it’s all like

“I Spy something gross”

“Is it Micah’s butt crack?”

“Yes”

Has one of those mini electric fans that sprays water at you when you press a button

Doesn’t share it

Always has his phone plugged into the charger to the point where no one else can use it

Keeps a box of bubbly water under his seat

It’s lukewarm

He’s the only one who drinks it but he offers it to everyone 24/7

Would he pee in a bottle? - Yes, but only because he makes the other boys do it and he feels guilty

Dutch

Acts like everyone should be grateful he’s driving even though they’re all taking turns

Pulls the “You’re lucky I drove, I’m not a chauffeur!” card when someone is mean to him about anything

Music of choice is just Elvis Presley with a few random smooth jazz songs mixed in

“What do you boys know about this?”

Everyone: …

Complains about everything

If he’s not complaining about someone being irritating, he’s complaining about how hot it is, and if not that, there’s something else

Always thirsty and needs to have a drink with him at all time

Will only share it with Hosea or Arthur and lowkey neither of them want what he’s drinking

When he’s driving, makes everyone stop at a drive-through cafe where he orders the most expensive iced drink on the menu

Like Arthur, gets mad at people for “not enjoying the view”

“You boys are so lucky you get to experience the…” Blah, blah, blah

Ends up falling asleep but only because he wears a sleep mask and ear plugs

Probably listens to music on a walkman lmao

*Dutch in sunglasses and headphones* “Sorry I didn’t see you right there, I was too busy, mmm, blocking out the haters”

Would he pee in a bottle? - Yes, because he thinks it’s efficient

Kieran

Slowest driver of the bunch

And out of all of them, takes the most stops

Probably packs his own bag of snacks and it’s all fucking jellybeans and gummy bears

Says that they’re the easiest to eat while driving

Technically, that isn’t even a lie (Micah, please take notes)

He will stop anywhere anyone asks… Why is he so nice?

His favorite stop is Dunkin’ Donuts, though

The music he plays is either great or awful and no one can agree on which is which

Every other song is 2000s dance techno

That or Taylor Swift (and that’s when people start yelling at him to change it)

Spends the whole trip in slides and no one wants to sit next to him because of his exposed feet

He can (and will) drive in them, though

When he’s not driving, he’s probably watching a movie or playing games on a big ass tablet

Gets made fun of for using huge headphones

People are just jealous he’s able to find a wifi signal

Would he pee in a bottle? - He’s done grosser things for less, so yes

Javier

Brings himself a sandwich to eat and ends up sitting on it

Backseat driver energy but he’s better at restraining his comments than Arthur

That being said, if your driving is shitty, he will send you Vibes

Doesn’t bother much with searching for music and just ends up playing a few hour long YouTube mixes when it’s his turn for the radio

It’s either that, or Mexican radio for 2 hours (and he will sing along)

The only people who don’t complain about this are Charles and Arthur

Probably the only one out of all of them to make the gang go to an actual restaurant during his rest stop

It’s the first real meal any of them have had in like, three days, and suddenly they all feel better

They refuse to admit it, though

Clips his nails out the window at some point

Ties a bandana around his eyes and uses it as a sleep mask

*insert that picture of the guy with his face mask over his eyes on an airplane*

Also probably uses the bandana to block out the smell of farts when it gets especially stinky

Would he pee in a bottle? - He doesn’t want to, but his logic is that if everyone is doing it, why shouldn’t he?

Sean

His driving speed is normal but his driving skills are… Bad

He just isn’t paying attention honestly

Too busy talking

Probably tries to text and drive

Arthur takes away his phone after that

Also, did someone say road rage?

When it’s his turn for music, only plays nasty pop and rap

It’s fine at first, but the fourth time he plays “I Cry” by Flo Rida or “New Body” by Kanye and Nicki Minaj, everyone gets mad

Only takes rest stops at gas stations

And takes literally the longest stops out of all them

Probably spends the whole time telling the gas station cashier about how annoying everyone is

Everyone is like “kasjdfkhd” because they think he’s the annoying one and they’ve been waiting to leave for like ten minutes

Don’t sit next to him because he will sweat on you

If you share your drink with him, 50% chance he’ll backwash in it

When he’s not driving, he’s watching Tik Toks without headphones (if Arthur has given his phone back, that is)

Would he pee in a bottle? - Without hesitation

Bonus:

While the boys are all off fighting, Ms. Grimshaw packed the girls a picnic that they get to enjoy at a nice, camping rest stop

Molly speeds like the devil

She’s like Hosea, if not worse

Tilly made everyone a different playlist and they all take turns listening to them

Karen isn’t allowed to drive because she spiked her water bottle before leaving

Also isn’t allowed the aux cord because she will play inappropriate music or meme songs

Sadie pumps the gas and chooses all of the snacks for everyone

It’s a mixture of healthy treats and candy

Jack is the Squidward wearing sunglasses while sunbathing meme when John asks if he wants to ride “with the boys”

#red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption 2 headcanons #rdr2 headcanons #rdr2 #arthur morgan #bruh i went off #i had to go on a roadtrip a couple years ago and it was HELL so this was easy tho #im working late tomorrow but feel free to send me some ideas yall! i might not do them all but i love thinking about them❤️#also the format got fucked up so if its a lil messy i sowwy #shyhidingshadowgirl

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blonde-toddy · 4 years

Text

Random and Not So Random thoughts while watching Bridgerton: Season 1, Episode 6

It has taken me a while to do this. But I write this shit down so....

I wonder if they got busy in that carriage.

Probably.

Ok Clyvedon! Y'all are definitely not in the square anymore.

Aww Mrs. Colson. You're so proper and ready to show off and he's just trying to break that back in.

Gahh that place.

Ok Simon, go off!

Aw we're really just diverting there.

You really don't want to know Hyacinth.

Eloise is not here for the shits.

Oh, Colin. You fucking idiot. The one time Violet and Anthony are in agreement.

Colin you happy, dumb boy.

Brothels though?

Colin has a point. He is older than Daphne.

To be fair Colin and Daphne are both getting okie doked.

You horny mfs. I love it.

"You are already Duchess of all this." Yes please.

Ooooh that flip and the way he patted at her hips. They are too good.

Aw Daphne is trying to be proper and Simon is like "fuck all that."

Your Graces.

Jeffries dgaf about this damn honeymoon.

Oh Daphne, she just wants to show you around without YOUR commentary.

Redecorating? Didn't she say she did a bunch of improvements?

"A perfect Duchess." Ok you shady bitch.

Yeah that nursery shit is coming back.

All dressed up and no where to go.

"You're so far away." He wants his WIFE!

They have no chill and the staff don't know how to react.

Mrs. Colson absolutely does not approve.

Girl he hates that place. Gut it!

This man and the way he takes off gloves. Good fucking gawd.

Their poor staff.

I swear I swear I swear that man man is living, breathing, dripping seduction.

Well shit take it outside then.

Queue the rain.

Yes. Remove the wet clothes. ALLUM!!!!!

He is the king of playin with it. And I fucking love it.

"Do you like this?" Fuck yes! Talk. To. Me.

I wonder how many orgasms this man has caused.

"Tell me what you want." Keep talking, yes.

And by "you" she meant that dick.

"Does that hurt?" No boo, it sure doesn't.

But your ignorance on the subject does. Him taking advantage of your ignorance also does.

I love love love Simon but I'm having a harder time with his evasion now that they're actively getting busy.

She's bound to figure it out though, right?

Ahh they're still hot af to me.

Oh shit they're still going.

That picnic. Omfg. Flippin that ass like.....

Head on a ladder?!?!?! Get you some Daphne. Oh sweet Simon....

Sex on a ladder too.

They're really like "fuck the staff." And the staff is like "haha, keep fuckin."

Don't go there Mrs. Colson....

Welp.

That shoe dropping. Gawd yes.

Daphne really went from knowing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to getting that Grade A like a beast.

Though Simon is obviously a withholder, the man is sexually attentive and attuned to her physical desires. He comes to please, indeed.

That tangle.

Ok, girl tell Rose your business.

I do love Rose. I want more of her.

"His physical inability to have children." Oh the sting of lies and ignorance.

"Difficult entanglement." Go head Rose.

Oh Colin, you fucked up lil buddy.

Hyacinth is a treasure.

I like that Violet does try to be supportive.

Penelope and her passive aggressive ass is saucy.

She's mad af.

The sisters do crack me up.

Penelope is dripping salt.

Oh Eloise. They really are putting you out there homie.

Awkward Marina.

Portia is mf hyped! She is all about that social climbing.

But she's gotta negotiate the bag before she pop tags on new Dresses.

Aw shit Marina caught Delacroix. Her French accent was a bit cartoonish.

Curious Eloise.

Oh children.

Oh poor oblivious Daphne. Simon, help your wife.

A fucking tie. Bitch they gotta kill them to eat them. Simon, again, help your wife. Tell your wife THINGS!

Y'all fucking dumb off all that sex and living in la la land apparently.

Well somebody liked his evil ass daddy.

Diplomatic Daphne.

Another sprinkle of kids....and pregnancy too.

I saw that longing look.

Aww she's worried he's hurt by being around children. If only you knew.

"I thought only of you." Really, mf?! As you keep up this lie.

She's so optimistic about her circumstances.

He's lucky he's beautiful. And that I pity him a bit. Because he's a motherfucker.

How did you get so lucky? Well you're lying to your wife and she doesn't know how sperm works sooooooo there's that.

What a beautiful expansive scene though.

Penelope is PISSED.

No belly yet.

Passive. Aggressive.

Oh this dinner is so awkward.

Portia you are not subtle at all.

Anthony is still CLEARLY not here for this engagement.

Oh is she about to snitch.

Well shit. She's kind of snitching.

Aww. He thinks your such a good friend, but hes got this.

You're sneaky and he's stupid.

Marina is hustling.

Eloping is always a grand idea. Colin you fucking dummy.

Marina is so relieved.

Aw where's Simon?

Sad Daphne is not a good look.

Grouchy workaholic Simon is not a good look either....but he does have a lot of responsibility in all fairness.

Mrs. Colson is so sick of Daphne.

Homegirl is just trying to find her footing. At least Rose stays supportive.

Have I said how much I love Rose?

Damn no one wants to talk to Daphne.

Aw she's befriended the pregnant lady with the screaming toddler.

I'm glad someone is finally explaining shit to Daphne. She can't grow if she don't know.

Too busy for his wife now......I'm not liking this vibe.

Aw she's trying to hash it out with Mrs. Colson.

Oooh she's looking for guidance about Simon.

He really hasn't told her shit about his life.

The power dynamic of their relationship is frustrating.

All this talk of being barren.....

She misses Simon's mama.

Strong seed got her thinking!

Penelope you sneaky, lying ass....what are you up to?

She has hope yet again. She about to expose her mother.

She ain't giving up.

Marina is damned and determined to marry Colin.

Oh Marina went there THERE.

You're gonna see your wife, Your Fucking Grace.

Stressy Simon is such a grouch.....but I'm not judging. I'm the same way.

But when they're affectionate, fuck.

He really just tossed her up on that desk like "Fuck work."

And he proceeded to fuckin work that mf thang.

How many people in the world are fucking like crazy right now because their significant others stay turned on by this show.

If I were not single, I would most definitely be pouncing on my partner ALL. THE. TIME.

Ok. Back to the show.

That was a mighty aggressive pull-out.

Relatable Simon. I too like foods after fucks.

Oh shit Daphne connecting the dots.

Rose out here saving the day like usual.

Well at least Daphne knows where babies come from now.

Everything is about to shatter, amrite?

She can't even hear a word he says. She feels so betrayed.

The piglet.

Dat ass though. And those shoulders.

Yeah that's gonna be a no tonight.

Oooh and now he wakes up without her.

She's fucking heartbroken.

The man she loves took away her choice with his deceit.

He allowed her to believe he was unable, not unwilling.

Would she have married him if he told the truth?

He was ready to die about the shit and still lied though.

All he ever had to do was tell her the whole fucking truth.

Everything this WOMAN knows about love and sex, she's learned from this man (and the real MVP Rose). He has literally taught her everything from the start of her sexual awakening. He knows better than anyone how ignorant she is regarding literally ANYTHING sexual in nature. I know he's insanely damaged, but this fucking hurts.

It's a unique feeling of unease and helplessness when you feel or realize you don't have agency over your own body.

An absence of the option to consent if you will.

I know this is a show, and I suppose it's doing its job because it's getting me deep into my thoughts and feelings. And I sure as a mf ENJOY THE FUCK out of watching them literally breathe in the same room with each other....among the many other things they do onscreen together. I guess I'm just heartbroken too. Shit. Plus y'all know I love tf out of my girl Daphne.

Ok back to the show again. This episode is fucking with my emotions.

Daphne is stewing!

But fuck if this isn't romantic as a mf.

These 2 fuck me up every time!

JPOLND - The End. That's this song. And this song is perfect.

Yes y'all! Rip them clothes off.

Daphne looks wild as hell. Carnal. She has a carnal look about her.

Ok bitch. Climb that mf tree then!

Is she anger-fucking him?!

Either way, he's loving it!!!

This song really is perfect.

Oh shit she's not letting up.

Fuck.

This shoe dropping?! Gawd NO!

She was literally like you took my choice so I took yours.

These fucking two.

He's hot with it for good reason for sure, but she is going in!

How the fuck could you think she knew how this worked when she didn't know what masturbation, let alone sex was until you got a hold of her?

YOU. PLAYED. ON. HER. IGNORANCE.

Maybe this conversation should have been had before y'all got naked.

They're both right in their own ways.

But they are absofuckinglutely wrong in so many of their own ways too.

He didn't ask for her pity and she didn't ask for his betrayal.

They are tearing me apart right now!

Big Sean said it best. "I guess drama makes for the best content."

I'm still rooting for them. I love growth and we still got 2 episodes left. They can't stay stuck like this, I'm sure.

Oh hey Whistledown.

Aww go to your friend.

Wtf is going on?

Are they all trying to kill me?

Aw fuck. Marina has been blasted by Whistledown. It's over.

Pure little Colin.

Oh Simon is heartbroken and Daphne.......she's desperate for a baby.

"Can the ends ever justify such wretched means?" That's a great question Whistledown. I'll have to get back to you on that.

I will close this with happiness because I refuse to accept this heartbreak.

#bridgerton #bridgerton reaction #the duke of hastings #simon bassett #the duchess of hastings #daphne bridgerton #simon x daphne #daphne x simon #anthony bridgerton #benedict bridgerton #colin bridgerton #eloise bridgerton #hyacinth bridgerton #violet bridgerton #marina thompson #portia featherington #penelope featherington #lady danbury #lady whistledown

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lawandorderforevercsi · 4 years

Text

Their Feelings Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Forever, the show belongs to Matt Miller and ABC.

It had been a year since they had gotten together. Henry couldn't be happier, and he knew Jo would feel the same. He was ready to take their commitment to the next level, ask her to marry him. When he had their plane tickets and their hotel reservations

Since it was a slow day in NYC and all they had was paperwork, he thought he would seize it. Once he finished the last paperwork, he decided to head to the precinct.

But first, he had one thing to do, seek the blessings. As he was raised to be a gentleman, he had a few people he needed to talk to. They were the lieutenant, Hanson, and Jo's mom and sister. The first stop was Hanson. He saw Jo wasn't there, so she would either be in the evidence room or getting a bite to eat. Henry walked to Detective Hanson's desk. Gently tapping on it and said, "Detective, can I have a word with you in on the interrogation rooms?"

Hanson looked up, "Yeah, sure."

Once in the room, Hanson asked, "What's up to Doc?"

Henry said, "Well, since Jo hasn't spoken to her incarcerated father or estranged brother, you are like a brother to her, protecting her when I can't. I want to ask for your blessing to ask Jo to marry me."

Pulling Henry in and giving him a brotherly hug, Hanson said, "Well, it is about time Doc. I knew you two were meant to be together, especially after Jo didn't want to go with Isaac to Paris. While it did take a little longer than usual, I can see how happy she is. So yes, you have my blessing."

