#book a table preston street

[loracarol]

For all that I love Les Misérables (the musical), I've only seen it once on stage; when the local high school was performing it, and I was in elementary school/early middle school. (I don't know why my Mum took us to see it, but some things definitely went over my head lmao.)

So my brother got my Mum and I tickets to see the US tour, and holy shit. Holy. Shit.

Some of the things I enjoyed may be common to the play! Maybe I'm just out of the loop! But I still really liked them! (In no particular order.)

Nick Cartell and Preston Truman Boyd were really good as Jean Valjean and Javert, but I have to give a special shout out to Haley Dortch whose Fantine was exquisite and Randy Jeter who played the Bishop and whose breath control/ability to hold long notes I envy deeply.

Gavroche flipped Javert off at the barricades. 🤣

Is Grantaire caring for Gavroche a common theme in the musicals? Because in this one, Gavroche ran to give Grantaire a hug during one point at the barricades - I think after Eponine dies? And then Grantaire gave Gavroche his coat to sleep under. Later it's Grantaire who takes it the worst when Gavroche dies, and is the one to hold him and take him down from the barricade.

I have a confession… I don't actually know the difference between the different Les Amis. I know that they're popular, and I know some of their names, but I have to double check the lyrics to see who Grantaire was. >>; That being said, they're death scene was really amazing but also probably be very careful if you're sensitive to flashing lights. They had spotlights flash to represent the bullets as each Les Amis died and it was gorgeous and brutal.

Our barricade wasn't a turntable, but the sets in general were really cool. They had a projector screen on the back that they used to great effect, especially during the sewer scene and Javert's suicide.

THE RUNAWAY CART. I have no idea how they did that but it was so well done.

The Turning transition to Empty Chairs at Empty Tables and how each lady in Turning left a candle and then each dead Les Amis picked one up and toasted like it was a cup. Ugh. Gut punch.

The Thénardiers were terrible and hilarious as always. We were high up in the cheap seats, so I couldn't always tell what everyone was doing, but the Thénardiers were always so over the top that I could always tell what they were doing.

Diversity win, one of the worst characters in the musical made canonically bisexual (?) with the lines in Beggars at the Feast changed from, "This one's a queer \\ But what can you do?" to "This one's a queer \\ I might try it too." At which point M. Thenardier started dancing with the gentleman in question and dipped him.

I really could see why Marius would be clueless about Eponine's affections; every time he actually is interacting with her, she's either teasing/friendly bullying him (pick-pocketing his book then throwing it across the street), or helping him find another woman. It's only in her asides/inner monologue that she acknowledges it. It gave very, "boy pulling pigtails" vibes and I would understand why Marius wouldn't necessarily see it.

In general, Marius and Cosette were adorable. His "I'm doing everything all wrong" was pitch perfect and he had the audience laughing.

...I know that J/J (?) Valvert (?) is the most popular pairing, but honestly I came out of the first act wanting an AU where Fantine's illness is less deadly, and she ends up leaving w/ Valjean, and they figure the easiest way to hide is to get married and pretend to be a family; it hides Cosette's parentage, and gives them a cover in Paris; Javert is looking for Single Convict Jean Valjean, not Married Family Man Normal McLoving-Husband-and-Father. And later Javert can join in making them a weird poly trio, as a treat. (Not weird because they're poly; weird because Javert is Like That.)

(...Maybe in a modern AU where Javert gets some major therapy.)

(My first thought was fake-marriage AU where Valjean marries Fantine to get her on his health insurance and then I remembered that that's an American Problem Probably.)

(I'm not saying it would work for all versions of Valjean and Fantine, just in this one.)

The Bishop was with Fantine and Eponine in welcoming Valjean to heaven and that's when I started crying.

In the applause, all the child actors held hands with Valjean and did a bow with him & then he picked up the child!Cosette of the night and carried her. It was adorable. Everything about Valjean and child!Cosette was adorable.

In general everything with the children was so fucking cute.

I already loved the songs, but hearing them echo and reverb in the theater was amazing and I'm super jealous of people who can go on the reg. |D

Just. Ugh. It was so good. I didn't realize how much I missed live theater.

I even bought merch for the first time. 🤣(A keychain and some pins, nothing fancy admittedly.)

I wish every traveling group put out their own soundtrack. I want to listen to these guys 5ever.

[notalwaysthevillian]

A Different Side of Hogwarts

Warnings: Siblings picking on each other, swearing, anxiety

Word Count: ~1.7k

Pairings: Platonic LAMP at the moment, Pre-Romantic Reston

Masterlist

Chapter 2

“Um, Roman, are you sure you know where you’re going?” Rose asked as they walked through the streets of London.

“Yeah!” Roman’s voice echoed along the street. He was quick to lower it to a whisper. “We go to the Leaky Cauldron and tap the bricks in the back alley. Logan put it all in the letter in invisible ink.”

A look of confusion crossed over Henry’s face. “I thought you couldn’t use...you know...outside of school?”

“He used lemon juice, Dad. Trust me, Logan’s not one to break any kind of rule.”

Spotting the sign for the Leaky Cauldron, Roman grinned and raced forward. As soon as he entered, he saw Logan, who looked like he was arguing with Remy.

“If they don’t get here soo-oh, hey there you are.” Remy flashed a smile. “Logan has been waiting for you.”

“I worried that you wouldn’t be able to follow my instructions.”

With a huff, Roman crossed his arms. “I may not be a Ravenclaw but that doesn’t mean I’m dumb.”

“Apologies. I tend to compare Gryffindors to my brother.”

“Hey!”

Roman’s parents caught up, moving to stand behind him. His mother gave the Page brothers a friendly smile. “Hello. I’m Rose.”

“Logan. A pleasure to meet you.”

Roman held in an eye roll as Logan shook his father’s hand. “Can we go now?”

“Roman, manners!” Rose scolded.

A small sigh left Roman’s mouth. “Sorry Mom.”

“Hi, I’m Remy, and the squirt is right, we should get going. We’ve got lots of supplies to buy and we’re burning daylight.”

With those words, Remy headed to the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron, not looking back to see if anyone was following him. Logan sighed and gestured for Roman’s parents to go first, falling into step with Roman in the back.

By the time they got outside, Remy had already tapped the correct pattern on the bricks. Roman’s parents gaped as they watched the bricks pull back.

“Wow.” Rose said, eyes wide. “When we were here last year, we were...teleported here?”

“Oh, you Apparated. I’m surprised Headmaster Thomas brought you that way. Splinching can be quite painful, especially for Muggles.” Logan rattled off, oblivious to Rose and Henry’s growing looks of fear.

Roman elbowed him. “Lo, shush. Besides, Headmaster Thomas knows what he’s doing.”

“Well, um...I think it’s best if we wait in the tavern, honey.” Both of Roman’s parents looked out of their depth. “You have a list, and I’m sure these fine young men can help you out. Besides, you were looking for your other friends too, right?”

Roman gave them a nod. “Yep. I’ve gotta stop at Gringo - um, the bank first and exchange my money, but Patton and Virgil are probably waiting for us over there anyway.”

“That would be the smart place to meet up, as we all need to stop there.”

Roman’s parents gave him quick hugs before heading back into the Leaky Cauldron. He turned to Logan and Remy. “Let’s go.”

The boys reached their destination easily. Roman headed up to the exchange counter while Logan and Remy headed over to get some money out of their vault. He watched them disappear with a goblin, knowing it would be a bit before they came back.

“Ro!”

The call of his name was the only warning Roman got before he was tackle-hugged by a familiar face. He managed to steady the both of them, laughing as he wrapped his arms around his Hufflepuff pal.

“Hey Pat.”

“‘Sup, Ro?” Virgil asked as he walked over, avoiding the hug.

At least, until Patton gently pulled him into it.

When they all let go, Roman glanced around. “Is you-know-who here?”

“You mean Nana?” Virgil whispered, earning a nod. “No, she avoids Diagon Alley in the summer months. Something about ‘too many snot-nosed brats’.”

Virgil pitched his voice up ever so slightly, doing an impression of Nana. Patton burst out laughing immediately, Roman following immediately afterwards.

“Might I ask what you’re laughing about?”

Upon hearing his brother’s voice, Virgil shrank in on himself, taking a step closer to Patton. “It’s an inside joke.”

Devin grinned, his teeth seeming sharp in the dim lighting of the bank. “Oh? I’m sure Nana would love to know you have inside jokes with this...mudblood filth.”

“Oi! Fuck off, you little shit.”

The boys turned to see Remy and Logan walking back up. Remy shot Devin a look, silently daring him to say something else.

Instead, he just waved to Virgil before heading out of the double doors and joining back up with his parents.

“Let me know if he bugs you again on this trip, okay?” Remy said, his voice gentler than any of them had ever heard it before. “I might not be able to do much, but I can at least hang around until he fucks off.”

“Are you threatening my brother, Rem?”

Preston walked up, a single eyebrow raised. He stopped by Virgil, giving him a squeeze on the shoulder.

Remy simply grinned, tipping down his signature sunglasses. “Not this one. Besides, you and I both know Devin sucks.”

“He might, but he’s still my brother.”

Logan cleared his throat, stopping the argument in its tracks. “We’re going to look for books now, meet us at Fortescue's later.”

The four of them headed out, Virgil walking next to Logan while Patton and Roman ran up to look into the windows of the Owl Emporium.

“That was weird, right?” Virgil asked, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “They were like...arguing, but it kind of seemed flirty.”

“Thank goodness you noticed too.” Logan glanced back over his shoulder, not seeing either of their brothers in the crowd. “I don’t think it’s anything though, Remy would flirt with a damp towel. It’s just his nature.”

A squeal caught their attention and they saw Patton pointing into the window. “They have Pygmy Puffs!!”

“That’s what that is? I thought it was a living puffball.”

“They do appear to look like that.” Logan said as he and Virgil caught up.

The four of them looked through the window, admiring the creatures in their own way. Roman and Patton were cooing over them, pointing out the ones they wanted. Logan simply peered through the window, locking eyes with a puff that was dark blue. Virgil stayed a little further back, startling when one jumped up and hit the window.

“They’re so cute.” Patton pressed his hand against the glass. “I wish I could get one.”

“Perhaps someone will get you one as a gift?” Logan suggested, before looking down at his list. “There aren’t really strict rules on pets at Hogwarts anymore - well, at least not for creatures who quite literally couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Oh that would be amazing! It could sleep on my pillow, and V, you could cuddle it when you’re feeling bad!”

Biting back a smile, Logan flicked out the paper in his hand. “We should get back on track. There’s quite a few textbooks on the list, and I have a few I wanted to get for fun.”

“Books aren’t exactly my idea of fun.”

The face Roman made had the others laughing. Or, in Logan’s case, playfully rolling his eyes.

“You just haven’t found the right book yet.”

The four of them made their way to Blotts, with Logan trying to convince Roman that some books were worth reading in his spare time.

Leaving them to talk, Patton and Virgil peeled off to grab their own textbooks.

“What are you looking forward to the most this year, V?” Patton asked, straining himself to reach a book on the top shelf.

Reaching over him, Virgil snagged it and handed it over. “I’m not sure. Not having flying anymore will be nice.”

“But you got so much better!”

“Only because I didn’t want to be a splatter on the ground.”

A gasp fell from Patton’s mouth. “Leo never would’ve let that happen! Remember when I fell off?”

“Of course I do!” Virgil grabbed his last book and started walking to the check out. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack!”

When they reached the check out, they found Logan and Roman already waiting for them.

“How’d you beat us?”

“Magic.”

Rolling his eyes at Roman’s answer, Virgil turned to Logan.

“He’s correct. We asked Senior Blott, and he Accio’d the books up here for us.”

“You mean to tell me the two full-blooded wizards didn’t think of that?” A grin spread across Roman’s face.

Handing over his sickles, Virgil turned to his friend. “You don’t want to rely on magic all the time.”

Roman waved him off, before noticing that Patton was done. “Can we go to Quality Quidditch Supplies? I can try out for Quidditch this year and I was hoping to find a model for sale.”

“Why not just use the school brooms? They’re sufficient.”

Patton nodded, seconding Logan’s statement. “Yeah, Leo makes sure they’re upgraded every few years!”

“I know, but I really want my own. Eventually.”

Seeing Roman’s spirits fall, Virgil nudged him. “There’s always Christmas.”

After they spent some time at Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Roman decided to hold off, they headed over to Fortescue's.

Patton and Virgil opted to share a two-scoop sundae, choosing Felixis (a new banana flavor) and chocolate. Logan grabbed a single scoop dish of Crofter’s jam, while Roman moved through, looking at each individual flavor.

The other three sat down, joined after a few minutes by Roman, who’d settled on Moonlit Madness.

“Did you mean to order a children’s cone? If it’s a mix up, I’m sure they’d fix it.” Logan said, starting to lift his hand to call over a waitress.

Yanking Logan’s hand down, Roman shook his head. “It’s not a mistake. I didn’t want a lot, and - wait, is that Remy and Preston?”

Two heads whipped around to find their brothers sitting at a booth in the back, practically hidden from view. Logan groaned, seeing the agenda in Remy’s eyes.

“I think my brother is trying to seduce yours.”

Virgil simply groaned, a thunk sounding as he put his head on the table.

“Why?”

“I mean, your brother is pretty hot-”

Virgil lifted his head enough to peer at the Gryffindor. “Roman, I mean this in the nicest way possible. Shut. Up.”

Laughter rang out from Patton, sending them all into a giggle fest.

“Just 25 more days until we’re back!” Patton was practically vibrating in his seat. “I can’t wait.”

[vminity21]

Reparation | kth [Sneak Peek]

Pairing: PoliceOfficer!Taehyung x PrivateConsultant!Reader

Word Count: 3.5k (currently)

Genre: suspense/thriller/angst/smut/fluff

Inspired by: the book The Twin by Natasha Preston, basically a fanfiction of a fiction except with different scenarios

Warning(s): language use, mention of crime/death, mention of mental institution, angst, smut, mention of infidelity, stalking

Summary: As a Private Investigator with the rarity of consulting with the police force, you strive to sleuth any possible situation you can in order to find healing for your clients; and, with the help of your best friend, Kim Taehyung, the pair of you are a force to be reckoned with. When Jaehyun, the son of the chief of police, calls in desperation to save his girlfriend he claims has been wrongfully accused of strange incidents, you can’t seem to shake the feeling that something isn’t quite right. Little do you know, you are about to uncover the scariest crime you have ever encountered in your entire career, .... well, if the one truly guilty will let you get away with it first.

