#but i don't know if anne meant it that way and it'll be interesting to see what the show does with that

[pynkhues]

Sorry if you already wrote about your opinions on nicki's and lestat's relashionship but I'm confused about some interpretations I've seen here and on x. For reference the only book I've read so far is tvl and nicki seemed so tragic the whole time and his relashionship with lestat was obviously always doomed plus they didn't really understand each other.

I just felt sorry for both of them but I wouldn't call nicki abusive and say that he didn't love lestat at all. I don't know maybe I didn't get some subtext or was being too forgiving? But also I don't think they were childhood sweethearts/were solely wholesome either. And I really hope they do their relashionship justice because there is no reason to make them more toxic in order to uplift loustat because nicki literally doesn't exist anymore.

I wouldn't call him abusive either, anon, but I've seen a bit of it recently too which - - mm. I mean, I wish I could say that it surprised me, but honestly it doesn't? Their relationship is not a healthy one, and Nicki is extremely prone to jealousy with Lestat and can be cruel to him, to say nothing of the fact that he arguably forces Lestat to turn him, and then to give him the theatre, but they're two abused, traumatised young men who find, briefly, an escape in one another. There's a really unhealthy codependency in that emotionally, particularly when you add in Nicki's depression, but also with the fact that Lestat's very much relying on Nicki due to his own illiteracy (and it's explicit in the book - he needs Nicki to read the news to him and plays so he can memorise them, and he's his only way to communicate with Gabrielle through letters), and Nicki relies on Lestat to both leave in the first place with Gabrielle's money and to get work in Paris.

It's a complicated relationship - one that's actually, I think, a lot more complicated than it gets credit for being, and I do hope the show depicts that - and like you said, ultimately a doomed one, but not every unhealthy relationship is abusive.

I do think people probably point to the break-up a bit in this where Nicki tells Lestat that he doesn't love him and that he only went to Paris with him because he thought they would both die there, but I mean, the context of that scene is Nicki's reached a breaking point. There might be an element of truth to it - Nicki hates Lestat for being able to move forwards, for people loving him, for finding success in the way he's never been able to - for being, as he says! Filled with light when he is filled with darkness! - and I'm sure part of it too is that he thought that they might die in Paris - but we see over and over again in those first parts of the book that Nicki loves him, and if he meant them to die in Paris, he meant them to die together.

My read of that has always been that he says it to hurt him because Nicki's hurting. He's been so low for so long, and he thought being turned would make everything better and it's made everything worse, and it's just what like Louis tells Lestat that he did in their reunion - he wanted Lestat to suffer because he was suffering. In that sense, their relationships do have similarities, but Nicki's not Louis. Louis can find his way out of it, because at the end of it all, Louis' somebody who survives, even when he wants to die, and Nicki is not.

So yeah, this is all to say that I agree with you. Their relationship is just sad, but it has its moments of genuine beauty and love, that's part of what makes it both tragic and compelling. They're two traumatised boys escaping abusive fathers and an isolated, impovered, ignorant small town, who make it to the city with their hands clasped together, and the world opens up for them in ways that are both wonderful and terrible and only one of them survives it.

[nalyra-dreaming]

I remember reading the theory (I don't know if it was from you or from Virginia) that Lestat calls out for Louis when he's abducted by Akasha at the end of TVL . It's always been so confusing because the version I read in my mother tongue which is Spanish it was translated as if Lestat was refering to Akasha, they used femenine adjectives (hermosa mía=beautiful one). Although the scene is rather ambiguous, I really hope it is just a matter of bad translation (I believe it could have been done in a much more gender neutral way to stick to the source, even in Spanish) and if the scene ever makes it to the show I hope they keep the Lestat calling Louis interpretation. Also, it'll be interesting to know other translated versions to see if it goes the same way🤔

I think @virginiaisforvampires and I both share the same theory/stance here, so you might have read it on either blog^^

Now, Lestat only calls one being “beautiful one“ - and that is Louis:

In the scene you mentioned, in the end of the book The Vampire Lestat, he calls out mentally, and yes, I do believe to Louis:

Now, see the italics? This is from the hardcover I just got the other day, which is TVL, first edition and print. This is what was meant to be emphasized here. And it makes sense, too, because the page before this is marked as mental communication:

Lestat calls out to Louis there, as she takes him, because they just came from a massacre, from vampires being immolated and destroyed, and cries of danger everywhere. And after a warning of Marius, too.

Lestat has almost been killed last time he encountered Akasha, not by her, no, but the memory of an almost panicked Marius ferrying him away is probably very present then. He has no reason to expect her to be kind to him, even if he might hope so.

And when she comes he cannot move his lips, or body, he is helpless and so he calls out mentally, even though neither Louis nor Gabrielle will be able to hear him directly, but these things are usually not done with intent, but more instinctively. And it is the only thing he can do.

Now… Lestat later reframes what happens with Akasha as love, simply because he tries to deal with being abused again.

And so - taking this into account - within the universe it makes sense that it is kept (a bit) ambiguous. Because within the universe it is Lestat adding the ending to TVL after the events of QotD, right.

But Lestat only ever calls Louis “beautiful one“, and only a few pages prior - and so the meaning is, in a way, hidden within the ending, if that makes sense.

And, last but not least: The Vampire Lestat closes as follows:

Anne must’ve already laid out a lot of what would follow. Which … underlines the deliberation at the end there, for me, in-universe, and outside of it.

I am not sure how other translators have interpreted it, maybe someone else has knowledge here? But this is the first print 😅, sooo ….

[maybeanartist02]

sacrarium pario modern au // trivia night

summary: Violo and Vivere join their friends at a local bar's trivia night. There, they cross paths with the charismatic performer Anne.

2.7 k words, violo has a cochlear implant, vivere is chronically ill, heimos is a little bitchy

"This body was submitted by this man's daughter," the research manager explained. Violo stood in the lab of Pario Research Facility where he worked, speaking to two fellow researchers who were there to discuss a new body Violo was assigned to examine. The manager was a tall and callous woman who Violo struggled to tolerate outside of work. She, along with the other Doctor, was there to speak to him about the newly donated body.

"Their name is Ayad Amsel-Faris. They passed away four months ago, but the daughter only recently was able to process the paperwork for handing them off to us," the shorter doctor explained. "I am unsure how that happened, but regardless… we have the body now, and should be able to conduct our research on it. According to the daughter's account, Ayad had many allergies, skin conditions and were frequently misdiagnosed. Their death was written off as a natural cause, but the daughter believes they were ill."

Violo lifted the sheet laying over the body, and peered under it. Like all corpses, the person's expression was a bit disturbing to most—but Violo couldn't see, so it wasn't problematic at all.

Ayad was a brown-skinned person with a square jaw that was almost entirely covered in vitiligo and psoriasis. Their hair was also white, and seeing the state of them, Violo wondered how no one else suspected something to be wrong. Violo had to feel his way over the body to determine the psoriasis, and Eva told him about the rest.

The body reminded him of Vivere—uncomfortably so. It made him uneasy, but also gave him some hope; if Violo could find Ayad's cause of death… there was a chance it was related to the disease he was researching. This body… could be the key to all his woes, and all his fears regarding Vivere.

Swallowing the apprehension in his throat, Violo spoke eagerly:

"When do I begin?"

—

"A trivia night?"