They were about to exit when Hanson saw Jo. Concluding, nonverbally, Hanson said, "I will go take Jo out a long lunch while you take care of business."

Henry nodded, grateful for Mike's friendship. Henry waited until the coast is clear and headed to the lieutenant's office. Knocking on the door, he only entered when he was allowed to. After he handed her the reports, he talked to her and told her what he was about to do. Reece said, "This is great, Dr. Morgan, it is about time. I will make sure both you Detective Martinez have the ten days off."

Henry added, "I would also like to ask for your blessing and…"

Reece asked, "Why do you need my blessing?"

Henry added, "Well, you have been a mentor to her and an extent to me as well."

Reece responded in a voice half stern and half-joking voice, "Go and get ready whisk Detective Martinez off before I change my mind."

Henry thanked her and took off. While Hanson wasn't in, he quickly left the precinct to meet with the last two people. Antonia Martinez and Gabriela Martinez-Torres

Once they were seated, they talked and caught up before Antonia asked, "Henry, what is it that you wanted to talk to us about?"

Henry cleared his throat and began, "My parents raised me to be a gentleman. I am here to ask for your permission and blessing for me to ask Jo for her hand in marriage and…"

Antonia was speechless. The young man in front of her was indeed a gentleman, a rare gem these days. She went over to where Henry was sitting and give him a motherly hug. Gabriela beamed. She was happy her baby sister. She and her mother had been worried about Jo's well being after Sean's untimely death a few years earlier. She answered for herself and her mother, "Henry, of course, you have mine and mom's blessing. Bienvenidos a la familia Enqriue (Welcome to the family, Henry)."

He chatted with his soon to be in-laws for a little while longer and before heading out to get the last item he needed. When he made it back and saw Jo was still was not back. Setting the flowers down, he went to hide out of sight. Soon Jo and Hanson came back from their lunch, and she saw a tulip, rose, and carnation arrangement; she wondered who it could be from. She went over and searched and found the card. It said,

"Will you get lost with me?"-Henry

Jo whirled around and saw Henry stand behind her. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Henry said, "I take that as a yes?"

Jo said, "Of course it's a yes, you dummy. When are we leaving?"

Henry replied, "How about now?"

Jo asked, "Now? But what about…?"

Before she could say anything else, she heard Reece exclaim, "No buts Detective Martinez. You are to hand your paperwork over to Detective Hanson, and allow your boyfriend to whisk you away to your dream trip to Paris. That's an order."

Jo nodded. She knew when the lieutenant meant business she meant business.

Following a bite to eat and nearly a nearly eleven-hour flight, they were in the city of love, Paris. Since they slept well on the trip, they checked in to their hotel room and were now wandering the town and getting lost. Over the next several days, they explored Paris. They visited tourist sites such as the Louvre Museum Palace of Versailles and the places that aren't visited as much by tourists, such as the Passage Jouffrey.

Of course, there was one day when they stayed in and reaffirmed their love for each other.

However, for Jo, her life was about to change. The night before they were due to go back to New York, they had an early dinner and was walking the streets of aimlessly. Before long, they were in Trocadéro and were short proximity from the Eiffel Tower. Henry knew now was the perfect timing. Leading her to ln quick kiss, he began, "Jo, I knew that I had met my match after you had walked in and introduced yourself. As time went, I fell in love with you. You have made me the absolute happiest man alive."

Henry paused briefly, and after getting the ring box out got down on one knee, causing Jo to let out an audible gasp. The man she loved was about to make the most romantic gesture ever. Not only did he take her to Paris to get lost with him, but now the dream she had two years earlier was about to come true.

When she saw Henry on one knee, her hands flew to her mouth. Yes, it was her wish to be with Henry and get lost with him in Paris. Now that she saw him propose to her in front of the Eiffel Tower was the icing on the cake. She looked at the ring; it was an antique vibe with moissanite in the center surrounded by other diamonds set in a yellow gold ring setting.

Looking deep into her eyes, Henry asked, "Jo Martinez, will you marry me?"

With tears in her eyes, Jo replied with a loud, "Yes, Henry Morgan, a million times, yes, I will marry you!"

When he heard Jo's answer a grin on his spread across his face, he took out the ring and slid it on to her finger. Jo pulled him up into a kiss so steamy it eclipsed all other kisses. Once they parted for air, she threw her arms around him, and he did the same and wound his arms around her waist with his hands securely on the small of her back he picked her up and spun her around, causing her to squeal with joy.

They knew that their lives were only going to get better.

A/N: Thanks for reading the second chapter of "Their Feelings".

#Forever #jo martinez #Alana de la Garza #henry morgan #ioan gruffudd

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blankdblank · 4 years

Text

Hobbit Soulmate Pt 20

Here you go, sorry Deep, been a rough couple days to stay up after work. But here’s pt 1 of the filming process with more to come in the next few bits. :D

All –

@himoverflowers, @theincaprincess, @aspiringtranslator, @sweeticedtea, @ggbbhehe4455, @thegreyberet, @patanghill17, @jesgisborne, @curvestrology, @alishlieb, @jogregor, @armitageadoration, @fizzyxcustard, @here2have-fun, @lilith15000, @marvels-ghost, @catthefearless, @imjusthereforthereads, @c-s-stars, @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore, @mariannetora, @shesakillerkween

X all Rich. A - @abiwim, @deepestfirefun, @thestorybookmistress

Hobbit – Soulmate - @evyiione, @deepestfirefun, @rhaenaatargaryen, @anastasialovers

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 - Pt 5 - Pt 6 - Pt 7 - Pt 8 - Pt 9 - Pt 10 - Pt 11 - Pt 12 - Pt 13 - Pt 14 - Pt 15 - Pt 16 - Pt 17 - Pt 18 - Pt 19 -

...

Back to the grindstone you went, or field rather as in a try to clear your head with Peter on the chase scene where Wraiths try to take Frodo from Arwen, not Lord Glorfindel, who discovers him with Aragorn and the other Hobbits. He had a basic path he wanted and along with the size double for Arwen standing an adorably large 6 ft 2 beside you fully costumed as you had also been wrangled into a smaller version of her exact outfit Liv would don when she arrived on set the following day to ride her barrel. Chatting with the Wraith riders whose black steeds were being touched up with some fake blood your white steed stood by nudging your side glad for your hands stroking across her face in the wait. A bond that Viggo off to the side noted along with the sheer magnetic pull you seemed to have on the other horses as well explained by your aid in tending them and their stables on your rough days to even out. The double, Abbot’s horse, soon was doing the same to her in their eager wish to carry on.

The basic path was laid out and while you would be the stand in for the close-ups to test random camera angles and a vocal test on the riverside lines Abbot would follow behind you with a smaller dummy to stand in for Liv and Frodo’s body double to be filmed later. For all purposes it seemed you would vanish entirely and were merely the way to build inspiration for the other two ladies’ portrayals. Only from the moment your horse took off and you managed to stretch as much as possible behind your own small dummy with costume lined to trick the eye that you were taller that was not the case. Right away with the angle that the camera hooked to the chopper above comparing you to the dark giants chasing after you it all seemed to mesh, or at least would with a bit of movie magic. Your horse sped onwards faster than Abbot’s could at your gentle Elvish urgings and near daily bouts of racing in the lands open for them and granted a more intimidating chase scene building hope that would be crushed when Abbot would mime laying Frodo down on the pebbly ground after your horse’s momentary reared up pose.

One addition building to the action of your role was when in a glance back a branch scratched your cheek luring a smirk across Peter’s face for how it seemed perfect with your low near to echoing recitations of the call to send the waves after the Wraiths. It had to be five times with the time crunch until sunset that the chase had been filmed and in the darkening field while the horses were loaded up to be taken to rest for the night you and Abbot were called to watch the scenes to comment and hear Peter’s thoughts on how to splice the best parts together. As you were taken to be helped out of your costume Viggo readied to reshoot the Bree to Rivendell traveling scenes, including one with Abbot/Liv joining them after finding the stone trolls.

Confirmed to have arrived in her own rental and ready for filming early in the morning on her green set for her rocking barrel takes Liv headed to bed. To be shown the takes from the day before to get a feel for what was to be expected performance wise from her and what she could embellish on her own. Curiosity had bubbled up however as to who the stand ins were for her, especially the purple eyed one Peter said she would meet later.

Through her morning you were tasked to assembling another Elven persona all your own. Part of the farewell in Rivendell would be guaranteed, and alone with a few extras and Abbot standing in for Arwen you filmed your background Elf scenes on an adorably makeshift platform of crates on their sides beside other Elf extras who were curious why you were being added to the mix. Though Fran was the one to share that you were among the assembled doubles and crew to take up several roles, including Peter and Fran bringing more, albeit taller, extras for the background to their attentions as being made to look the part of 6 ft plus Elves.

Excitedly however Peter had been checking up with the time and signaled you to go and get changed as they were ready to take you to the airport while one of the other Directors gladly took over for these scenes in his absence. Down here large guys weren’t too out of place but all the same your 6 ft 8 inch walking bear of a father with an arm in a cast all bruised up self headed right for his tiny twin also on the verge of tears. Heavily the duffel bag in his uninjured hand creaked almost in its being pressed against your back in his crouch induced hug to cling you tight to him. “I’m so sorry Pumpkin.” As your fingers clenched onto the back of his shirt he said, “I’ll find another job. I won’t put you through this again. I swear.”

“You’re here now. It’s okay.” Down he eased you and to the baggage claim you went to hoist up his huge suitcase you pulled behind you at his side feeling his injured arm resting against your upper back as his only means of contact until he put his bag down he couldn’t shoulder yet. Back to the cabin you were taken and got to pulling together a dinner that post scenes the guys staying with you arrived to join you eager to meet him.

Lowly however deep in his throat Viggo chuckled triggering Sean to do the same when Orlando caught sight of the man beside you. Patting the younger actor on his back Viggo nodded saying, “And you ghosted his daughter. Nice knowing you, kid.” Orlando turned his head to stare wide eyed at the man now urging him closer as John exited the van with a deep throated chuckle all his own seeing your tiny self beside him waving at the arrived actors.

From distant woah’s given by the Hobbits to the excited greetings your father gave to the full cast, starting with Ian and John working his way to Orlando who he merely smirked at post hand shake seeing size was enough to intimidate the young man into behaving around you from here on out. Shared comments on his roles were given and you told the others what you had done earlier and the plans for the following day for Rivendell post three hour makeup session for you that your father would be measured for fully with molds to be made later once his swelling was down.

After sharing his massive bed cuddled up across his back together breakfast was fixed up and groggily you made your way to the waiting van for your makeup session. It was the first of the Rivendell shoot as Gimli, the first time the guys would see you in that getup and with hours behind you on their own time for the makeup trailers, not counting the Hobbits asleep while waiting for their feet to stick on properly after their four hour time limit. While you and your father chatted through his measuring in your shared trailer John was on the other side of the wall in his heard already to not be taking too well to the glues.

The weight of it all was something to be reckoned with, all it was mainly was mingling scenes and the big exit scene once Aragorn and Arwen had their private night together and promptly he left saying they could never be together leaving the Elf Princess near tears in your farewell. The bare spot beside her puzzled few until it was noted that that Elf would be magic-ed their way in later. Alternating paths and explorations of the sets with John you caught onto more of his grumblings as the days drug on. Firm and unflinching you strolled as a Dwarf would while lost to his ramblings a few times John had to anchor himself back to the traditional Dwarf walk you were perfecting only to hear cut and turn finding you with a warm cup of tea.

“Where did you find this?” He asked locking his eyes on your telling purple pair, sans contacts, the one painful addition to your costume you couldn’t bear that they allowed to be skipped after your first day nearly in tears at how painful that stubborn pair seemed to be. It was flippant at best their supply of contacts and not to risk damaging your eyes they skipped them all together seeing you had to suffer so much already for your unspoken role. Not to mention with the prosthetics over your thick dark eyebrows now bright red and bushy there was enough shadow to mistake them for blue. Giving those you worked with a tiny hint as to who was under all you bore to become Gimli.

“There’s a stand, back that way,” in a hushed tone from your pocket you pulled out a mouthwatering treat for him, a blueberry scone. “Got your favorite.” A subtle wink was sent his way in your adorable sneak away cracking through his mood to tug a smirk across his lips. The start of a daily habit, and each day ending with another set waiting in his trailer with a note saying you Dwarves had to stick together along with a good over the counter allergy medicine to help with his reactions to the glues for his prosthetics.

One warm sip and a nibble stolen here and there between his inspection of the set around him and his eyes found you in a courtyard between sets flicking something from your pocket to the side in front of you. Again he smirked seeing a folding fan you had been gifted from one of the crew in a welcome to New Zealand after the day prior they had shared a bit on their Maori culture, coming up as their brothers would be Uruk-hai later on and you would be filming together often. The simple but telling design of a hand drawn otter you had mentioned were your favorites, besides the dolphins they were out of. The gift luring more smirks at the quirky fan that Gimli might have tucked away signaling wardrobe to add them to the other Dwarves’ pockets if they felt the need paired with a comb like yours you often touched up your beard and mustache with you had drawn anvils and axes onto yourself in case it was ever seen but mainly for yourself.

Any suffering you seemed to feel past the contacts had gone unspoken, but through his wardrobe crew he heard that you and the other Dwarf doubles had the same itching problems. Under all the heavy padding you were safe from the itchy wool and chain mail and armored shirt leaving just your padded gloves you took off whenever possible to keep cool until you would have your prosthetic hands glued on each day no doubt worsening things. But the weight wasn’t noticeable at all after a few days, just the itching that was growing more tolerable as it mainly came when you were sweating, hence the fan and always full water skin you emptied. Often leading to a signal for Peter or the other Directors with a warning of how many more takes you might last before having to head to the toilet to wiggle yourself free. John wondered but never asked what might be bothering you as it seemed you were abundantly happy to just be here, always humming or contently reading from your Dickens and Tolkien collections beside your father between takes. It seemed nothing could break your glee from lingering on set even with little to do but shadow your fellow Dwarves and try to brighten their moods with treats and distractions.

Each night however they wouldn’t know as your father did the nightly soakings and heaping of creams across your skin to calm and pamper your skin and hair after especially long days. Always muttering to yourself, “I can do this. Six months of itching is worth it for Tolkien.” Your father in his healing and more tries for his own prosthetics cemented that notion with his own soakings and pampering when he realized what you were facing all day.

Between calls to Richard and emails to Lee in his busy days where it took all you had not to explode who was staying in one of the cottages next door to just astound him completely. Fishing with Viggo and Sean on days off between stolen posing pictures between takes, including a few more couple like for Legolas and Gimli playing to the hinted romantic relationship Orlando seemed oblivious to from the books. You found your solid footing and had even managed to bring Orlando a bit more out of his shell closer to a friend on set while earning yourself a nickname, John clearly was called by name leaving a single call from Peter, “I need Gimli here,” to signal the wildfire of a title for you. From there it stuck, whenever a swap was called for it wouldn’t be Jaqi called, but Gimli, even when you were in another costume all together.

From Rivendell to Rohan you went losing more than half of the Fellowship, just down to the Three Hunters. Again your horse was brought out and gleefully Misty trotted over to you accepting you and Orlando up onto her back to ride off to the set up city of Rohan. Three takes of the scuffle upon arrival, one the larger stunt guys had amped up your role including a running tackle on one and a few kicks to a fallen foe, later and you spent the rest of the day on the meeting of Theoden. A few changes to Theoden’s appearance for Gandalf casting out Grima came before a week of filming the traveling to Helm’s Deep.

This was your first sign of a real battle, and a test of your grief, right in the thick of things Aragorn’s scene of being drug off a cliff would come up. The day before you would head to the Rohan sets on a sound lot to film there for the next month was all about this fight and losing Aragorn. Here especially while the country seemed to be endlessly wet from near constant rains you were boiling under the lighting but said nothing, itching to no end until you could be home again to soak. Always reminding yourself why you were here and doing all you could to help others brightening their days as well. More and more your fake voice came out and was encouraged just so the main trio could be in on the fact that you didn’t look anything like Gimli at all in real life.