The slap of a manila folder hits the black table that sits daintily outside of a coffee shop before the sound of a skidding chair accepts the brisk flop of you taking a seat. The immediate arrival of the folder created a tiny gust of wind causing the nervous woman before you to jump slightly before her shoulders relax at the realization that it is you.

“Couldn’t be a bit more inconspicuous? God, you scared me,”

“I apologize, Mrs. Gwan,” Lifting your sunglasses to rest upon the top of your head, the wind picks up enough to cause the slight curls of your hair to tickle your cheeks. Mrs. Gwan waves a hand to dismiss your apology,

“Did you confirm my suspicions or not?” She hardly is wanting to make eye contact, but you know she is itching enough to know what information you have uncovered, even though the news, unfortunately, isn’t good. Swiping your tongue over your lips, you inhale quickly,

“I have. Now Mrs. Gwan I must warn you-”

“I don’t care. I’m ready to see that filthy bastard.”

Reluctantly, with pressed lips, you spin the folder closer to Mrs. Gwan, opening the first page to reveal the first out of many pictures you were able to snag of her unfaithful husband with his arm curled around the waist of a young brunette wearing a tight red dress heading into the building of a well-known bar centered in the city of Daegu. Her fingertips spread over the photo, mouth ajar as she stares at it, flipping through each one, anger welling in her focused gaze.

“Mrs.-” Her hand stops you- shaking her head as if to rid of any words she is wanting to say, but refrains, rather, she turns to dig into her purse for the check she now gestures in your direction, “Here’s the money I owe you,” hesitant, though pity resonates from your umber irises, you take it,

“Mrs. Gwan, I am so sorry,”

“You’re not the one who needs to be sorry.” Her sad eyes watch you for a minute as she tries to collect her words, but nothing forms. Holding up an index finger, you swiftly pull a card from your clutch, sliding it face up to her as her eyebrows scrunch.

“Monnie Min is the finest divorce lawyer I know,” you confidently pin the card with your finger until Mrs. Gwan flickers her gape between the card and your gentle grin in mere surprise. “And, you bet she’s going to make sure your husband is buried alive for his infidelity,”

One thing that you will say about being a private investigator is sometimes seeing that glimmer of hope in your client’s eyes despite having to be the bearer of bad news is the reason you know this was your calling from the beginning. “Thank you,” she murmurs, gripping the card in determination before giving a quick bow in goodbye. You watch until her frame blurs into the distance before compiling the contents back into the folder; you sigh in relief, squeezing your eyes shut before sliding your sunglasses back over your vision. “Another day, another success,” you proudly state, turning on a heel to trek to your car.

The next destination set in your path involves a place where your face is highly familiar amongst the officers of the law, but most definitely not in a negative way. Igniting the engine of your vehicle, you carefully back out of the parking spot and turn in the direction of the police station. Though some find it strange, you always keep it silent within your car due to the swarm of thoughts you have muddled across your brain which is what your best friends like to tease you about regarding your musical boundaries. Apparently, you have to ‘quiet’ the music in order to see while driving, though you swear up and down that you enjoy music in your downtime. Other cases are still in the process of being solved, though the main conflict you deal with are affairs, hence why your best friend Monnie comes into view because she handles the end of it all with fighting for the person who has been wronged in their marriage. The pair of you make the perfect team, and if clients aren’t completely healed from their situation, that’s when you and Monnie recommend your other mutual friend, LenLen Lee, who is a psychologist that works at a local high school but also takes sessions on weekends to work with other patients not related to the younger generation. As complex as each of your job fields can be, it is always nice to try different things to keep the routine from being completely the same.

Another reason why the police force is a huge fan of yours, or at least, your long-time friend, Kim Taehyung though you will never admit it or draw attention, but as many times as your friends have said it, you are the number one recommended in your field, yet you try to keep your identity on the down-low for safety precautions. Assisting criminal investigations have been rare, but something you agree to help with when they are stuck finding evidence to deem a culprit guilty. Reading people is your specialty which ignites how you proceed with any investigation, but sometimes people in all different work environments make mistakes even if it is something they can’t afford.

“Ah, miss [Y/N], welcome back! Couldn’t get enough of us, huh,” Jung Hoseok, the officer behind the front desk muses while you flash him a silly grin once entering the building.

“If I heard correctly from the whispers on the street, you bafoons can’t seem to get enough of me. Is Taehyung in?”

Hoseok lazily points toward the sea of desks hiding up the same hallway you cross when you visit, “Where you always find him,”

“Don’t know what I’d do without you, Officer! Thanks!” You turn enough to salute at Hoseok, him shaking his head at you playfully before you disappear to the immense number of testosterone either deeply concentrated on the screens of their electronics or throwing crumpled straw wrappers at each other when boredom strikes. And, what do you know, boredom strikes- Officer Park Jimin, hops to sit on a desk whilst attempting to throw what looks to be a wrapper to a mini chocolate bar at a fellow co-worker, grinning ear to ear before your gaze travels to the fluffy dark hair hunched in front of a computer screen. Files are sprawled with slews of colorful sticky notes to the point the top of his desk doesn’t look as if it exists leading you to raise an amused eyebrow.

Leaning against the doorway, you study the view before you, mumbled conversations are taking place, but attention is diverted enough to not notice your arrival. The faint smell of coffee wafts past your nostrils though your dear friend, who is dazed at whatever information he is scrolling through can only tolerate the liquid he deems as poison. The black uniform tugs nicely to his figure, the scuff of his shoe slides as he leans back in his seat, tapping his slim fingers in rhythm to a gallop on an extremely thick folder off to his right.

Clearing your throat, Taehyung jolts in his chair, whipping his head around with widened eyes that are partially shaded by the thick curls spread upon his forehead. “Scaring people must be my specialty today,” you ploy, hearing the gentle snickers of Officer Jimin who happened to witness the moment. Arms that were previously crossed, loosen to your sides while you walk closer to where Taehyung’s desk resides, your clutch still grasped in your hand.

“You have quite the tendency to sneak up on people, have you not heard the gossip?” Taehyung immediately stands to his feet to offer his swiveling chair that has comfortable cushioning compared to the wooden chairs set off to the side. Poking his ribcage, you collapse into the seat, eyes watching Taehyung as he slides his hands into his pockets, looking behind him briskly before leaning against his desk.

“No, I am not aware of how often I become a meddling kid, but if the town must talk, let them talk,”

“I’m pretty sure the talk of the town is for you to join our team,” voice belonging to Jimin, he rounds to stand beside Taehyung, popping a jolly rancher into his mouth while flattery blooms to your expression.

“By the talk of the town, you mean here where I am currently located,” you gesture around you, Jimin flashing you an incredulous look while the sound of the hard candy hits against his teeth.

“Do you not know how many stations want to take you on? Some of our best private detectives even want you to assist them. C’mon [Y/N], you know you’re meant for this,”

 “The honor is hard to reject, but I told you guys, it’s not a good idea,” your elbows dig into the armrests, posing your fingertips together before interlacing them.

“Do I need to remind you of the cases you’ve helped us break? Do you not recall the young girl whose uncle we were able to convict because you got him to confess?”

“Ah,” Taehyung nods once, “She was a missing persons- scene alluded that she may have known her kidnapper, being her car door was wide open, not to mention the items she left behind that were important to her,”

Moving your fingers to press to your lips, your eyes are zoned, “Or, the shoe,” you murmur, “her shoe she left behind indicated she lost it while running,” Or, from fighting the person she thought she could trust.

“It was only two years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday,” Jimin folds his arms across his chest, his lips dimming down at the memory.

“I just remember he said something that others would have brushed off, but for me, it just didn’t settle,” there was a Search team, you being one of the many volunteers, scoping the forest behind the parents’ country home, and when the uncle appeared to be nauseous on top of the statement he muttered, you paused in sheer horror at the realization of what you overwhelmingly pieced together.

“Settle is an understatement. You nearly punched the guy!” Jimin raises his eyebrows, rocking on his heels with how impressed he still is.

Shaking your head, a breathy laugh escapes your grin, “I would have done much worse if Taehyung hadn’t held me back,” you share a look with him as his petal lips grow into a smile, “All I know, is I am glad we brought her home to her parents. Alive,” LenLen was able to coach the girl through some rough times, recommending coping mechanisms to help her get past the traumatic experience she had as much as she could. Now, the girl and her mother are a part of a group who helps individuals who have gone through something similar- making a change in the world somehow, also talking about safety and that if anyone is hurting you in any way to reach out to someone who can help get you out of the situation.

“You mean you brought her home to her parents alive,” the gentle nature warmed in the eyes of both Jimin and Taehyung moves your heart, and you turn your head to avoid it. Deep down, solving crime and bringing down the bad guys is your passion, but a year ago something changed, and only Taehyung and your best friends outside of the police station know exactly what happened no matter how much you outwardly deny it.

“Well,” you slap the arms of the chair with your palms before grabbing your clutch from your lap to then hoisting yourself to your feet, shimmying the wrinkles from your pantsuit, “tracking down the disloyal is more of my cup of tea,” it’s a partial lie, but you wince when you can tell both men see right through you, yet you flash them a pointed look, “So, word of advice, don’t ever cheat on your significant other while I’m around because I will catch you in the act,” giving Jimin a quick boop to his nose, he scrunches his smiling face in reaction.

“Your confidence is astounding,”

“And may it always be,” you wink, effortlessly twirling on your boot heel to almost slam into a very broad chest. Eyes expanding mingled with the slight leap of your heartbeat, your gaze trails to the face of Kim Namjoon, Chief of Police, a face you always try to dodge when visiting your favorite male specimens. Panic courses through your veins in hopes that he didn’t hear the statement you just said, your eyes darting anywhere but Namjoon’s gaze as he awkwardly clears his throat. Yeah, he heard what you said.

“Hello, [Y/N]. Heard you were potentially considering taking the position we offered you here?” Namjoon’s demeanor as a leader is the utmost professional in ways you’ve never been able to equate. Especially when there was a time you knew him as the Namjoon who loved you at home, zipping from his leadership role and letting loose, finally letting the uptightness funnel down into peace. Sometimes, you miss Namjoon, but then you remind yourself-

“Potentially,” you say rather quickly, quite breathless which is not what you wanted to go for but here you are, and there he is, and there is Jimin and Taehyung, watching the uncomfortably tense scene without any popcorn to enjoy.

With a curt nod and a taut grin revealing his dimples, Namjoon places his hands behind his back and bows, “Well, we all really hope you have a decision soon. There are many opportunities awaiting.” His eyes shift from you to the men paused behind you, “Gentlemen.” And with that, Namjoon walks away, burying himself in the piles of papers he has pining for him in his office. Though your grin doesn’t reach your eyes, you look over your shoulder a fraction enough to see your friends who have yet to scatter, prompting you to throw a quick wave before scurrying out of the building.

Heels clicking onto the sidewalk, the bright sun gives your vision a moment to adjust, and you could kick yourself for leaving your sunglasses in your car. When a large hand lightly touches your back, you nearly squeal.

“Relax! Relax, it’s just me,” Taehyung holds his free hand out as if to steady you.

“Oh, I guess you’re out to take my specialty away from me, huh,” it’s the small, short laugh he does that makes you happy to hear especially when unwanted memories tend to overpower anything else you’d rather think about. “Chief is letting you escape?”

“It’s my lunchbreak,” Taehyung shrugs, “Figured that’s what you were doing as of right now,”

Eyeing him suspiciously with your mouth slightly ajar, you retort, “And what if I have more important matters to attend to?”

“Ouch,” he pats his large hand roughly to his chest, “Honestly, not sure what or who could be more important than me, but I guess,” he looks at his watch, “I can make my time more efficient without being your designated chauffer.”

“Wah!” You scoff, smacking his arm lightly, only to snatch the eyes of an elderly woman who is nearly appalled in thinking you were about to get arrested for ‘assaulting’ an officer as Hoseok would have referred it to. Smiling inelegantly at her, the lady scampers off leaving a chuckling Taehyung. “Oh, don’t get too amused, I’ll make you regret that statement.”

“You started it,” he leans in place a sweet kiss to your temple, your heart skipping immediately at the feel of the gesture, “Now c’mon, I could hear your stomach growling all the way in the office.”

Perks of having a close relationship with the police force is getting to ride in the passenger seat of their cars. Namjoon gave permission for you to be allowed inside them unless they were called to something serious. Otherwise, he wanted you in your own personal vehicle for your protection away from anyone they may have to arrest. Watching the pedestrians zoom past the car window, Taehyung leaves the music thudding just enough to fill the silence. You wonder what he could be thinking about, especially with the run in with Namjoon earlier. A buzz from your cellphone distracts you momentarily, unbuckling your clutch to retrieve the device, you peer at the screen to see it’s from Monnie.

Mo [12:30pm]: Just got off the phone with another one of your clients! I swear I want to take all the credit for my business, but surely, I have you to thank. Bringing me all the coins like you do, I might have to reconsider my marriage with Yoongi, and marry you instead ;P

Smiling to yourself, you notice Taehyung glancing at you curiously, yet keeping a steady focus on the road.

You [12:32pm]: …typing Oh please, he is the top detective at his station, more like the entire country, I’m sure his coins are as deep as the ocean compared to my holey pockets. Send.

“Let me guess. Another accomplishment you can add to the already numerous notches on your belt,” Taehyung’s deep voice serenades your ears enough to snap your gaze from your phone to take in the sight of his boxy smile.

“An accomplishment that I can share amongst my pals,” you confess, shifting slightly in the seat to ease your muscles. “I know you fuss at me about not giving myself enough credit, but you know you do the same thing.” Taehyung licks his lips as he always does- a prominent habit you noticed from day one when he entered your life. “You’ve solved so many cases just from your insane discoveries on evidence that has been overlooked. I may be a good people reader, but you tune into little details in the surroundings that I wouldn’t have even seen.”

