#brought this up with chai and anna

[viivdle]

can we finally bring light to how locke is so james in the folklore love triangle. betty would be taryn and jude augustine in the sense of "it was just a summer thing", but taryn would also be augustine because of her blinding love for james (locke) and how she still pines after him.

[neverswungonswingingstars]

I can't believe she improvised that line, that's amazing. It was actually that line that made me think she was kind of saying "I'm here for you no matter what our relationship is." But if someone thought she was saying, "I don't care if you're attracted to men, we can still be together" I would understand that too, I just don't think it's that simple. He opened up to her which was something she wanted since they got together but I think she's still hurt by what happened and what she wasn't aware of. I just don't get the vibe she's the type of gal to be like, it's all good now that you've admitted it. I never got the impression he was as into her as she was into him. I think he had a career boner for her more than anything else and wanted to save her when he saw her in need. She took that as romantic interest which I'm not convinced it was. I think if he does have genuine romantic feelings for her then he grew into them over the season. I'm more convinced that he loves her in a non-romantic way but in a very deep way nonetheless. I kind of love the idea of them building this best friendship that maybe gets messy with other feelings occassionally. The only time I was convinced Dale was sexually interested in her was halfway through the season or so when someone good happens (damn I can't remember exactly what) and they celebrate by tearing at each other's clothes. But once again, all their romantic and/or sexual encounters seem to be affected by a third party (usually Tim) or outside circumstances (celebrating a triumph).

I read that it was important to the showrunner that Dale's sexuality was ambiguous. He's not completely gay, maybe he's bisexual, maybe he's pansexual. Maybe he's just been attracted to two men in his life and that's it. He doesn't seem to be motivated by sex so maybe he's a bit demisexual. And this is an interesting choice but it doesn't change that he wants to jump Tim and their chemistry is electric. Am I wrong in thinking that it's not the same with Helen? I'll rewatch to make sure but I think I love Dale and Helen's relationship in a totally different way.

The other argument for this is do Sam and Chai just have better chemistry than Sam and Anna? Maybe? But all these actors are SO GOOD at what they do that I know Sam and Anna would have brought the chemistry if it was supposed to be there for Dale and Helen. Sam has great chemistry with so many people, he's mastered the longing heart eyes.

And if it's true that Dale just isn't as into Helen as he's into Tim then our girl deserves a better love interest. Which I'm so here for! Dale could have some weird jealousy despite not wanting to be with her and be worried for her fragile heart in the process. We could have this new guy be the one straight (maybe?) male on the show who isn't a homophobe.

Now I'm just thinking about Tim watching Dale with Helen at the desk in the finale and tearing up...you're telling me there isn't something intense between them?!? 😫😫

Also, Sam's real life girlfriend is gonna be in season 2 so that's kinda fun. But I hope they're not doing some more straight washing. And Daniel Gillies from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals who's an *incredible* actor and so freaking hot so now that I've gone off about Helen's new love interest it absolutely needs to be him.

I saw that she was going to be in it! I wonder who she'll be playing!! And I also saw that Daniel gillies was going to be in it and I can't wait for that either, I'm a big fan of his! You're so right, he would be a great love interest for Helen!

I totally agree with what you said and the chemistry between Helen and dale! They were really sweet at times but there really wasn't that same fire-y chemistry as between dale and Tim! They were always finding excuses to give each other little touches and stuff! That moment between dale and Tim in the bar after the explosions was just something else as well, dale was definitely about to jump Tim if Tim hadn't kissed him first haha! Whereas you never really had anything like that between dale and Helen. At least not to me!

I absolutely love the way you put that, a career boner for her 😂 and I agree as well, it would seem that more than anything else! As you said, at least at first and you can tell he does genuinely really care for her but yeah I also got the sense she's into him more than he's into her that way!

I also didn't really know where Helens head was at when she said to Dale she loved him no matter what, I just kind of took it as that she'll be there for him and she's going to support him no matter what eventually kind of comes out of it. Whether it is working on it to still be together or whether it's more as friends! But she most definitely deserves someone who thinks the world of her, not like half those assholes in their office!!

And that bit about tim looking at dale at the end, I honestly could go on about it forever haha. He always has the heart eyes when looking at dale tbf haha but that last look as dales finally on the desk is just something else, that boy is absolutely head over heels for him! I just hope dale can sort of take proper stock of how he's feeling and be able to give it back to him!

Yeah I think if dale and Helen were meant to have the same sort of chemistry as dale and Tim then they would have, because as you said they are all amazing actors!

I will have to see where I saw that line about anna torv improvising it incase I'm speaking out my arse but I think it was on one of the newsreader instagran accounts that they said because they hadn't been sure how to leave it between them and had been throwing round a few different bits!

I hadn't read that about the showrunner and leaving dales sexuality to be ambiguous! That's good, I kind of like when they don't completely define things like that, because it isn't always very straight forward and people can be all over the place with their sexuality (like me for example haha, completely over the place 😂)

OK, I think I covered everything there. Not in any sensible order mind so good luck with reading that 😂

[books-i-finished-reading]

(20)

Chain of Gold - Cassandra Clare

( The last hours - book 1/3 )

23rd February 2023

How glamorous the life of a Shadowhunter was, indeed. It sounded good, he thought,.... A special race of warriors, descended from an angel, gifted with powers ... No one ever mentioned things like accidentally kneeling on a dead bird while waiting for a demon to turn up.

Christopher looked up from his notebook. "Speaking of the demon-" "Which we weren't," Matthew pointed out... "I saved some of its ichor," said Christopher, producing from somewhere on his person a corked test tube full of a greenish substance. "I caution all of you not to drink any of it." "I can assure you we had no plans to do any such thing, you daft boot," said Thomas... James raised his glass and toasted with Matthew. Christopher was about to clink his test tube against James's glass when Matthew, muttering imprecations, confiscated it and handed Christopher a glass of hock instead.

"... Father's diagnosed him and he says it's definitely love"

A bad law is no law

... Sleeping Beauty's least successful suitor.

"Carpe decanter," said Matthew.

... a visit to Hades.

It was always better to know the truth.

Sona looked slightly horrified. "Cordelia has a tendency to throw herself into every situation headlong," she said to Tessa and Will. "I'm sure you understand." "Oh, we do," said Will. "We're always speaking very sternly to our children about that very thing. 'If you don't throw yourself into situations headlong, James and Lucie, you can expect bread and water for supper again."

"... I think of each social occasion as a battle to be entered, myself. And I always wear my armour."

A demon lunged for Alastair: Cordelia brought Cortana down in a great curving arc, severing its head. Alastair looked peevish. "Really," he said. "I could have done that on my own." Cordelia considered killing Alastair, but there was no time-someone was screaming.

A world where small things mattered.

"It seems somehow blasphemous to use Marks to rid oneself of the effects of alcohol," Matthew added,... "I've seen you use your stele to part your hair," said James dryly, ... "The Angel gave me this hair," replied Matthew. "It's one of the Shadowhunters' gifts. Like the Mortal Sword." "Now that is blasphemy," said Thomas.

"The last time I saw you shocked was when that Iblis demon was sending Christopher love letters."

"I'm capable of anything!" James made a grab for Christopher's bow; ... Thomas rolled his eyes. "He's going to say, 'Because I'm a Herondale,' isn't he?"... James turned his fiercest glare on the others. "I am a Herondale," he said.

...the distant past when the two of them had been able to settle their differences by hitting each other over the head with toy teakettles.

"Best to let people believe what they want to believe, in my experience."

"It is time for us to do what we do best." "Drink?" said Matthew. "Be charming," said Anna.

"... Do not confuse conditioning with a native inability."

"It isn't ugly," he said. "It's just unusual."

"Demons vanished," said Matthew,... "The leader seemed to feel it was an old friend of James's grandfather." "Oh, the demony grandfather?" said Christopher. "Yes, obviously the demony one, Christopher," said James. "The other one's Welsh," said Thomas,..

Do not let those who cannot see the truth tell you who you are.

...the cure for worry was to throw yourself into activity,...

"... After all, what are rules for if not to be broken?"

"I remember the tea you made me at Cirenworth," he said. "It tasted of flowers." Sona brightened. "Yes. A spoonful of rosewater, that's the secret to good chai." ... "... my mother might be equally enthused over any eligible bachelor who pretended an interest in tea..." ... "I really do like tea!" James shouted from the bottom of the steps. "In fact, I love it! I LOVE TEA!" "Good for you, mate!" yelled the driver of a passing hansom cab.

Magnus said cheerfully. "Now you're fiddling with a Pyxis. I see you have decided to follow in the long Herondale tradition of poor decision-making." "So have I!" said Lucie, determined not to be left out.

"... There is no better distraction in this world than losing oneself in books for a while."

"... You are who you are, made by the sum of your choices and actions..."

"This place is a rathole. Actually, I wouldn't wish it on a rat." "That is because you like rats," said Thomas. "Remember Marie?" Marie Curie had been a small white rat Christopher had kept in the room at the Devil Tavern...

"... You decide the truth about yourself. No one else. And the choice about what kind of person you will be is yours alone."

"I am completely out of patience. The bank of patience is exhausted! I am not even being extended any patience on credit!..."

"...we can always arrange nothing, if you prefer. Nothing is my favourite thing to arrange. It takes so little effort."

"I loved my father when I was a child,"... "I thought he was the best man I'd ever known. Then when I discovered he had squandered all our money at the gaming tables, I thought he was the worst man I'd ever known. Now that I am myself a father, I know that he was simply a man."

Oh, dear, Magnus thought. I may need to linger in London a bit longer. Perhaps I should send for my cat.

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Hey," He whispered softly out, tapping his finger gently against her temple as he titled his head ever so slightly to the side. Those dark eyes of his eyeing her curiously as he watched the gears silently turn behind her gaze. "What are you worried about?" He asked. His voice no more than a light murmur as he resisted the urge to tell her how cute she looked sitting there with her forehead scrunched up as if deep in thought. "And yeah, well, having someone you can't afford to lose will do that to you," He admitted. Leaning forwards, he pressed a kiss against her cheek as she placed one against the palm of his hand.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'm afraid of. That you're likely going to have to get used to it," He said. A sigh breaking from his lips as he tilted his head back. His eyes falling closed as he took a moment to feel the warmth of the sun across his skin. As much as the two of them may prefer to just live in the moment, enjoying the perfect day for a swim, the nightmares had brought their impending future to the forefront of his mind and Chai knew that chances are, there would come a time when Anna would have to watch him die for real. And he wasn't so sure he was ready to fully come to terms with the fact that down the line, if they wanted to stay together, they'd either have to choose to grow old together or he'd need to become a vampire. "Don't be. I've never minded pain too much and I'm not afraid of dying. You of all people know that," He said softly. The corner of his lips tilting up as he thought back to that night all of those months ago when she had threatened to drown him with her siren song. "Oh yeah? And what kind of dream would you make for the both of us?" He asked curiously. His arms slowly moving to sweep their way around her waist as he rested his chin on top of her shoulder. His thumb tracing little circles across the small of her back.