Violo's voice curved up with the questioning echo of Necare's words. Necare nodded, a smile on her lips. The group of neighbors who lived on Warden Street 35 were gathered at Amare's place, for one of their usual monthly game nights. The five inhabitants of the apartment complex had gotten close after meeting at a renfaire a few years back and discovering they were neighbors. The friendship had been set in stone since then.

"It's a pretty new thing, meant to generate more traffic for the bar. We been kinda plateauing, so she's experimenting with new events to draw in customers."

"Will his hearing aid even be able to register the person hosting it?" Vivere asked, frowning. Despite Violo's frequent reminders that he could handle himself, Viv had a habit towards overbearingness. Violo rolled his eyes.

"Most people don't speak in a way easy for my implants to interpret easily anyway. I'll manage. I'd love to come!"

Vivere pouted, "I know… but I can still worry about your comfort."

"Well, I don't think it'll be a problem, to be honest," Necare shrugged. "Anne's the one hosting, and I speak to her a ton. Her vocal range goes crazy—if we give her a heads-up, she'll make an effort, but if we don't, she'll still enunciate well." Necare grins, "She claims to be a lyricist, but I've heard her vocals—she's a vocal acrobat, I guarantee. Low or high, she'll hit any note you give."

"Mm," Amare hummed, taking a sip of their tea. "Interesting. She performs at the bar?"

"Yeah," Necare nodded, "writes her own songs, but sings a bunch of covers too. Got a few rumors floating around, but she's always been upfront with me."

"Rumors?" Amare questioned. For the first time in what felt like ages, Heimos spoke up.

"Is this Anne Amsel-Faris?" he asked. Necare nodded, and he scoffed, "In that case… I've heard a few. Word on the streets is she's a volatile little shit."

"Volatile?" Viv asked with a frown. Violo was hung up on the surname—had he heard that name somewhere before? Necare waved a hand.

"Lotsa people got lots to say 'bout her. I hear she's busted a few kneecaps 'round town. I can't imagine her doing that unprompted, though. I'm sure the bastards deserved it."

"Who decides who deserves what fate, though?" Amare said gently. "I am not questioning your judgement, Necare. Merely the notion of personal justice."

"I hear she's got a few slighted lovers," Heimos added.

"Oh come on," Vivere laughed, "like that's a crime."

"It's possible she alone's gotten around more than you two combined," Necare joked, gesturing at Violo and Vivere. The lovers smirked, leaning into each other in such synchronization it almost looked planned.

"That's not that impressive," Violo said. "We're particular people!"

Violo and Vivere's relationship had a set of rules to follow. As far as sexual relationships went… they weren't limited to each other exclusively. Romantically, though… they weren't against the idea of partners outside each other, but the caveat was that they both had to like the person. If Viv disliked a man Vio wanted to date, Vio would drop the poor guy, no questions asked, and vice versa. The two didn't mind triads, and often shared interest in people and things, but they also found they had a bit of jealousy, and a tendency to preferring each other over their third that led them to dialing back on three-ways.

In short: sex was free game, but dating required some prerequisites to be met, and some rules to be reevaluated. The two hadn't found a long-term third yet, though, and considering the two had been dating since they were 16, it didn't feel like they'd ever add a lover to their relationship.

That being said, they were prone to flights of fancy, and one-night stands. The group of friends was vaguely aware, and none of them minded—it just meant they did not really have anything against people who fucked around a lot. That courtesy seemed to extend to Anne, too.

"I wouldn't think too much on the rumors," Necare shrugged. "Lots of them aren't favorable to her, and unfair. She's a good kid—sweet and fun. Simple as that."

"Well," Amare set their teacup down, "I'd be happy to join. It sounds like a fun night."

"I'm definitely in," Violo grinned, "can't let you have all the fun, after all."

"That just leaves Heimos," Vivere said, nodding towards him, an arm around Violo. Heimos rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I don't care. I'll come, I guess."

"Woo!" Necare cheered, "Group Excursion!"

—

The Clover Gate Karaoke & Bar was a little place in the walkable downtown area of the city, and a place that Vivere has drawn in his sketchbooks many times. It's a picturesque place, visually, but even so, he'd never been inside before tonight.

Necare is waiting by the door when they arrive, and Violo greets her with a hug she warmly returns. With Violo's hand tucked into Vivere's arm, and Necare gesturing for them to enter, the five neighbors head inside.

The inside of the bar is spacious; to the left is a rounded bar counter, with drinks stacked to the ceiling. The seating area consists of a few bar stools by the counter and countless round tables. There's a stage at the back, and a balcony over the bar and front doors. A few groups are already seated, but more steadily pour in while Necare gets them all seated.

The neighbors are chatting about things—work and creative projects and local news—when their chatter is interrupted by Necare calling out to an approaching lady.

"Anne! Hey!"

Vivere looks up to find a tall-ish woman approaching the table with a tray of drinks and a smile. The first thing Vivere notices is curly, fiery auburn hair, the color of a dying bonfire. The second, is the vitiligo spreading over her skin. The third is the tight fitting tanktop, miniskirt and delicate jewelry around her wrists, fingers, neck and dangling from her ears. Star and butterfly are the common denominator in her accessories, as far as Vivere can tell.

Fascinating.

"Evening, all!" she greets with a wink, setting the tray down on the table, "Nix here," she gestures to Necare, "put an order in for you all, so I hope she got your order right. If she didn't, well, take it up with her."

The group shares a round of chuckles. The positive feedback seems to empower her and cause her to glow from the inside out.

"We got a glass of wine, straight whiskey, beer, and tea, mead and absinthe?—" she says, pointing at each beverage, "is that all right?"

"I'm surprised tea is in there," Amare notes, "is that a special for tonight?"

Anne smiles, "It's a new permanent feature. When your options are as limited as mine, the boss takes pity," she giggles. She waves a hand, "anyway, I take it you're here to support Necare for trivia night, right?"

Necare pouts, "what do you mean, support me?"

Anne presses her lips together and shrugs coyly, "Who's to say? Maybe I meant nothing by it." She shrugs as she retrieves the tray.

"We're here to enjoy the event with her, yes," Amare confirms. Violo scoffs.

"Speak for yourself! I'm here to win."

"In that case, I'm glad we're all on the same team," Viv rolled his eyes, "you two are horrible to witness compete." He leans towards Anne, "they are far too combative to keep any competition healthy."

Anne giggles into a hand while Violo whines at his boyfriend, "Viiiiiiv! That's not true! I can very well lose sometimes."

"To him, maybe," Heimos scoffs. "Everyone else knows you suck at losing."

"Well then," Anne interrupts slyly, "let's hope you win then, huh?"

"Hey, while you're here," Necare says, "shouldn't you be setting up? Why are you running drinks?"

The shift in demeanor is not noticeable to the group, foreign to Anne's mannerisms as they are, but she deflates, ever so slightly.

"Yeah, well, Winston called out last minute. We're a bar-tender short now, and I didn't want them to stress all night." She shakes her head with a fond smile, "it's no biggie. I don't need that much for the event, and I'm sure the band can buy me a little while."

"Oh, alright then," Necare nods, then smiles. "Next time, just call me in. I can handle running drinks for a night."

Anne smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Will do. I should get to running—enjoy the night! And good luck!"

With that, Anne was off to the bar with a wave.

"She was… lively," Heimos mutters. Amare laughs.

"She's cute!" Necare says. "Come on, Viv thinks she's cute, right?"