On the days that the other two got to rest you were joining the extras in Rohan and the towns around there to be attacked by Orcs and wild Men sacking their towns sending them fleeing. More than one role was taken for you, fleeing, fighting, one being thrown over a shoulder after a stunt man had accidentally almost sent you flying coming out of a burning barn you were trying to defend from another. Through this your father was costumed up joining the other Uruk-hai tearing through the village and away from you was running or marching days away with growling lines showing his fake teeth in barking orders between protecting the stolen Hobbits from being eaten by his fighters. It was more entertaining than simply watching as he had before his cast came off and wounds healed but no less confusing for how it all came together in the end.

All in one go with more extras around by the hundreds all the horses were brought out for the call to aid Gondor sends out, behind Orlando you would ride. Even through the on again off again rains you would ride and make it to the Path of the Dead where your paths would break from the other riders who would continue on without you. A day of riding through a winding set of white crevices would end at your facing a doorway to a hidden keep on a set the following day. Dark and empty, just a ledge to nothing was on the other side of the door and while the fog machines were set up your head tilted eyeing the far rocky wall trying to picture what was coming. Across the bright green carpet the undead soldiers would walk from the wall, again to more takes of your being in John’s place faking his lines aloud before his takes kneeling on a cushioned stool for his facial shots.

Up to your side Peter came saying, “This is what we’re working with,” Around you the men formed a circle making you smirk seeing the binder of sketches open and held up to show just what the city looked like and where the neon green ghostly painted men were coming from. Smirking and joking with them between takes you giggled your way to the side to wait for your signal it all was ready for you to enter through the now fog filled halls comically blowing as John had in his take to the fake smoky hands. One crunch had you glancing down and as you couldn’t maneuver well between the skull coated ground like the others it led to adorable trotting steps from you only worsening the crunches from the skulls you felt bad at breaking. Yet Peter loved it for the shot and even had more brought in to see if more sounds from your walk made it even better. From inside to out you went only to spot the stream where a fleet of boats were meant to show up, hinting at the next day’s shots on those ships.

It was mainly a blip and unable to handle the leap off the ship with the weight of his larger heavier costume John stood aside and watched you take the leap with ease behind Viggo and Orlando onto the docks across from Gondor. Hard again you would run and between takes of the extra filled battle taking up another week and a half you fought your way inside and got to spend the next week filming interior shots of the White City, mainly seated and trying not to fall asleep between takes for how tired you were. All leading up to a rough take on the coronation scene with John behind Viggo on the steps leaving little swaps after in the distance that would only be worsened by the crowds to walk through, but also aiding your slipping in later with the masses for another mini role.

From here when the rains stopped you were off to another battle scene. This one smaller but between takes you got to help your father with his own fight sequences before he would guide the forces taking the Hobbits away after Boromir was killed. Sean’s return to set the following day had you giggling with the chuckling cast at his return after having faked sending him over the falls.

Traveling scenes to fill from leaving Rivendell to Moria would be captured, daily it was grueling and the irritation of costumes had crept to an all time high at the dropping temperatures only worsened by the winds swept over to you by the choppers above. All the same you kept to your humming and from a curious call to the team working on the score to the film fearing your hums on set sparking ideas for the talented man you were hooked to a separate recorder to be reviewed later by him for more ideas to go with the scenic shots for more inspiration. Even Viggo had taken to giving ideas of his own knowing he would have to sing in the film, traveling with the Hobbits and again at his Coronation while Liv was in England working on recording her own songs.

The thought of going up into a chopper however had a few of you skeptical to say the least, so joining Sean and the pony Bill you headed to makeup early stunning the all actor who found you there. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m not overly fond of helicopters. Thought I’d join you.”

“I-,” His head turned however seeing Viggo stroll in with a smirk. “You I’d expect.”

Viggo patted you on your padded shoulder taking the chair beside you, “Two hour hike up snowy mountains, how could I miss it?” Smirking as he looked you over wondering how this would work exactly with you so weighed down, already assuming they might have to carry you the last part of the way if the snow got too unmanageable.

All the same you finished dressing and joined the duo and Bill with his bare back to be covered later with the packs carried on by the choppers. Driven to the base of where you were climbing you got out and with Bill following gladly beside you following the path on the map given to Viggo and from the rocky grassy path you found the snow and kept going. Sinking just slightly, yet with your wide boots they seemed to act close to snow shoes for you if you kept moving, sinking more only when frozen in one place. It was cold and bitterly windy leading to your having tied your beard and hair with scrunchies to keep them in place going up and up. The three of you bantered and harmonized in hums and giggle filled songs all the way up to distract from the ordeal of the seemingly endless climb. Knowing full well that once you got up there it would just be more climbing scenes until they called it a day.

“Piece of cake,” you said drawing Sean’s eyes to you with a smirk brought on at your pat on his arm and the nod with it, “And you were worried.” Viggo chuckled feeling the burn in his own legs watching your trot ahead to keep moving after a crunch of snow sounded at your beginning to sink.

“Oh I love her,” Viggo muttered following after you to the group of other actors in the distance, including Peter to the side of the crew guiding the final choppers to land with the little equipment needed.

Off to the side you mainly stayed stirring chuckles at your pacing in circles to keep up on top of the thick snow until Gimli was called for. And even John had to bite back his chuckles seeing you trot over across the snow, truly the visual case for the magical aspect of the film, such a weighty looking little creature so light on his feet. And taking your former place packing he waited sipping on the tea you had left with a crew member for him cooked up on a portable stove removing the kettle before it could whistle leaving it nice and hot for him to warm up with, along with another tucked away treat.

Though with clouds rolling in the choppers couldn’t get all of your out in time. So with what they could loaded up for equipment along with packs from Bill, who you coated in a blanket to help keep warm, you all made your way down again to the waiting vans in the clear snow free valley below while the few actors able to take the choppers climbed in at the chance. Through the thick of the storm to the sound of some of the crew joking if anyone could die lost in the storm you teased, “Sound off, who’s not dead?” Chuckles followed, “Of course including you Sean dear, even with Viggo and his cliff diving, you two still haunting us?”

They chuckled and Sean confirmed, “Still here,”

While Viggo said, “Same, how about a game?”

“Ooh, not I Spy I hope.” You giggled out making him chuckle again and that was where it began, for the two hour snow trip down in turns you took turn story building your way down the mountain.

Starting with a tiny tadpole that grew up to become the worst villain the world had ever seen. A game and tale the whole group hated to end when you finally reached the vans, though they were thrilled when you had written it all out waiting to be undressed and driven home again between your grueling stretches where Sean could clearly see the bruises covering the soles of your feet from the long hiking day. Not mentioning the clear knots in your muscles your father came over to help you stretch and rub out. The pain of your kind support for the actor to see him around his fear was evident. And with the bruises down your back from the weighty pack and shoulders from the padding the snow did not lighten one bit the others saw around your shorts and sports bra in a few minutes of letting your skin breathe before pulling on your sweater and jeans after another long day just how hard your toned little self was pushing to get through. Only making them wonder how other strenuous days had gone for you once you had gotten home again.

The next day would only add to your wounds no doubt as the post Moria trek to Lothlorien would be filmed. The final filming dates of the year before Christmas and New Years break. Long hard week of distances before the final day of walking through a small stretch of forest in the days allowed where you would meet more Elves. The interior of the city would all be on sets, but this part would be all natural, and from the first day catching a glimpse of a group of extras you would be working again with later, all who kept stealing glances your way trading off with John.

Filming was wrapped and to the other changing Elves lingering in wait for their ears and wigs to be removed your spot in your usual chair drew their focus. Silently watching the final reveal of your actual face and dark curls. A tongue clicking grin and wink at Craig, who plays Haldir, who loved giving you a few hard gazes amping up his lines and clear distaste for Dwarves as per his character’s judgments of them, had his mouth dropping in a stunned chuckle seeing your little head above the heavy padding and armored layers. Layer by layer you stripped and joined the others in the tents post changing to enjoy the dinner supplied.

They all seemed to scatter after that and for the next couple weeks happily you spent with your father in your cottage, gifts were sent off in the mail to the Armitage brood and Lee as well. Small gifts had been swapped among the cast, and true to his growing bond with you Viggo gave you the biggest gift of all on his way to fly home and spend the break with his son.

Answering his knock on the door you smiled letting him in saying, “Thought you had a flight.”

“I do, on my way,” he nodded his head to your father who came out with a grin and a mug in hand.

“Up for some cocoa?” He asked Viggo.

Shaking his head Viggo replied, “No thank you. Just wanted to give you this.” He said passing you a paper making you smirk in accepting it. Unfolding the sheet your lips parted reading what it was, “I bought Uraeus my horse. Heard they were up for auction when filming wrapped in the spring. Misty is yours.”

You squeaked and looked up at him, “You bought me a horse…”

He chuckled out, “Yes, you love each other, no doubt Misty would love to go home with you after filming is over. I know you’ll take good care-,” chuckling again he looked down returning your tight hug around his chest kissing the top of your head, “You are most welcome, and happy holidays. I’ll see you in a year.” He stepped back when you released him muttering another thank you and returning the sentiment in his wave and nod at your father in a turn to leave.

Grinning wider seeing you race to big Joe to hug him muttering, “He bought me Misty.”

“Yes, and no doubt Misty will love the ranch in Texas.” Smiling at the actor climbing into the waiting van to head to the airport, grateful for the thoughtful and expensive gift neither of you could afford. Weekly you would get checks to keep you fed with the larger chunk of your promised salaries to be given when production was through. The prospect was new to him, so used to being paid as you go along, finally seeing why you worked so hard, if it wasn’t a success that check could possibly not come when the film came out if it flopped.

For the break it seemed all but Peter, Fran and Phillipa got to rest while they continued to work on editing and double checking what had been filmed and details of what was next. Only breaking to invite you to a Christmas dinner followed by a second group dinner with the New Zealand actors and crew still around and ready for a New Years party. At the stables Misty was kept you were granted daily rides with a horse for your father to borrow. And to your shock the crew got together to throw a surprise party for your birthday at the studio in a call to see if you could be fitted for your Hobbit feet and ears for Bilbo’s party and background footage of the Shire to be filmed in three days.

Even though it was chilly it wasn’t snowy out in the mock Shire. In your much adored Hobbit costume on your tip toes to match the median height of the other Hobbits you filled your background roles and with Gandalf’s height double standing in you attended the Birthday Party collapsing into the pile of fleeing Hobbits only to lift up smiling in awe at the ‘fireworks’ let off in the distance mocked by colored search lights lit up and coated in various colored sheets to give the effect.

Though by the time Ian had come to film his role with the cast and scale doubles you were off to join the Three Hunters again. All the racing shots of the path to Rohan would be filmed. Nearly a month and a half you ran and ran and then got up again post breaks to run again.

Ian and Christopher Lee faced their own form of murder in their battle in Orthanc. Though across one mountain shot in particular with choppers filming in circles overhead through your recorder they heard your pained squeak that halted Viggo and Orlando to turn and look your way finding your leg stuck in a hole. Badly pinched your knee popped nearly out of socket in the fall and straightened out when the duo rushed back to help you up for another added bit Peter loved in replaying of a far off shot of Legolas trying to fix your beard to have his hands swatted away and you nudging the duo on again, both chuckling as you slipped back into character.

The next day however more running would come, and more after that where you would be chasing the Uruk group in the distance ahead, though this day Peter was here for the closer shots, including the discovery of Pippen’s pin being left in the mud for Aragorn. Not expected however was your trip and roll down the hill you muffled a grunt through it.

“Come Gimli, we are gaining on them!” Orlando called out and hurried to his mark hearing your collapse signaling the pair to peek out from behind the rock wall watching you scramble up like nothing had happened.

“I am wasted on cross country! We Dwarves are natural sprinters. Quite dangerous at short distances!” You managed to wheeze in Gimli’s voice that out trudging on only to stop at the end of the rock wall to hunch forward a moment holding your ax you had picked up after falling on it used to hold you upright in the searing pain in your ribs that had hit the solid metal weapon.

Peter chuckled and came over saying, “That was incredible, how did I not think of a stumble before. You alright?”

You nodded in Viggo coming over to help straighten your pack out across your back and John to the side was taking in your shifting of weight foot to foot uncertain if you were ready to go again or actually in pain. “Peachy. Do it again? I can skip the stumble this time now I know that knot is there.”

Peter asked, “You know, could you actually do the fall again?”

You nodded ignoring the deep throb in your aching ribcage, “You want it bigger, or-,”

He smirked and said, “Let’s try a few different ones.”

You nodded and with the others you got back to the hill you trotted up again and down the path to turn and race back again only to be seen tumbling down again. From comical to painful each excruciating tumble for you was completed flawlessly and up you popped again ignoring the pain to keep going through the ten takes before the Rohirrim were ready to fill their confrontation with the trio.

From being circled up and chuckle inducing comments from you to the new men in your scenes came in swaps with John confusing and amusing them through the seeming endless repeats of the same scenes again and again.

Karl, “Oh look, an even littler Dwarf.”

Lifting a finger you replied, “Excuse you, I’m the Dwarf.” Making him chuckle and shake his head as you got into place sticking your tongue out at him.

Though when Misty and Uraeus were brought over and cut was called Karl on foot couldn’t help but double take hearing your own voice saying, “Misty, look at you with your fancy headdress.” Planting a kiss on her snout she pushed into your face you were stroking. “You look very pretty.” Viggo smirked seeing the staircase being brought over for you to climb up behind Orlando patting Karl on the back breaking his confused stare at your puzzling self.

While they rode off to the great vast green nothing you rode off toward where Fangorn would be to the allowed smoking pile of ‘bodies’ signaled by fog machines pulled out of sight before you came over. Though for his try to dismount coolly Orlando fell quite hard off the saddle making even Viggo flinch and Minty step away making you look up to keep from laughing at his upside down mess of limbs. “It’s okay Misty,” you said stroking her shoulders and looked to Orlando gripping his side, “You okay?”

“I think I’ve broken something.”

“Most likely a rib. It’ll heal,”

“It’ll heal?” he fired back and he found his footing to shake his head and hoist himself back up again in front of you for Misty to turn and try the approach again. Second time was the charm and as you were off to the side Viggo dropped down to his knees in a pained cry after kicking a helmet lying on the ground.

Up to his side between takes you poked his side earning a curious stare asking, “Looked like a toe.”

“Take it you’ve felt it before?”

Throatily you giggled, “I dance ballet, I’ve broken more toes than I was born with.” To that he chuckled and nodded, “Some tape will do wonders.”

“You in one piece?” He asked looking you over.

Rotating your shoulders you replied, “Eh, not broken, maybe a fracture, or a crack.”

Before he could ask when you had injured the next scene was called for, another scouting path to Fangorn’s edge leading to what you would shoot the next day. Ian showed up and again you were readying to ride off into the open field when Shadowfax arrives. Through to sunset you rode with the guys back and forth until the day was called.

Onto trucks you rode back to change meeting up with the large group of Uruk-hai your father looked you over noting your pained winces bringing him straight to you to help you start removing your heaviest layers before your makeup was removed. That had a pair of the ladies come to help you remove your prosthetics to hasten it along. Clearly Orlando was in pain leaning changed against the wall while Viggo stood beside him also needing an xray for his foot. But the gasp and near shriek of the women seeing your revealed blackened rib cage drew Peter and Fran over seeing the clear outline of your ax pressed into your side.

Peter, “Jaqi!”