“Hence why me and some of the rookies butt heads sometimes. There’s just some cases they rule out so fast, yet I’m doubting everything about the scene in general.” Tae runs a quick hand through his hair, “Especially deaths that appear to be accidents or even, suicides. I just-” he pauses, turning carefully into the parking lot of you and his most favorite restaurant, “I always have to be sure.”

“Hence why you deserve to be chief,” you mutter, though the tinge of bitterness causes you to flinch at yourself.

“And, you deserve to be a part of our station,” Taehyung parks the car, letting the air condition run, “Your faith in me is quite strong I’ll give you that. But, don’t pretend like I don’t know why you won’t accept the job the Chief offered you.”

You rub at your forehead, squeezing your eyes shut to try and block out an unwanted memory, “It was- it was a year ago. He only offered me the job of a lifetime to make me forgive him faster.”

Sadness clouds Taehyung’s eyes, because it bothers him that you’re still hurt, “[Y/N], it still doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve-”

“I couldn’t read him,” you swallow at the lump in your throat, “He was who I thought I was meant to be with and then…” You trail off, humiliation budding in red over your chest. “I caught him in bed with another woman. And, if I couldn’t read him then what’s the risk of me reading someone else incorrectly?”

“You couldn’t have known, sometimes shit happens,”

“Not to us,” you want to believe that everything happens for a reason, and inwardly within the deep crevices of your heart, you do. Gentle fingertips reach for the back of your hand in comfort.

“I also know that’s why you’re so determined on catching cheaters. You’re still angry,”

“I am,” you exhale softly, “But, mostly at myself.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I know beef bulgogi will make you feel better.”

Though bravery can sometimes be your strong suit, when it comes to Taehyung, those nervous jitters that soar through your limbs like to try and get the best of you, “Or, you,” you whisper, him already out of the police car with no knowledge of what you just said. Once seated inside the restaurant, the bustle of many voices mingled with clinking silverware perk your eardrums enough to distract you, rattling off your drink order as well as your typical entrée, not giving Taehyung time to speak.

Smirking at his attempt of a playful glare, you almost miss the vibration of your cellphone signaling a call, “Oh, sorry I probably should-” Confusion shows in the immediate scrunch of your eyebrows prompting Taehyung to freeze in evident concern.

“[Y/N]? You alright? Is it another case?”

The name glowing on your screen is one you would have never expected not since… the breakup.

Before Taehyung can repeat your name, concern obvious in his expression, you meet his stare,

“It’s Jaehyun,” you whisper, “Namjoon’s son.”

[qqueenofhades]

12 for Garcy? Only if you want to of course:)

The house is not far from where Flynn grew up, not far from his late grandmother’s apartment off Ilica, one of those big old places with overgrown vines on the walls, gables, rambling turrets – looking straight out of a gothic novel, for all that it’s five minutes from bustling downtown Zagreb. It is obviously a fixer-upper, and Lucy broke through a floorboard in the basement the other day and discovered a nest of mice. (She’s not proud of the fact that she, having coolly faced down ruthless secret societies and all manner of nasty villains throughout history, ran upstairs screaming at Flynn to call the exterminator now, but hey, they all have their secret shames.) But it’s the kind of house that bookish little girls dream about while reading under the sheets at night, and it’s theirs. They’re working on, or rather Flynn is working on, rebuilding it, and it looks better every day. Real. True.

Both of them are not sad to be out of America for a while, and they have no definite plans to return immediately. Lucy finally sold her mom’s house and doesn’t exactly have an academic job to leave behind, and it was time for a new beginning. She’s doing some work in state archives over here and guest lecturing at the University of Zagreb, and Flynn – well, it’s a lot stranger for him to be back here, especially without the NSA job that was the reason for his presence last time. But he seems happier, in a way she’s never seen him, or maybe that’s just because he’s finally starting to shed the iron-hard shell in which he has lived by necessity for so many years. Lucy does love Zagreb. It’s a charming little town-city, there are plenty of side streets, square, churches, cafes, museums, markets, gardens, galleries, and other places to explore, and everyone either speaks English or is vastly patient with her stumbling attempts at Croatian. It’s so different from the crammed crowds, the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, the on-the-go-go-go Bay Area, where everyone is always worrying about money or bathrooms or traffic. She can walk everywhere, or take the tram. Shopkeepers have made an effort to remember her name. It’s weird.

Lucy gets home tonight with an armload of groceries, unreasonably proud of herself for having navigated the aisles of Konzum without having to pull out her phone to Google Translate product packaging, and sets everything on the counter. There’s still a faint haze of sawdust floating in the air �� Flynn must have been busy today – and a fresh coat of paint drying on the living room wall. He’s good with his hands, not that that’s surprising. Building things, building places, building a house, a home, and she glances around for him, but he’s not here. Probably had to run out to get more drywall or whatever it is.

Lucy opens some cans and valiantly sets about cooking dinner. She is, of course, very far from a culinary maestro, especially in a second language, but she’s working on it, and she likes to have the ritual of eating together. Once she’s slapped together something resembling cordon bleu and put it in the oven, she glances around for Flynn again. She thinks about texting him, but decides she can wait a little longer. They’re living together, they are together, they’ve been like this for almost eight months now and left California five months ago, but she worries about being clingy.

At last, as the timer is going off and she hunts in the bare drawers until she finds an improvised oven mitt, the door opens and Flynn appears, looking fresh-scrubbed and oddly furtive. He sticks his nose in, clears his throat, and says, “Uh, smells good.”

“Thanks.” Lucy eyes him curiously. “Big line at the hardware store?”

“No.” Flynn backs out of the kitchen and zooms up the stairs at warp speed, forbearing to offer any more details about his afternoon adventures. Since this is fairly standard for him, Lucy rolls her eyes tolerantly, but when he comes back downstairs, clearly having tackled his unruly dark hair with a wet comb, he seems even more skittish than usual. When she asks him if he wants to sit down, he jumps, then nods gravely, as if invited to a state dinner by the President. He perches in one of the undersized chairs, then says, “Thank you. Ah, for dinner. It looks, ah – my grandmother used to make this, it’s – nice.”

“You’re welcome,” Lucy says, dishing them up and sitting down across from him. They eat in silence for a few moments, Flynn looking twitchier than ever. Then finally she says, “Garcia, is everything all right?”

“I…” Flynn debates the answer to that question. He gets up, jostles the table, grabs some matches, and determinedly lights some of the candles they keep around for atmosphere, as if gosh darn it, something will be romantic around here. Then he says abruptly, “Lucy, do you – do you like this? Here? Us?”

“What?” It’s Lucy’s turn to be surprised. “Yes. Of course I do. I love it.”

Flynn coughs. He can’t seem to meet her eyes. “I just thought,” he says, to the ceiling fan rather than her, until he wrenches them down to face her. “Well, my mother came over here – rather haphazardly, admittedly – to be with my father, and you – and I’ve been waiting… I hoped…”

“Garcia,” Lucy says again, not entirely sure where this is going and feeling obliged to offer a helping hand. She loves this man to her very soul, but my god, the density. “What are you saying?” A sudden spear of anxiety goes through her, turning her cold. “Is it that you don’t like this?”

“What! No!” Flynn looks aghast. “I just – I wanted to be sure, I thought about doing this some other way, and maybe it’s not what you want, you don’t have to, I can live, I just – I had to, I want nothing more in the world, and… ”

And with that, as Lucy finally cottons on where this is going and can’t breathe, Flynn reaches into his pocket, pulls out a small box, and goes to one knee on their half-finished kitchen floor. He looks up at her with those devoted, drowning, unbearable eyes, the ones that want more than anything, and can sometimes struggle, to put it charitably, with turning it into words. “If you wanted,” he says. “We could have our books here, and our nights in bed, and the windows open, and go up to the roof to look at the stars. We could have – this could be our house. It could be like this. Mice and all. It could stay. You could have it.” He pauses. Then he adds, almost as an afterthought, “And me.”

“You…” Lucy is laughing and crying and laughing all at once, as she gets out of her chair and faces him on the floor. “Garcia, are you asking me to marry you?”

Flynn realizes he hasn’t done that yet, and looks chagrined. He pauses, and then at last, he nods. “Yes,” he says. “But if you don’t want – ”

The rest of his sentence is cut off as Lucy flings herself into his arms, knocking him backward, and the ring flies out of his hand onto the floor. Neither of them care, because she’s landed on top of him, she’s kissing him senseless, he’s kissing her back just as savagely, and neither of them say anything until they’re good and damn well ready to, which takes several minutes. “Yes,” Lucy Preston says, and it is the easiest thing she has ever said, the best decision, the deepest and most desperate desire of her heart. “Yes, yes, yes.”

(They finally hunt down the ring, and he puts it on her finger looking like a man in a dream, and they go upstairs to their bedroom, in their house, and she does not mind in the least that her dinner has been entirely forgotten.)

(september prompt list)

[cammie-morgan-goode]

Funny OTP starters #12: Macey and Preston

Funny OTP starters #12 “Your mother keeps on making me sweaters and dude I’m sorry I love her but these are making me ITCH.” Macey/Preston

(Okay this one kinda wrote itself and it’s more cute than funny. Let me know if I should rewrite it!)

Growing up in the spotlight has been anything but easy. It’s taken every single sense of innocence away from two very young minds. Being the child of a politician is hard work. There’s itineraries, speeches, and travel logs. Your face is plastered on every magazine across the globe and your safety is a top priority because everyone sees you as a threat. They either want to be you or they want you dead.

But, the political life was the last thing on Macey’s mind as she wandered down the streets of New York City. Her mission was to blend in. But, that was easier said than done when your face’s been on tv screens for years. So she took a page from her best friend’s book, and she became someone else. Her long black hair was hidden beneath blonde curls and her blue eyes were now brown thanks to some contacts. She opted for a ruined college sweatshirt, jeans, and plain sneakers. Adding a small lilt to her walk, she wasn’t Macey McHenry anymore. No. She was Macey: Gallagher Girl on a mission.

She kept her head down and avoided eye contact as she entered one of the stores on Main Street. Usually Macey McHenry wouldn’t be caught dead in a store that’s as “plain” as this one but, she wasn’t herself. She was someone else. And according to her cover story, she would very much walk into a store like this. Thankfully she knew what she was looking for.

She wandered towards the middle of the store and picked out a plain red crew neck. It was light and not too heavy which meant it would definitely show off some muscle... Macey smiled and set off to pay. She was smart enough to use one of the credit cards to the off shore accounts because she didn’t want Preston to peek and kindly thanked the lady at the register. (Of course she channeled her inner Liz and added a bit of twang to her voice)

Within an hour or so, Macey was back at the apartment she shared with Preston. It was nice and homey. They had several places scattered across the globe, perks of being in the field and in politics. But, they were in New York for the holidays as it was the only place that both the McHenry’s and the Winters’s could agree on. Macey set the shopping bag on the dining room table and took off the wig, tossing it elsewhere on the wood.

“Hey Mace? Your mother keeps making me sweaters and dude I’m sorry, I love her but, these are making me itch.”

She looks up in time to see Preston walk in, tugging at the sweater from every angle—the collar, the cuffs, the sleeves. She can’t help the smirk that plays on the corners of her lips. She knows him so well. (She also knows her mother)

“Happy early birthday,” She says, gesturing to the bag on the table. She shakes out her hair and wanders to the bathroom to take out her contacts. “Let me know if it fits.”

Preston knows it’s going to fit. He knows Macey McHenry and he knows his girlfriend is never wrong. He changes out of the uncomfortable sweater and into the new fabric, smoothing it down in the front. It felt nice. (Way better than the one Cynthia had managed to buy)

Macey came back in, leaning against the doorframe. “Don’t tell my mother that it’s from an off brand. She’ll kill us both.”

Preston gives her his signature lopsided smile and moves towards her, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Mace.”

It was tradition. Cynthia McHenry still tried to have some control over Macey and Preston. But, Macey always found a clever way to slide out from beneath her thumb.

Besides... Macey would do anything to make Preston Winters happy.

(Written by: @cammie-morgan-goode)

[greensparty]

RIP Regis Philbin, Peter Green and John Saxon

In just one day we lost three entertainers. Here is my combined remembrance:

Regis Philbin 1931-2020

Longtime broadcast TV host Regis Philbin has died at 88. His career goes back to The Tonight Show, but he became known for voiceover and hosting tons of tons of shows from the 60s onward. His morning show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, spawned the LOL parody on SNL, where Dana Carvey did his wicked impression (”Anyways are you ready for this? I’m out of control!”). He popped up in tons of TV shows and movies as himself or a similar version, including an episode of The Dana Carvey Show where Dana did his impression to Regis, the famous “The Opposite” episode of Seinfeld where Kramer promoted his coffee table book on Regis and Kathie Lee’s show, he also appeared uncredited as an announcer in “The Chaperone” episode of Seinfeld too, and as himself in the 100th episode of 30 Rock. 

In 2003-04, I worked on the first season of Kelly Ripa’s sitcom Hope & Faith. By this point Kelly was known for co-hosting Live with Regis and Kelly. In a stunt-casting move, Regis guest-starred in an episode “the Car Commercial”, where he played Hal Halverson. He was a nice guy! They even brought him back a few more times.

The link above is the obit from Rolling Stone (including the clip from Seinfeld).

Peter Green 1946-2020

Here at Green’s Party, we salute Peter Green who has died at 73. 

The British singer-guitarist got his start in John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, where he replaced Eric Clapton. During the short time he was in the band, he played with both John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. When he left the Bluesbreakers, he co-founded Fleetwood Mac with both McVie and Fleetwood. He left the band in 1970 (he had a brief reunion with them in 1971). Even though most people only know the later era of Fleetwood Mac with Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham (especially Rumours), respect has to be paid to Green’s contribution to those early blues-oriented albums. “Oh Well” was even covered by Jimmy page and The Black Crowes. “Rattlesnake Shake” was covered by Aerosmith early on too.

The link above is the obit from Rolling Stone.

John Saxon 1935-2020

Actor and martial artist John Saxon has died at 84. He started as a teen idol in the 50s. But it was co-starring in the Bruce Lee epic Enter the Dragon as Roper that really put him on the map (to me anyways). He was also great as the FBI agent in the Robert Rodriguez / Quentin Tarantino vampire flick From Dusk Till Dawn, where he is asked for comment by the news reporter played by Kelly Preston (who just passed away last week). But my favorite role of his was as Lt. Thompson, Nancy’s father in Wes Craven’s horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street. He reprised the role in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Wes Craven's New Nightmare.