Vivere shrugs, "she's good at her job. I… can see why people call her flirty." He snorts, "I'm sure the winking and giggling gives many the wrong idea."

"Oof, yeah," Violo nods. "She's funny! I can see why you'd like her, Necare."

"Why d'you care so much if we agree?" Heimos asks dryly, then smirks, "you into her or something?"

"No… not like that!" Necare shakes her head. "She's just… you know. Someone I'm rooting for! With a bit more ambition… she could take the music industry by storm, I'm sure."

"But she lacks the ambititon needed?" Amare questions further. Necare shrugs.

"Pretty much. She says she's fine working here the rest of her life, but… that's a long time to be working at the same place. I feel like I'd get bored."

"You would," Vivere snorts. "Maybe she prefers the monotony. Different people have different preferences, after all."

"True!" Violo nods, "she seemed pretty happy to be hosting us. I wouldn't worry too much. You're friends—she'll probably be honest with you if you express your concern."

"She seems like the honest type," Amare nods along. "If you're worried, communicate that to her. I'm sure she'll either confide in your, or put your concerns to rest."

"True," Necare nods. "She's a real down to earth person. I can trust her judgement call I think." She clapped her hands, "Anyway! Violo, you said work's picking up steam again?"

Violo brightened. "Oh yea! We got a newly submitted body I get to use for my research. Super interesting. I'm meeting the donator on Monday to talk about lived symptoms and medical history."

"Sounds like you'll have your hands full soon," Amare says, then smirks, "should we count you out of game nights for the foreseeable future?"

"Ha!" He laughs, "you wish! I'm sure you'd like for me to sit out, with how often i beat you."

"You don't beat me that often."

"Please do not start this now," Vivere groans.

—

Anne hastily hooks up the laptop to the stage screens. The band is buying her some time with a musical intermission, but it's a closer call than she'd like. She cusses out the tech in her mind, but takes care not to verbalize her irritation. She's changed out of her previous outfit already, and when the trivia page opens on the screens behind the band, and cheering erupts from the crowd, she signals to her coworker, Bailey, that everything is good to go.

Anne jogs to the stage stairs, then takes a moment to catch her breath, put on a smile, and saunter onstage.

As the spotlight illuminates her, she beams at the crowd, waving as she struts out towards the mic. She wears a pair of bedazzled jeans, patterns of vines and roses drawn out with sequins sewn into the fabric. With it, she pairs stiletto heels and a red off-shoulder top that hugs her chest just right. Her trademark star-hoop earrings are paired with a choker, rings and bracelets.

She knows she's dressed to impress. The wolf whistles from the crowd are nothing new—a part of her enjoys the positive feedback.

Anne makes a show of bowing before stepping up to the mic.

"Good evening Clover Gate community!"

She removes the mic from the stand and steps back to allow the crowd to applaud her.

"I see you're all in high spirits," she grins, "good, good! Tonight we're offering a new kind of entertainment to you lovely folks: Trivia night!" She begins to pace the stage as she speaks, the words only vaguely following a bulleted script, "Apologies for the delay, the racoons got out of the attic and stole my dress. Hence the new look," she curtsied to the laughs. "The way this will work is simple. Each table creates a team. Shout the answer the questions to win points. The winner gets a trophy of various snacks and free drinks for their next visit!"

A sea of cheers and whoops sounds out, and Anne smiles brilliantly.

"You're all eager to start, I see. Well then, without further racoon-enduced delay… let the games… begin!"

Anne made a show of clapping twice, implying that the clapping was what caused the screen to change to the first question. She gestured to the screen, theatrically, making the crowd laugh more.

"Here's an easy one to start us with: what is the universal blood donor type?"

Violo's voice rung out just barely before someone else's did, "O negative!"

"Correct!" Anne pointed, "Two points for team 15!"

That got the ball rolling pretty quickly. Anne continued to lay the charm on as she listed off the questions. She realized quite quickly that team 15 was dominating. At one point she was forced to put them in timeout just to give others the chance to answer, but she didn't silence them for long—that'd have been unfair to them, after all.

Anne had a weird skill for balancing humor and justice, for keeping the atmosphere light in a way where the brief timeout didn't ruin the table's night. She called for it lighthearted, laughingly, joking about them having Trivia Gods on their side.

Two hours later, Table 15 was given a plate full of snacks, and five coupons for free drinks on their next visit—they'd won by a closer margin than they expected to, which was thanks to Anne's interfering. The interference wasn't meant to hold them back, but instead served to give others a chance to speak. So, in that regard, it had served its purpose.

With that, Trivia Night had run its course. The neighbors of Warden Street 35 made their way home together, tipsy and a little high on adrenaline. Anne stayed late to help clean before making the longer trip home herself.

She arrived home with the sunrise, collapsing on her couch, and exhausted breath escaping her.

[kimwxler]

Actually, a ton of overall thoughts on OFMD 2x04 - 2x05 under the cut instead of me inevitably making 10 different posts

Anne and Mary were everything I could have dreamed of. I love their terrible marriage, and yes I do believe in their love

I like that we're not meant to think that they're right about Ed and Stede overall, but that yeah--Ed and Stede are like teenagers, not people in an adult relationship.

Love Ed's terrible "celebrity/influencer" type apology and that it was called out in the narrative for not actually including the words "I'm sorry".

Also, Stede is doing better with the crew but he still just went ahead and invited Ed back onto the ship after about 12 hours. Them all being on the same ship is necessary, but I think it's obvious this isn't really great behavior as a Captain. I definitely think Ed and Stede being self-centered and not really seeing the crew fully as people despite them being friends/family is going to be called out and improved some more.

I'm not sure how I feel about the tone switches and general rushed pace, but I'm trying to roll with it knowing they should've had 10+ episodes this season. I really like what they're doing in terms of actual themes/plots, though. The focus on healing, facing your trauma and the things you've done, making amends, changing to accept love and to love in return. Half the crew being severely traumatized, and then everyone coming together to help Izzy, who is (physically and emotionally) hurt more than anyone else--it's so good.

Izzy lore: he can read, whittle, has whip scars on his back, and taught Ed everything he knows. (I saw some people saying this was Stede manipulating Izzy, but I don't know, combined with some lines in the first two eps, I think we're meant to take this as pretty truthful. I'm sure Ed taught Izzy things too because he's a genius, but they've known each other so long that Ed really did learn a lot about fighting/piracy from Izzy.)

Pete really bothered me in ep 5. I appreciate that he also went through something traumatic, but it hasn't actually been long since this all happened, yet alone too long that Ed's been back on the ship. He could stand to be a little more patient and supportive before lecturing Lucius.

That said, I like this realistic approach to healing where sometimes you just... have unhealthy coping mechanisms. Not that Izzy saying a shark ate his leg is a good thing or the end of this arc, but sometimes it's about what keeps you alive. Izzy isn't doing well, but he's making it through each day and opening himself up to good experiences.

The fact that Ed is still a pirate but not Captain is really interesting. On the one hand, of course not? But even if piracy and the loneliness of being Captain made Ed miserable, I think he also loves and relies on the respect he gets. If 90% of the crew are still wary of him, he's now gone from isolated but respected/admired to just isolated. And if he's just sick of piracy in general, how does that work when Stede is starting to thrive?

It also makes me wonder about the first mate business. On the one hand, if Buttons isn't here, Izzy is and his relationship with Stede and the crew has already improved a lot. But again, Izzy as Ed's First Mate was such a point of pride to him and such a big part of his identity. I do wonder if they're gonna make this into an actual plot point, and if it'll tie into the Ed and Izzy confrontation that needs to happen.