Shaking your head you said, “Doesn’t feel broken. Broken ribs before, just hurts.” Along with that your still bruised and taped up knee from the hole debacle a few days before had the crew looking you over as your father hurried to get changed out of his costume. John was the last to notice your injuries on your limping path to your bag where his eyes lingered especially on your blistered and bruised feet you were walking on without wincing somehow that Viggo had been staring at after you’d unwrapped your feet and ankles under your thick socks. Battered and bruised in capri cut sweats under your long sleeved shirt you hunched tying your converse on over your again socked feet joining the line for the hospital.

John at least was intact but tagged along to see how you all got along, and split up you were all shuffled around for image after image showing their minor breaks eased by some tape and rest. In the lobby they waited where they found Peter and John soon to see your father walking beside the Doctor escorting you out in a wheelchair who shook your hands and let you walk out seemingly no worse for wear considering how bad you looked. John broke the silence asking, “Anything broken?”

“Four mildly cracked ribs and a sprained knee. Like I said, just peachy. Heating pad and some creams and I should good by morning.” You looked at Orlando, “You’re just about green.”

Orlando scoffed patting his side, “Broken rib.”

You nodded, “It’ll grow back.” Making him roll his eyes again as you looked to Peter, “Oh don’t look like that, taken worse beatings in tumbling as a kid. Let’s get you home to your munchkins.”

Fangorn came next, on the sets you got to relax through your two weeks of suggested light work strolling through the fake trees as John was off with Merry and Pippen voicing Treebeard. The final day he returned to your group to fill in his close-ups of his lines to fill out you improvised bits in the traveling and return of Gandalf as Gandalf the White.

All the same near daily in the tub you talked with Richard in his own relaxing to decompress and share what the other had been facing, including that you had taken up the chance to finalize a few of your simpler courses by mail easing your course load once you got back again to England. All increasing his hope of more time together while leaving a few of your fellow cast members to wonder how much more you could take on top of the already exhausting role. His play was through but it was being filmed now through the month to be put on tape with another extra role to keep him busy between the shared nights alone.

Hell was coming up though in the one month of day shots filled in the day scenes in Helm’s Deep. Tiring as that was it was nothing to the three months of night shoots. Exhausting, freezing, wet and repetitive fight scenes wearing you thin like no other. Though the most adorable of your bantering additions was the improved lines with Orlando and Gimli at the wall where the offer of Legolas finding you a box was added in ink to the scene John perfected with his rapid throaty laugh.

However exhausted you were a pause with the volunteered stunt man to play the dead orc you would sit on you said, “I don’t know how heavy I am.” To which he chuckled and helped you down to settle on his chest and get comfy before his wiggle in John’s dubbing the joke that the body Legolas shot between your legs was twitching because of the ax in his nervous system. Gladly the stunt men helped you up and over to the snack tents for lunch so you might have the strength for the final three scenes to finish off.

From being tossed in a secret plan and blowing a very large horn that barely made a squeak at how much wind would take to power the absurd thing reducing you to giggles as well and John with you after his own try and fail to make it squeak even. To flopping onto your back to stun a stunt man you slid between the legs of to hit in the chest with your ax in the continued death contest with Orlando started on the third day to shout out random numbers when far apart as a way to sound off you weren’t ‘dead’ yet.

The day that Viggo got hit in the face and lost a tooth however post nearly two days straight of filming in the fake deluge your giggles burst free and sheer exhaustion swept out of everyone around you at your side gripping growing laughter. Loud and squeaking at the end you laughed hard sucking everyone into the giggle pit with you as you clenched your sides and eyes shut squeaking out as you slid down the wall you had been leaning on, “I know it’s not funny, but it is..” Again you squeaked in a try to breathe only to giggle again behind your hands physically relieved you could go home after this while even Viggo had to laugh at his own battered and bloody self unable to imagine how tired you must be in all this.

The most buried you had been in makeup was in your scenes for the Dead Marshes and that of Mordor when you got to finally meet Andy, the man bringing tortured Smeagol to life. Beginning with the latter for the trek through the orc infested city from the tower Frodo escapes you had a blip in the orc scuffle then promptly headed off screen to change for the marshes the Hobbits went to next. Submerged in the pool you waited for Elijah to be in the water and to the camera you would stretch up faking a reach for him to drag him down and drown him only for him to be pulled out and taken to dry off while the scenes for the prologue were shot outside the Black Gates.

One literal mine field was next leaving you on edge and John adamant that with all the trip hazards and your still bandaged knee he should handle this one for you allowing you to worry from behind the camera until the final shot of everyone grouped up to watch the later to be added crumbling Mordor. Starting with Sean returned from another job it was like you were back in time, off to film the much anticipated Moria scenes and leaving him joking that he wouldn’t be the only undead cast member then luring chuckles all around. Added to the lines was worked into the bridge collapse the later refuted fact that nobody tosses a Dwarf from John as you were tugged to safety by your beard.

From Viggo’s badly bruised face from an at home accident and enforced filming from just one side it was an odd day of filming to say the least. But unable to make the leap onto Balin’s tomb you stood in for John as you did it with ease and proved to show the best fight scenes for showing off your Dwarfly skills yet by the admission of the stunt men compared to John simply aiming himself at the stunt men and hitting them hard with his ax.

Backwards again the Council of Elrond was next before the toss forward to Lothlorien on another soundstage when the rains came again sending you all indoors. The final scenes you would have came and went with Dominic and Billy trying to stress the word weed in the arrivals from their post Ent War entrance to the story again up to the base of an invisible flooded Isengard. No one seemed to get the weight of this moment for you, fitting as you didn’t voice it, but all the same when the guys on the compound saw you packing up for your flight to London with your father to finish your shots there.

Having to leave had you nearly in tears, and confirming that Misty would be kept in the same stables until pickups were through as well the transport to Texas didn’t have to be handled for a good while yet, something Peter assured he would handle himself to ensure her safe travel. Tight hugs were stolen with traded emails and numbers if you didn’t already have them. Curled up with your father however you both napped through the flight resting while you could to ready for the easier final bit ahead.

Pt 21

#Richard Armitage x Reader OC #lotr #Hobbit #Making the Films

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Globe, November 30

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: The palace lured Princess Diana into death trap

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Sienna Miller shooting Anatomy of a Scandal, former soap star Wanda De Jesus and longtime partner Jimmy Smits take a walk in Brentwood, Mama June Shannon gambles on plastic surgery

Page 3: Billy Dee Williams may walk with a cane but he doesn’t let that stop him from taking the wheel in West Hollywood, Joey Fatone at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Ariel Winter lugs around a massive roll of bubble wrap in L.A.

Page 4: Courageous Al Roker has battled health problems for years and now his new devastating prostate cancer diagnosis seals his rep as the unluckiest man on TV

* Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl are proof that love can be just as wonderful in your golden years and now pals predict their whirlwind romance will lead them to an elopement -- the former Dallas star was heartbroken after his wife of 43 years died of cancer in 2017 but Happy Days alum Linda brought joy back into his life -- the greying sweethearts plan to spend the holidays with both their families and then go house hunting for their own place

Page 5: Kanye West thinks he’s so smart and wonderful and creative he’s showering bucks on a project to make a posse of his own personal mini-mes and he sees his clones as his gift to the world claiming it’s his duty to keep himself on the planet at all costs long after he’s gone so death doesn’t have to be the end of Kanye -- Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian has given Kanye permission to double down on himself -- he’s also fascinated by cryogenics and no one would be surprised if he arranges to have himself stored in a chamber when he dies so he can be revived years later

Page 6: Britney Spears is having another family feud because she wants her dad Jamie Spears suspended immediately from his role as co-conservator of her estate claiming he installed a new business manager to run her $60 million fortune without consulting his daughter in what she brands a blatant attempt to get full functional control of her assets and books and records in the face of Britney’s objections

* Ryan Seacrest is turning into a bloated recluse as career and personal problems have worried pals thinking about an intervention -- he’s so devastated by his breakup with Shayna Taylor and the end of cash cow Keeping Up with the Kardashians that he’s shutting himself away for days on end and ignoring calls from friends and co-workers and only responding to texts and he’s stuffing his face with junk food and sloppy takeout and pizzas and he’s come close to belching on camera a few times

Page 7: Devastated widow Paulina Porizkova who her bitter husband Ric Ocasek cut out of his will even though she took care of him in his final days suffered a shocking collapse -- she had gone to Costa Rica with her sons for a change of scenery following the death of Ric who was divorcing her -- she says she had a total nervous breakdown in the airport and they had to put her in a wheelchair to take her back to the plane

* Abby Lee Miller is learning to walking again -- the former Dance Moms star had been using a wheelchair after undergoing chemo for Burkitt lymphoma and having life-saving spinal surgery but she’s now cancer-free and recently underwent an elective operation to help regain mobility -- even though Lifetime canned her plan spinoff Abby’s Virtual Dance Off over charges she’s racist she claims to have a scripted show and two reality series in the works

Page 8: Mike Tyson says he once used a prosthetic penis loaded with his infant son’s pee to pass a drug test during his hard-hitting heyday in the ring and although he swears he never took performance-enhancing drugs he has been blunt about his history of toking weed and snorting cocaine

* Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond reveals she has a foster son named Jamar -- Ree who has four children explains she couldn’t talk about Jamar until he turned 18 and state agency restrictions no longer applied

Page 9: Beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek went to his grave harboring a bitter grudge against talk star and game show rival Regis Philbin -- Alex and Regis began their feud in 2000 when Alex slammed Regis’ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? as a game show for dummies and Regis was deeply hurt by the dig and shot back that face to face if Alex says anything about Millionaire he’d just look him in the eye and say is that your final answer, Alex?

Page 10: Inside the modern Mafia -- blogs and blunders and killer cops

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Adam Brody shows off his bod in Malibu (picture), Lamar Odom was seemingly back on a marriage track to wed fitness instructor Sabrina Parr next year but Lamar’s engagement was abruptly called off amid ominous sparks of ongoing trouble for the athlete and Sabrina sad she’s no longer able to be by Lamar’s side while he seeks the help he so desperately needs, Mina Starsiak of Good Bones wants a postpartum tummy tuck pronto, things got bristlier than an old broom for Anne Hathaway groveling her way out of massive fan backlash for her appearance on The Witches remake for the insensitive way she portrayed a three-fingered witch with split hands, behind the scenes at The Tonight Show where Jimmy Fallon recently extended his lucrative contract to host the struggling late-night talk show past 2021 but his head writer Rebecca Drysdale lasted six months of butting heads with Jimmy and his cronies before getting dumped

Page 13: Katie Holmes and boyfriend Emilio Vitolo Jr. (picture), Sean Stewart in a leg cast in Beverly Hills (picture), Busy Philipps puts on lip gloss on the NYC set of Girls5Eva (picture)

Page 14: Dave Grohl got scared stiff recording an upcoming album in an eerie L.A. home reportedly rocking with paranormal activity and when he got nosy about the place’s past he apparently got answers from the landlord along with an NDA form meant to keep him from spilling secrets, RHOBH star Kyle Richards’ half-sister Kathy Hilton is joining the show; socialite Kathy cold-shouldered Kyle and her husband Mauricio Umansky when he left her husband Rick Hilton’s real estate company to launch a rival biz

* Fashion Verdict -- Jana Kramer 7/10, Michelle Dockery 4/10, Gretta Monahan 3/10, Charlize Theron 2/10

Page 16: Ailing pop star Phil Collins is being so publicly humiliated by his two-timing ex-wife Orianne Cevey who dashed his dreams of a permanent reunion by secretly marrying another guy pals now fear for his life -- Phil is currently battling Orianne in court over his $38.6 million waterside Miami mansion which she and new husband Thomas Bates have now agreed to vacate but Orianne is demanding half of the home insisting Phil promised her a 50 percent share when they moved into it in 2016 -- Orianne also claims that Phil became a hopeless addict in 2017 hooked on booze and pain pills and after two years of drug hell he was incapable of having sex and he stopped showering and brushing his teeth and had become a hermit

Page 17: Troubled Jonathan Rhys Meyers crashed his car in Malibu and failed a field sobriety test and was slapped with a misdemeanor DUI

* Teresa Giudice has found new love with business man Louie Ruelas just two months after divorcing deported jailbird Joe Giudice -- the Real Housewives of New Jersey star who has four girls with Joe hooked up with the dad of two and digital marketing whiz and both are very happy

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About David Giuntoli

* Sophia Loren says early in her career she told a director to buzz off when he suggested she surgically alter her nose -- she recalls telling the meddling moviemakers her nose is going to stay there forever and it has a lot of personality

* Parkinson’s patient Michael J. Fox admits he may be forced to say goodbye to Hollywood because his short-term memory is shot and acting is getting tougher to do

Page 20: True Crime

Page 21: Desperate to salvage his tarnished reputation and career Johnny Depp is hoping to hook up with another Hollywood outcast in former co-star Angelina Jolie -- Johnny and Angie first flirted while filming The Tourist in 2010 but at the time Johnny was with Vanessa Paradis and Angie was with Brad Pitt -- Johnny recently reached out to Angie to jumpstart their friendship and he’s been sending her poems written with her in mind and suggestions for book to read and music to listen to and they’ve exchanged a series of emails and texts and talk on the phone quite a bit so Johnny has hope to win her heart and they’re making plans to meet in L.A. very soon but the ball is in Angie’s court and she’s open to having a little fun but don’t count on anything getting too serious

* Johnny Depp’s career has taken another hit as he’s been axed from the Fantastic Beasts film franchise after a British court determined he beat ex-wife Amber Heard at least a dozen times

Page 24: Cover Story -- Princess Diana was lured to her death by a twisted dirty tricks campaign orchestrated by the palace -- acting at the direction of Queen Elizabeth’s hard-case husband Prince Philip British intelligence officers mounted a clever operation to drive Prince Charles’ emotionally fragile wife to the breaking point and they knew she was frantic and suicidal and vulnerable and played on her worst fears -- Diana’s own brother Charles Spencer has also broken a 25-year silence to expose a plot against the People’s Princess and he reveals forged documents and a whisper campaign hinting at treacherous betrayals fueled her paranoia and desperation and despair and pushed her into a decision that ultimately cost her life

Page 26: Health Report

Page 30: Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis vowed to keep wailing ‘til the end but the 85-year-old stroke victim now spends his days listening to his old hits and staring out the window and his health has taken a tragic turn for the worse since he was clobbered by the stroke last year -- he’s hunched over and seems confused and he’s forgetful and can’t remember some of the lyrics to his oldest hits; he tries to play the piano and just can’t because his hands are so stiff and don’t move the way he wants them to

* Mel B claims she’ll go bankrupt if a judge doesn’t lower the $500,000 she’s been ordered to pay her ex-husband and if the sum isn’t modified she will in all likelihood have to file for bankruptcy -- Mel and ex Stephen Belafonte divorced three years ago and have been slugging it out in court ever since

Page 44: Straight Talk -- lifestyle queen bees Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow are at each other’s throats but their furious feud is hard to understand because they’re not really in the same business -- Martha is the ultimate homemaker peddling recipes and furnishings and decorating tips while Gwyneth’s New Age-style Goop website is a sleazy sex shop with items normally found in tacky joints along West Hollywood’s sleazy Santa Monica Boulevard

Page 45: Sinead O’Connor is taking a break to enter a one-year trauma and addiction treatment program after losing a loved one and she admits she’s been addicted to weed for 34 years but became briefly addicted to another drug following her loss

* Sean Connery’s wealthy widow Micheline Roquebrune could end up behind bars and fined a whopping $28 million if convicted of stiffing the Spanish taxman -- the tax-cheat case spans back to 1999 when Sean sold their Marbella mansion on the glitzy Costa del Sol; Connery’s lawyer and the mayor of Marbella and six other elected officials were jailed over a tax-cheat scam involving the property but in 2014 Sean was told he wouldn’t be prosecuted but now Spanish bigwigs say the case has not gone away and want to indict his widow for tax fraud

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secretradiobrooklyn · 4 years

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Shroud of Pigeon | 12.5.20

Secret Radio | 12.5.20 | Hear it here.