Anna smiled softly, reaching out one ocean-wet hand to brush back the equally wet strands of his hair. Not too long ago, she'd have dismissed an assurance like that, believed it to be nothing but pretty words and empty promises; now, she worried that he meant exactly what he said. How? she wanted to ask. Did he keep enough vampire blood on hand to make sure it was in his system at the last moments? Of course, she'd seen him do it before--though last time, he'd given the blood to her as well. Did he know how much those words meant to her, how scared of being left behind she truly was, despite the brave front she always put on? She thought back to the conversation she'd had with Meena--about how she'd either have to watch Chai grow old or become a vampire and live forever. Anna quickly pushed the thought back out of her head. It was far too soon to be thinking like that. "You are admirably stubborn," she admitted with the slightest of teasing smiles. She turned his hand around as he stroked her jaw and kissed his palm in turn.

Anna listened quietly to his explanation. She knew she should be feeling lucky that he'd survived as long as he did, very lucky, in fact, that it was a dream to begin with--and she did feel that. She was more relieved than she could say that none of it had been real in the end. But listening to him speak, what her mind kept getting stuck on was how impressed she was. Yes, he would have died either way had it been real; but at least he was resourceful, at least he knew how to survive as long as possible. Anna admired skill and tenacity--skill with a knife, skill with what little you had around you, turning scraps to your advantage rather than waiting, screaming to be saved.

"I'm not sorry," she said. "I've been alive a long time. I've seen many people die. I've rarely had the pleasure of seeing one of the dead wake back up." She wanted to say, too, that it was nice to be on this side of it, to be saving someone instead of throwing other lives in front of her like human shields. But she hadn't saved Chai, not from anything more than a few more minutes of mental anguish. She had saved Bea--but what had she gotten for that but to be arrested not long after? "I'm only sorry you had to feel that." She stretched out across his surfboard, folding her hands behind her head before turning to look at him once more. "What if I visited you again?" She ran her thumb over his bottom lip before leaning in to kiss him softly. "I can make a much better dream this time around."

[aelia-likes-monsters]

First Date: Ash the Fae

This is a Patron Perk for February 2020, specially written for Anna, who wanted a grumpy gender-neutral fae & a chubby female reader. All my Patrons are eligible for these prompts. Tiers start at just $1. Patrons got to see this early. 

This story is short, sweet, and SFW. 

You’re not normally the sort of person to find grumpiness endearing, but ever since you noticed the gentle-but-grouchy demeanor of Ash, the fae barista at your local coffee shop, you’ve been drawn to them. They’re tall, with the androgynously beautiful features typical of many fae. They’re gender-neutral, you’ve learned over the many months you’ve been coming here, with a bit of fluidity that means sometimes they have days that are feminine or masculine. No matter how they’re dressed or feeling you think they’re gorgeous.

“This is quali-tea,” you’d said with a chuckle at your own pun when they’d made you a chai latte one day.

Ash had quirked a brow, but you’d noticed the way their lips had turned up. Grouchy, but just a little amused at your absurdity. So since then, you’d doubled down on the ridiculous jokes, trying hard to get a laugh, or at least a smirk from them each day. It worked, too. For all that they were gorgeous and grumpy, you seemed able to tease a smile from them when nobody else could.

“You’re here a bit later than usual,” they’d said when you rushed in far behind schedule. A wiser woman would have skipped her stop at the cafe in favor of being at work on time, but there was a certain fae you looked forward to seeing each morning.

“Yeah, my bus was late so I had to take a cab.” You’d said.

“Oh, so you got here through whatever beans necessary?” Their eyes twinkled and they gave you a knowing smirk.

Your brain short-circuited. Ash had punned at you. Ash had made a pun, and their smirk was something to behold, and that was what had pushed you to give them your number.

“I like you a latte,” you’d said as soon as you could form words. “And I don’t want to put you on the spot, but here’s my number. If you’re interested in me, too. Drop me a message. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll let it go.”

They’d opened their mouth to say something in response, but a woman had charged back up to the counter throwing a fit about her latte being wrong, and Ash had needed to focus on that. You got out of there, not wanting to be in the way as Ash defused the situation. It was no wonder they were always grumpy, you thought. With customers like that.

When your phone pinged with a text from a new number a few hours later, your heart had soared. Ash had been interested in a date.

Which is what brought you here, to a creperie downtown, dressed in your cutest outfit. It flatters your curves and makes you feel pretty, it gives you the confidence you need for a first date. You watch the crowd for a sign of your date.

And then there they are.  Outside the coffee shop, their clothes are much more interesting. They wear a button-down shirt and a floral-print tie with dark jeans and boots. They’ve accessorized with sparkly plant-themed jewelry, including some dangly earrings that really catch your eye.

“You look gorgeous,” Ash says when they see you. And the way their eyes do a slow appraisal of you makes you flush and feel like their words are completely earnest.

“You do, too.” You’re trying not to make a fool of yourself but damn do they look good.

The two of you settle into your seats in the restaurant and finally get a chance to chat for more than a minute or so. (You’ve never really gotten to talk to Ash for a long stretch before; just while they’re making your drinks or taking your order.) You’re thrilled to discover that they’re not really as cranky as they seem at first, they just have a rather dry wit.

They admit they’ve been interested in you nearly as long as you’ve been interested in them. And that they look forward to your smile and that sparkle of mischief in your eyes as you tease them. (And once it becomes clear that you won’t be creeped out by it, they admit that they love watching you leave because damn is your ass fine.)

Your cheeks are on fire when they say that. They just give you one of those smirks you enjoy so much, and you recognize now that it means they’re loving this.

By the end of the date, you’re absolutely certain you need another. And then another.

“May I kiss you?” They ask.

“Please,” you say.

They’re gentle with you, just a soft press of their lips against yours. And then they’re stepping back, and giving you a grin that makes your heart stutter in your chest.

“Until next time, beautiful.”

This story was a Patreon reward. Find all my Patreon rewards on the Patreon Perk Masterlist.

You can find all my writing on my Masterlist. Love what I do? Tip me with a Ko-Fi, and/or back me on Patreon. I also truly appreciate reblogs, likes, and comments. They keep me going. ♥

[swimmingnewsie]

Of Coffee and Cookies (Chapter 1)

Hi guys! I hope you all are having a great Holiday week however you celebrate. Ever since I worked as a barista I had a new appreciation for coffee shop aus, but never had the desire to write one until now. Enjoy Matchmaking!Anna using the power of coffee to get people together.

Enjoy!

Link to AO3

---"Anna, I don't have time for that. I'm a Ph.D student. I don't have a life outside of school."

Anna rolled her eyes at her sister as she picked at her sandwich. As much as she loved berating her sister about how she needed a life outside the lab, her time was limited. She got 30 minutes, no more, no less. "I'm just saying, you seem interested. You should talk to her!"

Elsa brought a palm up to her face. "You can't just go up and start talking to a total stranger. Besides, she's busy, just like I am." Despite her pleads, Anna saw the way she looked at the young woman a few tables over. She was in there practically every day, coming in with the after-school rush, usually staying most days with her large stack of papers. Anna had talked to her a few times and taken her order many more times: Honeymaren, venti iced chai, two extra pumps of chai. 

"Perhaps you could be busy together," Anna teased. Elsa swatted at her sister's arm lightly. "Come on, Els. You know I'm just looking out for you."

"And I appreciate it. But I can handle my own love life, Anna. I don't want anything right now." She straightened up the papers on her table, then reached to grab Anna's hand. "I have my best friend back. That's all I need right now."

Anna sighed. The last few years had been hard. Between their parents passing and Anna being under lock and key with her thankfully now ex-fiancée Hans, their relationship had been strained. But things had changed. Anna had moved into Elsa's apartment in Berkeley, far away from their old home in Denver. Hans was states away, held off by a restraining order. Anna had a new job of her own as a barista, rebuilding herself. It was getting better every day. 

Anna squeezed back on Elsa's hand. "Just promise me you'll think about it. There's more to life than papers and lectures."

"I know there is. I just want to go at my own pace."

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.

The cursed timer. Her lunch was up. Anna gave a sad sigh. "I'll see you tonight okay? I'm closing, so it'll be 11:30 or so."

Elsa nodded, letting her sister go. "I'll keep you a plate of whatever I cook tonight. But, I'll probably still be up when you get home."

Anna rolled her eyes. "At least try to sleep. Love you."

"Love you too."

As the night continued, Anna couldn't help but scheme just a bit. "Oh come on Kris, it's not the worst idea ever," she said into the headset as she cleaned the cafe. It was slow and they were trying to get ahead on tasks. And thus her shift manager and good friend Kristoff was roped into her plotting.

"You know her name and her order. How can you possibly know if she would be good for your sister?"

"Well," she said rubbing a day old coffee stain out of the wood, "she seems like the real academic type. I see her either reading math books or grading what looks like math homework all the time. I think she told me she was a teacher once. Sounds like someone Elsa might like."

"A career is not a personality," Kristoff said before a noise rang in their headset, bringing his attention to the drive-through screen.

"I know it's not," Anna quipped back, working on the drink order. "But it's a start. My sister-" 

Another drink order interrupted her. "My sister hasn't dated anyone since we were in high school. I just want her to have someone."

She could practically hear his eyes roll over her steaming pitcher of milk. "Anna, if your sister wanted to be in a relationship, she would be looking. Leave her be."

"But you don't know my sister, Kris. She's not going to make a move even if she wants to. She needs a little push," Anna said, handing off the drinks. "I just want to help."

"First of all, I do know your sister," Kristoff said, wandering to the backroom. "I've worked beside her and served her coffee for four years. Second of all, I know you do, but if you push do you really think she'll go for it?"

Stupid Kristoff and his logic. "Look, I just want them to talk. As much as I would love for her to fall in love with Venti Chai Honey, I would love for her to have more friends too. Someone that makes sure she leaves her lab for something other than caffeine."