The link above is the obit from Hollywood Reporter.

[the-pan-ace-writings]

Chapter 2  A new Chapter

First  Masterlist

  Riona woke up crouched over a stuffed bear, it was dark in the room save for the slight glow of Codsworth who floated silently nearby. She sat up to take a better look at the room. When it was first build she had painted a starscape on the ceiling and walls, his crib had space sheets and a pillow that she had cross stitch a red rocket on, Nate had even put a rocket mobile on for him.    

   Now the the pants are faded and the structure of the building was patched up, the room seemed to be filled with games and toys they previously haunted owned. Standing to look at the crib, she noticed the mobile was surprisingly intact, and she found the pillow she had made slightly roughed up but present. 

   “I tried to keep the house up Mum, I never let them in.” Codsworth’s voice sounded surprisingly somber, he bumped into her again. She patted one of his arms and set out of the room to wander the rest of the house. It was surprisingly clean and rebuilt compared to the other houses she recalled from yesterday. The couch had a box sitting on it from where she had last left it over 200 years ago, the machinery in the kitchen no longer seemed to work but the counters had been cleaned and the table was set with mismatched and slightly cracked dinnerware. The laundry room had clothes folded but the machines were also broken. Riona wandered into the bedroom that she had once shared, 

    She went immediately to her closest to the safe on the ground, pulling out a AER9 Laser pistol and some cells dumping them onto the bed behind her. She turned back to the closet itself unzipping a leather dress bag pulling out her old ocps tucking her dress uniform back into the bag. 

   “Does the water still work?” her voice was still scratchy, and thick. 

   “Its doesn't Mum, but I can get you water for a bath if you’d like Mum.” Codsworth glided off after she nodded back at him. She bent down in the closet and pulled her boots out of the corner dropping those and a knife on the bed with her pistol before she wondered wordlessly to Nate's side of the room. She pulled a pip boy she found in the vault out of her bag that was dumped near the door. She found a tape that was addressed as Hi Honey, it was next to what looked like burn counseling books. She popped the tape into the pip boy and plopped body onto the bed sinking into the covers silent tears falling down her face. 

   She must have a dozen off because she was woken up to Codsworth nudging her leg explaining to her that the tub was filled but wouldn't stay warm for a long time. She thanked him and moved silently over to the restroom, locking the door she stripped off the vault suit, half peeling it off her body from the grime. She pulled her hair down running her fingers through it trying to comb out the notes from her long white hair, she stepped into the tub sinking into it to the neck, her hair coming up in a ring around her. Riona noticed the soap left on the edge of the tub. 

   When she was finished she toweled herself off with a thread bare thing that Codsworth had left for her. She dressed in her camo bottoms and rolled the sleeves on her blouse before pulling on her boots, fixing her hair and strapping her weapons to her. She considered the pip boy that was left discarded on the bed tape half removed, Riona picked it up and strapped it to her wrist, checking the time it was still late being about 0300. 

   Riona stepped out of her bedroom to collect the small red rocket pillow bringing it back to the bed and curling up underneath the covers clutching the small pillow. 

   “No more of this in the morning. I promise I'll find you Shaun.” She whispered harshly into the pillow, tears sliding down her cheeks as she sobbed, the Mr Handy cooed at her, patting her head then slipping out of the room to let her mourn. 

   The sun rose through her window, pulling her from a fitful sleep. She slipped out of the house followed by Codsworth, she walked across the street to the main house of the settlement to find Mama Murphy was still sitting in her faded and thread bare chair. 

   “You’re looking for your boy, I see him” her voice croaked, Riona turned towards her sharply, her voice was cold. 

   “You don't know what you’re talking about lady.” she snapped at her. But Mama Murphy just laughed. 

   “They used to call me Murphy madwoman, it know what it's like.” she was shaking her head like an old tortoise. “You’ll find him if you go to Diamond City”  Riona Sneered at her and in a near growl

   “You don't know me.” and she moved inside the house looking for Preston. She found him leaned over papers at a desk in what looked like an old bedroom, it was the only place in the house that didn't seem to be storing anything. She leaned on the door frame and knocked. Preston startled bolting halfway out of his seat, taking notice to her he motioned for her to sit down. It was obvious that he didn't trust her. 

   “What's your name?” he spoke solidly, breaking the near silent of the room, the sun was just barely rising, farmers started moving around the settlement, the night watch being swapped out. 

   “My name is Riona.” It was short and curt answer, she settled in her chair. 

   “What are you doing here Riona? Why come out of the vault? Why does Codsworth know who you are?” 

   She looked away from him, then to her hands which was spinning a wedding band.

   “We were frozen, they lied to us told us we’d be safe. Someone broke in, and stole my baby and left us there. I couldn't save anyone in there, dead in their own pods. I don't know how long its been, but the bombs. The sky had gone ablaze as we lowered into the vault. What it could of only been a few years right?” She looked up at him, slight distress on her stern face. He shook his head. 

   “Codsworth was our Mr Handy, he was supposed to help Nate around the house while I was deployed and we ended up keeping him when I had Shaun.” 

   Preston just nodded again like he was taking inventory of what was being said. 

   “So you know your way around a gun then?” 

   “Enough”

Next

[edgewoodrp]

SCHOOL’S OUT: HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

Come one, come all! The hard work of the Edgewood School District and the PTA has come to fruition: the H.A.G.S. Carnival is underway! The rides are running, the popcorn’s popping, and the prizes are just waiting to be won. All residents of Edgewood are welcome to attend, so come have fun, blow off some steam, and maybe catch up with old classmates and teachers! 

Event: H.A.G.S. Carnival

Where: Edgewood County Park

When: Friday, May 24th -- Sunday, May 27th

Time: 12:00PM - 10:00PM (Fri), 11:00AM -- 10:00PM (Sat - Sun)

              Enjoy yourselves, Edgewood, and Have A Great Summer!

Click the cut for more event-related details!

While the carnival will run for the weekend, the event itself will run from Friday, May 24th through Friday, May 31st to give everyone ample time to participate in the event. Be sure to tag your event-related starters with #edgewoodevent!

The carnival will feature many rides, food, games, and booths for other local businesses that helped sponsor the event. Other major attractions include Twisty’s Funhouse (which may or may not be haunted by the ghost of Twisty the Clown) and Celestia, the Wandering Fortune Teller. DJ BBGR8 will be providing the weekend soundtrack, so if you have any song requests, seek them out.

There will be a raffle taking place on Sunday, May 27th that will actually be drawn on the last day of the event, May 31st. 

                                               Volunteers

Several of Edgewood’s wonderful residents have volunteered to help run the event, and on behalf of the PTA and Edgewood School District, Karen thanks them for their service. They will not be required to work for the entire duration of the event, but will be working in shifts alongside the other volunteers.

Also--everyone will have an opportunity to take a dip in the Dunk Tank, so be sure to bring a change of clothes. 😉

Arts & Crafts

These volunteers have been responsible for deciding which activities will be offered, and purchasing the required materials. On the days of the event, they are responsible for supervising the tables.

Caterina Singh ( @caterinasingh ) will be running the Photo Booth.

Simon Romero-Martin ( @werewitchsimon​ ) will be doing Face Painting for children of all ages.

Preston Hawthorne ( @coldprest ) will be doing tie-dye t-shirts.

Bake Sale

These volunteers have been responsible for recruiting community members to bake items, as well as coordinating and wrapping the goods to be sold. On the days of the event, they will be manning the Bake Sale stands and selling the goods.

Trevor Wells ( @trevor-wells​ ) will be overseeing the Bake Sale.

Maggie See ( @maggie-see​ ) will be working the Bake Sale.

Valerie Bianchi ( @valeriebianchi​ ) will be working the Bake Sale.

First Aid

These volunteers are nurses and EMTs from Edgewood Memorial Hospital. They will be standing by to treat any minor medical issues during the event, and an ambulance is standing by on the campgrounds in the event of an emergency. 

Bridgette Kingsley ( @bridgettekingsley ) will be on-site to provide first aid.

Food

These volunteers have been responsible for planning and pricing the menu, coordinating the shopping trips, and securing discounted and donated food from the community. On the days of the event, they are responsible for food prep, manning the grill, overseeing the food table, and (of course) collecting payments.

Rose-Marie Arceneaux ( @rose-marie-arceneaux​ ) will be overseeing the food table, and has also brought homemade jambalaya to serve.

Tristan Kong ( @tristan-kong ) will be overseeing the grill and hot foods.

Charlotte Kingsley ( @charlottexkingsley ) will work the ‘cash register’ and clear tables.

Games & Rides

These volunteers have been responsible for securing the rides from vendors, and ensuring their timely deliver and setup. On the days of the event, they are responsible for communicating with their operators and doing periodic safety checks, as well as taking tickets from riders.

Maggie See will be taking tickets for Twisty’s Funhouse and assisting with the the Pool Noodle Javelin Throw.

Phoenix Castillo ( @phoenix-castillo ) will be taking tickets for the Ferris Wheel and assisting with the potato sack races.

Tristan Kong will assist operators in inspecting the rides twice daily: once before the carnival opens, and once after the carnival closes.

Raffle

These volunteers have been responsible for the selection, procurement and marketing of raffle prizes, as well as coordinating raffle ticket sales. On the days of the event, they will continue to sell raffle tickets to attendees and announce the raffle winners on Sunday night.

Logan Cree ( @logancree ) will be selling raffle tickets Friday night and Saturday night, and announce the raffle winners on Sunday night.

Maxine Beauchamp ( @maxinebeauchamp​ ) will be selling raffle tickets by the DJ / Underworld Night Club booth.

Rose-Marie Arceneaux will be selling raffle tickets all weekend at the Old World Witchery booth.

                                                 Raffle Prizes

Raffle tickets will be sold for $1 each. Prizes include modest gift baskets donated by local businesses, gift certificates for local restaurants, and a shiny new flat screen TV.

To buy raffle tickets, the number of tickets your character buys throughout the course of the event must be explicitly purchased in a chat thread, para thread, or self para during the event. Send the total number of tickets they entered in each raffle to the main or post it in the #event-things discord channel. 

Prize 1: A gift basket donated by Old World Witchery. Contains a set of healing crystals, an elemental-themed scented candle set, a small figurine of the “legendary” Hodag, and a certificate for a free tarot reading by Rose-Marie.

Prize 2: A gift basket donated by Shelly’s Sweet Shoppe. Contains a 5 piece cookie bouquet, a copy of Shelly’s cookbook of cupcake and dessert recipes, and a $15 gift card.

Prize 3: A gift basket donated by The Mystery Shack. Contains an “I <3 Mysteries” T-Shirt, a Mystery Shack bumper sticker, a book called Haunted Wisconsin: Ghosts & Strange Phenomena of the Badger State, and a Mothman plush doll.

Prize 4: A $50 gift certificate for Lake House Bar & Grill. 

Prize 5: A 30 day supply of free pizza donated by Tower Street Pizza. (*1 free pizza per day, days do not need to be consecutive)

Prize 6: A 50 inch flat screen TV donated by King’s Court Shopping Center.

Prize 7: A 65 inch flat screen TV donated by King’s Court Shopping Center.

[tsgcharlottesvillevirginia]

Our Week Scouted – July 19, 2019

TASTE

This Saturday, July 20 Walk Our City to celebrate and support our local craft breweries! The second annual Charlottesville Ale Trail Crawl, beginning at noon (see schedule below), is a purely pedestrian and urban crawl through the streets of Cville. Saturday is forecast to be a scorcher, perfect for quenching your thirst with a few frosty pints. You can join at any stops along the way or go all in and hit them all. If you plan to do most of the crawl, then consider buying a VIP pass which gets you six beer tickets and a free appetizer at the crawl’s conclusion at Three Notch’d for just $25.  The schedule for the day is as follows: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM – Random Row 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM – Hardywood Cville 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM – South Street 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM – Wild Wolf Cville 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM – Champion 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM – Three Notch'd

Put the crawl on your calendar and  RSVP here (if you’re on Facebook) or here. 

TREAT

How about a “me day” for you and your pup? Book a pampering session for your pooch at Animal Connection and a blowout for you at Glo-Out Glamour Bar. We’re big fans of Pattie’s grooming services that include a hydro bath, nail trimming & shaping, ear cleaning, teeth brushing, clipping and scissoring. Each pup is hand dried for the ultimate de-shedding experience. 

Bask in the comfort of the Glo-Out Glamour Bar for your pampering sesh. We think it’s a good idea to buy a package. With four blowouts, you’ll get the 5th one free. Plus, 25% off any product.  

Animal Connection | 1701-E Allied St. | 434.296.7048

Glo-Out Glamour Bar | 943 Preston Ave. #2 | 434.293.1251 

LISTEN

The Charlottesville Opera’s Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot is finishing its run at The Paramount this weekend, with performances on July 19 at 7:30pm and July 21 at 2pm. This fantastical piece of operatic theater, that triumphed on Broadway, is not to be missed. Camelot is a retelling of the classic King Arthur story. An idealistic young King Arthur hopes to create a kingdom built on honor and dignity, embodied by his Knights of The Round Table. His ideals are tested when his lovely queen, Guenevere, falls in love with the young knight Lancelot and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance. Don’t miss your chance to catch this stunning performance before it’s over for good. Get your tickets HERE.

The Paramount Theater | 215. E. Main St. | 434.979.1333

EXPERIENCE

Have you been wondering about Botox? Now’s the time to take the leap! Neroli Spa & Beauty Lounge is taking appointments for injections and consultations on Tuesday, July 23 from 10am-4pm. There is a consultation fee that goes toward the procedure that day. Participants receive a $100 Neroli Gift Card and register to win a $250 Botox/Injectable gift card. Space is limited. Make your appointment today. 

Neroli Spa & Beauty Lounge | 507 W. Main St. | 434. 984. 3450 

VISIT

Join Magpie Knits for a fun night of creative inspiration at the Kluge-Ruhe Museum on Thursday, July 25 from 5:30-7:30pm. Knitters, crocheters, embroiderers and quilters are welcome to bring their current projects. Explore the new fiber arts exhibit for inspiration and then gather as you create.   