1. Yos Olarang - title unknown

This is a real score in my book. Generally known as Yol Aularon, this guy is Cambodia’s greatest rock musician, turning out garage rock that knows no equal in America or anywhere else, in my opinion. I tracked down this song on a tape attributed to “Yol Aularon” which includes his big hit, “Cyclo,” but also this song which I haven’t heard on any other collections. Honestly, though, I may yet run across it in a prominent collection, because I have no way of figuring out the title — every bit of the text I can find is in Cambodian. In any case, we LOVE this track! It’s almost like a catalog of Olarang’s laughs: there’s a merry snort, a giggle, and a malevolent cackle all built into the melody. I believe he’s the blazing lead guitarist as well. It’s just such a perfect gem of pure rock energy.

2. Gedou - “Scent” (I think)

Speaking of pure rock energy — DAMN, SAM! This was our introduction to Gedou, a blasting burst of Japanese glam rock whose costumes match the sounds you hear here. These guys were only originally active from ’73-’76, and then got back together sporadically after that; I believe this is from that original lineup. It’s well worth it to check the live video that this comes from. It’s an electric thrill just to see them leaning back to back, singing into the same mic, doing kicks and losing their minds in shining kimonos and silk hiphuggers. It feels like a Japanese MC5 whose wardrobe directly influenced David Bowie. One note I read says that they were popular with Japanese biker gangs at the time — and there are certainly bikes aplenty in the video. I’m looking forward to finding out more about the impact they had in Japan, and whether they made an impression in the rest of the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHfBhJsqrD8

3. Clothilde - “Saperlipopette”

What a strange little slab of chamber pop! Clothilde was barely even a one-hit wonder in France — she released two 45s in 1967 and, as far as I know, that was it. But what a song! It’s like a vanful of pop records crashed into a classical instrument shop. I especially dig the xylophone or whatever that is back there — hardly necessary given the hyperactive harpsichord, but it takes the poppy flavor right over the top. So many bands have tried to get to this level of fizz, but I’ve never heard it succeed like this!

- King Kong - “Ten Long Years”

Slint is one of indie rock’s most unimpeachably cool bands, which makes the silliness of King Kong all the more endearing. Band leader Ethan Buckler was the original bassist in Slint, and all of the Slint lineup got into the act at one point or another. In 1995 Drag City released King Kong’s “Me Hungry,” a sort of funky concept album about a caveman, his yak, and an inhospitable world. Sean Nelson and I spent many not-sober nights enjoying that record — “I push em out, I push em out” — and got to see them play the Crocodile Cafe. I definitely remember appreciating how groovy King Kong was, like Neanderthal B-52s. Butler even looked a bit like a shaved caver.

4. Star Feminine Band - “Femme Africaine”

Born Bad is our new favorite label, right up there with Analog Africa. They’re based in France, and release music both archival and new. Star Feminine Band is based in Benin, home to so much of our favorite music. It’s definitely worth watching the video for this song just to see how young and full of potential the girls in the band are. They were assembled in a School of Rock sort of situation, taught to play instruments and encouraged to write lyrics. The lyrics of this song are so directly uplifting it’s enough to put a lump in the throat. Meanwhile, the music is such a pleasure to listen to! The whole album is full of good stuff, but this song is pretty much their theme song. It translates to:

“Oh woman, African woman

Oh woman, Beninese woman

Black woman, get up, don't sleep

You can become president of the republic

You can become prime minister of the country

Get up, something must be done

African woman, be independent

The country needs us, go to school

Africa needs you, you have to work

The world needs us, let's stand up we'll defend

African woman, be independent”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdDp6VAXXbk

5. Young Signorino - “Mmh Ha Ha Ha”

A few years ago a friend posted the video for this song on FB with a note that was like, “Ever see something you should hate but you can’t stop watching?” I watched it, watched it again… and watched it again. It eventually slipped out of my mind, but I was thrilled to remember it the other day in the context of WBFF. The song’s language, such as it is, is Italian, but it also just fits perfectly into the post-language mix that has been turning our cranks lately. I’m really glad to get a chance to present it here first as a piece of music, because the video really affects the experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9bf4PT-aEk

6. Yura Yura Teikoku - ゆらゆら帝国で考え中 “Yura Yura Keikoku de Kangaechuu” (I think?)

This is another sweet find in a broadcast full of em! Yura Yura Teikoku is a trio formed in 1989 and have a huge rep in Japan as a psychedelic band, but apparently by 2000 they were crafting super-awesome pop songs that rocked hard. The video of this song features a singer with adorably mussed hair and a striped shirt against an orange background, looking super hip and on top of the world. From what I’ve read they were gigantic in Japan but utterly unknown outside, which changed a bit when they played New York in 2007 and again a year later, to packed houses. But that didn’t seem to do the trick, and they finally broke up in 2010. They have several good songs from this period, but this one, from a three-song 45, is the one that has hooked us the hardest so far. We can’t seem to find out even what the song title is, but as far as I can tell the band’s name translates to The Wobbling Empire, and the song title is “Thinking in the Wobbling Empire.” It’s bizarre to us that this kind of hip tight rock didn’t find a way into the bigger world… but I guess singing in Japanese was the deciding factor. Really glad to have uncovered it though!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9CM44MohAs

7. Can - “Mother Sky”

I know a lot of bigger Can fans than me, but this track has so much of what we love in the drones, the freakouts, the lockdowns, the Engl-ish vocals, the long climb towards the climax… it feels sometimes like flying, sometimes like swimming, sometimes like burrowing deeper and deeper downwards.

8. Señor Coconut - “Showroom Dummies”

Can and Kraftwerk share enough DNA that they seem like a natural pairing. But… Señor Coconut’s version of this classic track of “Trans-Europe Express” is honestly my preferred version of the song. It sounds so sincere and strange, and I find myself thinking about the lives of mannequins even as I also hear the palm leaves switching in the breeze. The album “El Baile Aleman” — “German Dance” — was released in 1999, and apparently Kraftwerk was fine with it. Thank goodness.

- Lithics - “A Highly Textured Ceiling”

Every time I hear this track I think of Six Finger Satellite’s “The Pigeon Is the Most Popular Bird,” a crucial album for me. I learned about all of these tones for the first time from that record. I’ma write more about this band in a sec, when they show back up.

9. Schwervon! - “American Idle”

Years ago Mike Appelstein hipped us to Schwervon!, a two-piece band who were about to make the opposite journey of our own eventual path, moving from NYC to Missouri — in their case Kansas City. They turned out to be lovely individuals and an instant favorite band, and we hosted them whenever they came through STL. Their album “Courage” plays like a lost ’90s classic, and “American Idle” is one of the best tracks on there. The production of the album, by Matt Mason, is straight-up enviable. As is so often the case, good people have good friends, and they led us to Jeffrey Lewis, who has been a pleasure to get to know better since we made our own way east last year. I don’t think Matt and Nan are writing songs together anymore, but we’re glad that they did.

10. Boney M. - “Rasputin”

I saw this song peeking at me from my computer now and then, but didn’t check it out til recently. What a complete banger! The lyrics are absolutely fantastic — “Rah! Rah! Rasputin, Russia’s greatest love machine, it was a shame how he carried on!” — but so is the production… and the video, for that matter. Apparently this was a hit track in 1978. I’ve spent most of my life avoiding disco, though, so I had no idea. I love how the narrative weight shifts from the lead male voice to the chorus voices. It’s such a strange read of Rasputin’s life and death — the unkillable Casanova of Russia!

11. Rafaella Carrá - “Festa”

Did I mention that I used to hate disco? Well, this is my big comeup. We’ve been dabbling in disco on WBFF here and there, but this pairing is meant strictly for the dancefloor! This is the original Italian version, but Carrá became a massive hit in Spain and recorded most of her songs in Spanish as well. Obviously, the Spanish influence is strong in this song’s amazing flamenco claps and trumpet passages.

12. T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Benin et Loko Pierre - “Djo Mi Do”

There’s nowhere to go from disco but back to our prime fascination: Tout Puissant! This album is a collaboration with saxophonist Loko Pierre, and every track hits hard. But this track’s chorus, “djo mi do, djo mi do!” is such a gotdamn hook! This band continues to surprise and reward the deeper we dig into their catalog, and I feel like we’re still just getting started. So funky and fresh every time.

The chorus makes me think of a song we first heard on KDHX about a decade ago — “Dominos,” by The Big Pink. I really liked the hook of the song but loathed the cold-blooded lyrics, so I found myself hating it. You know how it is. I’m really glad to find a song that can replace it in my head — and it’s a way better song!

13. Bruno Leys - “Hallucinations”

Credit to Born Bad records once again for this song. It’s a true rarity. Bruno Leys fell in with some fellow students in Paris in 1967 including a guy named Emmanuel Pairault, who was obsessed with an instrument called the ondes Martenot, which is a very very early electronic instrument that works a little like a theremin — though it’s played by wearing a ring on one finger and sliding it along a wire, depressing the wire to change the note — but has a crazy range of sounds. The instrumental hook in this song, as well as the backing notes, are on the onde Martenot. Leys co-wrote and recorded four songs with the band, they got signed up with a label, released a 7”, then he had to leave for compulsory military service… and by the time he got back two years later there was no band and no label. The 7” was practically unobtainable til this year, when Born Bad records finally released it anew. I hope Leys is still alive to appreciate that it finally made its way into the world!

- The Psycheground Group - “Psycheground”

14. Troubadour Dali - “Spirit of ’67”

Oh, Troubadour… Sleepy Kitty shared a label with Troubadour Dali for several years, and we were big fans of their whirling swirling psychedelia. They had a couple of chicks (I think they’d approve of the word) projecting old-school colored oil-and-water light effects on the band, and when they were on, they looked and felt like the greatest band in the land. Troubadour went through an impressive number of players over the years, and there was generally some sort of drama or mayhem going on — not too surprising for a band who loved Brian Jonestown Massacre. The main songwriter was a lanky, handsome fella named Ben, though there were also great songs by Kevin and, every once in a great while, a powerful contribution by a quiet, snappy dresser named Benjamin. Benjamin apparently put this recording together entirely on his own. When he showed it to the band they flipped out — it’s obviously a winner — and they quickly got together a live version of it. Man, it tore the house down every time. At some point, though, in the midst of some of that drama, Benjamin started to kind of slip sideways out of the band. As they were finishing up their second full length, he declined to let the band record this song, or to make the demo available, despite their pleas. Eventually they went forward without it, and I don’t know what happened to Benjamin but I do know that Paige happened to rediscover her copy of “Spirit of ‘67″ recently, tucked into a stack of burned CDs. We’re very glad to get to drop this very special song into this secret radio mix.

- The Psycheground Group - “Psycheground”

Rare Italian instrumental noodles from the mid ’70s.

15. The Velvet Underground - “After Hours”

*Not ruined. Affected, but not ruined. She said so.

16. Jean Cussac in “Le Livre de la Jungle” - “Etre un homme comme vous”

One musical adventure we’ve really enjoyed is checking out familiar musicals in unfamiliar tongues. And though you may not think of Disney’s “Jungle Book” as a musical, you’d be mistaken. This version of “I Want to Be Like You” is a particular delight. It plays straight with the original, but the presence of the French language inflects the rhythms with a Parisian flavor that I’d never noticed before.

17. Duch Kim Hak - “Neary Sok Khley”

Another hit from the Cambodian treasure chest. Paige noted as we listened the first time, “This one has good chords,” and we took to referring to it as Cambodian ska. I think it’s meant to be a simple twist song, but there’s a royal quality to the chords that really puts it above a straightforward dance novelty. And his vocal delivery is ace!

18. The Fall - “Terry Waite Sez”

Not much needed on this one! This is one in a host of classics from 1986’s “Bend Sinister.” The Brix E. period of The Fall is just the BEST.

19. Twiggy - “When I Think of You”

Paige: “I was made aware of this record by The Deccas [a band she briefly sang with in Chicago]. They knew every single girl group song that had ever been recorded. This was the same band where the guy who was obsessed with Scott Walker and looked like him and his house was very /60s and he had a word processor. I didn’t even know what a word processor was. That’s unrelated to this song though. She’s one of the great singing models — and maybe next week we’ll play another one. There are three known.”

- Psycheground Group - “Psycheground”

20. Hallelujah Chicken Run Band - “Alikulila”

SO happy to have this album on vinyl at last! It was just released in this format, and Analog Africa is always so good at including notes about the album’s genesis. These guys are from Zambia, and they pioneered the translation of mbira parts into guitar parts, while writing these amazing songs that I’ve never heard anything like. Except for one. One of their songs sounds a bit like a Bound Stems song. Which is weird, because obviously we’d never heard them when we wrote “Cloak of Blue Sky.” It just proves to me that they were both way ahead of their time and working in an idiom that could and should be hit music today. It sounds so alive and creative and insightful, like good indie rock should.

21. Lithics - “Snake Tattoo / Twisting Vine”

Lithics is one of my favorite contemporary bands. They played Foam in St. Louis like five years ago, right after I’d discovered their existence via the excellent album “Borrowed Floors.” Foam was a tiny little club that fit maybe 50 people and was sure to go apeshit for this show. I was SO psyched to be there… but the night of, we couldn’t get out because we were staying out in the Illinois woods and it was snowing enough to make the return trip too treacherous. As much as that’s one of the main shows of my life I wish I’d seen, I’m glad that Brad got to see them and tell me about it later. I hope I can catch them in NYC.

22. Sunny Blacks Band - “Mission spéciale”

OK, I admit that I’m obsessed with Melome Clement — or Meloclem, as he is known by some in Benin. He’s the composer of hundreds of T.P. Orchestre songs, and I’ve written about him a ton. I know he plays some horns and I believe he plays the slashing guitar that you hear in this track. I don’t think that’s him singing but I’m not sure; his voice is very malleable. Sunny Blacks Band is the group he was playing with when the T.P. Orchestre guys found him. It’s hard music to track down, but I love how much it rocks — or “jerks,” as they said at the time. We’ve also played the track “Holonon Die” on here and it jerks too, with an extended, wild electric guitar solo over pulsing trap and hand drums. What a freakin powerhouse Meloclem is.

23. Betti-Betti - “La Vie de Bettie Bettie Chanteuse Camerounaise”

This recording is a beautiful mystery. It appears in a film called “Badiaga,” which I encountered while looking for music by Betti-Betti, a superstar within her nation of Cameroon. This comes from one of the final scenes in the movie. There are different summations of the film (we don’t understand the language of the film itself), but apparently the story is “inspired by” the story of Betti-Betti, who was discovered as a child wandering in a marketplace, brought up extremely poor and eventually sang (a cappella?) on the radio, whereupon she became an instant success. She played constant shows and played with many of the region’s heaviest hitters, including T.P. Orchestre (they recorded an album together, which is how we found out about her). As for this recording — I don’t know if this is sung by Betti-Betti or by the actress playing her. And I don’t know the male character singing alongside her, though I’m guessing he’s a real-life music figure himself. It’s a beautiful duet, rich with feeling, and the performance footage throughout the movie is electrifying.

P.S. This film is also how I found out about Eko Roosevelt, whose “Me To a Dey My Own” is an epic upbeat number we’ve played on WBFF!

24. Guided By Voices - “The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory”

A perfect song, meant for the opposite of social distancing: to be sung full-bore in a crowd with one’s arms slung around sweating strangers, straight into the face of the band (I’ll be the one hooting the recorder part). This is how legends are made.

- Janko Nilovic & Soul Surfers - “Maze of Sounds”

I love the bass part on this album as much as the album artwork, which we will surely have included somewhere around here. This guy’s story is pretty interesting: he was born in Istanbul to a Montenegrin father and Greek mother, and his career started by working with French singer Davy Jones (but not THAT Davy Jones) in 1967. He got into recording for sound libraries, working in soul and funk and psych music, gained a serious composing rep and eventually, maybe inevitably, his music started getting sampled by the likes of Dr. Dre and Jay Z. Not bad, not bad!