"Whatever you say, Red." She rolled her eyes at the nickname. Anna would be caught dead before she admitted she liked it. It was nice to have a kind nickname, not one that made her cry at the drop of a hat. 

"Speaking of...' Anna dragged out, making a drink that just came in for delivery service. "What about you and that Ryder guy? I've seen- damn it do we have any cookies left or will we have to give these people a refund?"

"Sugar or chocolate? And, Anna, don't even start with that. We don't even know if he likes men. Speaking of, you don't know if Venti Chai Honey likes women either."

"Sugar. And I don't need to when I see the bedroom eyes you give one another!" 

"What the eyes of his excitement of getting his super sugary drink that doesn't even deserve to be called coffee after his workout? And we're out. It's your turn to do the refund."

"Kristoffffff, I'm on bar; you're register. You do it."

"Nope. I've got important shift duties to do. You're soloing for a few, bye." Anna heard him click off the headset.

Anna was ready to run back at him to continue the conversation, but another ding brought her back to the drive through window. They'd have to continue this later. He wasn't about to get out of this conversation. She wasn't a love expert by any means, but she could tell Kristoff was lonely.

Unfortunately, the night picked up and they weren't able to return to their conversation. The end of night rush wrecked them both, leaving little energy for conversation even when they were done with customers for the night. They closed up shop, and left without another word on Kristoff and Ryder.

---

"Good afternoon, Honeymaren. Your usual?" Anna smiled, perhaps a little too cheery.

Honeymaren was taken aback. Anna was usually pretty happy, but something seemed up. "Yes please," she responded. 

Anna reached over to the stack of cups nearby and began writing the drink. "How's your day going?" she asked, making their usual small talk.

"A bit long," she responded laughing. "I gave the kids a test today and they were all kinds of worried before, during, and after." Honeymaren pointed at the large binder of papers in her satchel. "So now I get those to grade."

"Sounds like it." Anna smiled. In Honeymaren's distracted state, she was able to write out the cup pretty quickly. She rang the drink up in the computer before handing the cup off. Slyly, she entered her employee numbers in, bringing the price down to zero. "Someone actually paid for your drink ahead of you, so no worries," she said as Honeymaren got her card out. 

Honeymaren's eyes widened. "Really? Well, thank you very much."

Anna nodded, looking at the woman. "Yep! We'll call you out when it's ready!"

"Thanks, Anna!"

It was worth the death glare Kristoff gave when he saw the phone number written on the cup.

[cantfightmoonlight]

"That's my girl," A grin broke across his lips as she moved to wrap her legs around his waist without skipping a beat, even though she had only seconds before been pacing back and forth worried as to whether or not he'd agree to be all in as well. His own rough fingers brushed up her smooth thighs as his hands slipped round to cup her ass in his. Giving a tormentingly light squeeze as she teased him about the house of all things. "Shut it, Princess," He murmured against her lips, cutting her off before she could dare utter out anything else. And only after he had thoroughly stolen her breath away did his lips begin to move down the nape of her neck, leaving a trail of burning hot kisses along her collar bone. "But, yeah. It is," He murmured out at the mention of what the countertop was made out of. "I replaced all of the floors with hardwood too if you were wondering. Same with the ceiling beams. I pretty much had to gut the entire place before, well, I, uh, turned it into what it is now. And it's not typically something I show a lot of people, so do me a favor and keep your teasing to a minimum, alright Ariel?" He murmured out, pulling back so that he could brush his hands across her cheeks. Cupping her face in his as his gaze locked onto hers as if to convey to her how important this place was to him.

"I can't help it," His grin grew wider as he watched her playfully slap his chest. "You, Anna Donnelly, are adorable. Practically one of the cutest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet," He teased, knowing that she'd probably hate the compliment, but her reactions only made him want to tease her even more. "And," His voice was all, but a low whisper as he gave her ear a playful nip. "I'm afraid you have this annoying tendency of making me completely and irrevocably happy," He admitted. His own thumb reaching out to comb the stray pieces of her hair back from her face. His eyes crinkling ever so slightly as a laugh escaped him once more. "Only you did know nearly all of that already," He pointed out. "You just got too your head is all." Anna may have convinced herself that she didn't know any of his interests, but the surfing, the singing, the knife throwing, all of it were things they had done together and would have been something he'd tease her about even more, only at the small whimper that escaped her lips, Chai suddenly found himself hyper focused on her and her alone. Especially the way her petite frame was sitting rather precariously on the edge of his rather large countertop.

"And why's that? Don't tell me, Princess. Am I turning you on?" His voice was all, but a low growl against her skin as his hands gripped tightly around her thighs, giving her a swift tug towards him so that she had no choice but to arch her back. And when her arms were tightly wrapped around him, did he reached around his waist to where her heels were pressing into his skin. Slowly unwrapping one of her legs from around his waist as he guided it up to rest against his shoulder blade so that he could slowly begin to trail kiss after kiss, starting at her ankle and moving up the length of the leg. Only for him to stop short just before he reached her inner thigh. Returning her leg back to where it had initially been wrapped around his waist, he pulled her in for one more deep and drawn out kiss. Before he finally brought himself to ask, "Are you sure about this? Because-" He murmured out, willing himself to pull back despite how much he wanted to carry her off towards him bedroom right then and there. "Because if you're not ready, we don't have to." He knew the last time they had found themselves in a position like this, she had asked him to sleep on the couch and, although, he wasn't about to couch crash at his own place on his birthday, he would be willing to build a pillow wall if she wanted to stay the night without them doing anything more than just this.

How many more kisses did she have before he stopped responding that way? Before the 'damn' never left his lips, before he stopped smiling when he saw her? Anna reveled in the ability to take someone's breath away, but she rarely stayed long enough to see that affect wear off. She let the sound fill her now, and as he tugged her close, she pressed her palm over his heart, felt the steady beat of it in in his chest. This was not the way she'd planned to have this conversation with him--in fact, if it had been up to her, she probably never would have had the conversation. Terrified of commitment, of companionship, of the idea of belonging to anyone, Anna would have put off that finalizing of what they were to each other as long as she could. And yet here she was, the one to say it first. If he didn't say it back, if he didn't feel the same--

She paced the length of his front porch--or what qualified for a porch outside the warehouse. She had never been to his place before, and perhaps she should have waited to actually be invited over, but she wouldn't have been Anna if she did. The tug on her hand was not necessarily unexpected, but it was a relief, pulling her out of her own head when she needed it most. As he lifted her up, she wrapped her legs round his waist, and her arms around his neck. Girlfriend. She had to admit, it did not sound entirely horrible on his lips.

"My, my, what a wonderful job you've done with the place," she said, only half teasing, looking over his shoulder as she was carried past his entryway and into his kitchen. She was placed on the counter, and she ran manicured--black--nails over the material. "Is this marble?" Anna might play up from time to time--or frequently--being materialistic, but behind the distraction, (for there was no denying that that was what this was, that she was terrified of the conversation they were going to have, even if he'd already agreed to it, terrified of being someone's girlfriend, of being someone who had a boyfriend) there was also genuine respect for what he had crafted.

She rested her hands on his shoulder as she looked around the kitchen then behind him at the rest of the house that she could see from this angle. It was beautiful, so different from what it must have once been in its previous form. Her thumb rubbed small circles at the side of his neck as she took in the tall ceilings and well-crafted architecture. She was brought back to Chai, however, when he began to laugh. She lightly slapped his chest. "Don't laugh at me," she said, biting back a smile herself. It grew softer as he told her more about himself, and she began to play with his hair, running her fingers through the short, soft strands as he told her about his likes and interests, his past and passions. "Well that would have been good to know an hour ago," she said dryly. Whatever teasing or chastising had been on the tip of her tongue died away, however, as Chai's hands roamed her body, finding the knife in her boot and the other high on her thigh. She made a small whimpering sound--half because her precious knives were being taken away from her, but mostly because, as she watched them hit the bullseye perfectly, a heat rushed through her, doing nothing at all to dampen the flush already high in her cheeks.

Her legs wrapped tighter around him, the back of her heels pressing into his ass and pulling him in closer against her. Her hands, which had been softly petting his hair a moment before, now pressed much harder as she dragged him in for another heated kiss. "God fucking damn it," she hissed again. "You can't just do things like that." She did, in fact, want to see his house. She could appreciate a house built by hand, had spent a childhood watching her father build hers, had tried in her own little ways to build a life for herself, a home along the way, and to see that materialized was something she always admired. She wanted to see his handiwork. Right now, however, she just wanted his hands. She tugged them back to her waist.

[writingfortoomanyfandoms]

Black and Blue - Three

Pairing: Detective Loki x Reader

Summary: She saw the world in black and blue

Requested: Nope

Chapter Warnings: Some swearing I think??, mentions of past abuse

A/N: So here’s the third part of BAB! I really like this one so I hope you guys enjoy it as well! Please remember to let me know what you think - reblog, comment, send asks, I love hearing from all of you :) and remember that tag requests are only accepted through my inbox xx

One // Two // Four // Five

Y/N Y/L/N saw the world as pain and waiting.

Somehow the worst part about it was the waiting.

Because at least when the pain came it was happening. She knew how bad it was. 

Whereas with the waiting, she had to calculate every decision she made carefully. She had to anticipate what it would be like. What he would be like. How much the inevitable pain would be.

For the longest time she had loved the colour blue. Even after he had come along she had loved it.

Loved him.

The blue eyes that would beam at her. Sparkle in joy. 

Blue eyes she could get lost in. That could set her free.

Blue eyes like the sky.

She had come to loathe the colour blue. 

For too long it was the only colour she could see. He wouldn’t let her see any other. 

And even when she was permitted to look at his colours there was no sparkle anymore. No birds flying in his blue sky. 

Now there were clouds in his sky.

///

Y/N was less surprised than she had thought she would be upon seeing Loki entering her newly renovated cafe the next day. 

She allowed herself to scan over his face properly, taking in his features. She had come to the conclusion that he didn’t mind her looking at him. Taking him in. He hadn’t commented on it. On her meeting his eyes.

There were bags under his eyes. His hair was unkept compared to it’s usual gelled-back style. 

“Are you okay?” She asked quietly as he reached the front of the queue.

“Long day,” he muttered, pulling out his wallet. 

Y/N knew all about his long day. It had been on the news that morning when she woke up. Alex Parker had been released from jail.

She considered phoning the Dovers or the Birches to check up on how they were doing but she wasn’t sure if it would be appreciated or not.