Coming back to the idea of Ed and Stede being like teenagers, it feels like they addressed some of the issues--moving too fast--in a healthy and mature way, but they do need to think and talk about what would happen long-term. It's kind of like they're entering their senior year of college and not discussing what colleges they want to apply to.

They need to work on the lighting for Season 3. Beloveds I can't see anything 💖

[fatexbound]

@webbedphantom said:

[Happy birthday Ann!!]

Ann was typically the easiest to shop for gifts. As long as you got her something sweet, she'd probably be happy with that. But that wasn't how he did things.

He'd made it a tradition this year to make weapons for his teammates, custom ones meant to fit their style and compliment their abilities. He didn't see a reason to break the trend now.

Still, he did want to add something a bit more… personal to this one. Ann’s been with them nearly from the beginning, and he felt that meant he should go a little bit further than just the weapon. Add a more personal touch.

It took a bit of digging, but eventually he found the perfect addition!

So that afternoon, after making sure everything was in order, they met up in the school courtyard, with Aaron carrying what appeared to be a shoebox under his arm, as well as a box of chocolate truffles (because of course he wasn’t going to leave her without sweets).

“Happy birthday, Ann! Sorry I’m a little late. Had to run by the underground mall to get you these-”

He handed her the chocolates, figuring she’d want to start on them while he explained the shoebox.

“It was kinda last minute, because I spent a lot of time on this-” He continued, giving the box a pat before opening it up to reveal a custom whip made to match her costume. A dark crimson taking up most of it, with bright pink accents running down the sides to match her gloves. Additionally, there seemed to be an odd, lightweight mechanism at the tip and a charm attached to the handle of an anime character, a woman in a black bodysuit that he was hoping she’d recognize.

“The whip itself wasn’t the hard part, I’ve modded enough of these things at Iwai’s to know how to put them together. Even has that burning effect you like.”

He then took hold of the device at the end, a simple looking black metal piece with a metal square stuck on the side that seemed to be vibrating.

“THIS is the real kicker. It's a bit of tech I improvised from one of my enemies. You hit the button on the handle, annnnd-”

He took it out of the box, swung the whip to his side like he'd said, and then suddenly there was WHOOSH, as the two pieces of metal clacked together to send a small shockwave towards the ground.

“Pretty cool, right?? The size of it depends on how you swing it, and while it doesn't have much force behind it, it should throw an enemy off their game for a bit. Plus, if you manage to set them on fire, BAM! Guaranteed knock down!!”

Finally, he held up the charm on the handle.

“I remember you saying you were inspired by a villain in an anime you watched when you were a kid. Took me a while to figure out which one you were talking about, but I think this is her? Fujiko Mine? From Lupin III?”

On closer inspection, the woman's bodysuit bore some similarities to Panther’s outfit, at least in terms of style. All it was missing were the zippers.

… He's not going to dwell on it too long, but it's an interesting comparison.

“I don't know if it'll have any benefits for combat or not, though I can't say for sure due to how the Metaverse… is. But I hope you like it. And if not… at least I remembered the chocolates!”

Ann's birthday | Still accepting

Ann had gotten so many other gifts from the others of their group and some of her other classmates had wished her a happy birthday when they saw her passing through the hallways on her way to the courtyard. Aaron said that he had a surprise for her and what a surprise it was. First was the box of chocolates that she immediately took in her hands after greeting him.

"Thanks, Aaron-kun! Aw, you know me so well!" She grinned, and wasted no time scarfing them down one by one while he explained the rest. She could use some sugar to lift her mood after so many boring classes, and this was just what she needed.

What really got her attention was the whip he had made all by himself and with a design that matched her outfit and overall aesthetic. A startled yelp left her when he cracked it in the air, which sent a small shockwave. "Whoa... yeah, you're right! This is so awesome! Seriously, how do you come up with these ideas?!" She laughed. "Thank you so much! I love it! I'll use it well for sure!" Her foes won't see it coming.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Until The Very End -(WITS Sequel)

A/N: I’m jealous why are their lives so put together they’re barely 23?? Anyway, happy 3rd birthday to this fic -Danny

Words: 3,068

Masterlist

Previous chapter // Next chapter

July-August 2003

"Hi, Tommy!" Mel took the baby from Remus' arms and held him tenderly. "How is my handsome boy?"

"He's a baby, he can't talk," Reggie walked past her grumpily.

"I know he can't, you garden gnome," she taunted. "Did mum wash your teddy bear without letting you know? What has you all pouty?"

Regulus' cheeks turned red, he checked if Teddy had heard, but the younger boy was playing with Emily and Victoire.

"Stinky," Reggie stuck out his tongue at her.

"I saw that!" Their mother spoke from the kitchen. "Don't be mean to your sister!"

"She started it..." he mumbled.

"I liked you better when you didn't speak," Mel poked him on the cheek and Regulus swatted her hand away, stomping towards the group of toddlers.

"He can't stand it when others get attention," Remus smirked. "I guess it's in his blood."

"Well, I couldn't hold my tongue when I was his age but I grew out of it," Mel shrugged. "Sometimes being annoying can bring good things. I met Harry thanks to my nosy nature."

"We would've met had you fallen over the fence or not," Harry was holding Bill's third and only son: Louis. The sight stirred something in her that she was quick to put back to sleep. "We were meant to be."

"I hope Reggie isn't meant to be a git forever," Mel joked.

"Can someone help me out?"

Anne walked into the room with a platter of food, her belly was starting to get in the way. Erick was usually there to help her, however, that day was Erick's turn to monitor the werewolves', so Harry and Mel offered to drive Anne and her girls to the Burrow.

Remus approached and seized the platter, he looked at Anne and smiled. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," Anne rubbed her belly tenderly. "We've chosen a name for her, you know..."

"Really?"

"Josephine."

"That's my name!" Joseph exclaimed. "Well, not quite, but you know..."

Anne grinned. "We think it's a very elegant name."

"Thank Merlin you won't name her Emelda, or Erin— I thought you were obsessed with the E's," Fred teased.

"Mum!" Young Emily interrupted their talk. "Leon is being mean!"

"I'm not!"

"He's scaring us!"

"Isn't it true that Dementors look like corpses? That they have no eyes?" He argued.

"Why are you talking about that?" Harry frowned.

"Victoire's afraid of them, but how can she be afraid if she's never seen them?" Regulus replied, he seemed bewildered at the thought.

"You're mean!" Emily Flint repeated.

Regulus threw a careless look her way. "You're a baby."

Emily flushed pink. Remus and Harry hid their grins, the little girl was just like her father, including that she was pretty easy to upset.

"Regulus!" Mel reprimanded. "A good boy—"

"Yeah, yeah, good boys aren't mean," Regulus closed his small hands into fists, determined to stand his ground. "Have you ever thought that I don't want to be a good boy?"

Mel had to hide her amusement as she spoke. "You'll become a puppy and run away with Padfoot?"

"Can't be that hard if you did it!" He argued.

"It'll take you years to get it right," she replied calmly. "In the meantime, apologize to Emie."

He turned to Emily, took a deep breath, and bowed dramatically. "My apologies," he mumbled something no one got to hear, he would've made Kreacher proud. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"I forgive you," Emily was too little to hold grudges. "Can we play now?"