25. Gnonnas Pedro et Ses Dadjes - “La Musica en Verité”

Maybe someday we’ll release the version of this song that we recorded in the early days of the pandemic. This is the final track (if not the final song) on the immortal “Legends of Benin” album on Analog Africa. My favorite aspect is how the guitar plays the same mesmerizing piece throughout, but the percussion evolves over the course of the song until it has gradually changed completely. It’s a subtle dynamic but it’s a master clinic in how to run a drone song the right way. Also, that organ part is just beautiful.

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marvel-redemption-omega · 4 years

Text

Of Outlaws and Family

Chapter Six: Off to Saint Denis

A/N: This’ll be the last one for the night! I’m already up past when I should be... Oops. Yay body and mind not bein able to shut down! Anyway...Things get a lil saucy with Scarlet and Arthur. All the jokes, comments, innuendos, etc are wearing down on them. Plus our dear Arthur boah has opened up to our dear Scarlet! More teasing and sweet moments between the dummy duo, everyone sees they’re sweet on the other but them (they refuse to accept the truth). Scarlet drops some insight to James’ father, clearin some stuff up for Arthur. Also features one anxious Momma (Scarlet) who has to deal with her son gone for like three weeks visiting his father. She doesn’t fare too well, someone might die if she doesn’t get him back. Also featuring the aftermath of drunk!Arthur and drunk!Lenny! Some angst? Fluff? Yessir. Next chapter gets real good!

Warnings: Cursing, typical gang violence, drinking, sexual references/innuendos, emotional drunk (Scarlet), violence (Scarlet), threats, character slander

Start here: https://marvel-redemption-omega.tumblr.com/post/620167374619951104/of-outlaws-and-family-chapter-one-new-beginnings

Last Chapter: https://marvel-redemption-omega.tumblr.com/post/620344446321672192/of-outlaws-and-family

Please enjoy! Hearts and repubs are appreciated!

My work is not to be posted elsewhere; I will post it to my AO3 and dA if I so choose.

Word Count: 9,500

Scarlet is in the middle of unsaddling Fancy when James appears beside her. She glances at him and waits for his question; she knows all his antics and she knows he’s waiting to ask her something.

“What? What happened?”

“Nothing happened! I was just- are you going somewhere, Momma?” He asks, shyly looking up at her. She shakes her head and puts the saddle on the hitching post.

“No, I didn’t plan on it. Why? What do you want?” She raises a brow, leaning back on the post, arms crossed over her chest. James smiles and ducks his head, staring at Fancy as he moves from her neck to her side.

“Mister Arthur asked if I wanna go fishin with him. I asked if you could come too an he said to ask if you wanna go,” he sheepishly replies, moving to the other side of Fancy to finish brushing her out.

“He did, did he? Well, you finish up with Fancy here an I’ll go talk to Mr. Morgan,” she says, pushing off the post and heading towards Arthur’s wagon to look for the man in question.

He’s sitting at the table by the food wagon, playing poker with Pearson, Lenny, and Bill. Scarlet scoffs and walks up behind him, leaning over him, her arms on either side of him as she leans down by his ear. The other three stare at her, wondering just what she’s about to do. “What’s this bout you promisin my boy to fish an askin me to tag along?” He shivers subtly as her breath rolls down the side of his neck, her eyes mischievously watching his reaction. He gulps and flashes her his cards. She smirks and tucks her chin in a little so her lips are closer to his neck, still whispering. “When ya plan on takin us?”

“Ahh hell, I’ll go all in,” Arthur pushes his chips to the middle, cards in his left hand. Pearson and Bill go all in too, Lenny opting to fold. The cards on the table are: King of Hearts, Queen of Clubs, and Ten of Diamonds.

“Go ahead and show ‘em,” Pearson says as he lays down his two cards; the ace of spades and Jack of Spades. Bill curses as he shows his hand; the King of Spades and King of Clubs. Arthur laughs as he lays his cards down face-up; the Queen of Hearts and the Ten of Spades. Scarlet snorts a laugh as she leans close to him again.

“Did you really just lose that hand?” She whispers and watches as Pearson takes the pot. Bill grumbles but buys back in, Lenny joining the new game.

“Maybe I’s tryna lose so I can leave with you; the best way to do that by goin all in an losin it all,” he replies, leaning back to mumble into her neck as she’s been doing to him. She startles back, a squeak leaving her lips as his stubble tickles her neck,

“Jaysus! Will you two get tagether or knock it off a’ready?” Sean calls to the duo. Arthur and Scarlet look at each other before looking over to Sean, both grinning.

“Why, whatever do you mean, Sean? I’m just bein myself with him, like I am witchu an the rest of this fine gang,” she feigns innocence as she pushes back from Arthur, nodding to the horses as she waves bye to the group of men.

Scarlet helps James onto Shamrock’s saddle, untying him from the hitching post. Kieran and Sadie are both brushing the horses, they’re currently working on Branwen and the blood bay. Scarlet lets James holds the reins as she glances at them, chewing the inside of her cheek a moment as she and James wait for Arthur. She steps over to them, knowing Shamrock wouldn’t go anywhere with only James on his back.

“Hey, Sadie. How bout you look after that one for me? I’ve got three already an you ain’t got one. Give him a good name; I know you’ll take good care of ‘im,” she offers, smiling at her friend. Sadie’s hand freezes, her eyes quickly darting to meet Scarlet’s gaze.

“You sure? I know you broke him an all. He’s a good horse, rides well an likes to run. He’s got a good spirit,” Sadie comments as the stallion nickers at her praise. She pets his neck, then his side.

“Yeah. We can go get you a saddle when I come back. I guess Arthur promised this one a fishin trip when we were in Rhodes once we got back. An since we’re back, I reckon Arthur is makin good on his promise,” she explains, gesturing to her son. Sadie blinks at her, a smirk slowly spreading on her face. “I know that look, Sadie Adler. Nothing’s goin on.”

“Why do you two keep dancin round one another? It’s not like James scares him off, that much is obvious. He wouldn’t’ve agreed to go with you to the rodeo if that were the case. Or stay in your room as I’ve heard?” Kieran pipes up, not bothering to look up from his horse. Scarlet’s cheeks tinge pink at his words, shaking her head.

“Nothin happened. We talked’s’all. Then he went back to his tent,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest as she feels the heat of embarrassment creep up her neck and down to her chest.

“I’m sure that’s all that happened, only cause James was there,” Sadie sasses and scratches the blood bay’s neck. “I think I’m gonna name him Buckeye.”

“Buckeye?” Scarlet reaches out to the stallion as he tosses his head. “You like that boy? You look like a Buckeye,” she coos. He paws the ground and stretches his neck to nuzzle each female, earning laughs from them. “Good boy.”

“Thank you, Scarlet. I’ll take good care of him,” Sadie promises as she puts the brush down. Scarlet nods and heads back to Shamrock, pulling herself up behind James.

“I know you will. He’s a good horse for you,” she waves as Arthur rides Smoke over to them. They start to walk out of camp, both stallions nickering to each other.

“Ma?”

“Yes, James?”

“Can I ride with Arthur? Please?”

Both adults look at each other and Scarlet shrugs at Arthur, tilting her head in question for an answer. He nods and holds an arm out to them. Shamrock and Smoke move a little closer, Scarlet having Shamrock speed up just a hair to make it easier for Arthur to grab James and pull him over to Smoke. James pushes to a half crouched position on the saddle and half jumps and is half pulled by Arthur over to Smoke’s saddle where he gets situated with Arthur.

“Better?”

“Yes. Thank you!” The boy cheers, leaning up to pet Smoke. “Good boy, Smoke.”

Arthur smiles down at the boy, memories of taking Isaac fishing flashing threw his mind. He swallows back the lump in his throat and clears it, coughing into his elbow.

“You good, Arthur?” Scarlet asks, brushing her boot against his, her feet out of the stirrups. He smiles small at her and nods.

“Yeah. Yeah, uhh, just rememb’rin…” he trails off, casting his glance to the path. Scarlet immediately nods in understanding, reaching over and gently grabbing his leg, squeezing.

“It’s alright. I understand. Let’s just go fish?” She suggests and let’s go of him. He swears there’s fire in her touch, missing the warmth her hand brought, even through his jeans. He knocks his knee into hers, grinning at her. She raises a brow.

“Hey, James, wanna race your Ma?”

“Yeah!”

“Hey! Wait! No-” Scarlet yells as Arthur kicks Smoke and the blue-ish gray thoroughbred takes off down the dirt path. “Fuck me. Shamrock, hyah!” She kicks the golden chestnut stallion and he whinnies, running after Smoke.

Shamrock rounds the bend and sees Smoke; he neighs and picks up his pace as Scarlet shifts her feet and gives him the reins to move. They catch up quick and Shamrock matches Smoke’s pace, ears flicking about.

“That was a cheap shot,” she yells to Arthur. Both he and James are laughing, James holding tight to the horn with one hand, the other in Smoke’s mane as he posts.

“You’re just mad we won, Ma!” James laughs, Smoke tosses his head and nickers as well.

“Great, even the horse is mocking me,” she sourly pouts, rubbing down Shamrock’s neck. “You’d never laugh at me, woulda ya boy?” Shamrock shakes his head no and nickers at her as he slows to a trot, Smoke following his lead.

“Aww come now, we’re laughin with ya, not at ya,” Arthur soothes. They slow to a walk when Arthur points out the fishing spot in the river. Scarlet slides from the saddle and walks over to the river. She hums and walks the bank, Shamrock following behind her before venturing out a little to wade in the water. She hears Smoke’s shoes on the gravel and watches as his shadow casts over her. “Aww come now, Darlin’, you ain’t mad is you?”

She ignores his call, seeing James drop from Smoke and Arthur follows soon after, letting his horse roam like Shamrock. She feels him before she sees him, his arms are around her torso and he pulls her back to him, breath on her neck.

“I don’t much like bein ignored, Little Lady,” he mumbles against her neck, gently dragging his fine scruff on his chin down her neck. She giggles and squirms in his grasp, her boots kicking up gravel.

“An I don’t listen to you...Mister Morgan.” She gasps as she turns in his arms, staring into his blue-green eyes. She’s left speechless for a moment, mouth slightly agape, lost in his eyes. He smiles and holds her close, tilting his head as they slowly lean into each other.

“Ma!” James calls, startling the two from their trance. They clear their throats and step away from one another, Scarlet meeting James farther inland of the river.

“What is it, Baby?”

“I forgot my pole,” he whines. Scarlet smiles and whistles for Shamrock. She pulls her pole from the saddlebag and hands it to him with some bait.

“Here. Use mine but be careful when baiting it, alright?”

“Thanks, Momma!” He smiles giddily as he takes the pole and bait over to the water, setting it up.

“He’s sure somethin, ain’t he?”

“Yeah...he’s not much like his father. Sometimes in personality, but mainly it’s just his charm that James inherited. Thankfully,” she admits and turns to Arthur, arms crossed like she’s uncomfortable with the subject. He steps closer, his hands rubbing from her elbows up to her shoulders.

“Wanna talk bout it?” He asks, voice quiet as he watches her facial expression. She glances at James then back to Arthur, nodding slightly.

“James… like I said before when I first got here…I still talk to his Pa, but we ain’t together. It won’t ever work out. He lets his family sway his actions an decisions; make him believe that they’re always right,” Scarlet sighs, turning to face her son. “He couldn’t even tell’em he was havin a son, or wouldn’t. Probably both. He always makes somethin up. We fought once, a couple years back. Real nasty. James was six or seven. He said he wanted James to live with him. I asked if his parents finally knew bout us an he said no; he planned to get a place an have James livin with him, leavin me to my own devices.

“I told him if he wanted James round more, he could live with us, not worry bout buyin a place cause I already had a small homestead. He told me he wouldn’t live with me even if it meant James was round all the time. Said he wanted James to live with him an him alone, he could visit me. I told him that would never happen; he could live with me an our son or he could stay livin with his family an see his son on occasion or not at all.

“He chose his family over his own son. So I allow him to spend time with James but when James wants to come home, he sends me a letter if I’m not there with him. Jessie still hasn’t told his family bout James. It’s been that way for years now; nine years actually. We can get along just fine when James is with us, but if it’s just me an him? We start arguin. There’s...we used to be real sweet on one another…but that just didn’t work out. He got over us, honestly round bout the time I found I’s pregnant,” she sighs, turning back to Arthur. Her nose burns as tears prick at the corner of her eyes. She covers her mouth as a small whine of frustration leaves her, her hands shaking slightly.

“Hey hey! Easy, whoa, Scarlet,” Arthur hushes her, pulling her to his chest. She clutches his shirt tight, burying her face in his chest, sobs wracking her body. Arthur holds her as she cries, rubbing up and down her back, occasionally rubbing circles on her shoulders. She eventually pulls back, thanking him as they sit on some big rocks on the bank, watching James catch Bluegill and small Rock Bass.

The next few days are a whirlwind for Scarlet; everything settling when she takes a trip to town with James, finding she has a letter from Jessie, asking to see James. She heads back to camp to pack a bag for him and heads off to Valentine’s train station on Shasta, waving goodbye to camp as they ride out.

She drops James off once she’s sure his father has him, she rides the train back to Valentine. Scarlet doesn’t remember falling asleep, but she wakes up lying on the train bench seat. It’s cold, so she pulls her jacket around her as she gets up and moves towards the exit. The conductor tips his hat to her as she steps onto the platform and makes her way into the small town, intent on getting a beer or something to help warm her up.

It’s early morning from what she can tell, probably too early to be drinking for most but she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. She needs it after the confrontation with Jessie, asking if James could come live with him for awhile. Luckily James had told him he didn’t want to leave Scarlet and be away from his friend Jack. Thankfully Jessie just thought they were new neighbors and didn’t ask too much about it, instead trying to tell James how many more friends he could have in Saint Denis. James wanted nothing to do with it, much to Scarlet’s delighted amusement.

She glances at the saloon then to the hotel, biting her lip. She opts for the hotel at least for a bath and change of clothes from her bag even if they don’t have a room available. She’s in luck as the man tells her there is one room left. He lets her know he’ll have someone start a bath for her if she wishes to put her things in the room; she accepts and heads upstairs to check out the room. She tosses the bag in the chest at the foot of the bed after searching for her night gown and outfit for later. Once she’s settled, she heads back downstairs to the bath room.

“Did you hear about the two boys the Sheriff picked up?”

“I heard bout two drunken idiots, why?”

“I hear they’re both in jail right now.”

“Wait, you talkin bout that little black boy that was with that gruff lookin buffoon?”

Scarlet is just heading out of the hotel when she overhears a few townsfolk gossiping. She heads towards them with interest. She approaches the four men who are leaning on the general store railing.

“What was that yous fellers heard bout some big, dumb cowboy and his friend?”

“Why? You shouldn’t associate yourself with the likes of them...derelicts, Ma’am,” one of them suggests, all standing a little straighter.

“Well, unfortunately, I believe those two idiots belong to me,” she sighs heavily and nods to them. “You said they were in the cells down at the Sheriff’s?”

“Uhh, yes that’s right. They got picked up earlier this morning for disturbing the peace,” another replies and gestures to the sheriff’s office just down the road.

“Thank ya kindly, gentlemen,” she smiles and stalks down across the wooden walkway from the store to the sheriff’s office, recognizing Maggie and Smoke grazing by the gun store. She knocks gently before pushing the door open and shaking her head at the sight of Lenny and Arthur in the cells. They don’t notice her.

“Yeah, well….I don’t remember,” Arthur grumbles the last half under his breath, walking away from the bars.

“Sir? How much for idiot one and two in those cells there?” Scarlet asks, startling the three men. Lenny calls her name, smiling bright as he recognizes her. Arthur also says her name, though it’s a lot quieter.

“Oh, uh, well, ten dollars to get them released into your custody,” the sheriff offers, giving a final glare to the two men and tipping his hat to Scarlet. She nods and thanks him, handing over the money. The sheriff gestures to the cell doors and hands her the keys.