“Did you sleep last night?” She blurted out despite herself. It was none of her business really, she knew that. But Loki just looked too exhausted.

“I was following leads,” he told her following a brief hesitation. “Coffee?” He asked finally and Y/N nodded.

“Of course.”

“And... and one of those... one of those brownie things?” He added unsurely. An unwarranted shyness in his voice.

“I’m actually sold out of them - but... would come cookies do?” She questioned, biting her lip in worry as she saw the disappointed look on Loki’s face.

“I - uh - are they good?”

“They’re my sisters favourite?” Y/N offered, lips twitching a little at the edges as she watched Loki not his head.

“I guess I can trust her judgement,” he muttered. He passed her over the exact change and Y/N smiled to herself as she took it, waiting until he was down the other end of the counter to make room for the next person in line until she began to prep his order.

Instead of putting his money into the till, she opened up the box where she would put the baked goods and placed it in there instead, grabbing a napkin and writing: I told you it was free before closing the lid immediately and beginning to make his coffee.

“Hey, Detective?” She asked, placing the lid on the take away cup and handing that with the box of cookies over to him.

“Yeah?” 

“You... you’ll find them, right?” Y/N questioned, biting her lip nervously as she waited for his response.

Silence fell thick between them, broken only by the background chatter of her other customers.

“I’m not giving up on them.” 

That was enough for Y/N.

///

Loki had a usual.

He’s come into her bakery-turned-cafe every day while he was working the Dover/Birch case of the missing girls.

He’d order the same thing every day - coffee, black, no sugar, and then something from the cabinet of baked treats that Y/N picked out for him.

She hated to admit that she had begun to bake things especially for him that she thought he would like. She couldn’t believe he had never had baked goods growing up and so it seemed that she was trying to make up for that single handedly.

Y/N looked forwards to his visits into her shop. She looked forwards to the five minutes of conversation that they would share.

The bags around Loki’s eyes got darker every day and his shoulders sagged a little more, carrying the weight of two worlds on his shoulders.

And yet, despite the huge, crippling weight carried on his back Loki always mustered up a smile for her. A tired, overworked smile but a smile nonetheless.

Occasionally he’d even update her on the case, how it was going and how far along it was.

Mostly, though, they just spoke about mundane things. New chairs Y/N had bought, new mugs that Loki liked or new recipe’s she was trying out. Things which had no real relevance to anything.

But they would always - always - pass the money backwards and forwards between them. It was a game at this stage. To find the most creative way to get the other person to accept and keep the money. But they never kept it. They would always hand it back to the other person the next day with a mischievous smile on their face in the knowledge that they’d be getting it back in only a few hours time.

In those five-minute interactions she felt safer than she did the rest of the day.

So she missed him on the day that he didn’t come in.

But that turned to worry when she heard the news and found out that he was in the hospital with Anna.

Y/N closed up a little early that day, filling a box she had set aside for him with almost everything that she had left - brownies, cookies, salted caramel shortbread, cheesecake, angel cake and a cinnamon bun.

She made two drinks in to go cups - two chai lattes. 

Y/N had coerced Loki into trying one one day that he came in late and she refused to serve him caffeine, insisting he needed sleep and Loki had admitted that he liked them.

Though he wouldn’t be caught dead ordering one for himself.

Y/N was nervous as she walked up to the hospital. Her fingers drummed relentlessly on the box as she balanced the two take-away mugs on top of it.

“Name?” The bored receptionist asked, barely looking up at Y/N.

“Y/N? Y/N Y/L/N,” she breathed.

“Who are you here to see? And what’s your relation?”

“Detective Loki? I’m his... his friend.”

That got the receptionist’s attention and she looked up in shock.

“You’re friends with dark and stormy?” She asked, her nose wrinkling just a tad and Y/N bit her lip to prevent herself from giggling. The woman focused on the box in her hand. “What’s in the box?”

“Just some food,” Y/N said.

“From the bakery in town?” Y/N nodded. “I love that place,” the woman admitted with a grin.

“Thank you,” Y/N bit her lip to stop her smile getting too wide and the woman’s eyes widened a little.

“Oh shit! That’s where I recognise you from! I used to come in every day on my way to work before I moved house! Your bakery is the best thing that’s happened to this town this year,” the woman insisted and Y/N smiled shyly down at her feet.

“Thank you,” she said again, biting her lip.

“Sorry - he’s in room 102,” Y/N nodded her head at the woman and began to walk through the way that she had been shown.

Y/N paused outside of Loki’s door. She shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, debating whether or not she ought to go in.

Would he appreciate her coming to visit him?

She took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.

There was a subdued ‘come in’ from inside and Y/N pushed the door open.

“Hey,” she said, watching Loki’s head snap up to look at her.

“Y/N?” Y/N walked over to the side of his bed and placed the box and chai lattes down on his bedside table.

“Is it okay I’m here?” She asked and Loki swiftly moved into action, shifting to make room for her on his hospital bed as he nodded.

“Yeah! Yeah, of course!” He patted the sheets next to him with a small, unsure smile.

Y/N sat down at the very edge of the bed.

“I just... wanted to make sure you were okay,” she admitted softly.

“I am,” Loki said immediately, clearly seeing the doubt on her face. He reached out hesitantly and took her hand, giving her time and space to pull away if she wanted to. “I promise.”

Y/N squeezed his hand.

“I brought you a chai latte? And some... things I had left over in the bakery that I thought you’d like?”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Loki told her.

“I know - I wanted to.”

“I’ll pay you back,” he promised and Y/N squeezed his hand again, assuring herself that he really was okay.

She hadn’t realised how worried she had really been until right now.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to?” Loki let out a raspy chuckle.

“Thank you.”

///

“Hey,” Y/N sat down on the seat at the table opposite Loki. He looked up from his paper work confused.

“Oh - hi,” a small smile graced his face, softening his features. “Don’t you have to work?” Y/N grinned, gesturing around them.

“You’re the only customer, Loki,” the detective laughed gently as silence fell between them.

“David.”

“Pardon?”

“My name - it’s David,” he smiled at her, his fingers playing with the handle of his mug. “Can you... could you call me that?”

“If that’s what you want,” Y/N agreed, biting her lip.

“Yeah - I really do.”

Silence fell over them again, comfortable and light as opposed to the heavy, awkward ones that Y/N was used to.

Anna had been found just over a week ago, Loki having been released from the hospital the day after he had been admitted, though he hadn’t been allowed to drive immediately from the amount of painkillers he was on and had rung Y/N to ask if she would pick him up.

Y/N had been happy to agree and help him out, shutting the bakery for half an hour as she drove to the hospital. Though she had been reluctant to drive him anywhere other than his home, especially when he said he wanted to go to Mrs Parker’s home.

But Loki had been insistent and Y/N couldn’t help but give in to his pleas.

Loki found Keller. He was still in the hospital a week later and Loki had visited him, unsure of whether the man would want to see him or not but needing to discus the case and what would follow with him.

Since closing the Dover/Birch case for good, Loki had dove straight into his next one and had been spending even more time at Y/N’s cafe, often coming to sit in there rather than take away, reading over his case notes in the corner booth by the window - which had essentially become reserved for him by now. 

“I was wondering something,” Loki finally spoke again, though his eyes were fixed on his mug of coffee.

“Yeah?”

“Would you... maybe... ever, like... I mean... would you...” Loki bit his lip and shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”

“David?” Y/N considered taking his hand across the table but wasn’t sure if he would appreciate the contact. 

He never did.

“Would you... maybe... could I take you out for dinner sometime? I mean you said that - that you hadn’t really eaten out since you moved here and... I just...”

Y/N closed her eyes.

Her mind flooded with images. 

Pictures of blue, blue eyes.

Or black spaces.

And red. Red everywhere.

With the screams.

The fear.

The doubt.

The unknowing.

But - but she had taken refuge in the unknowing recently. She liked the unknowing. 

Loki was the definition of unknowing. So maybe...

“Yeah... yeah, I’d like that.”

[hellyeahomeland]

“The English Teacher” | Directed by Michael Cuesta, Cinematography by Giorgio Scali

Sara: Not really related to this image specifically, but this week’s episode was directed by Michael Cuesta, whom you may remember as the directing executive producer for the show’s first two seasons. He directed some of the best episodes of the show: the pilot, “The Weekend,” “Marine One,” “The Choice.” I was really, really happy to see that they brought him back for the penultimate episode. That feels fitting and so, so right. 

Related to this image specifically, opening on an image of Carrie literally split in half in the frame feels symbolic. She’s being pulled in two competing directions, her loyalty to Saul fighting with her desire to prevent a nuclear war. 

Gail: When the episode first started I wondered if she had escaped custody and was standing and waiting to have a passport photo taken like Brody in “The Choice” (again, a Michael Cuesta episode). (My tin foil hat has been all over the place lately!) But then it occurred to me that it’s actually the mirror of the opening shot of Carrie in the first episode this season. The close-ups of Carrie in both scenes have a lot in common, especially that we can only see half of her face. In episode one, the other half of the frame was black and here, the other half is white. I think Sara was right when she pointed out in last week’s Director’s Chair about the transition images at the end of “Designated Driver.” Carrie’s life has always been somewhere in between the black and white. 

Ashley: The way this carefully pans down across her face, only to find that she is actually cuffed to the chair, is pretty well-done. We’ve seen her in cuffs too many times this season, and trapped in other ways more often than that.

Sara: This image of Carrie watching the suicide bomb footage on TV really calls to mind the visuals in the opening credits of a young Carrie watching war and terror play out on a television screen.

Ashley: How many times has Carrie seen something awful and life-altering on television? She was in this position in season five when she saw Quinn in the gas chamber. Shocking and devastating and just kinda the life of Carrie Mathison, tbh.

Gail: I agree with both of you, this is a great callback to Carrie in the credits and Carrie in “New Normal.” Carrie’s unconventional methods often come at a high price and this scene is another reminder of that. (And how amazing is Chris Bauer, who plays Carrie’s lawyer?! Sara, he’s even giving you some sweet ‘stache!)

Sara: Love the mustache. 

Sara: Tag yourself I’m Wellington. 

Ashley: We are all Wellington.

Gail: Pretty sure I’ve been Saul all week trying to get my kids to do their e-learning. I’m tagging my son as Zabel and my daughter as Hayes. My husband is full-on Wellington, knowing I’m right but refusing to get involved.

Ashley: The sharp difference between Zabel’s terrible beard and Saul’s luscious beard is one of the best things this show has offered us.