"I need a moment," Regulus said through gritted teeth. "Play without me."

He walked out to the garden, and it was then that Mel laughed. "I need a moment— He's unbelievable!"

"All the Sultens are like that," Harry taunted her. "Intense and dramatic."

Remus raised a brow. "Keep an eye on him."

"He's too smart to cause real trouble," Mel dismissed it. "He's a bit proud, and rough around the edges, but so was I and I turned out okay!"

"I think that he's not really interested in causing trouble, but he'll go to Hogwarts eventually, and I have the feeling he'll be tempted to make a show out of himself."

"Professor Lupin will face his biggest nightmare," Mel grinned. "If you thought James and Matthew's kids were tough, you'll retire before Sirius' turns fifteen."

"Sirius was the easiest one to control if you knew his ways," Remus retorted. "He was a twat, but I could make him think twice before doing something stupid. Emily was the impulsive troublemaker. Reggie's got Black and Sultens genes."

Mel was twenty-three years old when she discovered why she'd been brought to the world.

Sam and August were about to experience their first full moon in a whole year without any kind of potion. It could go two ways: Either they transformed, meaning the treatment hadn't worked in the slightest, or they would spend the night without a single change in their appearance or behaviour. It could also make the wizards turn halfway, causing malformations and even death.

Mr Greengrass, Kingsley, and every other authority of the Ministry were there to witness the experiment's results. Half of them were curious, the rest was sceptical. Under a special request, Harry was allowed in the chambers.

They also managed to bring Ron and Hermione. Hermione was part of the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the laws they were currently using to deal with werewolves would need to be changed as soon as possible if this event ended in success. Ron was there as an Auror.

Erick and Daphne were standing on each side of Mel, watching the werewolves through a window in the chamber built specifically for this part. Mel's guts twisted in guilt when she put chains on their patients' wrists and ankles, it felt like telling them she didn't believe the treatment would work.

"We have a few minutes until midnight," Mel informed them. "If the treatment worked, you'll remain human. If not... I'll make sure you don't get hurt. You'll be okay, I promise."

"We trust you," Sam replied with a hesitant smile. "August and I... we're both afraid, but we agree on one thing... it was an honour to be able to help you."

The man nodded. "We've heard good things about you and Mr Flint, ma'am— and Miss Greengrass has been kind to us the whole time, treated us like people and all..."

"You are people," Mel replied. "And after today, you won't have to worry about being seen any other way."

"Mel, we have ten minutes," Erick called from the entrance. "Let's go."

He nodded to Sam and August, wished them good luck, and closed the door as soon as they abandoned the chamber.

"Are you ready to make history?" Mel asked him.

"I wish Anne could be here," he rubbed his neck. "I feel like I'm carrying the world on my back..."

"Anne's not a witch, she'd be in danger down here," she reminded him. "She had to stay and look after your girls anyway."

"Yeah..." he grabbed his pocket watch and stared at the time.

They went back to their places, Daphne's hand found hers and she squeezed it. Mel searched blindly and seized Erick's, the three of them stopped breathing.

"Five minutes," the healer next to Daphne announced.

"If we fail," Erick whispered. "Are we quitting our jobs?"

"It was an ambitious project since the start, but I don't think we should give up," Mel replied, eyes fixed on the window. "I'm sure they'd seen bigger projects fail..."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Daphne was pale and shaking. "My dad's been uneasy for weeks, when we're both home I often catch him re-reading the reports you give him."

"So we'll lose our jobs if we fail?" Erick pressed.

"No, just his trust, and a bit of his respect."

"Three minutes!"

"We can gain those back," Mel tried to sound calm, but her hands were sweaty. "I'm an expert at it since I was eleven."

"Merlin, I'm going to puke," Erick's dark circles under his eyes were more prominent than ever, Mel hadn't seen him like that ever since his seventh year at Hogwarts. "I'm dying."

"You'll be alright," Daphne told him. "I'm a Healer, if something happens I promise I'll take care of it."

"One minute!"

"Dear God, why did you guys let me do this? I'm mental!" Mel blurted out. "Only a lunatic would think this would work—"

"Shut up or I'll kill you!" Erick hissed.

"Thirty seconds!"

"Whatever happens," Daphne lifted her chin proudly. "It was an honour to work with you, guys. You are the smartest people I know. This won't be the end."

Mel couldn't even think properly at that point, but Daphne's words stuck in her brain for the rest of her life.

This won't be the end.

This wasn't about personal glory, it was so the world didn't have to worry about future Greybacks, or little Lupins thinking they deserved nothing just because they were unwell. It wasn't the end, Mel and Erick always dreamed of making the world a better place and never gave up, especially when they were working as a team.

Three... two... one...

Mel opened her mouth to draw in the air. It sounded like a small gasp, and she would've been embarrassed by it, hadn't been because all around her everyone started to do all kinds of noises.

Nothing happened. Nothing, in the best way possible.

A minute went by, then two, then five... when it was announced an hour had passed, she heard Daphne's friend say what everyone had guessed, it still felt quite amazing to hear it out loud:

"You found the cure for Lycanthropy. Congratulations."

"Holy shit!" Erick cried out.

Mel was trapped between Daphne and Erick in a crushing hug. She stood still unable to believe what was happening. The Ministry workers approached, but Mel reacted in time to realize there was something extremely important she had to do before receiving any praise. The witch pushed through and reached the chamber, opening its door.

August and Sam looked at her, Mel smiled, and only then she felt tears running down her face. The chains keeping the patients in place disappeared.

"Starting tonight, you're cured."

August touched his face while Sam stared at her hands and feet. The woman sobbed, August stood up and wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you," he said with a hoarse voice, looking at Mel. "Thank you..."

Mel heard several people rush into the room: Kingsley shook hands with the former werewolves, and Mr Greengrass followed right after. Mel shook hands and heard compliments without really listening, all she could think about, was her uncle.

After a moment, her best friends showed up and Mel was pulled into yet another hug.

"You did it!" Hermione was crying. "You did it!"

"Being a know-it-all paid off!" Ron exclaimed. "You and Erick— and Daphne— congrats, Mellow!"

Harry was the one holding her the tightest. "I'm really proud of you, being your husband is my biggest honour."

"Oh shut up," Mel chortled, thick tears falling down her face.

He kissed her, drying her tears with his thumbs. Her father's words came to her clear as day.

You're our future.

Mel sobbed, hiding her face on Harry's shoulder. "I did it."

She barely slept, too eager about visiting her uncle. They couldn't go right away because he would be going through his transformation at the time. Harry wanted to go too and she woke him up early on the morning of their visit. The young man was dragging his feet around the house while she was almost bouncing from one room to the other.

"Hurry up, Glasses!"

"M'going!" He sloppily put on his cloak. "Since when are you a morning person? I could feel you tossing half an hour before we got up..."

"I'm amazingly happy," she stood on her tiptoes to grab his face and kissed him, his beard tickled under her nose. "C'mon, don't be moody."

"I'm not moody, just tired," he mumbled, seizing her hand.

They apparated on the path near Remus' house, Mel dragged Harry all the way to the front door and knocked on it with enthusiasm.

"They're sleeping," Harry yawned. "We should've sent an owl first—"

"That is such a boring way to give life-changing news. My mum waited until I was back from school to tell me she was pregnant, these kinds of stuff have to be— Hi, uncle Lu!"