“You know, I should let the two of you rot in here for awhile. Ya wanna tell me exactly what happened while I was gone? I can’t believe it, I leave for two days and y’all go an get yourselves so drunk you don’t remember nothin,” she rambles as she stands in front of Arthur, the bars separating them. She sighs and goes to unlock both of their cells, letting them out. “Thank you, Sheriff. I’ll get these two boys home. I’m sorry for any trouble they mighta caused last night an this mornin,” she apologizes and shoves them both towards the door when they try to stop and turn to her.

Scarlet whistles and Smoke lifts his head, neighing happily when he sees her, nudging Maggie as he passes her to meet them. He nuzzles Scarlet’s chest, snorting and pawing the ground excitedly as he puts his head over her shoulder and tucks his chin to her back in a hug. She laughs and pats his neck, cooing to him. Maggie joins in, nuzzling Scarlet and nickering thankfully to her.

“Oh, so you listen to her,” Arthur scoffs playfully at his horse. Smoke flattens his ears for a moment before tossing his head in a yes answer. Maggie joins him, pawing the ground.

“Well, come on. I told him I’d get y’all home, so best to do it. Let’s get goin,” she grabs Maggie’s reins and ties them to Smoke’s saddle horn, gesturing for Lenny to climb on. He does so without protest. She waits for Arthur to climb up before she pulls herself into the saddle in front of him, taking the reins from Arthur.

“Hey, I can steer,” he argues.

“Yeah? And you can go enjoy that cell too if you’d like,” she snips at him, turning to look over her shoulder at him. He shuts his mouth and wraps his arms about her waist, opting to keep quiet for now and keep from angering her further. She smirks in victory, shaking her head at him.

She unties Maggie and lets Lenny take her over to the other horses to hitch her, turning Smoke so he’s closer to The Count and Silver Dollar. She goes to climb off but Arthur tightens his grip on her, leaning into her as he holds her hips in place.

“Thank you,” he whispers against her neck.

“For what?” Her breath hitches at the thoughts running through her mind.

“For savin our sorry asses,” he chuckles and presses a kiss to her shoulder, releasing his hold on her. She remains in his lap on the saddle for a moment before silently slipping from Smoke, glancing at him over her shoulder.

“Anytime. I kinda enjoyed saving your sorry ass,” she winks and heads to her wagon.

Arthur watches her around camp. She helps with the chores, even trying her hand at chopping wood, which Charles steps in and shows her how to properly swing the axe so it’ll cut straight through, for the most part. When they’re done, she goes and speaks with Kieran, who’s brushing Old Boy. They talk for a moment before Dutch approaches Arthur.

“You going to go get Micah?” Dutch asks, leaning on Scarlet’s wagon, following Arthur’s line of sight. He’s got his journal out and is either writing or sketching, Dutch isn’t sure which. “Why don’t you just talk to her already? It ain’t like it’s a secret you’re both sweet on one another. Hell, you just had your arms wrapped around her when you walked up this morning.”

“Is not that easy, Dutch. I don’t even think she knows who we really are. I can’t get her involved with us,” Arthur sighs and closes his journal.

“Far as I’m concerned, she’s already involved. Whether you like it or not, I think she’s starting to put down roots with us. And I’m pretty sure she’s got a well enough idea of who we are. Don’t forget, she hates the O’Driscolls too. I’m sure she’s heard about us from any of them she’s had run-ins with,” the man states, clapping Arthur on the shoulder. “Don’t forget to go get Micah.”

“Yeah yeah. I’ll get to it,” Arthur grumbles, getting up from his cot and stashing his journal in his side bag. “Damn Micah, why’s Dutch so worried bout you. I should just let you rot.”

“Hey, Arthur!” Scarlet smiles as he greets her and Kieran, grabbing Smoke’s reins. “Arthur? Somethin wrong? You look upset?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just gotta go get Micah’s dumbass out of jail in Strawberry,” he grouches, sighing when she rests her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry. Want me to come with ya?”

“Nah, s’alright. I will take you back into Valentine if you wanna grab one of your horses from the stables. I know you said you were having the stable hand meet you at the station so you could have Shasta stabled when you left the other day.”

“Sure. Yeah, I’ll ride with you into town,” she agrees, gruntled with his suggestion. He steps into the stirrup and slings his leg over the saddle, holding his hand down to her. “Such a gentleman,” she coos.

“Hm, only for you, just don’t tell nobody. Don’t wanna ruin my reputation as an outlaw,” he jests, pulling her into his lap again.

“Right, cause anyone’s gon’ believe I ‘tamed’ the wild Dutch’s Boy, Arthur,” she scoffs and leans back into him, relaxing as he turns Smoke and gently kicks him.

“Huh, so you know about our past then?”

“Don’t believe everythin you read, Morgan. It’s a bad thing if you do. Papers lie, people do too but not as often as I’ve read,” she explains; he nods behind her. “Besides, you think I wouldn’t have heard of the infamous gang that’s been in a royal blood feud with the O’Driscolls for years? Colm’s dumbass men get caught all the time and loiter around Valentine, drunkenly spewing hate about someone named Dutch and how “Dutch’s Boys” always ruin their fun and such,” she shrugs and tips her head back to look up at him, her hat left with Shasta in the saddle bag.

“Is that so? Well, now that makes me wonder just why you agreed to join us,” he chuckles as she sits up. His laughter dies down quickly at her silence. When she turns in the saddle, straddling him, he startles and stares down at her, blinking. “What are you doing? Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

“I agreed because Dutch gave me a chance to live with my son without havin to keep runnin every few weeks; tryna find work, burnin down another home, an a whole buncha other reasons I shouldn’t have to list. I’m here by choice an if I didn’t trust any of y’all, I wouldn’t hesitate to leave here,” she says with conviction, her green eyes meeting Arthur’s blue ringed ones. “And whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me, Cowboy.”

Scarlet heads back to the camp, a bit disheartened about riding alone. James was with Jessie, his father, out in Saint Denis, and now Arthur was off running errands for Dutch. She lets Shasta turn their slow walk into a gallop as she gets lost in her thoughts on the ride back.

Dutch greets her as she’s tying Shasta’s reins to the hitching post. She tilts her head up at him in silent question as he rests his arm across her shoulders, leading her into the camp. She purses her lips in thought before he stops by the campfire where everyone else is gathering.

“Where’s James? Is he a’right? You’re not plannin on leavin us, are ya’s?” Sean speaks up from the group, eyes sad as he tries to plead with her. Scarlet lets out a laugh and shakes her head, realizing why everybody was now staring at her. Dutch squeezes her shoulders and gently pushes her onto one of the seats.

“Heavens, no! I just took him to go see his Pa who lives way out east in Saint Denis. I took the train instead of ridin, faster with James and his bag. He’ll be back in a few weeks. My Loves, surely you didn’t think you were gettin rid of me that easy?” She turns to Dutch, feigning hurt they actually thought she was running.

“We wasn’t sure. Arthur doesn’t usually leave without you so when we saw you ride back in alone, well we thought maybe y’all had a fight and you came back,” Karen says, tossing a stick into the fire.

“What? No. He was headed to get Micah out of Strawberry’s Jail. Didn’t want me ridin with, but that’s alright. I don’t care too much for Micah anyway,” she explains, watching as nearly everyone visibly relaxes. Jack runs up to her and jumps into her lap; she lets out a surprised grunt, arms wrapping around his back and cradling his legs as he sits on her lap sideways.

“Does that mean you’re stayin with us? With Uncle Arthur? He smiles more when you’re around!” The boy giggles as she tickles him for a moment, squirming in her hold. She nods and rocks the boy, humming for a few minutes, drinking in the relief and love she’s feeling from everyone.

“Yeah, Jack, I’m stayin. You think I’d leave you?” She gasps and lets him crawl from her lap, walking back to Abigail. The mothers share a look and each nod to one another, small smiles exchanged.

Arthur returns the next morning, Micah nowhere to be seen. When Dutch asks, Arthur tells him that he said something about not coming back without a peace offering. He finds Scarlet and Sadie saddling up, the latter finally getting her own saddle and bridle. Buckeye and Shasta playfully nip at each other, Shasta snorting when the thoroughbred nips his mane.

“Look at y’all, gettin along so well!” Sadie praises the duo. The two females were worried that they might fight since neither are gelded, but they quickly bonded and are always seen around the other in camp.

“An we thought they’d kill each other,” Scarlet laughs as she pulls herself into the saddle. “Ready to go hunting?”

“Sure. Can’t say I ain’t done it before, I’m just not that great.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help ya get to be one of the best,” Scarlet promises as they turn from the hitching posts towards the trees.

“You ladies have room for one more?” Arthur calls after them, walking over from Dutch’s tent. Scarlet looks to Sadie, having said she would spend the day with her.

“Your call, Sade,” she nods and shifts in her saddle. Sadie shakes her head but smiles.

“Not right now, Arthur. This is my time with Scarlet. You’ll have to get in line,” she sasses and kicks Buckeye, galloping into the trees out of camp. Shasta whinnies and prances as Scarlet holds him back.

“Sorry, I promised. You weren’t here. We’ll just be down the way….if we’re not back before sundown,” she reassures the cowboy, waving as she kicks Shasta. The standardbred snorts and follows Buckeye’s path.

The sun’s just starting to set, Scarlet and Sadie aren’t back yet and it has Arthur pacing, all the worst case scenarios running through his mind. Branches crunching under hooves catches his attention. He stops his manic pacing and heads towards the horses, breathing a sigh of relief when he sees Sadie on Buckeye, a buck on the back of her horse. She’s also got two turkeys too. Shasta follows her at a slow walk, a buck on his back too and four rabbits attached to his saddle. He scans the woods for signs of Scarlet, wondering why she wasn’t in the saddle.

“Don’t worry, she’s comin. She dropped another one just before we came back. She was pickin it up, but told me to come on back with what we had,” Sadie startles him as she dismounts, hitching Buckeye to get the animals off him. Shasta snorts and stands beside Buckeye, waiting for the extra weight to be offloaded of him too. Arthur moves to the Buckskin and pulls the buck off him, taking it over to Pearson.

“Scarlet and Sadie brought a good bit of food back,” he states as he drops the golden buck on the table. Pearson gapes at the antlers and nods, getting to work on skinning and cleaning it. Sadie passes him the rabbits from Shasta when he gets back over to her while she grabs the turkeys. They drop them off and head back to Buckeye to get the other buck.

“Hey! Can I get some help? This one’s huge!” Scarlet hollers, heaving a breath as she drags the buck by its back legs. Charles heads over to her as Sadie helps Arthur get her buck.

“Jesus, where did you find this?” Charles asks, helping her pick the large animal up, both of them struggling to carry it even between them. She just laughs.

“Out in the fields! He was with the other two. Told Sadie to use a bow and go for the neck or head since it’s the cleanest and easiest kill. Silent too. Plus now the pelts will be worth even more. Especially if we get the antlers off these three. They’re nice,” she grunts as she drops her end when it slips from her hands. “Fuck, sorry, Charles.”

They manage to get the buck over to Pearson’s wagon; Scarlet lets Arthur and Charles lift the deer onto the table though. Sadie smacks Scarlet on the back, hugging her.

“Thanks for taking me huntin, and teachin me to use the bow,” she thanks and lets the red head go, eyes bright and happy.

“Anytime. You’re a natural. Now there’s no excuse why you can’t leave the camp on your own. You got a horse an can hunt,” Scarlet teases, jumping back when Sadie throws a fake punch.

The three weeks seem to drag on for Scarlet without James. She’s restless and everyone seems to feel it. She’s snapped on almost everyone, threatening Micah and Bill with gelding them with Kieran and Sean’s help. Arthur is Dutch’s last hope to settle her down.

“Abigail, where’s Arthur?” Dutch asks, stopping by her tent. She looks up from the book she’s helping Jack read and tells her son to hold on a minute.

“Susan told him that Mary girl was sniffing for him in Valentine, last I heard. I guess she sent him a letter. I reckon he went to see what she wanted,” she replies, petting Jack’s hair. “Why?”

“Scarlet,” it’s the only thing Dutch has to say. Abigail laughs and shakes her head, waving him off.

“That’s a mother without her child, Dutch. You think she was just gon’ sit and do chores all day everyday? That woman’s more of an outlaw than most men we run across. She’s restless,” she smiles at him.

“I know. That’s the problem! I need Arthur to help calm her. I have a feeling the threat to geld Micah and Bill were serious. She’s been on edge the last week,” he sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He points at her, “You see him before I do, you tell him to go take her out to drink or something.”

“Sure,” she easily agrees, though she’s found Scarlet’s new temperament to be a riot.

Scarlet continues with the chores, even going so far as to grab anything of James’ she thinks might need washing. She’s sitting with Tilly, washing the clothes when Mary-Beth and Karen come over and join them. Scarlet glances up, nods and smiles small at them, before going back to scrubbing the shirt in hand.

“Have either of y’all seen Arthur?” Mary-Beth asks, looking up from her notebook. Scarlet pauses and shakes her head. Tilly nods and sets the shirt in her hand off to the side to dry.

“He said he was goin into town. Grimshaw an I heard Mary was sniffin bout for him after hearin someone like him was seen in town. Reckon he went to see her,” Tilly replies and reaches for another shirt.

“He was readin a letter earlier. Maybe it was from her? Who is she anyway?” Scarlet asks, interest piqued at this Mary person. Just who was she, and why was she writing Arthur?

“Oh, just some prominent, rich hussy that Arthur was engaged to awhile back. He wasn’t good enough for her family, or at least not her father. So they split. Why she’s askin for him now is beyond me,” Karen sneers at the thought of her. She makes a face that makes Scarlet chuckle, the first she’s given in the last couple of weeks since James has been gone.

“She kept trying to get Arthur to leave Dutch and the rest of us, saying it was what she deserved if I remember right,” Mary-Beth adds, setting her book aside.

“So what? She’s finally realized that it don’t matter what he does or has done an wants him to come runnin back ta her like some trained puppy?” Scarlet spits, not even trying to mask the jealousy in her tone. The three females look at each other before turning back to her and shrugging.

“Honestly, we don’t like her. She left; broke Arthur’s heart, claimin it was all his fault an sayin he’d never change an she couldn’t deal with that, with this life of his,” Tilly states with a sigh.

“So she left cause she couldn’t or wouldn’t accept him for who an what he was? Sounds like horse shit to me. If you really love someone you don’t try to change them, you build and grow with them. You don’t just drop everythin an run back to someone you left stranded, not unless you want somethin,” Scarlet furrows her brow, curiosity about this mysterious Mary nearly overwhelming her. She sets James’ shirt on the wagon wheel to dry. “Thank you, Ladies. I think I’m gonna go get a bowl of Pearson’s stew,” she excuses herself.

She grabs a bowl and sits at the poker table, propping her feet up, the bowl on her chest. Susan comes over and smacks her boot gently, gesturing for her to sit up as well as asking for her to talk. Scarlet complies and puts her feet down, setting her bowl on the table.

“I heard you know about Mary Gillis,” Susan starts, setting her own bowl on the table, taking the seat to Scarlet’s left. The red head nods.

“Somethin like that.”

“Well, if you wanna know anythin ‘bout her, let me know.”

“Sure. All the others said was that she was engaged to Arthur at one point, but then realized she didn’t want nothin to do with him,” Scarlet offered what little information she had. Sean joins them, sitting to her right, and offers her a bottle of whisky, which she accepts.

“That’s about right. There’s a bit more to it though. Mary Gillis let her little brother, Jaime I think, help pull Arthur in, you know how it goes. Get the kid invested an then usually they’re done for.

“Anyway, she up an left him without so much as a warnin, sayin she didn’t want to be with him anymore, couldn’t deal with him bein an outlaw. Least that was her excuse. If you ask me, she just wanted a good ride an when she grew bored she ditched him for the next popular breed. Instead of outlaws it was doctors, bankers, the like,” Susan curls her lip at the memory. Scarlet nods along, slipping some oregano into her bowl, offering some to Susan and Sean, who happily take it.