Gail: I love that Saul’s body language tells a story too. He can hardly bring himself to look at Zabel, let alone face him.

Sara: John Zabel is a real fuckin’ slime ball and Hugh Dancy has been so, so good in this role. You can tell he must relish getting to play this evil character, going up against these actors and actors that he’s known so intimately, though entirely offscreen, the last ten years. 

Sara: I love this detail of Saul moving one of his books back just a millimeter or so. It really emphasizes how meticulous he is and also begs the question if he’s going to realize Carrie had them all splayed out on his living room floor. Does he keep them in a specific order? 

Ashley: I WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING. And I’m surprised he has so many of them — he was looking at one volume specifically, so I initially was wondering if his commie shelf was just to hide that particular book.

Gail: No small detail seems to escape Saul’s attention. Such a small movement, but it says so much about who Saul is. And yes, Ashley, some of those books were just decoys! Carrie figured that out as she was sorting the books, which is also a great detail about who Saul is. Saul’s red book collection of asset communication is also his hobby. As Carrie says, the best lies have to have truth in them.

Sara: Ben Savage as young Mandy Patinkin is some of the most inspired casting ever. I know he’s already played a young Mandy Patinkin, but I am still in awe. The flat bill cap was an excellent detail. #hat

Gail: I love how he is wearing a trademark Saul plaid shirt, too!

Gail: Another shot of a character with only half of their face shown. This time it’s a young Saul who already has his fair share of secrets.

Ashley: Spoiler alert, she doesn’t shoot him.

Sara: IJLTP.

Gail: We don’t get this close-up shot in this scene until Saul drops his facade and asks her if she’s reading between the lines... He wants to pull a fast one on the useful idiots in the Oval Office and wants her help to do it (ugh, Tasneem agrees!). From a distance, we see Saul in his office somewhere in the West Wing, playing the part of National Security Advisor, but as the camera moves in for this close-up, we see Saul as who he really is: the smart and strategic spy.

Sara: There were quite a few extreme close-ups of Saul this week. What does it mean in an episode where we learn more about his heroic past than potentially at any other time this series? For me this really put into perspective how much we don’t know about Saul. Carrie alludes to snippets he’s revealed over the years, but even she--presumably his closest confidante--doesn’t know. Saul is the opposite of an open book, pun intended. 

Ashley: Let’s crack his spine open and see if there’s a note.

Sara: This slow push on Carrie as the judge reads the list of charges against her is devastating, and not just for Carrie. It is for the audience too, because we know the truth. It goes without saying that Claire is magnificent here.

Ashley: Listening to all of the things Carrie Mathison is being charged with — specifically because we know the character, we have known her for a long time — is painful. For Claire, who has lived in Carrie’s skin for so long, it must have been torture. 

Gail: Carrie’s lawyer is dressed in red, white and blue while Carrie is dressed for a funeral. I’m sure neither is a coincidence.

Sara: I do not like the context of this shot, but I love the shot itself. IDNLTCOTSBILTSI.

Sara: Linus being the only one in a room full of military brass and West Wing staff who understands that something’s fishy here is a very “of course” moment. I love how they’re framed in shadows here. In a way, he and Saul have both been running a “shadow” government all season, working in the background, out of sight.

Gail: Saul has his own circle of trust now and Wellington’s circle is only bumping up against it, no Venn diagrams here. Saul is playing his cards close to the vest, knowing he is on borrowed time. (See what I did there?)

Sara: I loved the payoff of the Carrie/Jenna relationship this week. Jenna coming to the realization that Quinn did before--nothing is worth the damage they cause--plays like a terrible déjà vu moment. Carrie just sits there, silent, as Jenna walks out. As staff writer Jonathan Redding said, “She was never going to become another Carrie. She can’t make Carrie’s trades.”

Gail: I think Carrie sits silently as Jenna walks out because she can’t argue with her. Carrie herself came to the same realization back in season four. Interestingly, as Jenna has her realization that nothing is worth the damage they do, Carrie is sitting at a dining room table, just like Quinn was when he had his realization in “Gerontion.” Except this time Carrie is the one who everyone thinks is guilty of a crime she didn’t commit. So. Many. Parallels. 

Ashley: Putting Carrie at the dining room table is interesting — she’s surrounded by empty chairs. You can’t help but think of all the people she’s lost, and yet another person is walking away. She’s completely alone.

Sara: ICONIC MOMENT IN TELEVISION HISTORY. 

Gail: Did Carrie swipe a pair of Saul’s glasses from his house? They look similar to asset Anna’s glasses as well. Not sure if that means anything, but it’s interesting.

Sara: Gail, you can read my tin foil hat theory on that in this week’s TCWTW. 

Sara: I love love love this transition that reveals the teacher in the photo is the Russian translator. It’s inspired. 

Gail: Me too! I also love that she is in focus while everyone else is not, which adds importance to her character as well. The first shot of her mirrors the photo of The English Teacher. We don’t see her full face until she talks to Saul directly in this scene, a small detail that reveals who her character is important to.

Ashley: Her shoulders are squared, head cocked, listening — the contrast from the girl she was in the photo is evident even from behind.

Gail: Usually when a character is having an important moment, you see their face and reaction on camera, not the back of their head. Breaking that rule with Anna over and over again throughout the course of this scene is extremely effective. She’s a faceless, non-threatening fly on the wall and surely not the high-ranking Kremlin (and presumably male) official they are worried about.

Sara: The framing of these characters in this shot is amazing. Anna stands in the camera’s focus, head tilted ever so slightly. The other men don’t even notice. You can see how she’s been such an effective asset. Hidden in plain sight.

Sara: Kusnetsov’s book is Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. This is the last novel Dickens ever wrote, which is fitting here. 

Gail: According to Wikipedia, the book explores the conflict between doing what society expects and the idea of being true to oneself. When you set that concept against Andrei’s role as a double agent, the theme takes on new meaning.

Ashley: Nerds.

Gail: Saul doesn’t yet know how important Anna is, but Michael Cuesta and Giorgio Scali are giving the audience a subtle clue here. By shooting Anna from a low angle it alludes that her character is powerful and has influence, something Saul will come to realize shortly.

Sara: We all agree that it was 100% intentional to cast an actress to play young Anna that looks just enough like Claire Danes to make you think, right? I don’t mean that Carrie is the lovechild of Saul and Anna (the timelines don’t match!). More that Saul has a type, no?

Sara: ...And in case we had any doubt that they’re drawing a parallel between Anna and Carrie, we have this transition. This episode is filled with loaded transitions.

Gail: Carrie in the center of the frame, caught in between the dark and light, is an ongoing theme this episode. We see it here again as she makes her way toward Saul’s library.

Sara: There are multiple pans over Saul’s giant collection of red books, most of the titles unreadable and blurred. But where do we land at the end? The camera holds on this book, A Woman’s Vengeance by James Payn. There is almost no info about this book on the internet, which leads me to believe it’s fake. Yet it’s in the public domain. Did they just like the title? 

Gail: I read a little about it online. It was published originally in 1872, volume 2 of 3. I read an excerpt of it on Amazon, and the first chapter is titled “A Good Night’s Work.” Having this close-up shot of these books that follow our introduction to young Anna, Saul’s asset who is clearly a woman scorned, makes this book title (and the title to its first chapter) feel very fitting.

Sara: If the Wikipedia entry about The Secret Agent is any indication, this book is a doozy. Basically everyone suffers and dies at the end and an innocent person is accidentally killed. 

Gail: That Wikipedia page is crazy! It also says that Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, loved this book and closely identified himself with the character of the “Professor”... which ties into Saul’s alias, Professor Rabinow. I live for this stuff--always a mark of a good production when the depth of the details matches the intensity of the show.

Sara: The phantom horizontal line on the seven. 

Ashley: That is like the ONE thing that I, Ashley, actually noticed and mentioned first. Give me a shout-out, man, I mean, DAMN.

Sara: Shout out to Ashley, who noticed and mentioned this first! 

Gail: Homeland always gives us the best bokeh. I love its use here. We have a window into Saul’s biggest secret, the details surrounding it are hazy to us at first, and we can’t see the full picture yet--just like this shot.

Sara: IJLTP.

Ashley: I love how old-school Carrie is — she’s so visual, and in her own way, just like Saul. She lays it all out and uses her hands to put it together.

Gail: Her bulletin board, highlighters and thread have been replaced by notecards and old carpet that I’d like to think Mira picked out, but the result is the same as we watch Carrie put all of the pieces together. It’s HIGH RED y’all.

Sara: “High red,” omg. I’m obsessed with the sequence of Carrie assembling the book timeline and figuring out Saul’s method of communication. For me it’s one of the all-time best Homeland scenes. 

Sara: The editing in this scene is exquisite. The use of jump cuts adds to the tension and uncertainty as Carrie herself attempts to splice together these disparate clues into something greater, some sort of truth. 

The scene is almost completely free of dialogue. Claire has to convey Carrie’s journey to the truth here through only her actions. I love the shots at ground level of her literally on hands and knees flipping through the books. There is a sense of desperation and urgency to it that is thrilling.

Sara: The Smile. 

Gail: I see what you did there and I approve. IJLTP.

Ashley: I’m a little surprised that Carrie isn’t a bit more conflicted here.

Sara: Cutting Carrie and Saul together at the moment where their minds finally sync is … quite literal, actually, but it works. In these twin shots of Carrie and Saul I’m struck especially by how Saul is against a light background while Carrie is cloaked in darkness. 

Gail: These back-to-back shots give the impression that Carrie and Saul are on opposite ends of the same book which rings very true to me. The black and white imagery continues here as Sara points out. We see Carrie just barely ahead of the darkness, looking toward the light.

Ashley: Mandy just does things with his face sometimes and it’s amazing to watch.

Sara: Another extreme close-up of Saul as he realizes that Carrie lied to him. 

Gail: Saul’s line from earlier in the season rings in my ears here. “You are vulnerable to him in ways neither of us can imagine.” But to build on my thoughts on his earlier close-up shot, I think it’s an effective tool for us to get a window into what Saul is genuinely thinking and feeling at that moment. The massive implications of Carrie’s involvement in a play being run by Yevgeny are devastating and Saul realizes it in one stunning and heartbreaking moment.

Gail: Anna saving Saul’s life gives so much more weight and importance to who she is to Saul. He owes her his life and, thirty years later, his career, too.

Sara: There is something fantastical about this part of the flashback. The backdrop and extreme lighting looks sort of … fake? It almost looks like they’re on a film set. I’m interpreting this as a reflection of Saul’s memory: we all want to see ourselves as the hero in our movie of our lives.