Remus opened the door looking dreadful: His hair was standing in different directions and he was wearing flannel pants and a worn grey shirt.

He rubbed his eyes. "Mel? What's the matter?"

"We have news. Is Tonks sleeping?"

"Yeah, it's..." he looked over his shoulder to see the clock. "Six in the morning! What are you doing here?"

"Can we come in?" She insisted.

Remus threw a questioning glance at Harry, who smiled apologetically. "We promise to be brief, Remus."

He moved so they could enter. "Should I wake up Dora?"

"Yes," Mel and Harry replied.

The man went back to his room, Mel and Harry waited in the kitchen, the young woman taking the liberty to prepare tea for everyone. When her uncle and Tonks appeared, Remus was dressed, but Tonks was still in her pyjamas.

"Hi," she said with worry. "Everyone's alright?"

"Take a seat," Mel flicked her wand and four cups moved towards the table, landing neatly in front of Remus, Harry, and Tonks.

"What's going on?" Remus stared at them in confusion.

"Well, I shouldn't tell you, but the public's going to find out soon anyway, Mr Greengrass says they'll want to interview us next week—"

"Mel," Harry intervened before she started rambling. "Just tell him."

"Okay," she said, barely containing her excitement. "The treatment worked. We found a cure for Lycanthropy."

Remus stared at her as if not understanding what she was saying, Tonks's hand went to hold Lupin's. "You what?"

"The treatment we've been making for years," she repeated. "It worked. We found a cure."

Remus looked disoriented, his free hand instinctively reached up and covered his mouth sideways, grazing at the scars on his skin. "No transformation?"

"None at all," Mel smiled. "It's also free. Erick and I decided to use our little fortunes to cover the expenses, we thought it was the least we could do, most werewolves live in the streets— we can't expect them to be able to pay months of treatment!"

Remus blinked and opened his mouth multiple times without making a single sound. Tonks was starting to worry, but then he left his seat and engulfed Mel in a hug. He was shaking.

"We... we owe you... I don't know how—"

She moved away and grabbed him by the shoulders. "This is my gift to you, for looking after me and making sure I was happy. Knowing I'll have you as my dad for more years to come... I don't need anything else."

He shook his head again. "Are you sure it'll work on everyone?"

"We've run all kinds of tests and I'm certain it'll work."

"Mel's never wrong, Moony," Harry added.

Remus looked at her with loads of pride.

"You truly are a remarkable witch," he cupped her face. "My dearest girl."

Mel hugged him again, and now both of them were crying.

"You'll have to wait a little before starting the treatment though, we have to announce it to the public but I'll make sure you're the first to—"

"I've been waiting my whole life, I don't mind waiting a few weeks if I have to," Remus told her. "Give it to the young ones first."

"But—"

"I can wait," he insisted.

He was smiling in a way she didn't see often, that was enough to convince her.

"There's one thing more," she looked at Tonks. "Since we used your blood for our research, my boss wants you at the press conference. You deserve as much credit as us—"

"Hardly," Tonks dried her tears, she and Harry were hugging sideways. "You've spent so long working your arse off— the credit's all yours! But I'll go if you want me to, as long as I can bring my husband and our boys."

"I said no."

"Dumbledore—"

"I understand Skeeter's your main reporter, but we have our reasons to refuse the interview with her."

"What reasons?"

"We don't like her."

"But—"

"Mr Carter," Erick intervened. "Skeeter's been unkind to us on more than one occasion. What kind of adult attacks minors? Our friend ended up in the hospital thanks to her! We won't give you the interview if she's the one that's writing it."

"If you send one of your least-known reporters..." Mel offered, "like that bloke that writes the Herbology column, he makes it sound so endearing!"

"Skeeter's always written our front pages," the man replied aghast. "It's not wise to push her aside..."

"She'll get over it," Mel dismissed it. "Listen, we'd love to give you the exclusive, but if you send Rita, we'll go to the Quibbler."

"No one will think your cure is real if you announce it there!"

Erick raised a brow. "Who's got more credibility? Mel Dumbledore, the war hero and former Head Auror who is now the best Unspeakable of our time— or the woman that spent a whole year writing about a nonexistent relationship between two teenagers?"

Mr Carter squeezed the hat on his hands and shook his head. "O-Oh, alright! But she won't like it!"

"We're used to her, don't worry about it," Mel smirked.

Once the man left, Mel and Erick collected their notes and organized them neatly, they fell into a comfortable silence that no one broke until a few minutes later.

"Josephine's due November, right?"

"Yup."

"Who's going to be her godparent?"

Erick answered distractedly. "I was hoping you'd take the job."

"Well, I've been waiting for you to ask me but you haven't, and this is your third baby. If you met your wife thanks to me, it'd be nice if I could get one of the girls!"

He laughed. "Fine, you'll have Josie."

"Josie," Mel beamed. "I love her already."

"Promise you'll pay her as much attention as you do to Teddy," he said gravely. "I don't want her to feel ignored by her godmother in any way, you hear?"

"I would never do that," Mel replied. "Being a godparent is amazing, you get to spoil the kid but you don't have to bear their tantrums or change their diapers!"

Erick chuckled. "I wouldn't know, I'm not a godfather..."

"You can be the godfather of my kid..." Mel replied absently.

He stopped and looked at her. "You're pregnant?"

"What?" She looked up. "No!"

Erick didn't speak for a moment, then he burst out laughing. "Then how the bloody hell will I be the godfather of a kid that doesn't exist?"

"They will exist! I think so..." she fidgeted with her papers. "Perhaps Harry changed his mind. If he did that's okay, I'm happy as we are..."

Her friend grabbed his case and walked past her, patting her shoulder.

"You'll figure it out when the time's right," he said. "Who knows? Maybe you're not meant to be parents, there's nothing wrong with that."

She hummed, picking up her own pile of papers and following him out of the office.

Next Chapter—>

Taglist.

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[arctic-comet]

Osblaine week 2021, Day 2: Lyrics

Over the last several weeks, I have carefully curated a playlist for Osblaine. The final total length of the playlist is 2 hours and 53 minutes.

The playlist can be found HERE

Click "Keep Reading" if you're interested in the introduction, commentary, more graphics and the full tracklist.

For full disclosure, I have to give some of the credit to my amazing fellow Osblaine fangirls @dystopiandramaqueen, @splitscreen and everyone who participated in a certain conversation for the original inspiration and even bringing up some of the songs.

You should look at the playlist in five parts: one section for each season that's aired and one section for the future (because I like to end things on a hopeful note).

The playlist contains a lot of the following:

Music from movie and TV soundtracks

Instrumental music

Remixes

Classics and covers of classics

Country music. I blame Florida. My sincerest apologies.

Some of the songs were chosen because they reminded me of a certain Osblaine scene, and some of them aren't specific to particular scenes but chosen for the general Osblaine vibe. And most of the movie/TV music I chose have been used for couples that remind me of Nick and June.

Part I- Season 1, first 12 songs of the playlist:

Forbidden Love- Abel Korzeniowski, Jasper Randall, The Hollywood Studio Symphony (Romeo & Juliet)

Fireflies- Owl City

Echoes in Rain- Enya

My Ghost- Glass Pear (Bones)

Daring to Hope- Anne Dudley (Poldark)

Everytime We Touch- Cascada

1000 Times- Sara Bareilles

Too Good At Goodbyes- Sam Smith

In Case You Don't Live Forever- Ben Platt

To Find You- Cast of Sing Street, Brenock O’Connor

She- Elvis Costello (Notting Hill)

Miracle- Instrumental- Cö Shu Nie

Hanging By A Moment- Lifehouse

Commentary:

The first instrumental song IMO works as an intro for their entire love story.