Magpie Knits | 111 W Main St, Charlottesville | 434.296.4625 Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA | 400 Worrell Drive | 434.244.0234

[bugheadfamily]

This week the spotlight is on Anna ( @writeradamanteve )! Click the read more link below to get to know our member!

Spotlight by Mila, @jughead-jones | Graphic by Katie, @betty-cooper

Anna | @writeradamanteve

Name: Anna 

Age: 40

Location: New Jersey

Any other languages aside from English people can contact you in?: Filipino.

Favourite Riverdale characters and ships?: Aside from Betty and Jughead, I do love the awfulness of Cheryl Blossom and spitfire that is season 1 Veronica.

Cheryl Blossom is unapologetically terrible, and in real life, I would absolutely HATE her, but there’s something to be said about a woman who just goes all in. I get that hardness in her, and I like it that she admires others for it, too. That Toni brings out her soft side is a plus, but I would prefer that she stays true to her character outside of her romantic relationship. 

Season 1 Veronica Lodge was a champion of women. I loved that about her. I may not have bought the whole “Betty is my best friend” assertion, but I did like that she was doing it to make amends for her past. S1!Veronica wanted to do better and she looked at Betty and thought Betty was a good person to hang out with to further that. Veronica as a person is methodical. Deliberate. And those are characteristics that can be both good and bad. I like it that Veronica can go both ways. I also mean that in a very gay way. No amount of her sleeping with Archie will convince me that her character can’t be bi. I can’t even say I hate her in season 2. She seemed a little lost there, but she was deciding between her family and her principles. For a while she thought that both could coexist, but when she realized in the end that it couldn’t, she broke away. That’s badass. 

As for Betty and Jughead, I have at least 500K worth of words in fanfic that expresses the many ways I love them. But to be clear: 

I love Betty for being so steadfast in her beliefs. She may have her insecurities when it comes to how she looks and what her mother may think of her, but when it comes injustice and friends endangering themselves for sex, she isn’t going to let anyone prevent her from doing the right thing. She is a go-getter, from saving Pop’s to saving her relationship (especially when Jughead was pulling away from her). She is a master at wielding household items — a skill, we learned, she got from Alice, who’s clearly handy with a lamp. She’s kinky, and she can be scary stone cold — forcing Cheryl to testify the truth with blackmail, watching Jughead punch Chic in the face without flinching, drowning a man to get him to confess to his sins (although ask me some other time about the morality and racial undertones of that, as that is an entirely different conversation). But she also deeply values her relationships. She cares for her loved ones so much, friend or family. That makes her so strong.

Let me tell you the many Jugheads I love: Soft!Jughead, Smughead Jones, Curious Jones, Snowflake!Jughead, ProudBF!Juggie, and even HaplessSerpent!Jughead. I like him best when he’s writing and when he’s making literary references in regular conversation. I love how sarcastic he could be and how his transition from loner weird kid in Riverdale High to popular serpent prince in Southside High tugs at my heartstrings and makes me mad, too. Like Betty, he cares fiercely for the people he loves. His need to belong becomes real to him, after he tried to deny it for so long. As much as we all have our issues with Season 2 Jughead, it added certain dimensions to Jughead that I love to write about in fanfic.

Favourite moments from S1 & S2?: I think I loved most of season 1, but the moments that stood out to me most were these: When Betty was dancing happily in her Cheerleading uniform, when Betty and Jughead were searching Jason’s room and got caught, when Jughead and Betty went to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy together, when Betty rushed to SSH to save Jughead only to find him laughing at the lunch tables with his newfound friends, when Veronica stood up for Betty at the tryouts, when Veronica showed Cheryl compassion, when the girls all banded together to make Chuck suffer the consequences of his misogyny (again, I have words for this, but mostly — why only him? His wasn’t the only name on that playbook), when Cheryl calls people names, when Jughead protected Betty from her vandalized locker, and of course, when Jughead climbed Betty’s bedroom window.  While I can’t get enough of Jughead throwing Betty against the kitchen counter, I have to admit I still loved those other scenes a whole lot more. That said, I will still hope for what I mention in question #7.

Season 2 — ah, my goodness. I don’t need to explain how S2 broke my heart in so many good and bad ways. While there were some golden moments, I think most of us are in agreement that there were so many things that could’ve been done better. However, I STILL do have favorite scenes in this Hell Season: Jughead running the gauntlet was amazing, Betty working on Reggie’s car, the entire street race sequence, every time Betty uses a household object to save people (a shovel, a rolling pin, a poker), Jughead and Betty disposing of the car--from her house to the swamp, that entire episode of “The Wicked and the Divine”, Cheryl and Toni finding one another, and the hunger strike scenes.

What are your hopes for S3?:

Bughead summer sex montage. 

MOAR Bughead Detective Agency. 

A slammin’ Riverdale Parents Flashback episode. 

Joaquin stays and Kevin gets better with love and BDE.  

Kevin and Josie becoming step-siblings.

Reggie and Sweetpea being half-brothers.

Veronica being the Speakeasy Queen.

Cheryl stirring trouble (even if I know I’ll hate her for it).

Archie getting a clue.

Other fandoms you’re into?: My thing is that I don’t usually fan hard on more than one thing. My past fandoms were Harry Potter, Teen Titans, Anime (many of them at once), Cowboy Bebop, X-Files, Star Trek Voyager, and Firefly. At present, I love Star Wars (all of them — eh, except maybe for Episodes 1, 2, and 3), Wonder Woman, and all the Marvel movies.  

What are some of your favourite movies/TV?: Classics: Galaxy Quest, Tropic Thunder, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, Forest Gump, The Matrix, Constantine, Clueless, The Breakfast Club, Transformers: The Animated Movie, Snatch, Firefly, Veronica Mars, Supernatural (Seasons 1 - 5), X-Files; 

Most Recent: Pacific Rim, Black Panther, Wonder Woman, Rogue One, Ready Player One, Anne with an E, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Anthony Bourdaine’s old and new series. 

Favourite books?: There are so many, fam, but here are the ones that first come to mind:

Harry Potter 1 - 6 (yeah, sorry, not a huge fan of the 7th)

Emma by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

All of Louisa May Alcott’s books

All of Sharon Shinn

All of L.M. Montgomery

Anne Marston’s Rune Blade Trilogy

Barb and J.C. Hendee’s Noble Dead Saga

The Infernal Devices Trilogy (Cassandra Clare)

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

All of Zilpha Keatley Snyder books

All of Paula Danziger books

Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Misery by Stephen King

Favourite bands/musicians?: I shall date myself, thanks:

Queen

Guns & Roses

Metallica

Nikki Minaj

Cardi B

Imagine Dragons

One Republic

The Killers

Lily Allen

Cake

Eminem

Amy Winehouse

U2

Sting

If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?: Harry Potter, no doubt. I would like to live in a world that relies on magic. I would like to go to a magical school like Hogwarts. I would love to fight in a resistance to overthrow an evil sorcerer. Plus, I would really, really love to meet Hermione.

Favourite food?:

Ramen (the real stuff, not the dried instant ones)

Banh Mi

Bun bo Hue

Sushi

Filipino Food — particularly Adobo

Tacos

Mangos and strawberries

Favourite season?: Summer.

Favourite plant?: This is an odd question to me as I don’t have a favorite plant. They are just there and sometimes they give me grief when I have to tend to the outside of my house because they’ve gotten unruly on some level (like — Fall, why do you have to discard your leaves all over my grounds?)

Favourite scent?: Baby’s breath, food, and freshly changed bed sheets.

Favourite colour?: Victorian pink.

Favourite animal?: Cats and Owls (I am definitely a witch by heart).

Are you a night owl, an early bird, or a vampire?: I sleep late and wake up early. I am an old person who can go on 5 hours of sleep.

Place you want to visit?: Portugal or Prague is next on my list.

Do you have pets? If you do, tell us a little about them: I have two pets. Pootie is a cat. He is a gray tuxedo. He loves me best, but he also hangs around my eldest child a lot. Every once in a while, he bothers my husband. Bob is a hermit crab. Bob bores the hell out of me and I am equal parts terrified that I will find him dead in his cage and tired that I am still taking care of him. His previous companions, Larry and Curly, have perished. When I found them dead, I screamed. Hermit crabs are creepy as fuck when they leave their shells, like I can’t stand them that way. I don’t know why I am stuck taking care of Bob, but he’s here, he is under my care, and God help me, he’s a stubborn bastard.

Tell us a little about yourself?: 

For work, I’m a web producer/web developer, and I maintain about 20 sites for my company.  

I used to work in publishing.

I went to law school and quit.

I eventually married my high school sweetheart and now we have 3 children.

I was always attracted to women, too, but growing up, I was too afraid to come out as bi. It still intimidates me, coming out to new people now. Most times, I just let them draw their own conclusions.

Fun or weird fact about you?: There’s nothing weird about me that you don’t already know. Fun fact: I kickbox in the nearby UFC gym, and one time, I was practicing with Tai pads with a dude who kicked me in the leg by accident — he just “grazed” me, really. I TRIED VERY HARD to pretend that I was alright. That night, my leg was swollen, and three months later, I saw that same dude fighting in the octagon on TV.

Asks for fanfic authors:

How long have you been writing?: 20 years.

Which is your favourite of the fics you’ve written?: That is impossible to answer. Truly. So I’m going to close my eyes over a list of my stories and where my finger lands, that’s my fave. It’s Drive.

Favourite fic/chapter/plot-point/character you’ve ever written?: This is even harder. 

Polly’s character arc in Wicked. I really love how I fleshed her out in that story

The development of Kevin and Jughead’s friendship in Harvest to Home

Jughead’s relationship with Archie and Jellybean in Drive.

Betty’s story arc in Drive.

The twists and turns of Wicked.

The rich ambience of Harvest to Home.

Betty and Cheryl’s friendship in Harvest to Home.

The text conversation in Drive.

Sweet Pea’s background character in Drive.

Cheryl’s character in Wicked.

The car chase scene in Drive.

The hotel scene in Cowboy Jones.

The Peitho kitchen scene in Cowboy Jones.

Which was the hardest to write, and why?: Wicked was hard to write. I had set out to write this story with the twists and turns in mind, and those twists were interlaced. I had to set stuff up all throughout the beginning and middle so that the end would make sense. It was also harder because of Season 2. The background of those episodes in contrast with what I had in mind tended to make me nervous about reader expectations. Like when Hal was suddenly the Black Hood on Riverdale, it felt odd to not make him so terrible in Wicked. 

One of the hardest chapters I had to write was a chapter written in Cheryl’s POV. Delving into her psyche was a difficult switch to turn on and at some point, I was doubting whether I can do it, but I did it and there it was. And I don’t regret it at all.

How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? (examples: Do you draw inspiration from real life? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?) Do you have an process to your writing?: Inspiration is different every time. 

For Harvest to Home, I wanted to write a fic about a very domestic Betty who made beautiful things. While I was writing that fic, I was deeply into the show Fixer Upper because we had just moved into our own new home. I was absolutely inspired by the designs I saw on TV and our need to decorate our home. I wanted Betty to be so good at it that she wrote a blog about home making. I had a lot of inspiration for that as well, since in the publishing company I used to work for, I worked with a lot of chefs and homemakers who published books. 

For Drive, I was inspired by images of Mechanic!Betty at the start of Season 2. I think I may have seen a couple of fics inspired by the movie Baby Driver, where Jughead drove the getaway cars, and honestly, I got a little mad that Betty was never the driver. So I wrote the damn thing, and suddenly, Jughead was drag racing in Season 2. I wrote that fic with a lot of alternative music in the background. I usually started my chapters with the lyrics of those songs that inspired me.

For Wicked, I started writing it for Halloween and it basically grew too large of an idea to make it to Halloween of that year. I was also hesitant about how the fandom would receive a fic where Betty was a witch. Then there came that article about how Alice was possibly a Spellman. WELL THEN. 

Cowboy Jones was absolutely inspired by the Camp Bughead prompts. I figured since I hadn’t been driven out of the fandom by torches and pitchforks because of Wicked, I’d try for some sci-fi, a genre I really love. I aimed to misbehave with Cowboy Jones, so I told myself that this was going to be my smuttiest work yet. I had also put out an X-Files inspired bughead short called The Truth is Here for that same prompt. 

I answered the question about my writing process here and some more about character development here. 

Idea that you always wanted to write?: Kitchen Confidential type story, where Jughead is an asshole chef who is determined to make his restaurant succeed. Betty becomes his sous chef and shows him a thing or two about cooking and about life.

Favourite character to write?: Betty and Jughead, no doubt.

Best comment/review you’ve ever received?: Well, there are so many commenters who have been so fantastic, but my favorite comments come from those who want to have a discussion with me, mostly because I like to reply to all commenters to express my gratitude and it’s easier to reply when I can pick up a conversation.

Best and worst parts of being a writer?: Best part is finishing a chapter and posting it. Worst part is getting flamed. I have been fortunate enough to have a welcoming group of readers here, but I’ve had my share of flames in other fandoms. I always try to dig deep for something constructive in them — there always is something that can be so useful to my writing, but man, those are TOUGH to handle sometimes.

Do you have any advice to offer?: Few things:

Don’t let fear rule your life. Embrace that fear and get to know it. Find out what makes it frightening, then overcome it. 

Practice. That is the only thing that will make you better at anything. 

Learn from failure. It’s a bitch of a teacher but it’s the best lesson you’ll ever have.

Find work that you love. It always pays.

.

.

This is the eleventh installment of Bughead Family’s Member Spotlight series. Each week, a member’s url is selected through a randomizer and they will be featured in a spotlight post. In order to participate, please join the Bughead Discord (more information found here). Thank you.

[nashvilletonihon]

There’s No Race, There’s Only A Runner. Just Keep One Foot In Front Of The Other...