Sara: Shout out to Gail for realizing this Charlotte Benson character was featured last season with Ivan. 

Gail: I love a good easter egg and a good callback. Details like this and recurring characters like Scott Ryan give their world realism. I stan.

Ashley: This is such a terribly effective moment in the show. We haven’t seen Yevgeny at all in this episode, and yet he’s ever-present; closing on “kill Saul” is so fucking… ugh. Stupid Homeland.

Gail: All of Yevgeny’s shots in this scene are done with a steady camera, which gives the impression (illusion?) of his control of the situation. Have we had a scene where Yevgeny isn’t leaning? My God, he’s even leaning when on Zoom for Spies.

Sara: As Yevgeny reveals the full extent of his play--“Kill Saul”--the camera zooms in on him. Eventually he takes up almost the entire frame. It gives the feeling of stakes being continually raised. And he’s still got that trademark smirk and nonchalance, despite what he’s telling Carrie to do.

Sara: Meanwhile, the camera stays mostly the same distance away from Carrie but pans in semi-circles around her, back and forth, back and forth. It’s an interesting choice as she comes to the realization of what Yevgeny is suggesting. The camera is almost like the wheels spinning in her head as she understands the full scope of the choice she must make.

Gail: As Carrie and Yevgeny go back and forth, each one trying to figure out what the other one knows, the shots start to go back and forth as well, mimicking their dance. In film and television production, there is a term called the 180 degree rule. What it means is that there is an imaginary line running through a scene, from side to side, with respect to the camera. The rule of thumb is that the camera should never cross the line because it causes the viewer to feel disoriented and confused. But when used effectively, we get the powerful effect that it had here in this scene. We (the audience) feel the same disorientation as Carrie, the same unsteadiness that is reflected in the handheld camera that shoots her. As I mentioned above, when we see Yevgeny on the computer screen, he is centered, steady and in control. Quite a contrast between the two.

Ashley: I repeat… stupid Homeland.

Ashley: We’ve seen so much darkness in this episode, mostly related to Saul — Carrie, for her part, has been pretty much in bright spaces. Despite everything that’s happened to her, I believe that this is the darkest point in her life.

Sara: Carrie hurriedly walks out of this vast, empty mansion as the lights dim behind her. The weight and horror of this decision is splayed across her face. The darkness follows her. The question now as we head into this final chapter: can she outrun it? Or will it finally catch up to her? 

Gail: Staying just ahead of the darkness and trying to find the light. Here Carrie is again living somewhere in between.

[chicagocityofclans]

Naomi Goode → Madeleine Mantock  → Witch

→ Basic Information 

Age: 58

Gender: Female 

Sexuality: Straight 

Powers: Telekinetic (Water Elemental Telekinesis)

Birthday: September 10th 

Zodiac Sign: Virgo 

Religion: SBNR

Mark: Goode

Generation: 4th 

→ Her Personality

(one to two paragraphs)

→ Her Personal Facts

Occupation: Mentee and Masters Student (Chemistry)

Scars: None

Tattoos: Face & Rose and Dandelion transforming into Birds

Two Likes: Small Animals and Healthy Foods

Two Dislikes: Drama and Sitting Still 

Two Fears: Psychological Stress and Social Isolation (Loneliness)

Two Hobbies: Mastering Potions and Going Out

Three Positive Traits: Approachable, Responsible, Extroverted

Three Negative Traits: Compulsive, Dominating, Unforgiving

→ Her Connections

Parent Names:

Jacob Goode (Father): Jacob played an active role in her life. Jacob, Alice and Naomi always took family trips together and had travelled the world before Naomi had reached 18 years old. Jacob taught Naomi different languages and how to defend herself without the use of her powers. Naomi is a daddy's girl. 

Alice Goode (Mother): Alice is a nurturing mother and played an active role in Naomi’s life. Jacob, Alice and Naomi always took family trips together and had travelled the world before Naomi had reached 18 years old. Alice introduced Naomi to potions and the chemistry behind it. She will be forever grateful that her mother moved their family to Chicago so that Naomi can mentor under a master. 

Sibling Names:

None

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Raul Santiago (Interested/Friend): Naomi met Raul through one of Nikita’s friend’s, Chai. They exchanged numbers and became friends via text. Raul never pushed to meet up again until Naomi stumbled upon him Underground one night. They hung out while he was at bowling practice. Much to her surprise he started to invite her to his games and a few other practices. Naomi is unsure if she was friend zoned or if he is simply looking for a friend. She does know that she does not want to ruin whatever it is they have and is willing to accept whatever he was to offer and nothing more. 

Platonic Connections:

Tristan Lawton (Distant Cousin): Tristan and Naomi are both 4th generation Goode witches. Their great great grandparents (1st generation Goodes) were related. They first met at a family function about 10 years ago and have kept in touch with one another. Naomi is sure Tristan likes Amber. She is willing to try and play matchmaker and officially make Amber family in the long run.

Anna Johansen (Best Friend): Nikita, Naomi, Briar, Aisling and Anna were randomly placed together for a round of laser tag one night Underground. They stuck with each other the entire night, hoping from activity to activity and eventually drinks. While she is limited to the Underground or strictly nights with Briar and Aisling; Anna, Naomi and Nikita rule above ground and the day.

Nikita Platt (Best Friend): Nikita and Naomi have been best friends for years. Naomi has always had a bunch of cousins but never any sibling and Nikita has filled the hole Naomi never noticed was empty. Nikita has become her sister in all but blood. They have already started plotting which mentors they will be changing to for the next 450 years so that they can stay together.   

Briar Larson (Good Friend): Nikita, Naomi, Briar, Aisling and Anna were randomly placed together for a round of laser tag one night Underground. They stuck with each other the entire night, hoping from activity to activity and eventually drinks. Briar usually drags them all down to see movies at the Underground Drive-In but Nikita, Naomi and Anna have been planning a midnight show of a horror flick in the park and under the stars as a birthday gift. 

Aisling Rois (Good Friend): Nikita, Naomi, Briar, Aisling and Anna were randomly placed together for a round of laser tag one night Underground. They stuck with each other the entire night, hoping from activity to activity and eventually drinks. Aisling is also a bartender with a knack for making non-alcoholic drinks which Naomi is grateful for. 

Judson Cleirigh (Mentor): Naomi chose Judson not to enhance her powers but to master potions. Naomi knows she wants to master the craft of potions and the Cleirighs are renowned Potion Masters. While she is focused solely on potions, Judson has added a few lessons to help her with her powers so she is not too far behind. Now that they are past the basics, Judson has become a friend too. 

Mattie Cocci (Friend): Mattie also mentors with Judson. She is a sweet girl and Naomi considers her a friend but they have not really hung out much outside of mentoring or ingredients trips. Nikita and Naomi have been trying to get her out and plans on inviting her next time they have something planned with the girls. 

Amber Chase (Friend): Naomi went out of her way to become friends with Amber once she found out Tristan was interested in her. Naomi's original motive went out the door when she realized Amber was becoming a true friend. Her original plan has only recently come back to light after she caught Tristan giving Amber the googly eyes stare from across the room at a 4th of July party. 

Alucard Draga (Friend): Nikita introduced Naomi to Alucard and the two quickly struck up a friendship. The three of them usually hang out together but Alucard and Naomi do text and sometimes chat on the phone with just each other. 

Angel Landyn (Acquaintance): Angel is the team captain for Raul’s bowling team and seems to be the only one interested in conversing with Naomi at practice. 

Audo Wilhelm (Acquaintance): Audo and Margo stay in an apartment above Judson’s shop. At first Audo seemed rude but he must have softened up to her. 

Margo Wilhelm (Acquaintance): Margo mentees under Judson or at least that is what he told Naomi. Naomi is sure he just babysits for Audo and teaches her random things in his free time. Judson does not let anyone get close to her, if Naomi did not know better she would think he is hiding her from everyone.

Ken McStevens (Acquaintance): Ken works with Judson but he and Naomi have only shared pleasantries. Naomi thinks he may like Nikita and gave Ken her number but Nikita has not brought up Ken texting or calling her yet. 

Lawrence Cocci (Acquaintance): Lawrence is Mattie’s older brother. They have met a few times when he comes to pick her up or Judson uses him for a study. 

Hostile Connections:

None

Pets:

Questioning - She wants a familiar. 

→ History (paragraph(s) on background) → The Present (paragraph(s) on how the character connects to the plot)

→ Available Gif Hunts (we do not own these)

Madeleine Mantock [1][2][3]

[msannadonnelly]

Yes, they had kissed. And yes, it had even been nice. But Anna kissed many people. She flirted like she breathed, and she just as quickly added another brick to the wall she'd built around her heart. That wall was staggeringly tall after all those years. Anna did not like to think about the girl she'd once been--naive, wide-eyed and hopeful, throwing her feelings into the wind with all the belief in the world that they'd be returned. And then she had heard the screams. A preacher's curses, her mother's shrieks, and the girl she'd thought would be by her side until the end had wanted to be anywhere but it. She was a monster. A killer. The beast upon the mythical island, luring those poor sailor boys upon her shores and reveling in their screams. Never mind that it wasn't true. Never mind that all she'd really wanted was the company her song brought her. But if the world wanted a monster, she would give them a monster.

In fact, she had laid that monster out on a platter for Chai, gave him every opportunity to go running to the hills like everyone before him. She had looked him in the eye and told him exactly what she'd done, the day she'd lured her stepfather into the water and pulled him under. The day she could never come back from. The day she had been running from ever since. And Chai hadn't run. That in of itself was unnerving. Didn't he see the problem yet, what she was willing to do to survive? But then he'd had a confession of his own, and it had been Anna's turn to run. He'd not only killed, he'd killed a siren. In that moment, he had proven to be everything she feared--a hunter in disguise. And what would stop him from hunting her next? That should have been her cue to go. But the potion had been coursing through his veins, forcing the truth from him when he'd told her it was an accident, that he'd regretted it ever since. And she'd realized she didn't need the potion to believe him.

Now there was a new body at his feet.

A few short months ago, she had wanted this. She had thought his sense of morality charming but highly inconvenient. She had thought him unwilling to do what needed to be done. Now, she watched him do exactly what needed to be done, and found she did not like the taste it left in her mouth. This was her world--violence in the air and blood on her hands. It was not supposed to be his. She watched the body hit the floor, and she felt no remorse for the hunter. His lot had spent the last few hours torturing their friends, their city. They deserved what was coming to them. But not like this.