The next two songs are more about having the right vibe. It's a little ambiguous and dark because that's how their life is in Gilead.

Leave my door open just a crack

Please take me away from here

'Cause I feel like such an insomniac

Please take me away from here

Why do I tire of counting sheep?

Please take me away from here

When I'm far too tired to fall asleep

***

Wait for the sun

Watching the sky

Black as a crow

Night passes by

Taking the stars

So far away

Everything flows

Here comes another new day

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

***

"My Ghost" is June's POV before they sleep together, wondering if she can trust Nick:

Who can you trust, in this place?

And whom can I put my faith?

If you're real, then show me now,

Who you are

The last two songs are for episode 1x10, for both Nick’s reaction to June’s pregnancy and the beginning of her first escape attempt (arranged by Nick).

She may be the face I can't forget The trace of pleasure or regret May be my treasure or the price I have to pay She may be the song that summer sings Maybe the chill that autumn brings Maybe a hundred different things Within the measure of a day

Part II- Season 2, next 10 songs:

Love Will Keep Us Alive- Eagles

So Easy- Phillip Phillips

Incomplete- James Bay

Rewrite the Stars- The Piano Guys (The Greatest Showman)

I’ll Be Your Shelter- Taylor Dayne

Love Never Fails- Brandon Heath

P.S. I Love You- 05:11- John Powell (P.S. I Love You)

It's A Girl- Mychel Danna (The Time Traveler's Wife)

I'll Stand By You- Josh Groban, Helene Fischer

The Miracle of Love- Eurythmics

Commentary:

The first four songs cover June’s escape attempt and the time they share at the Boston Globe.

"Incomplete" is Nick's POV from when she's on the run and he knows she'll be gone from his life soon. He lives in the moment.

I don't wanna look down

I don't want us to break up in the clouds

All I want is to stay us, to stay with you now

"I'll Be Your Shelter" is for when June's mental health is at its lowest point and he goes to Serena to beg for her to get June help.

What you need is a friend to count on

What you got baby you got someone

Who will stay when the rain is fallin'

And won't let it fall on you

P.S. I Love You takes me back to episode 2.09, Nick’s selflessness in the episode and of course the scene where after telling June that Luke loves her, he tells her that he loves her too, despite believing she probably doesn’t feel the same way.

It's A Girl makes me think of the beautiful moment they share during June's false labor when he helps her out of the van and they climb the steps together.

I’ll Stand By You is for 2.10, Nick holding June after she was heartbroken over Hannah and over what the Waterfords did to her and clinging onto him.

Part III- Season 3, next 6 songs:

Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close- Alexandre Desplat (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

All I Ask- Adele

Never Enough- Loren Allred (The Greatest Showman)

I Don’t Wanna Live Forever- Taylor Swift, ZAYN (Fifty Shades Darker)

Love is Gone- SLANDER, Dylan Matthew

Constellations- The Oh Hellos

Commentary:

For obvious reasons, it was extremely difficult to pick songs for this season.

The first (instrumental) song is for the beginning of the season with June coming back to the Waterford house and them then saying goodbye to each other on the street.

All I Ask, Never Enough, I Don't Wanna Live Forever and Love Is Gone are for their night together in June’s room at Lawrence’s (the one we didn’t get to see sigh). They know it's possible it's all they'll ever have, and they'll take it, but it'll never be enough.

I will leave my heart at the door I won't say a word They've all been said before, you know So why don't we just play pretend? Like we're not scared of what's coming next Or scared of having nothing left

Look, don't get me wrong I know there is no tomorrow All I ask is

If this is my last night with you Hold me like I'm more than just a friend Give me a memory I can use Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do It matters how this ends 'Cause what if I never love again?

***

All the shine of a thousand spotlights

All the stars we steal from the night sky

Will never be enough

Never be enough

Towers of gold are still too little

These hands could hold the world but it'll

Never be enough

Never be enough

***

I'm sorry, don't leave me, I want you here with me

I know that your love is gone

I can't breathe, I'm so weak, I know this isn't easy

Don't tell me that your love is gone

That your love is gone

"Constellations" is for their long separation and the doubts that I'm sure plagued them both during it. Would they ever see each other again?

Part IV- S4, next 12 songs:

All of Me- John Legend

(Everything I do) I Do It For You- Bryan Adams

Iris- Natalie Taylor (City of Angels)

She Was Like A Bright Light- Hans Zimmer, Rupert Greyson-Williams (Winter’s Tale)

Noah's Last Letter- Aaron Zigman (The Notebook)

What’s In The Middle- the bird and the bee (Bones)

ivy- Taylor Swift

Footprints in the Sand- Leona Lewis

Remember Me (Lullaby)- Gael Garcia Bernal, Gabriella Flores (Coco)

On The Nature Of Daylight- Max Richter

My Heart Will Go On- Basil Jose (Titanic)

The Story- Sara Ramirez (Grey's Anatomy)

Commentary:

There were sooo many songs I wanted to include in part IV, but I controlled myself and ended up with this particular dozen.

"She Was Like A Bright Light" and "Noah’s Last Letter" are an instrumental double punch to the gut for Nick’s time in Gilead during episodes 4.07-4.09. The first one is meant for when he finds out June made it to Canada, and the 2nd for is for when he starts to gather info on Hannah to give to June.

"What’s in the Middle" and "ivy" are June’s POV of episodes 4.07-4.09.

"What's In The Middle" has more of an angry and confused vibe, and June was definitely both in episodes 7 and 8.

Losing your head is such a common theme

All your brains are falling out, falling out the open seams

Where is the heart, is the heart of the matter

I will empty out my skull of all this useless chatter

On the other hand, "ivy" has this haunted vibe, but there's also reverence and acceptance, which she begins to achieve in episode 9.

Oh, goddamn

My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand

Taking mine, but it's been promised to another

Oh, I can't

Stop you putting roots in my dreamland

My house of stone, your ivy grows

And now I'm covered in you

The next three songs are of course all for their reunion in 4.09, and I couldn’t resist including the song that was actually played in the scene.

"The Story" draws the season to a close nicely, with June understanding that her current needs are different from what they used to be and that there’s someone who understands her completely (and it’s not Luke).

You see the smile that's on my mouth

It's hiding the words that don't come out

And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed

They don't know my head is a mess

No, they don't know who I really am

And they don't know what I've been through like you do

And I was made for you

Part V- Season 5 and Beyond, the last 6 songs

Secret Love Song- Little Mix, Jason Derulo

Burn With You- Lea Michele

The Bones- Maren Morris

Feels Like Home- Auli'i Carvalho, Keegan DeWitt

Love Will Find A Way- Piano Covers (Lion King II)

Like I'll Never Love You Again- Carrie Underwood

“Secret Love Song” is a more angsty tune about a love that’s still kept a secret like June and Nick’s love (as far as most people are concerned). Now that they’ve already made out in front of the man who raped and abused June and made Nick watch him do that, I want to believe they can let go of the secrecy in S5, at least when it comes to a few people.