Hey guys. It’s been a few days (ok, maybe a little bit more than that) since I last posted anything. To be honest, I don’t have much to tell. I’ve been at my high schools for two weeks now and have actually taught less than a handful of times. This upcoming week is the Cultural Festival, so both Amino and Kumihama have been focused on preparing for that. This means there are shortened classes and varied schedules depending on rehearsal times. Cultural Festival is a school wide event that requires the students to all participate in various activities. At Amino, the First Years are required to perform in a play. The second years are required to sing and the Third Years are required to dance. There are also food stalls, games and activities that the teachers can buy tickets to. (I have one for a Japanese tea booth I plan on visiting on Wednesday.) At Kumihama, all of the students chose to perform in different plays depending on their homerooms. There is a general atmosphere of excitement and anticipation filling the hallways and classrooms at both schools and I am 100% ready to see all of the students hard work and effort come to fruition. We just have to hope against hope the typhoon doesn’t ruin everything.

This past month has been one of the most difficult of my life. I’ve been very open and honest about my struggles regarding moving to and living in Japan. This week was especially hard because I was not feeling well, school and classes did NOT go how I had imagined them and I was incredibly emotional and homesick. (For those of you following the saga that is my sleep schedule, I wish I could inform you that it’s getting better....but it’s not.) I thought maybe a run would combat the stress and anxiety I that I was feeling, so Wednesday night I did just that. In 90 degree weather and at least 1,000% humidity I put on my running clothes, laced up the new sneakers I bought (because I FINALLY found a pair in my size) and just...ran. I didn’t have a set destination. All I knew was that I needed to run away from my emotions. (Spoiler alert: They caught up with me later.) As I was aimlessly running, I stumbled upon a park a short distance from my apartment. Curious, I decided to take a little detour to see what it had to offer. Turns out there were a few tennis courts, a small lake, a really, really nice baseball field and some nature trails heading up a “mountain” toward one side the stadium. 

Feeling adventurous, I decided to explore one of the trails. I quickly realized how out of shape I am as I began to climb the almost vertical stairs. Huffing and puffing I hauled myself up this mountainside. With each step I took I became more and more emotional. I kept thinking about how classes that day had been a total bust. The students sat there. Stone faced. Silent. They just stared at me like I had grown a second head as I attempted to introduce myself. The more I tried to make it exciting, engaging and fun, the more they refused to participate. You want to talk about feeling judged? Stand in front of a classroom full of 30 high schoolers who want nothing to do with you and what you have to say. 

(It ain’t fun.)

Wheezing and panting, my mind filled with failures of the day, I finally reached the top of the mountain. Exhausted, stressed, anxious and downright fed up, I sat down next to a small, run down temple and cried. 

“What am I doing here? Why did I leave the great life I had in America for this? The students don’t care. I can’t understand anyone. I’m alone and I miss my family. I miss Preston so much. Does he miss me like I miss him? I miss going to movies with him. Feeling his arms around me in bear a hug. God, what I wouldn’t do for a hug. From anyone. I could still be working at a really great job right now back in the States and having the time of my life with my friends. Instead, I’m here. I don’t want to be here anymore. I feel like such a failure. This is too hard and I honestly don’t know if I have anything left to give. It’s only been a month but it feels like a lifetime. I want off this roller coaster. Please. I just want to go home.”

I cried until I thought I couldn’t cry anymore. (I did the next day while on the phone with my mom.) I sat there next to that temple with snot, sweat and tears running down my face and felt so, hopeless. To have so many things beyond my control is new for me and I hate it. I knew this was going to be hard but I had no idea it was going to be THIS hard. I know by now that I must sound like a broken record when it comes to this. “Yes Rachel, we get it. It’s hard but god bless, pull up your big girl panties and DO something about it.” Or maybe that’s just what I would tell myself from the outside looking in. And I promise you all that I am. I’m studying Japanese like it’s a dying language, saying yes to every offer that involves hanging out, grabbing food or exploring, getting involved in after school activities like Kendo and attempting to stay as busy as possible to keep my mind off of the crippling doubt and anxiety ridden thoughts I’m having.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. 

That being said, I’m a firm believer that the universe gives you exactly what you need precisely when you need it. Enter Kate and Jess on a rainy Thursday evening. A few days earlier, Leah (my predecessor) had reached out and informed me that last year an older Japanese couple, Kumi and Masani Yoshida, had invited some of the JETs over to their house for a weekly dinner. The wife used to be a JTE at Amino (my base school) and apparently their bread is famous among the Kyotango AET’s who have had the pleasure of attending one of these gatherings. 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to go. I had just finished bawling on the phone to my mom when I got the message that they were outside my apartment. I quickly splashed some cold water on my face, slipped my sneakers on and walked outside. No make-up. Messy hair. Sweaty and sick looking. “Sorry I look like death warmed over.” I mumbled. “Not at all. You look great.” Kate replied with a smile. (Already being much nicer than I deserved.) “Would you like to follow us so that you know how to get there the next time?” Not feeling particularly social, I quickly agreed and got in my car. 20 minutes later we had arrived at an adorable Japanese home with two of the kindest people waiting for us inside. (I dare someone to find an unkind person in Japan.) 

Dinner was entirely vegetarian, comprised of dishes like noodles, rice and vegetables all grown in and harvested from their personal garden. AND THE BREAD. (I would 100% die for that bread.) The Yoshida’s didn’t even seem to mind that I was mostly speaking in English, too tired to try to work out what I wanted to say in Japanese. Kate and Jess have been in Japan for five years now and did most of the translating for me and the Yoshida’s in return. I was maybe a little more candid than I should have been upon first meeting them about how lonely and miserable I was. (Keeping in mind that I had my incredibly gracious hosts sitting right next to me.) I told them mostly everything. How isolating the countryside is, especially when you’re a Prefectural JET because you don’t get the luxury of meeting all the Municipal AET’s at the Board of Education almost every week. I talked to them about how sad and homesick I was and how I didn’t know if I had it in me to last an entire year. They both listened with patience and responded with kindness. Kate told me about how she went through the same feelings and emotions when she arrived. Her situation was a little different from mine because she wasn’t a JET at that point and had no job to work at or school to attend. “I was home for 10 hours a day, by myself. It was awful.” she confided in me. “But don’t worry. We’ll make sure you’re not alone anymore.” I almost started crying at the dinner table. 

As the meal began to wind down, we made plans to return again the next week. This time Kumi invited us to come earlier than 6:45 so that Kate and I could help her cook dinner if we wanted. It’s a fantastic opportunity to expand my Japanese recipe book and authentic dish making skills, so of course I adamantly agreed. Laden with leftovers and some brand new towels (the Japanese love giving gifts) I slipped on my outside shoes as Kate informed me that Kumi is well versed in the art of tying and wearing 着物 kimono and that there is a festival dedicated to kimono is October. I was immediately invited and have plans to attend with Kate and Kumi if our schedules allow. Kate and Jess also made plans to pick me up the next morning to show me around Kyotango, take me to the grocery store so that they could help me with any questions I might have regarding labels and food items and to basically let me know that living in the countryside isn’t a death sentence. (However much it might feel like one at times.)

So this morning, we did all of that. It may have been raining but that didn’t dampen our spirits as we bought locally grown veggies and homemade bread at a cute café down the street from where I live, drove along the coastline for some of the most gorgeous views I’ve ever seen and a place that I definitely plan on taking my family and Preston when they come to visit next year. We grabbed a delicious lunch of ramen at the mall where I do some of my grocery shopping and capped off the afternoon with a trip to this tucker away liquor store next to the train station where I can find all of my favorite American whiskeys and spirits for half the price. Places I never would have known about if Kate and Jess hadn’t taken time out of their Saturday to drive around and show me. I am forever indebted to them and their kindness. We already have plans to go hiking once the weather cools down for good and to go to the 温泉 onsen (Japanese bath/hot spring) for some girl relaxation time when school gets to be too much. I laughed and smiled more today than I have all week. Most importantly though, I didn’t feel judged for the way I’ve been feeling. Here they are five years later with no plans to leave and a potential house in the works. Life’s funny, ain’t it?

I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. I have no idea what the next 11 months will bring. (Except maybe tears. And most certainly memories.) What I do know is that I am slowly surrounding myself with a group of wonderful, kind, caring, gentle, patient and genuine human beings who make each unknown day a little bit easier to manage. It makes me excited to introduce my family and boyfriend to them. To show my loved ones the people who have become so dear and so close to me. My network of support and a safety net when walking the tightrope gets to be a tad too scary. 

I’m one fortunate gal, I tell you what. I haven’t given up just yet, and I’ll keep puttin’ one foot in front of the other.

- レイチェル (Rachel)

[notalwaysthevillian]

Shattering Stereotypes

Warnings: Food mention, swearing, innuendo

Pairings: Romantic Moxiety, Remile, and Logince

Word Count: ~1.5k

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Read from the beginning

Chapter 16

The rest of the morning seemed to go by in a blur. Logan couldn’t help but hear the gossip as it swirled around him, quickly making its way through the school.

When the bell rang for lunch, Logan’s stomach dropped.

The moment he entered the cafeteria, his arm was grabbed. He let out a yelp as he was dragged straight to his table, pushed down into the seat with a firm hand.

“I heard a rumor.” Remy said as he slid over top of the table to look Logan in the eyes. “Care to explain?”

Flushing bright red, Logan rubbed the back of his neck. “...Roman and I are dating now.”

“Fucking FINALLY!” Despite his excitement, Remy was able to keep his voice somewhat low, something Logan was grateful for. “First of all, you should’ve told me immediately. But whatever, that time has passed. How did it happen? I heard you kissed, is he a good kisser?”

“Is who a good kisser and why do you care?”

Emile sat down next to Remy, a look of extreme jealousy in his eyes. Remy’s expression turned soft in two seconds flat. “I’m curious, babe. It doesn’t matter anyway, you’re the only one I ever want to kiss again.”

“Who are we talking about?”

“Roman. He and Logan hooked up.”

“We did not ‘hook up’.” Logan interjected, face burning even more. “We got together. There’s a big difference between those two phrases -”

“Aww, you’re finally together?” Emile cooed, his jealousy gone. This was proven by the fact that he snuggled closer to Remy, who’d tentatively wrapped an arm around the smaller boy. “It’s about time.”

Remy coughed, and Logan realized he was still waiting for answers. “He um...well we were doing our project for English. Ours had a bit of everything, drama, fantasy, romance. During the romance bit he leaned really close and I kind of ranoutoftheclassroom.”

There was a smacking sound as Remy face palmed. But he didn’t interrupt, and neither did Emile, so Logan continued.

“He chased me down and found me under the stairs. Turns out, when I was sick, he’d grabbed the folder I’d slipped my poem into. The one I was gonna ask him to homecoming with.”

Emile gasped. “Oh my gosh!”

“Yeah, it wasn’t how I wanted him to find out.” Logan could feel his face returning to a bit of a more normal temperature, though it was still a bit warm due to his embarrassment. “But he told me he reciprocated the feelings. And then he kissed me. And then Mx. Stokes found us and told us to come back to class.”

“Ooooh, busted by a teacher.”

Emile rolled his eyes. “We’ve been busted plenty of times.”

“We’ve also gotten away with it plenty of times.” He kissed Emile just to make a point, smirking when none of the lunch monitors saw them. While Emile was reeling from the kiss, Remy turned back to Logan. “So? The kiss?”

“It was perfect.” Logan admitted, sliding out of his seat so he could go buy some lunch. “Not really what I’d pictured, but the spark was there regardless.”

There was more squealing by Emile, which continued when Logan came back and started gushing about Roman.

“He was just radiating heat and I felt so safe.”

Before either of the others could respond, the bell rang, signalling that lunch was over. They said their goodbyes before heading out their separate ways.

When study hall rolled around, Virgil didn’t say a single word. All he did was raise an eyebrow, and Logan found himself relaying the entire story once more.

“That’s pretty adorable, not going to lie.” Virgil said when Logan was done. “Definitely a great story to tell at your wedding.”

Logan, who’d taken a drink of water, practically spit it all over the table. “Virgil!”

“I’m just saying.” He said in a singsong voice. “There’s three ways it ends. Breaking up, just staying boyfriends, or getting married. And if there’s anything I’ve learned about Roman since we started hanging out, it’s that he’s a hopeless romantic.”

Rolling his eyes, Logan wiped some excess water from his mouth. “Well, we’ll see when we get there I suppose. No use in planning that far ahead.”

The two of them spent the rest of the period talking about how cute their boyfriends were. Virgil was in the middle of talking about how Patton had saved a kitten off the street, despite his allergies, when the bell rang.

“TGIF, am I right?”

“Virgil, it’s Thursday.”

There was a thunk as Virgil let his head drop onto the table in front of him. “Fuck me.”

“I’m sure Patton wouldn’t mind.” Logan commented, unable to resist such a perfect setup.

His desired effect happened in an instant. Virgil’s face turned bright red and he started gaping like a fish. “You - no fair!”

“You got your teasing in, I’m just getting my daily dose.”

With a wave, Logan headed off to his locker. He laughed to himself as he heard Virgil sputtering behind him.

As he was swapping out his books and grabbing what he needed for homework, Roman appeared, leaning against the locker next to him. “So, do I still get to come over every day?”

Logan’s eyes flew wide. Roman started to backtrack, but Logan shook his head. “No, I’m not - it’s fine, I just...my dads don’t know.”

“They definitely suspected something.” Roman’s eyes swept over Logan’s face. “If you’re not comfortable with it today, that’s fine. I get that.”

“I want you to come over.” Logan’s heart was beating quickly in his chest. He knew his dads were going to make a bigger deal out of this than they needed to, particularly Preston. “It’ll make it easier to tell them honestly.”

Roman nodded. He waited for Logan to finish grabbing his books, a mischievous look in his eyes. Once Logan was done, he grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. “Is this okay?”

A blush bloomed on Logan’s cheeks as he noticed a bunch of other students staring at them. For a moment, he was tempted to pull away. Before he realized that he didn’t care what they thought. He had his friends, he had Roman, and that was what really mattered.

The two of them walked out of school hand in hand, heading to Logan’s house.

“Oh, by the way,” Roman started as they crossed a street. “I texted my mom at lunch. She’s really happy for us, but she said that you need to come over for dinner again sometime and bring your dads.”

“That seems fair.”

As they walked, they talked about the rest of their day. Apparently Remy had a similar conversation with Roman in their Chem class, which resulted in the gossip nearly starting a fire.