Before Anna could say a word, however, she heard the footsteps. A hunter trying to sneak up on her from behind. The fool. She waited half a second more, her eyes locked with Chai's, then she turned and hit the man first with an elbow to the ribs, then a punch between the eyes. She had considered, as was instinct for her, to pull her knife and shove it between his ribs. But it was unnecessary. He was out cold already. She had not killed the guards around Bea's premature grave, and she would not kill this one now. As she stood over the body--knocked out, not dead--she thought of Pete and that night on Halloween, the absolute terror coursing through her body when she'd been revisited by a ghost of her past, and how quickly she'd wanted to stamp out that threat. And she remembered crying in Chai's arms, remembered how that weakness should have made her skin crawl. But it had felt more like comfort.

She kicked the limp--living--body onto its back. "Do you have something to tie this one up with?" she asked Chai calmly. "I seem to have forgotten my ropes in my other purse." Her once white clothes were not only stained in paint at this point but in earth, the dirt that had covered Bea's coffin. There were strips of fabric missing as well, which she had ripped from her blouse and wrapped around her burned hands as makeshift bandages. At his comment, she looked briefly at her palms then shrugged. They throbbed and stung, but there was hardly time to worry about that now. "I've checked them out. I'll live." After all, she'd survived much worse before. She stepped closer, directly toward the edge of his knife.

"I know you’re royally pissed off, Darling. Pissed at the vermin." She nudged the fallen hunter--the still living one--with her heel. "At the world. At this town. At me. And it feels good doesn’t it? All that righteous rage? To know he’ll never hurt anyone ever again, and you made sure of it?" Again, she stepped closer, her eyes locked on his and not the blood drenched knife he held. "The problem is, they never really go away. They visit you night after night. And one day, you wake up, and you've become the monster you were hunting." And maybe it was too late for her, maybe she was a lost cause. But Chai was not yet so far gone. Anna reached out and touched the edge of the knife. "I didn't try and stop you because I thought you were incapable. Or because you're human and can die. I thought about it, yes. Because unfortunately for both of us, I quite like you alive. I stopped you because I wish I'd had someone who would have stopped me. You've proven yourself abundantly capable tonight. Capable and ruthless, and under other circumstances I would happily cheer you on. But it just so happens that your heart might be the most interesting thing about you." Words he had said to her just months ago. "And I'd hate to see it wasted tonight or any other night. So if you'd like to continue your little killing spree, by all means hunt the hunters and become everything you told me you didn't want to be. I was just starting to believe that maybe not everyone is so terrible after all, but I've been disappointed before. I'm sure I can survive it again. But I'm not moving, so you'll have to hurt me first. Is that something you're willing to do?" Maybe it would be. Maybe she'd been wrong about him. But for the first time in a very, very long time, Anna was taking a bet on someone and hoping it wasn't a mistake.

@msannadonnelly

If there was one thing he had always been good for, it had been sticking by his word. Even if she hadn't believed him without a truth potion coursing through his veins, whether he had been on a magically charged elixir or not, his word would have remained the same. The only time he had ever lied, besides the small little fibs children tell before they learn there in the wrong, was when he looked his father in the eye and told him hadn't gone through with it. He told his old man that he had been right, that Chai han't been cut out to be a hunter. That his yai should have named him ไก่ (Kai), meaning Chicken, all along, because he knew, deep within his bones, that this life wasn't for him. Only not for the reasons he led his family to believe.

Chai had to leave the hunters that night, not because he had been so horrified by what he had done, but because in a sick and twisted way, he had found a rush in narrowly escaping death. He had never meant to kill the siren, what was supposed to be his first and last kill. He had hesitated while the fae hadn't and, the only reason, he had made it out of alive was because of sheer luck and the fact his instincts kicked in while the two of them were wrestling against the ground. Rune Channarong shoved the other off of him and watched as they slammed their head against the jagged side of a dumpster resting against the building at the end of the pier and, within those horrific turn of events, he realized that, if he stayed with the hunters, if he remained with his family, he may just become the most ruthless, cruel and unforgiving hunter of them all. He saw the man he was heading towards becoming and in a mix of guilt and self preservation, he lied to maintain what wavering sense of humanity he had left.

That night he made a promise to himself and his promises were practically law in his book. He swore he'd never kill again. It was never his place to play god, jury and executioner nor did he want to. He didn't want to be the kind of man who toyed with who got to live and who died. He needed to do at least that. He had to be better than that. And yet, as his knife collided with flesh once more, cutting down one of the hunters left in town who hung around after the twelve had all been rescued, he found himself realizing that he couldn't even trust the one thing he had always, despite it all, been good for.

His hands gripped tightly onto the hunter before him's shoulder as he pulled the blade right out of the other's chest and watched as the last flickering flames of light were snuffed out from their eyes. The rage still so fresh in his veins, burned through the shred of conscience thoughts that were screaming at him to stop. Warning him that he'd regret it and when she shoved the body away, his gaze lifting up from where it had just collided with the pavement, he found his eyes locking in on hers. Anna, stood there a mere few feet away as she watched him take another life. So much for him swearing that he wouldn't.

"You should go," His voice all but a low murmur as he stalked past her, not exactly in the mood for the whiplash he'd find himself in when she once again pushed him away rather than admit that she might actually care. And after all, this was what she had wanted, wasn't it? To succeed in driving him away? She didn't want to need anyone. She didn't want anyone to care, not about her anyway. Because what was it she told him? Needing people was a weakness and if he was smarter, he'd know that by now. If he opened his god damn eyes than he'd see that some people simply needed to die and sometimes, the only way to make someone get out of your way, was to make them. She had wanted him to leave her be and be okay with killing and now she just so happened to have gotten her wish. He imagined she'd probably be ecstatic. But, before he fully wandered away from her, he motioned with the hilt of his dripping knife, "Go, get your hands checked out."

[rachelsiwafan]

Good morning 🇹🇿🇬🇧🌏#cupoftea☕️John the Baptist Prepares the Way 1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” 7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” 11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” 12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” 14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse..#Luke3:1-38#PraisetheLord#WordofGod#wordoftheday#versesoftheday#newchapter#bibleverses#biblestudy#qoutesoftheday#prayernetwork#dailyinspiration#beblessedShalom#anzanamiBwanaYesu#biblia#NenolaMungu#Nenolaleo#Luka#barikiwa🙏 #eastafrica#tanzania🇹🇿 #asubuhinjema#chai#Coventry🇬🇧#lifestyleblogger#vlogger #mswahili🇹🇿#rachelsiwa🙏🏽❤️☕️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CGhLpx7nDha/?igshid=1io2u7bjdgg79

[hemusartblog]

#MadrasInMini | 38 | Free Drinking Water Kiosks Madras is a hot and humid, tropical city with issues of water scarcity, especially during summer. To combat that and situations of dehydration, organizations and random Madras folk set up free drinking water booths (without commercializing any aspect of it) for thirsty travellers. This particular water booth has been run by the Guild of Service Home for the Handicapped, and donated by the Jain Sangh in 1991. Every day, disabled kids from the guild also take turns to serve at the booth. We take so many things for granted- and having free water (and buttermilk even) was one such thing for me. Combine this with the free food at socio-religious spaces..I can have some kind of meal without having any money on me. I usually have lovely stories with almost every place I sketch at. I was sitting on the overhead footpath stairs drawing the water kiosk when the lady from the booth noticed me and exchanged a few nice words. The nearby tea stall owner brought my chai to me as I was drawing. A little later, the lady had to leave and waved me a bye and asked me to come to the Guild later. As I was still drawing, she suddenly reappeared, called for the tea stall Anna and passed two paper plates through the grill doors with large servings of cake- one for me and one for him. They apparently had some sort of celebration at the Guild and she decided to give us food from the same. She didn’t revel even a second for passing out food to complete strangers; disappeared the next minute while I had conversations with the tea stall owner and his customers who were curious about what I had been doing. Her kindness humbles me. Madras humbles me everytime and makes me think about what I am doing for this society (On that note, please volunteer your time or finances to the Guild, I have been there before and they do good work for the kids!). Little things like this: sharing what food comes their way, and offering it to a total stranger who had a small conversation and smiled a little with them is what makes my Madras beautiful. #Madras #localculture #freedrinkingwater #mymadras (at Guild Of Service Home For Handicapped Children)

[cantfightmoonlight]

"I know," He found himself admitting as he brought the cigarette back to his lips, dangling it in between his teeth as he gave the Alpha a wearied shrug. "I know you were coming off just being tortured yourself. I get it. It doesn't exactly reverse what went down or anything, but I get where you were coming from. Even though, I, uh, I pretty much got all of it. Not just the bulk," He admitted, having high doubts that anyone took in what Nico had been trying to say when three men in the room were squaring up as they waited for Anna get back. "But, it is what it is, I guess?" He offered up, not feeling the need to point out how there might be better ways of getting results if that was what he had been after. Chai had a feeling Nico already knew that given how he had shown up here or all places to apologize. An action that most would be too prideful to have ever made. "Nah, I, uh, I respect you for coming here and talking it out. I do and I appreciate you saying that because for most, being a human, whether they care to admit it or not, makes a difference for them. And, uh, I don't know. I don't exactly feel a part of this community anymore, if I'm being honest? Nor am I entirely sure I want to be? At least not the way it is now? Which is kinda weird seeing that it used to be everything to me a few weeks ago? But, we're good, man. Though, if you want to repair the damages, maybe you can help me fix that? I finally bite the bullet and signed up to join the Coalition, but you're one of the top dogs in charge around here, excuse the pun, so if anyone can help make the Cove better, it's kinda you, right? And as for damages to repair, you're not the only one. After everything went down, I, uh, I found myself slipping into someone I'm not exactly proud of, either, so I'm not sure if it makes it better or worse, but you're not the only one having to repair the damages."