I'm living for that day Someday Can I hold you in the street? Why can't I kiss you on the dancefloor? I wish that we could be like that Why can't we it be like that? Cause I'm yours, I'm yours Why can't you hold me in the street? Why can't I kiss you on the dancefloor? I wish that it could be like that Why can't it be like that? Cause I'm yours Why can't I say that I'm in love? I wanna shout it from the rooftops I wish that it could be like that Why can't we be like that? Cause I'm yours Why can't we be like that? Wish we could be like that

***

“Bones” is about a relationship with a strong foundation, which IMO they do have. It will carry them in the future, too. They’re more into each other now than ever before and especially June is coming to terms with how strong that love is. They’ll weather any storm.

When the bones are good, the rest don't matter

Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter

Let it break 'cause you and I remain the same

When there ain't a crack in the foundation

Baby, I know any storm we're facing

Will blow right over while we stay put

The house don't fall when the bones are good

***

“Feels Like Home” is more hopeful. Their home is with each other and I hope that’s something that will be explored more in the future.

Take me, I'm ready

Go slow but go steady

To a place that we can call our own

I wanna know what feels like home

***

“Like I’ll Never Love You Again” is a good conclusion for the playlist. It’s hopeful and a testament to an epic love.

I wanna love you like the rain on a roof

Stronger than a bottle of a hundred ten proof

I wanna take love to places that love has never been

Yeah, I wanna love you like I'll never love you again

And I'll love you again

Oh, and again

[whattheresidentdidtoday]

2/10/22 - Spencer, But Not Reid

Couple things happened today. During breakfast deliveries, Keo told us to discontinue delivering to Barb 2 for the time being, because she's declined to the point of being unable to swallow even water. Then during lunch, we heard that they were calling an order in for a comp meal for "grieving family", but they couldn't tell us if she'd died or not. We'll probably find out tomorrow. But I really don't think that if she can't swallow water, that she will last very long.

And yeah, she is...was...one of the more "picky" ones, but she was nice in her own way. She said she'd pray for me about a personal matter, and that meant a lot to me. I almost got a buttermilk put together for her on the cart and then remembered...I feel like that's going to be a habit I'm going to catch myself doing more than once here soon.

Accidentally met Shirley's daughter and grandson, Carol and I think she said his name was Spencer? It was kinda awkward...I'd popped in to see why she'd changed her mind on coming to the dining room for lunch, and there was this slightly balding 30-somethings dude sitting there instead. I said hello and that I'd just stopped in to see her, and then she's hollering from the bathroom about who is it, so I holler back "guess who?" which makes Spencer look at me weird, and then she's all excited because I'm there and she's been wanting me to meet them so she hustles out and goes "ohh hi honey, come here!" So I go over and she hugs me, and now both Carol and Spencer are sizing me up and probably wondering who this weirdo is hugging their relative. But Carol said she's heard about me so...yeah that's fun to ponder on. But they seem nice enough.

Also, we went on a partial lockdown, more like a shut in, today because of Janice and David being positives. He's still at the hospital, but they're doing it because so many of us had contact with him. So the "guidelines" are the dining room is still open, but only one person can sit at a table unless you live together. I'm betting they won't abide by that for very long, they're all so sick of being separated from each other. And it certainly didn't stop Skip and Dorothy 2 from sitting together, even though they live on separate floors. Oh, and Marie and Dave sat at different tables (despite him spending so much time in her apartment) and he was blissfully eating and getting dessert while she's looking forlornly at him from across the room. Cracks me up, but also annoys me because I know his daughter and that he's still married (his wife is at memory care though, but still).

Activities are still allowed too, which is good because that means the dance is still on! Audrey, Shirley, Marti, Carolyn, and Rae Ann are looking forward to it! Ooh, I'll have to remind Trudy about it too!

Anyway...tomorrow is a Pm shift. I'll get to meet new guy Estevan. Lynn says he's super nice, so that's good. At least he isn't another JP. It'll be interesting to see how the team dynamic is when she leaves, and I become lead, and Taylor comes over, and it's me and Alma trying to survive being surrounded by pretty boys lol.

[nalyra-dreaming]

yeah, when i said 'written into a corner' i just meant they've made choices that will almost inevitably shape future events on the show! probably bad wording there on my part lol. not actually a diss to the show tho, i don't think their choices were bad, as long as they have a clear vision in mind & execute it well. & the relationships were interesting in themselves, they just weren't structured in a way that makes me think "polyamory" (as in…polyamory as the general audience would define it) is part of their long-term plan for loustat. it's more an observation than a complaint on my part! i fully agree that the book characters' relationships defy human definitions. the show seems to be framing them in slightly more explicit & recognizably 'human' terms. i get why tho - some of the vc relationships were p vague & tv audiences tend to expect more clarity & structure (i think rolin said this at some point). i know the orginal context but i still haven't given up hope of the cuck chair! a girl can dream lol. i just meant that the relationship is a bit more 'up for grabs' right now as we know so little about it on the show, but don't worry i'm fully managing my expectations. tbh i will just be happy to see dm portrayed in p much any form! it will be interesting to see what loustat's dynamic is like in the present. it's bound to be a bit different if only bc they've both been through a lot & learned some lessons, tho i don't expect the mutual jealousy & possessiveness to be gone w/out a trace either, more that it'll be less of an issue moving forward. time will tell!

Three very different opinions, and I hope you don't mind me putting them together, but this reflects the different expectations angles a bit, I think. :)

I think a key point is in the first ask: "polyamory as the general audience would define it".

What... is the general audience and what is the definition?^^ On the previous post @actual-changeling commented "as an aromantic polyam person, it's not about romantic relationships it's about relationships period, whatever that might mean for the people involved. having sex with someone who isn't the person you have a committed relationship with very much falls under polyamory."[...] And that I kinda disagree with (no offense!!!), but, since polyamory is an umbrella term with definition very much in flux and prone to personal interpretation.

However, Season 1 of the show put a heavy emphasis on jealousy and cheating. I doubt Louis or even Lestat would have defined the affair with Antoinette as polyamory though, even if it came down to being non-monogamic (on Lestat's part, on Louis' depending if you want to count Jonah or not). [Not counting feeding flings here.] But for me (myself and I) the cue aspect here is that this was not done on level agreement - if anything the "of course" scene made clear that this was not something they both truly agreed on. And if we trust Antoinette's comments at the ball... then she was not 100% behind this either.

Of course this is very much focused on Loustat here, but I think it is exemplary for the books. Not excluding polyamory in total! I think if I remember Sevraine's home with Gabrielle, and Allessandra there... then there might be something there, indeed :) For example.

But Armand and Louis and Lestat do not hook up that way. Not like that. And neither do Armand, Louis and Daniel - that we know of, so far. There might have been something in the past there, I could see that, easily. We'll see.

I think the fanon idea of them is very cool, and I hope everyone has fun with them^^. I doubt the show will add David into it (like Anne tried to), at least I hope Rolin will not^^.

As per Loumandstat? I had really, really hoped for a DreamStat-Loumand-triple 😅. I wanted that *exaggerated sniff* But I... don't think we'll get it on the show now. I think the way they spun Loumand... that Louis will be very pissed with Armand for the foreseeable future. To put it mildly.

The cuck chair may still happen - or has happened, in the past, maybe^^.

So yeah, I don't know. I think there are expectations, and the books, and while a lot of vampires do live together in a big castle at the end... it's not one big polyamory relationship. It's a net of history and previous and current relationships. I just don't necessarily see that as the same.

And the modern day show elements will likely put a different light on the tale we got wrt this as well.