Logan was laughing as he walked in the door, which immediately alerted his dads that he was home.

“How did it go today?” Thomas asked as he walked out of the kitchen, Preston hot on his heels.

They seemed to notice the boys joined hands at the same moment. Thomas gave them a soft smile, but Preston had a different approach.

“Finally!”

“DAD!”

Thomas poked his husband in the side. “Leave them alone, Pres.”

“I’ve had to endure the pining for months.”

Ignoring them as they started play-fighting, Logan called out, “We’ll be in my room!”

They headed up the stairs, Logan dragging Roman inside immediately. “Sorry about them, I knew they were going to be embarrassing -”

“Lo, it’s fine.” Roman insisted, stepping closer. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Logan’s waist, pulling the shorter boy to him. “My parents will be the same way.”

Letting his brain short-circuit due to their close proximity, Logan leaned forward, connecting their lips together for the second time that day.

It was just as dizzying as the first time. Logan cursed the human body’s inability to hold in oxygen as he pulled back to breathe.

He snapped out of his fog in seconds when he realized his bedroom door was closed.

“Lo? You okay?” Roman stepped back, turning Logan’s brain function back on.

“Yeah, I - can we keep the door open?” He felt awful the second the question was out of his mouth. “I’m sorry, I just -”

“Hey, you don’t have to be sorry.” Letting go of Logan’s waist, Roman pulled the door open, going so far as to block it with a stopper. “This is your first relationship, right? My mom always says communication is key, so don’t ever feel sorry or stupid for asking about something.”

The tension slid out of Logan’s body with those words. He nodded, before grabbing his laptop. “So, Netflix without chill?”

Roman laughed and nodded. They got settled on Logan’s bed, Logan curling up into his side immediately.

It wasn’t long before Roman was hearing soft snores. He glanced down, seeing his boyfriend completely passed out.

Sliding his phone out, Roman pressed his lips to Logan’s cheek, snapping a quick picture and setting it as his new background.

When Thomas came up to get them an hour later, he found both boys curled up together, fast asleep.

[jeremystrele]

A Designer’s Japanese-Inspired Melbourne Family Home

A Designer’s Japanese-Inspired Melbourne Family Home

Homes

by Lucy Feagins, Editor

‘It is so lovely to close the sliding doors and close yourself into this dark room lined with books and the leather-lined box window seat,’ says Kim. Dining table by Dario Zoureff passed down from Lou’s grandparents. Chairs sourced on Gumtree. Armchair from Space Furniture. Tall kentia palms from Lygon Street Nursery. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Kim painstakingly removed the plaster and all of the clumps of glue to expose the original brick fireplace. Couch by Jardan. Log stool by Greg Hatton. Woven lampshade found in hard rubbish. Joinery designed by Kim and built by Woodcraft Mobiliar. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Originally trained in fashion design, many of the values and principles of my interior design practice, stem from my sustainable fashion practice. My personal style philosophy is about supporting independent, local designers and buying second hand, something I also do with all of my interiors,’ says Kim. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The best seat in the house! Joinery designed by Kim and built by Woodcraft Mobiliar. Log stool by Greg Hatton. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

This artwork was a gift from friend Jodie Zutt. ‘In our twenties she lived in Brunswick and I lived in North Fitzroy and we had a daily practice of posting creative snail mail to each other, full of drawings, photos, ideas, sewing. I still have a suitcase full of the years of letters I received from her – each an artwork in its’ own right,’ says Kim. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Low storage is part of three piece stacked vintage kimono storage unit from Kazari + Ziguzagu. Tall shelf from The Junk Company. Fencing mask from Tarlo & Graham. Storage box on shelf from The Hub General Store. Woven bag from Camberwell Market used as planter. Vases from @tombo.co. Trent Jansen for Broached Commissions Pankalangu bowl on dining table. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Dining table passed down from Lou’s grandparents, custom made by Dario Zoureff. Italian 1950’s Stillnovo vintage pendant light sourced through @pamonodotcom. Stellar Works bar stools. Dining chairs sourced on Gumtree. Secondhand vintage frosted deco glass door found. Staircase painting by Laura Lancaster. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Irving Penn photo taken in collaboration with Issey Miyake.  ‘Monoliths’ sculptural vases by Broached Commissions are Kim’s favourite piece in the house. The  vintage fan in the lounge room has travelled with Kim to every house she’s ever lived in, even overseas. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

The courtyard is planted with shady bamboo. Freestanding Smeg oven. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Timber salvaged from St Kilda pier softens the luxe black granite splashback. The bamboo courtyard and crystal-filled benchtop stone are distinctly Kim, keeping me grounded to my tropical, esoteric roots. Freestanding Smeg oven. Copper pans from Phillip & Lea. Stellar Works bar stools. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Old couch stuffed and re-upholstered after the renovation. Vintage art deco rug from 1stDibs. Broached Recall Monolith side table from Broached Commissions. Wall light by Apparatus studio Criteria Collection. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Part of Kim’s ever-growing collection of English and French stoneware and mustard jars. ‘The skull was from the Coburg Trash and Treasure Market. We became so known to the regular traders as interested in ‘weird things’ that on seeing us they would have already put aside skulls, bones, tribal arrows and other such collectables for us,’ says Kim. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

The study nook under the stairs. ‘Circuit 1’ vertical light by Apparatus Studio available at Criteria Collection. Desk wall light found at Campberwell Markets. Tribal mask and wooden clamp from Rodwell and Astor. Vintage timber draws collected by Bhon Projects. Poliform extendable dining table. Vintage Japanese thread and spool Kazari + Ziguzagu. Blue tape dispenser The Hub General Store. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

‘Our 8-year-old is very curious about science and the natural world. He has spent the last few years thinking he wants to be a Frog Scientist and is an avid collector of bones, skeletons, stones and shells,’ says Kim. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Another corner of Max’s room. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Vintage scallop edged mirror sourced on Gumtree. Taps by CB Ideal. Stone benchtop from a local family business just down the road: Daniels Marble House. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

The green bathroom has onsen vibes! Small Japanese soaking tub from The Japanese Bath Company. Hanging planters from Mr Kitly sprayed with copper coloured paint. Metallic ceramic planter from Rodwell and Astor. Copper tiffins and planter from op shop and market rummages. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Vintage 1960’s Japanese mosaic tiles that Kim found hidden out the back of a tile shop in Preston and bought before they closed their business. Brass tray by Fog Linen from The Hub General Store. Taps by CB Ideal. Timber stool @tombo.co. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Painting by Emily Kame Kngwarreye passed down by Lou’s grandparents. Bed linen from Cultiver. Bed spread from Hale Mercantile. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

‘The stonetop credenza was commissioned by Lou’s grandparents in the late 1960’s by Hungarian Jewish immigrant Dario Zoureff, who is considered one of Melbourne’s important modernist furniture designers. Lou’s brother has the armchairs and coffee table that were part of their furniture commission,’ says Kim. Indigenous sculptures were gifts to the boys from a dear friend who was living and working in Yuendumu, NT. Vintage Japanese abacas from @tombo.co. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

The original Victorian arch in the hallway frames the ever-growing salon hang. The amazing credenza commissioned by Lou’s grandparents in the 60’s along with their dining table – both designed and made by Dario Zoureff. Vintage pendant light from Geoffrey Hatty. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The cedar-clad box addition to the back of our house has extra thick roof and eaves to offer protection from the sun. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Collingwood colours in the 14-year-old’s bedroom!  The Turbo Brown magpie artwork was his birthday gift to him a few years ago -the ‘arts version’ of supporting the game he loves. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

It’s hard to imagine now, but back in 2013 when this Brunswick East property was for sale, nobody wanted it. Rumour has it the property once had established olive trees along the front, which were removed in the hopes the site would be seen as a worthwhile subdivision for a townhouse development. 

‘This was before Brunswick East real estate prices went crazy, and they didn’t succeed in selling the property for what they wanted. Lou stumbled across it when it was off market,’ says designer Kim Kneipp, who purchased the house with her partner Lou Weis, creative director of Broached Commissions.

A quick cosmetic renovation sustained them while Kim was pregnant, before a ‘proper’ renovation commencing in 2014. ‘We were in such a panic to nest that we essentially resigned ourselves to the quickest fabrication process imaginable, that being prefab. We added a new kitchen, dining, lounge room and upstairs parent retreat with an en suite’ says Kim. 

With Kim’s styling flair, the home has grown over time to reflect the creative family who live here, including sons Felix, 14, and Max, 8. 

Kim’s design explores the ‘wabi’ design philosophy, embracing elegant simplicity, and ‘a love for shadow play’, as described by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki in his book In Praise of Shadows. Rather than opening up the house to the bright northern light, large eaves and internal courtyards and zones have been created throughout, providing spaces with a softer, more diffused light, that gently track the sun’s movements throughout the day.

‘The house is mostly white with shadowy, dark zones, which creates a calm backdrop to frame our timber textures and bright green tropical garden,’ Kim says.

Also integrated into the home are details not obvious to the visitor that hold sentimental value. For example, Lou’s love of St Kilda, where he previously lived, is referenced in the salvaged kitchen timbers. 

‘I have a good friend who collects recycled timbers, and I knew he had the old St Kilda Pier in his collection, so when we renovated, I bought pieces from him that were then used to make our kitchen shelves and the front face of our kitchen island,’ says Kim. ‘It was the closest I could get to bringing St Kilda to East Brunswick.’

Once appearing as a ‘respectable Victorian dame invaded by a futuristic robot’ (in Kim’s words!), the use of dark exterior paint, combined with the gradual growth of a jungle-like garden all around have softened the edges of this home, and given it a relaxed, lived-in feel. The family have also created a lush nature corridor for birds and insects here, including a frog pond for nature loving Max! 

‘All of the vines and plants have softened the exterior relationship of the house and our front deck recreates my country Queensland childhood, encouraging so much conversation and interaction with neighbours and passersby,’ says Kim.

In keeping with Kim’s design philosophy, this home is humble by design, and luxurious by finish. Interiors are built to be perfectly imperfect, using materials that will age and patina over time, and textures intended to soften with wear.

[qqueenofhades]

the alchemical wedding: chapter one

Summary: Discovery of Witches AU. When Dr. Lucy Preston, historian and reluctant witch, stumbles on an enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, in Oxford University's Bodleian Library, she crosses paths with the mysterious vampire Garcia Flynn. They must work together to discover its secrets, their conflicted family legacies, and the shadowy enemies who want to claim it. As they do, they are increasingly and unwillingly drawn to each other, but that may be the most dangerous and forbidden magic of all. Rating: M Status: WIP Notes:  I 200% blame @extasiswings​ and @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels​ for this. I'm not sure how fast I will be about updating, and I do still intend to finish The Procurator at some point, but they planted this idea and then swiftly enabled me into it. I'm hopefully rating this one M at the outset, but we all know how it goes when Someone is involved. I promise nothing. Except for garbage, now with more supernatural shenanigans.

Chapter One: Ashmole 782

The pale autumn sun turns the bleached amber stone of the Bodleian Library to gold, the courtyard flows with chattering students (it’s Week 3 of Michaelmas term, so as yet they still appear to be enjoying themselves, but that will be deceptive), and for half a second, something makes Lucy think that she is being followed. It’s enough to make her turn her head sharply, but the only thing there is a crowd of camera-wearing day-trippers, noses buried in Oxford Walking Tour brochures as their guide tells them about Harry Potter filming locations. This is nothing out of the ordinary, and Lucy shakes her head, slings her bag off her shoulder, and opens it up for the entrance inspection. It’s a little silly, she’s been working here pretty much every day for the past month and a half, they know her by now. But rules are rules, and the polite mid-fifties porter in a monogrammed jumper gives her things a poke, ascertains that she’s not smuggling any crack manuscript-theft equipment past the keen watching eyes of the Bod, and says, “Thank you, Dr. Preston. Have a lovely day.”

“Thanks, Simon.” Lucy pushes through the turnstiles with the feeling of importance that has not entirely dwindled, at getting to venture in here while the tourists must remain gazing wistfully from afar, and takes the stairs to the first floor. More sunlight stripes the corridor at intervals, casting a gilded, musty glow through the tall windows, and she reaches the entrance to Duke Humfrey’s Library. If a time will in fact arrive when she is not utterly delighted to walk in here, Lucy almost hopes it won’t come. It is the oldest and most impressive part of the Bod, with hammer-beam vaults, an intricately muraled ceiling, and long mahogany bookshelves crowded with old and valuable volumes, most of which you are not allowed to touch yourself on pain of instant death. You fill out a call slip indicating your desired item, and a librarian goes to fetch it, whereupon you consult it in the reading room and return it when you’re done. A good chunk of special collections has now been moved over to the Weston Library across the street, but the manuscript that Lucy is working on is still here. It’s one of the items in the Ashmole collection, donated by the antiquarian, astrologer, and alchemist Elias Ashmole in the seventeenth century. Ashmole 782.

As with the porter, she hardly needs to tell the librarian what she wants, but protocol demands that she fill out the slip anyway. Once Lucy has scouted out an unoccupied table in the west wing, by Selden End, she goes to submit her request, and collects the foam wedges and weighted cord required for the proper handling of antique books. You don’t wear gloves when working with old manuscripts anymore, and Oxford has made efforts to get with the times and provide digital scans for the most fragile material. Yet for some reason, none of that seems to exist for Ashmole 782. Lucy’s life might be easier if it did, but in the meantime, she has to go consult the physical artifact every day. Needless to say, it could be worse.

In a few minutes, the librarian returns with the codex, and Lucy takes it with a murmured thanks. She carries it carefully over to her work station and sets it on the wedges, opening the parchment leaves and searching for the place she left off. Copying down the diagrams and transcribing the crabbed, confusing Latin shorthand proceeds at a pace of about three pages a day, if she’s lucky, and it may take the rest of her fellowship to get through it, but –

There. Just for a second, again. She had the oddest feeling that someone was watching her from the balcony above. But obviously, no one.