·✥·

He took the offered cigarette with a nod and a quiet thank you, but didn't light it yet, just turning it over in his fingers as he listened to the other man's words. He was right in a way—Nico had consciously made the choice to try to seem as big and intimidating as possible at the time, overcompensating for how weak he'd felt. And he didn't know what had happened before he'd gotten there, and if he was honest with himself he hadn't really cared to know. He glanced up at Chai and finally finished his lighter out of his coat, watching the bartender closely. His heart ached a little when he mentioned standing up to volunteer for Frankie—that was an Alpha's responsibility, before it was anyone else's. But he hadn't been there to do it. Another heavy toll paid by someone else, because of my weakness. He took note of the guilt, but didn't let it linger in his mind. When it seemed like Chai had said his piece, Nico nodded slowly and took a long drag on his smoke. He squinted over at the other man. "I was a dick—and I don't know if this makes it better or worse, but at the time I think I meant to be a dick to everyone who was arguing, not just you. I'm sorry you got the bulk of it." Chewing the inside of his lip a little, he added, "Under normal circumstances, I probably would've been more careful. I wasn’t thinking of anyone’s feelings, or how I came off, just about getting results." Physically, he'd been with them all, but emotionally he'd still been tied up and bleeding, feeling keenly what each minute could cost, what it had to be costing each person still out there. "Fear... makes me careless, sometimes. Or cruel, even. Now that it's a new day, I have to pay for that carelessness. Try to repair the damage. I hope you’ll allow me to try and do that, some way.” He glanced at the bartender, earnestly. “And for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t have stopped you going after anyone, just for being human. You’re a part of this community, you have as much right as anyone to stand up for the people in it.” 

[statssheet-blog]

  They say opportunities arise in the most unexpected ways- this statement could not be more accurate. On the 23rd of March, I had the privilege of covering the Zalora Style Awards 2017 at the Aura Sky Lounge on top of the National Gallery of Singapore. The event commemorated the fifth anniversary of the top fashion e-commerce platform in the country. The event brought together Singapore’s fashion elite from five different categories in the industry ranging from the obvious (Best Young Designer of the Year) to the original (Gatekeeper of the Fashion Industry). The awards cover a “broad spectrum of the fashion industry” according to Ginette Chittick (a judge for the event).  The genres they covered included Young Designer of the year, Stylist of the Year, Fashion Game Changer of the Year, Male style star of the year and Female Style star or the year.

Enveloped in a shroud of excitement and intimidation I scanned the area knowing I had the opportunity to meet these people. My ambition is through the roof when it comes to my career but the guests at the event had moved mountains which left us extremely overwhelmed. We finally spotted a few familiar faces (our teachers) in the crowd who basically gave us an agenda- go interview people and cover the event pre and post the awards. As daunting as it might have been I decided to take on the task and interview the people whose ambition brought them to the top of their hierarchy- Mr Parker Gunderson (CEO of Zalora), Ms. Yusrina Yusoff (Regional PR Manager aka The Brand Catalyst), Mrs.Ginnette (Program Director of the fashion at the Lasalle College of the Arts Singapore), Goh Ling Ling (winner of the young designer of the year award and owner of an exotic skin empire Ling Wu), and finally famous fashion photographer and winner of the Fashion Gamechanger of the year Lenne Chai.

I had the opportunity to interview the charismatic CEO of Zalora himself Mr Parker Gunderson, who was able to shed a light on how Zalora is bringing people with a “passion for fashion” together. In celebration of the fifth anniversary of the brand, the Awards took place across all the countries Zalora was launched in (Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines), to encourage the people who have supported them as Mr.Gunderson would like to put it. He elaborated on his plans for the e-commerce giant saying that now that they’ve found the secret formula it’s time to perfect it. His inspiring world left me in awe of how much this man has created- a five-year-old brand which has been recognised as one of the best for online shopping across eastern Asia.

As the show progressed and the winners have announced the air of the hall switched from suspense t happiness and cheer. Grace Lim was presented with the Stylist of the Year Award, Andee Chua won the Male Style Star of the year, Ellie Tan was presented with the female style star of the Star of the year, Lenne Chai won the fashion game changer of the year and Goh Ling Ling of Ling Wu took home the prize for Young Designer of the year.  The winners were thrilled and shocked, to say the least (according to Lenne Chai). They were extremely grateful saying that, “Getting a bit of spotlight on design and fashion” which will be a gateway to put Singapore on the fashion map.

The ‘Zaloricons’ (the judges) of Singapore ranged from fashion editor-in-chiefs to international models. I had the privilege of interviewing a few of them after the show to gauge their perspective on the industry and where it’s heading. Mrs.Ginette Chittick: a fashion entrepreneur, leader of the fashion department at Lasalle, musician, lecturer and mother all wrapped into one- an inspiration to say the least; shared her take on the event. Her charm stood out from the crowded room and the loud music making me feel at ease during the interview. Thrilled with the progress Zalora has made for the Singapore fashion industry she believed that the event was a stepping stone for Singapore to get on the fashion map. She also exclaimed how difficult it was coming up with a decision on who needed to win the awards (because most were her friends). Her perspective on the industry was more youth orientated. She believed that the fashion industry was tough to crack but the advent pays off leaving the future of the fashion industry- “Keep on keeping on! Do not give up. It might be tough to break into sometimes but ones you’re there there’s nowhere but up”.

All in all the entire room had a unanimous outlook on the qualities the winners had to possess which ironically didn’t have to do with design aesthetic but to be consistent and persevere to make your voice known. Consistency was one of the main criteria the judges were looking at while picking the winner says, Ginette Chittick. Goh Ling Ling explained how important it has been in her career over the past 6 years to persevere- “The toughest thing to do and the biggest risk was perseverance. You reap the benefits after a while. After 6 years this is my first year. You need to be here to survive.”

All and all the event wasn’t just an awestruck moment for an ambitious kid, it put things into perspective about what it takes to really crack the industry. Looking at it from an outsiders perspective allows me to apply it to myself. Am I ready to put in 6 years of painstaking efforts to get to a point where I can actually be content with my work? Although my outlook was still positive it made me question what I was challenging and allowed me to look at my future career goals which are helping me look into different horizons in the fashion industry like entrepreneurship- Being an Anna Wintour in my own right.

Zalora Style Awards 2017 They say opportunities arise in the most unexpected ways- this statement could not be more accurate. On the 23rd of March, I had the privilege of covering the Zalora Style Awards 2017 at the Aura Sky Lounge on top of the National Gallery of Singapore.

[epchapman89]

Coffee And Photography Converge At Fringe In Paris

The first thing you notice when you enter Fringe, a new cafe in Paris’ Le Marais neighborhood, are the lamps. From Dutch designers Margje Teeuwen and Erwin Zwiers, they are like clouds hanging from the ceiling, providing an interior detail that sets the space apart. Perhaps the next thing noticed are the cameras perched on the bookcase by the entry; soon you’ll see this is not just a coffee lover’s space, it’s also a photographer’s space.

Jeff Hargrove, a photographer by trade, opened Fringe during the summer of 2016; it was a project he had been planning for years: not just a destination for coffee, but a hub for independent artists and creatives. (Full disclosure: in 2015, Hargrove and I published a book together called Paris Coffee Revolution.)

Fringe is a culmination of all of the things that Hargrove is passionate about: food, coffee, and photography. “It’s a very personal space,” says Hargrove. When I visited this fall, large-scale photos covered the walls, Hargrove’s personal work documenting Danish textile artist Karin Carlander, whose linen napkins are used in the cafe and are also for sale.

Instead of framing the photos, Hargrove printed them on wallpaper, making them easy to hang as well as take down. The result is a collection of photos that feels very much a part of the space, as if they have always been there, even if they will eventually be swapped out for others. Hargrove’s goal is to feature not only photography but also artists who can paint or draw directly on the walls. “I wanted to create a space that is changing…not always the same thing.” Above all, Hargrove says he wants Fringe “to be a place where your senses are awakened.”

That sensory stimulation comes in many forms: what people are drinking, what people are eating, what people are looking at, what people are reading. Fringe supplies a selection of photography books, as well as independent magazines like Drift and Caffeine. Hargrove mentions that Fringe is regularly frequented by local writers, photographers, photo agents, and other creatives. “The kind of people I like to talk to,” says Hargrove.

My visit was a few weeks after Hargrove had put together an exhibition of photos of Carlander’s textile production to correspond with Danish Design Week. In honor of that, he had brought in a guest espresso from Danish roaster The Coffee Collective, which ended up being so popular that he kept it on the menu. “I will offer The Coffee Collective Kieni as the basic espresso, and I will be offering a guest espresso that will change every month, starting with L’Arbre à Café,” says Hargrove. Options for filter coffee will be rotating every month as well; the current offering is a Suke from Ethiopia roasted by L’Arbre à Café.

The menu is seasonal and mostly stocked with local ingredients, yet it has a slightly Nordic feel—it could be the open-faced sandwiches with smoked salmon and mackerel—which speaks to Hargrove’s attraction to a Scandinavian aesthetic, as well as the fact that the cook is Danish. “I didn’t want a professional cook, but someone who was interested in food,” says Hargrove, pointing out that hiring someone without professional food training makes it a little bit easier to break out of the traditional box of what can be served, and allows more room for creativity. Above all, Hargrove wants to be sure that he offers something different than what’s already available in Parisian coffee.

Smoked-mackerel (left) and eggplant, sundried tomatoes and goat cheese open-face sandwiches at Fringe.

Fringe also distinguishes itself with the products it uses and serves; it is a thread that ties the whole place together, although it’s beautifully understated. You won’t find “Healthy!” slapped on the window, or “Eco-friendly!” plastered on the water bottles, but many of the business choices at Fringe are made with personal and environmental health in mind.

Hargrove avoids serving bottled water, and instead makes his own sparkling water from the tap and serves it in glass bottles. He buys organic produce as much as he can. The bread is made in-house, using whole wheat flour locally milled in the Île-de-France region. Even Fringe’s chai is house-made, from fresh spices. All of the food is made with whole ingredients, and while there are treats on the menu, the general aim is to serve food that’s good for you. “We don’t serve anything here that we don’t eat ourselves,” says Hargrove.

And Hargrove’s concerns extend beyond just the food on the customers’ plates. “We are all into not wasting food,” he says. For example, the pulp left over from juicing carrots is baked into sandwich buns, and after making almond milk, the remaining almonds make their way into a variety of recipes. “No waste, as organic as we can, and as responsible as we can,” says Hargrove.

The end result is a space that is both inviting and a bit different from other cafes. It’s easy to sit, drink a coffee, and be inspired by the creative work all around the coffee shop. And ultimately, that’s the end goal, because whether it’s through the photography on the walls, the magazines and books on the bookshelf, or the coffee served, “I want people to be stimulated,” says Hargrove.

Fringe is located at 106 Rue de Turenne, Paris. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Anna Brones (@annabrones) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in the American Pacific Northwest, the founder of Foodie Underground, and the co-author of Fika: The Art Of The Swedish Coffee Break. Read more Anna Brones on Sprudge.

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