“Honestly sounds like someone I’d fight or shoot. I can’t stand people like that. Especially not after goin through somethin vaguely similar with James’ father, Jessie.

“He was just a ‘drunken mistake’ as Jessie’s referred to him several times when he was younger. A lot younger. We’re not together cause he knows his family don’t like me, cause I’m not an islander who moved to the mainland, like them,” she grounds out, chugging the whisky in anger. Sean gets up and passes her another one, bringing a box to the table.

“I’ll never forget his words to me bout three years ago, he said he’d get James from me, no matter how long it takes. Said he’d make sure that I have little contact with him if I continue to keep the boy from ‘im. I ain’t never kept James from his father. I only take him when one of them asks. Sometimes James doesn’t want to go. Says he hears stories about his grandparents on his Pa’s side but he can’t meet them or his cousins, aunts, uncles….all cause Jessie don’t want them to know bout our child.” Scarlet bites out, popping the top off another bottle of whisky. She downs that one too. Sean is impressed, Susan a little worried.

“He’s a right bastard, ‘e is. Don’t wanna claim his own son cause his family’d be ashamed of ‘im fer havin a kid wit’ the likes-a me! The fockin bastard. I wish I had the heart to tell him he won’t be seein James anymore, but I can’t. I don’t have anythin right now since I burned my last house an joined you lot.

“The funny thing is? Y’all’re more family than Jessie ever was. He likes to sweet talk ya then strike, he knows how to play me an I just fockin let him...every god damned time,” she’s starting to slur, being four bottles of whisky in, and her Irish accent is starting to reveal itself. Susan makes sure she doesn’t drink anything else unless it’s water or coffee.

“Here, c’mon lets get you to bed,” Susan suggests, giving Sean a glare when he goes to offer another bottle of whisky to her. He grins sheepishly and nods, putting the bottles away. It’s only midday but Susan knows Scarlet needs to sober up before Arthur gets back, whenever he plans on it.

Scarlet nods and follows Miss Grimshaw to her wagon. She stops by Arthur’s, hand tracing over his cot. Without a thought, she swipes his pillow and tosses it into the back of her wagon where she climbs in, burrowing under her and James’ blankets. Susan makes sure she’s good before headed back to her stew.

Arthur’s gone for the rest of that day and until noon the following. Scarlet’s taken up holing herself up in the back of her wagon, cloth top up as shelter since her talk with Susan and Sean. She still has Arthur’s pillow hostage, sleeping curled up with it for comfort.

When Arthur steps back into camp, he doesn’t expect the looks a couple of people give him. He raises a brow but makes his way to his wagon, pausing when he sees the missing pillow. Soft humming catches his ear and he follows it to Scarlet’s wagon. She’s humming to herself as she stares at the canvas, lying on her the bedrolls, blankets tucked under her for additional comfort, cuddling Arthur’s pillow. He knocks on the side of the wagon and she flinches slightly at the noise.

“Knock knock,” he says, grabbing hold of the side, pulling himself up. Scarlet shifts over, rolling so her back is to him, pulling his pillow over her head as she lets out a groan. She curls her knees to her chest as she feels him sit behind her, his hand gentle on her elbow. He turns her and raises a brow, searching her green eyes, concern reflecting in his green-flecked blue ones. She blinks up at him, squinting as the afternoon sun filters in. She stretches back out and rubs her eyes, yawning.

“Hmm?” She manages to mumble out as a rough acknowledgment and question to him. He chuckles and shakes his head, leaning back against the side, stretching his legs across the wagon beside her.

“What are you doin in here? I thought you’d be out huntin or fishin or even harassin Bill, somethin. What’s got you mopin ‘bout in here?” He ask quietly.

“Why didn’t you ask me to go with you?” Her voice is soft, cracked, and sounds slightly strained to him. He hovers over her, searching her for any physical bruising and injury until she pushes him back by his chest.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Why didn’t you marry Mary?” She changes her question, avoiding his eyes as she closes hers, inhaling deeply. Several moments of silence pass between them, Arthur not really sure how to respond.

“You weren’t here. I think you an Kieran went fishin. So I headed to Valentine. It’s been years since we were together, Scarlet. Her letter was askin if I could help her, her brother really. The poor idiot ran off to join those turtle crazed lunatics, the Chelonians. She just wanted my help in bringin him back to her s’all. I had to go find him up in the Cumberland Forest an then chase his dumbass half way back to Valentine. Poor boy was so fed up of his father’s shitty attitude that he wanted to kill himself,” he explains, cupping her cheek and brushing away the stray tear that falls from Scarlet’s eye. “Darlin’,” he sighs, pulling her onto his chest, earning a grunt from her.

“Why didn’t ya marry her, Arthur? she was yer way out. You wouldn’t be here with me if you’da left...You could have had a good life...Why didn’t you leave then?” Her voice is barely a whisper.

“How she holdin up, Arthur?” Sean peeks into the back of the wagon, hands up when she glares at him. He chuckles as Arthur looks between them.

“She’s fine...I think? Am I missing’ somethin here? Did you do somethin to her while I’s gone?” Arthur accuses, starting to get up. He stops when a black boot with silver spurs passes in front of his face and hits Sean in the chest. He hadn’t even felt Scarlet move.

“Oi! Bloody woman! I’s just tryna see if you’s a’right after drinkin damn near five bottles a Whisky. Jaysus,” Sean curses under his breath as he walks away after putting the boot on the back of the wagon. She curls back up against Arthur, head on his chest with her eyes closed as he strokes her back.

“You’re hungover,” it’s not a question, but a statement. It’s making a bit more sense to Arthur now. He shakes his head and presses a kiss to her hair. “Is this why you don’t drink with us? I know you had a beer at the rodeo, but that’s all you had. I remember you distinctly turning down more, from Sean specifically.”

He’s not expecting an answer, not really. He’s just rambling to himself, hoping his voice is soothing and not adding to her probable headache. She shifts and he glances down, meeting her green eyes as she looks up at him, her eyes glassy and slightly glazed over, confirming his suspicions of her being hungover.

“Want me to get you some coffee? Water?”

She shakes her head and lays it on his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat. She feels it slowly come down, matching her own, even one as she drifts off to sleep, cuddled warm into his side, half on his chest. He sighs and strokes her hair, letting his hand continue down her lower back before starting back at the top of her head.

“Didn’t take you for the jealous drunk,” he murmurs when he’s sure she’s asleep. He adjusts their position so he’s lying down more and Scarlet immediately cuddles back up to him in her sleep, sighing contentedly when his arm wraps around her waist. He drops his hat on his face and tries to nap with her, his body and mind finally relaxing now that he’s back with her.

Scarlet wakes to cheering from the campfire. She rubs her eyes and groans, cursing herself for drinking and also Sean for giving her the whisky. She sees Arthur’s hat hung up next to hers on the back of the wagon, taking note of his absent pillow. She smirks and pushes herself to crawl out of the back, despite the dull ache in the back of her head from the evening light.

“What’s with the cheering?” She asks as she joins the gang, covering her mouth as she yawns. Dutch claps his hands, smiling bright at her.

“Scarlet, my dear girl, John might have a lead for some money. Not only that, things are lookin up for us. There’s also talk of a few other leads,” Van der Linde answers, walking with her until she’s joined the group at the campfire.

“Oh good! You’re awake! We were worried that you’d overdone it with the Whisky!” Susan gets up from the log and ushers Scarlet to sit down, not taking no for an answer. Once seated, she is handed a cup of water. “Drink,” Susan orders. The red head replies and nods, holding one hand up in surrender as she does as told.

Arthur sits by her with two bowls, passing her one. She thanks him and they move to the poker table, listening to Pearson and Bill talk of their time in the Navy and Army respectively. She tilts her head, nodding along to their crazy stories.

“I didn’t know you two were in the military,” she speaks up, setting her bowl and cup to the side and pulls out a deck of cards.

“Oh yeah, I used to be a cook in the navy, it’s why I’m such a great one now!” Pearson proclaims as he motions for her to pass the cards. She shuffles them twice then hands them across the table.

“Army was okay, I like this life better though,” Bill comments, nodding to Pearson. Scarlet gets up and clears all their dishes, taking them behind Pearson’s wagon. Lenny’s occupying her seat when she walks back over. Arthur notices and goes to get up, but she shakes her head, sliding into his lap sideways.

Bill goes to say something until Scarlet draws her hunting knife, running her thumb gently along the blade to test its sharpness; he closes his mouth. Lenny and Arthur chuckle, the latter wrapping his left arm around her waist, securing her against him.

She knocks once on the table to signal she wants to be dealt into the hand. Pearson obliges and sets up chips for everyone before shuffling the deck and dealing. Arthur holds the cards as Scarlet looks at them, biting her bottom lip.

They play several rounds, Scarlet and Arthur working as a pair against the others. After the fifth round, Lenny folds and takes what’s left of what he got back. Bill does the same after the seventh. Pearson offers the other seats to Scarlet but both she and Arthur decline.

His left hand is gently stroking her thigh as he looks at their hand, squeezing her leg for her opinion. She leans down as he pulls them up a little to show her. She nods and looks at the cards on the table, glancing up to Pearson who is smiling at her. She shrugs and wraps her right arm around his neck.

“Your call,” she whispers in his ear, right hand tangling in his hair at the nape of his neck, nails scratching his scalp nicely. He smacks her thigh before rubbing the slight sting away. He lets his hand wander her leg; rolling over her hip, down the side of her thigh, over the top of her thigh, and finally down to her ass where he squeezes. She gasps, jumping slightly at the feel.

“You good there, Scarlet?” Pearson asks, quirking a brow at them. She nods and smiles, readjusting herself in Arthur’s lap to sit with her back to his chest.

“We’ll go all in,” Arthur pushes his chips into the middle; Pearson laughs, doing the same. Scarlet smiles as she uses her left hand to pick up the cards and nods at them. She gestures for Pearson to show his hand. He’s got a three of a kind; a Queen and five in hand, two queens on the table with a King.

“Shite,” Scarlet swears, flipping their cards to reveal two kings in hand. “Full. House. That’s three Kings and double queens.” Pearson gapes at them, throwing his cards and pushing up from the table in frustration. Arthur and Scarlet laugh in amusement as they take the pot.

“I guess we do make a good team, you an me, Miss O’Hara,” Arthur puts his hands on her hips, pulling her back flush against him. “What say you?”

“I say you’re tryna sweet talk me after our conversation earlier; hungover as I was, I do remember it,” she sets the chips aside and gathers the money before turning in his hold so she can straddle him. “Here, you’ve earned this.” She tucks the money into the front of his jeans, patting it for good measure.

“Yeah? What do you remember bout it, Darlin’?”

“I remember askin why you never got out; why you left me here when you went to see her,” there’s the hint of jealousy from earlier dripping from the word as she shifts somewhat restlessly on his lap. He groans and holds her hips so she stills.

“Quit that, chrissakes woman!” He huffs as he moves one hand to grip her chin, turning her face to meet his gaze. “You’re headed down a dangerous road if you continue, you sure you’re okay with that?”

“I haven’t been this sure bout anythin since becomin a mother, Arthur. I know what’s at stake, an I know that the road will sometimes be rough an long, but that’s all part of the journey. The experience is precious,” she rests her forehead on his, her hands laced on the back of his neck. “Just havin you back makes me calmer. I’ve been riled up for the last few weeks, thankfully I go get James in a day or two,” she smiles, getting up from his lap reluctantly, making her way over to her wagon. “The wagon has plenty of space, you’re welcome to join me if you want,” she throws over her shoulder with a wink before disappearing around Dutch’s tent towards their wagons.

Arhurt sighs and goes to his bed to change into something more comfortable after putting the poker winnings away. He finds Scarlet in the back of her wagon. He knocks once and she looks up at him, smiling that he’s shown up. She pats the bedrolls and tosses the blankets back. He tosses his pillow at her and climbs up into the back. They talk about the passed few days and how everything seems to be working itself out slowly, Arthur’s voice combined with the way he’s rubbing her back has Scarlet fighting to stay awake. She mumbles against his chest and he chuckles, kissing her head.

“Get some rest. We have more errands to do tomorrow. Me an you, Cowgirl,” he chuckles into her hair. She nods and tightens her arm over his chest, gripping his shirt at the shoulder.

“You ain’t plannin on leavin me again, are ya?” Scarlet states, startling Arthur. Smoke nickers and paws the ground, swishing his tail at her. She laughs and pats his rear. “Good boy.”

“Now why would I go an do a thing like that?”

“Cause I’m leavin you to go pick up James today. Got a letter last night askin if I would come get him. Not sure if he had his dad write it or if he did, but figured I’d go get him regardless who wrote it. Jessie woulda had to have gone with him to post it anyway. Wanna ride?”

“Can’t. John thinks he’s got a good lead for money,” Arthur sighs. Scarlet nods and grabs the horn and back of her saddle, pulling herself onto Shasta’s back.

“Well, if you do change your mind, head East. Go as far as you can, you won’t be able to miss it. Gotta go through Lagras from here,” she gestures to the East, shaking her head. “Gotta take Fancy and Shamrock cause Shasta spooks at the Gators.”

“Gators?”

“Yeah. Yanno, alligators? Mean son’s-a bitches. Good eatin though,” she shrugs. “Ride with me to the stables at least?” She pouts and puts her hat on, tipped back so he can see the playful gleam in her eyes.

“How bout I ride with you to the stables and see you out to Emerald Ranch?” He offers, climbing onto Smoke, and swatting her hat down. She yells at him, being temporarily blinded by her hat until she adjusts it.

“Alright. I can deal with that,” she agrees and kicks Shasta to get him trotting. “C’mon then.”

“How long will this take by horse?”

“To Saint Denis and back again?” Scarlet glances from Shamrock to Arthur, biting her cheek. “Bout a day and a half? If I don’t stop to sleep tonight, probably a day? Depends on if Jessie’s gon throw a fit that I’m lettin James ride a horse by himself or not. I’m hoping we can catch a train back if I get there early enough, send these two back by whistle. Fancy already knows where the command ‘go home’ means, and Shamrock will follow his momma anywhere cause he’s a big mama’s boy,” she admits and pats the golden chestnut’s neck as he nickers and tosses his head.

“Just be careful, okay? I don’t wanna have to shoot someone full of holes cause they picked the wrong family to mess with,” Arthur replies, promising the threat if anything were to happen to her. She smiles and leans over Shamrock to kiss his cheek, hand on his thigh.

“Careful? Me? Always, Cowboy. You forget who you’re talkin to? I just don’t always stay out of trouble,” she jokes and leans back in her saddle. Smoke, Shamrock, and Fancy all come to a stop at Emerald Ranch’s train station. Scarlet frowns and lets out a dejected sigh. “Alright. I’ll see you as soon as I can, Cowboy. You best behave while I’m gone,” she warns.

“Or what?” He challenges.

“I’ll just have to teach you how to,” she taunts, giving him a once over. He barks out a laugh and points at her, shaking his head.

“Chrissakes, Scarlet, you can’t just be sayin things like that out in the open,” he chuckles, feelin his face heat up slightly. Her cheeks are rosy, almost matching her hair as she giggles behind her hand, pulling her foot from the stirrup to nudge his own.

“I only dish what I know you can handle, Cowboy,” she winks and puts her foot back in the stirrup. “Promise I’ll be as safe as I can when travelin. I’ll hopefully be back with James tomorrow,” she bids her final farewells to him and turns her stallion to the right. “Bye, Arthur. I’ll be expectin you to greet me proper when we get back,” she calls as she kicks Shamrock’s sides.

Arthur shakes his head and rolls his eyes at her, but he can’t help but feel a tug in his chest as she rides away from him. A feeling of butterflies fluttering in his stomach, something he hasn’t felt since Mary and Eliza. He sighs, knowing he’s probably in over his head. He turns Smoke back the way they came and kicks him. “Hyah!”

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