[read the rest on AO3]

[ninja-muse]

Read in 2018 Masterpost

Italics = 7-8 out of 10; Bold = 9-10 out of 10; Struck = unreviewed

Fantasy

Beneath the Sugar Sky - Seanan McGuire Phantom Pains - Mishell Baker Malice of Crows - Lila Bowen The Furthest Station - Ben Aaronovitch Tricks for Free - Seanan McGuire All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault - James Alan Gardner Olympus Bound - Jordanna Max Brodsky The Silenced Tale - J.M. Frey Strange Practice - Vivian Shaw How The Marquis Got His Coat Back - Neil Gaiman Sparrow Hill Road - Seanan McGuire Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik Stray Souls - Kate Griffin Dreadful Company - Vivian Shaw Night and Silence - Seanan McGuire Between Two Thorns - Emma Newman

DNF Keeping it Real - Justina Robson DNF A Spoonful of Magic - Irene Radford DNF Kill the Farm Boy - Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne

Reread: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, Night Watch, Wee Free Men, Monstrous Regiment, Hat Full of Sky, Going Postal, Thud! (Terry Pratchett)

Finished a reread: Smoke and Ashes (Tanya Huff)

Science Fiction

Cibola Burn - James S.A. Corey Artemis - Andy Weir Barbary Station - R.E. Stearns Childhood’s End - Arthur C. Clarke Nemesis Games - James S.A. Corey Vengeful - V.E. Schwab

DNF The Amateurs - Liz Harmer DNF The Big Ship at the End of the Universe - Alex White

Alternate History

At the Table of Wolves - Kay Kenyon One of Us - Craig DiLouie Karen Memory - Elizabeth Bear

Graphic Novels

Saga, Vol. 8 - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples Monstress, Vol. 1 - Marjorie Liu Moonstruck, Vol. 1 - Grace Ellis Rivers of London, Vol. 4 - Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London, Vol. 5 - Ben Aaronovitch Ms. Marvel, Vol. 4 - G. Willow Wilson Crosswind, Vol. 1 - Gail Simone

Mystery

The Con Artist - Fred van Lent Death by Dumpling - Vivien Chien The Mangle Street Murders - M.R.C. Kasasian Dim Sum of All Fears - Vivien Chien

DNF Cremains of the Day - Misty Simon DNF Twelve Angry Librarians - Miranda James DNF The Readaholics and the Gothic Gala - Laura DiSilverio DNF Of Books and Bagpipes - Paige Shelton

Young Adult

Tash Hearts Tolstoy - Kathryn Ormsbee Let’s Talk About Love - Claire Kann Dreadnought - April Daniels Ship It - Britta Lundin The Brightsiders - Jen Wilde Puddin’ - Julie Murphy The Supervillian and Me - Danielle Banas Fat Girl on a Plane - Kelly DeVos Pulp - Robin Talley The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy - Mackenzi Lee Geekerella - Ashley Poston I Was Born For This - Alice Oseman

DNF Kill the Boy Band - Goldy Moldavsky DNF Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe - Preston Norton

Middle Grade

La Belle Sauvage - Philip Pullman Aru Shah and the End of Time - Roshani Chokshi City of Ghosts - Victoria Schwab Better Nate Than Ever - Tim Federle The Chronicles of Faerie - O.R. Melling The Book of Dreams - O.R. Melling

Other Fiction

Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome Mansfield Park - Jane Austen The Alice Network - Kate Quinn The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan The Children’s Book - A.S. Byatt Trickster Drift - Eden Robinson Dear Mrs. Bird - AJ Pearce London - Edward Rutherfurd The Vicar of Wakefield - Oliver Goldsmith The Huntress - Kate Quinn

DNF Inferno - Dan Brown DNF The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton

Poetry

Killer Verse - Harold Schechter and Kurt Brown, ed Poems Dead and Undead - Tony Barnstone and Michelle Mitchell-Foust, ed.

Non-Fiction

Scrappy Little Nobody - Anna Kendrick The Diary of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell Dead Wake - Erik Larson Bad Days in History - Michael Farquhar Musicophilia - Oliver Sacks NeuroTribes - Steve Silberman I’ll Be Gone in the Dark - Michelle McNamara A Story as Sharp as a Knife - Robert Bringhurst The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day - Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs - Steve Brusatte Born to Be Posthumous - Mark Dery Reread: The Science of Discworld II (Terry Pratchett)

DNF Deliver Us From Evil - Ralph Sarchie and Lisa Collier Cool DNF Sons of Cain - Peter Vronsky

Other

Where’s My Cow? - Terry Pratchett

Stats

First Read: 77/76 Finished: 3 DNFs: 15 Rereads: 8

[avengers2k18]

Taken - Spencer Reid

Words - 2301

Requested - None

Description - You are abducted by the unsub, during the team's investigation. 

The team are all sitting around the table listening to Garcia brief them on the latest case. As Garica is talking about the unsub, pictures of the four latest victims pop up on the large tv screen that is mounted on the wall. “These are the four victims so far, they are Nicole Hull, Hailey Soloman, Elle Preston and Carina Barton, all girls were taken from the street at dark,”Garica explains. “All girls look very similar, brown hair, blue eyes, roughly the same height and weight, he’s targeting girls who look similar to someone he knows maybe a passed girlfriend or wife”. Rossi points out, everyone agreeing. Spencer looks at the girls pictures again, he can't help but think about Y/N who all the girls look similar too, a smile forms on his face at the thought of his girlfriend who’s probably sitting on the couch reading a book with a mug of tea in hand since it's Saturday and she doesn't work on the weekends. 

“The bodies were found in different alleyways in the city, all four of the bodies were dressed as if they were from the 40s and all were strangled to death”. Hotch says with a straight face. Hotch stands up and looks at his team, all ready to receive orders, “Morgan and Rossi you to head to the latest crime scene, see what you can find, Prentiss and Reid, go investigate the bodies see if there is any evidence or marks left on the bodies, JJ and I will head to the local Police station and get set up there and talk to the victims families, Garica research the victims and see if there are any connections between the four of them, also try to identify who he's dressing them up as maybe someone for the 40s or 50s”. Everyone nods and heads to the SUV.

“The bodies all have marks on the wrists and ankles which means they were tied down to a chair maybe,” Spencer thinks out loud. “They also all have multiple slashes to the skin” which makes me think he wasn't trying to kill them but torture them by causing intense pain, maybe he was punishing them”. “These women were also sexually assaulted as well”, the doctor states. Spencer and Emily were currently in the morgue analyzing the four victims. “He used his hands to strangle the victims, you can see the imprints of where he pressed down on the neck” Emily states, bending down to have a closer look. “That's odd, the unsub has used some type of weapon to hurt them, he even dressed them up so why would he use his hands on something he potentially created” Spencer says looking slightly confused, “Maybe he got angry, they weren't cooperating and took it out on them”, Emily stands up straight, “let's get this information to Hotch and the team”.

Spencer and Emily are in the SUV heading to the local police station to meet with the rest of the team and discuss what information they all have found. While in the car Spencer decides to text Y/N, can't wait to see you later wanna watch Stark Trek when I get back? x. A few moments pass and his phone vibrate, he looks down at the text, of course, how does chicken sound for dinner? x, he texts back almost immediately, sounds perfect x.

When everyone arrived back, Garica was the first to deliver the information she found, “there weren't any connections between any of the victims besides, their physical features but I did find out who he is dressing them up as and that is  Gene Tierney, she was a famous movie actor in the 40s and she looks just like the victims”. ”So the unsub is dressing them up to look like Gene Tierney but why kill them?” Jj explains. “ It seems like the unsub has an obsession with this woman and it has driven him to try and create his fantasies with them but none of them cooperated and therefore he killed them”, Spencer concluded. “So what you're saying is that this guy won't stop until he has the right girl”? Morgan added.”Unfortunately yes” Spencer sighed. Hotch stands up and grabs the files “lest deliver the profile”. 

“We're looking for a white male in his early 40s to late 50s, this unsub is patient and obsessive, maybe an unemployed local who is antisocial”, Rossi declares as the team stands in front of dozens of police officers. “He is moving his victims around the city unseen, so he has a vehicle, probably an older model, but well-maintained”, Morgan adds. Emily continues “by killing the victims, it is believed that in the unsub's mind, they failed to live up to his expectations and this is their punishment”. “His behaviour says that we might be dealing with someone who suffers from borderline personality disorder and this could be mean that he's creating his fantasies with these women”, Spencer proceeded “he’s looking for white women with brown and blue eyes and he grabs them at night if they are alone that is all thank you”, Hotch finishes the profile and dismisses the officers.

The team all get back to work on the investigation while Spencer pulls out his phone to call Y/N to notify her that he won't be home till late when he sees multiple miss calls from her. Spencer calls her phone but it goes straight to voicemail. He tries not to panic and decides to text her asking whats wrong. Hotch walks over to the team with an angry look, “A woman was just abducted off the streets by a guy in a van, it looks like our guy, Garcia has CCTV”. Hotch leads his team into a room with a large TV screen and Garica holding a remote. “This happened just half an hour ago outside of a grocery store on Lincoln Avenue” Gracia explains, “That's not far from, where the other victims were abducted”, Morgan exclaims. “That is correct hot stuff and this is what we caught”. Gracia presses the remote and the footage starts to play. The footage shows a young woman carrying a bag of groceries and trying to call someone on her phone, while a van slowly pulls up beside her, a man jumps out of the van and pulls her in, then the van drives away. “Garica can you get facial recognition on the victim and the unsub” Hotch demands. “Yes, sir”. Garcia hops on her computer and starts typing away. The team narrow it down by adding the location and age range. “Okay the man goes by the name Stanley Swanson, he's had multiple run-ins with the law, one was sexually assaulting a teenage girl but the charges were dropped and the girl is...omg” “what is it Garcia, Hotch interrogates,Garica faces the others, looking like she just saw a ghost,”Its Y/N”

The room goes silent, “where did he take her?” Spencer asks panic in his voice. “The footage from the other CCTV cameras show it leads to an abandoned mansion on Colonial Drive” “Everyone get ready to leave I'll go tell the chief to get the S.W.A.T team ready”. Hotch states.The team all reassure Reid that they will get to her safely and start load up their guns and put on bulletproof vests. “Don't worry kid, we will get to her, I've been there before just don't lose focus alright,” Morgan said comforting Spencer. “I know it's just we've seen what he did to the other victims, I don't want to lose her too,” Spencer said looking down, eyes glazed with tears, “and we won't, that's a promise”. Jj and Emily meet each other's eye both angry and worried for their friend. The whole team loves Y/N, they know how much you mean to Spencer and how nice and caring you are towards them when you first met the team especially the girls, they had quickly become your new best friends while Hotch, Morgan and Rossi become like brothers you never had, always having a laugh with each of them. The team splits into two SUVs with cop cars following their lead. 

“Please just let me go, I won't tell anyone I swear”, you sobbed tears streaming down your face. What was going to be a night filled with laughter and love turned into a night of terror, fearing for your own life. You were currently strapped in a chair, your wrists and ankles tightly wrapped with rope. Your abductor was currently doing your makeup and hair. “I'm not going to ask you again shut up!”. You sit there in silence scared he will hurt you if you plead anymore. The man stands up and looks at you with a wide creepy smile. “You look perfect, now just for your outfit, and then we are ready for the scene”. The man walks over to the wardrobe and pulls out a black lace nightgown. He walks over back to you, while you are shaking with fear. “calm down you will enjoy this, you have been the best so far you wouldn't want to ruin that would you?”. You nod agreeing with him for the sake of the situation. “If you try anything I will kill you got it?” He demands, spitting in my face. “yes” I say sadly.

He starts to untie my wrists and my ankles leaving me free from restrains, as soon as he's done untieing me I kick him in the crotch and make a bolt for the door only to find it locked. “HELP, SOMEBODY HELP ME” I shout screaming as loud as I can. He hits me on the back of the head, I scream in pain. “You shouldn't have done that”. He grabs both my arms and pins them to the floor, with one hand holding my arms down, the other hand starts to cut open my clothes, leaving me in just my bra and panties. “Stop please”. I sob. He ignores me and puts the lace gown on me. He stands me up and forces me to the bed. I try to fight back but he's too strong. He ties my arms to the headrest atop of the bed tightly so I cant escape. A new level of fear takes over my body as I know whats about to happen next. The man starts to light candles around the room, “What do you want from me” I ask looking right at him. He doesn't stop what he's doing but merely glances and me and says “I want you”. I continue to sob and hope Spencer is able to save me, even though he probably doesn't know where I am. 

My abducter takes off his suit jakcet and shoes and starts to unbutton his shirt while walking over to me. “Do you know how long I have been waiting for you Gene, how many others I had to kill for you? and now it has lead to this”. I start to scream as loud as I can ruining the mood for the abductor. “SHUT UP!” he roars. Having had enough with my screaming, he opens the side drawers and grabs duck tape and seals my mouth. All that can be heard from me is muffled sobs. He climbs on top of me and straddles my waist, “I was going to slice your skin open like I did to the others but I cant ruin your such perfect skin now cant I Gene” He starts to kiss the side of my neck while his hands travel down my waist, when the door is busted open, by Derek Morgan. I cry out In relief. “F.B.I drop your weapon”. The abductor laughs and drops his knife.Just before they arrest him, He leans down and kisses me, Hotch body slams him to the ground. 

Morgan and Rossi untie me from the ropes and they both hug me in relief. After I hug Rossi I see Reid come in alongside Emily and Jj. I meet Spencer in the middle of the room and hug the life out of him, fresh tears running down my cheeks. He hugs me back tightly afraid I will be taken again. He grabs both my cheeks and brings me into a passionate kiss. After the kiss is over Emily comes from behind me and wraps a blanket around my shoulders, I hug her and Jj back, both of my best friends relieved to see me. We all make our way out of the abandoned mansion. After I've been checked over by medics, Spencer never leaving my side. After saying goodbye to the team Spencer and I climb into the backseat of an SUV and are taken back home.

“Y/N I thought I lost you and I wasn't ever going to see you again”. Spencer says with tears in his eyes. “me too” I say honestly with a shaky breath, I really thought I wasn't going to see him again. I shift over the middle seat to sit beside him. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and hugs me to his chest. I cuddle into him and smile warmly. “Get some rest Y/N, you've had a rough night and it is quite a drive back to our house”. I agree and close my eyes. “Thank you for saving me Spencer”, Spencer kisses my forehead “I will always be there to save you”.