#but they sent Jaime on break early and me on break late so we only got like 15 minutes instead of an hour

[colorstormx]

I'm gonna screaaaam why are my work schedules like this

[richmonds-disaster-bi]

Roy/Jaime: Jaime has to fly out somewhere or go up to Manchester and shares tender goodbye with Roy. When he's scheduled to come back, a terrible disaster happens like the plane he's supposed to be on or the train he's meant to take crashes with multiple fatalities. Roy is beside himself thinking Jaime's dead. In reality Jaime is safe and sound on another flight or a different train with his phone switched off. Roy is grief-stricken and has to be medicated and put to bed. Jaime comes home late at night, completely oblivious. He climbs into bed with Roy who is completely unconscious with plans to wake up first and make his man his favorite breakfast. I expect Roy to full on faint when he comes downstairs the next morning, still thinking his Tartt is toast, only to find said Tartt toiling away in the kitchen making him fucking crepes. Cue the chaos, especially when Jaime learns of what went down and everyone thinking he was fucking dead! This can be Roy/Jaime/Keeley too if you like!

This is heartbreaking and I love it

Jamie getting invited to do a little travel documentary type thing for a charity he's involved in regarding suports in underfunded areas across the world during the off season. He's sad to miss training but it's only for two weeks and he's excited to do this. Him and Roy have been together long enough that they're serious. Roy has even cleared space in his closet for Jamie's clothes. Their goodbye involves a lot of kisses, some inappropirate groping (Roy will miss Jamie's ass, Jamie will miss Roy's....) but Roy drops him at the airport and waits until Jamie disappears through security before he leaves and goes home but it doesn't feel like home without Jamie and he already wants him home.

Jamie is due to fly in during the evening about two weeks later, and Roy is in a good mood which the team is delighted about. They were worried he'd try the strings on dicks again with the mood he's been in. They're all in the conference room, watching a match to analyse the plays when Rebecca rushes in and grabs Ted. Everyone is confused, and then their phones start pinging and one of them rushes to switch the laptop to the news and suddenly they're all staring at the BBC coverage of a plan crash that currently has no survivors.....and it was flying from where Jamie was last filming to London.

Roy instantly goes into denial, and when Rebecca renters the room with Ted, he just goes "No, it's not his plane", depite the flight number matching with the screenshot Jamie had sent Roy of the flight details along with a text saying "So you don't strand me at the airport grandad". He refuses to believe it, and they all sit there in disbelief watching, waiting hoping until Keeley is there.

"Roy....we have to....we have to give a statement. People have gotten word of him...that he was....that Jamie was on the plane"

"No. It's not him"

"Roy, there's no survivors"

"No, fuck you, fuck you for thinking it. Jamie isn't....He's not..."

"Roy...."

"He's not Keeley, he's not...he can't be...he's not gone"

When the news reports that Jamie Tartt is among those that were on the plane along with some of the crew of the documentary....Roy finally snaps. He just goes catatonic, stops responding. He's panicking, and thats when his sister arrives and when she hugs him, he breaks. She's the one that gets him home the team, even in their grief, distrat the media that has gathered despite Rebecca theatening to sue them all, and she gives him something to help sleep before she hasto go collect Phoebe, but she plans to come back in the morning.

Jamie, on the other hand, had actually finished filming early and decided to go straigh to the airport to get an earlier flight. He didn't charge his phone, so it dies while roy kent

he's waiting in the lounge and playing games to distract himself. When the news hits, he's on the plane, and people had seen him boarding so in the chaos, no one actually checks the logs until after 24hours and by that time, Jamie had made it home.

Its about 3am when he does. The driver of his transport that was order hours before his phone died barely paid attention to him, so no one actually realises Jamie Tartt isnt dead and he hadn't had to go through passport control. So when he slips into bed with Roy, he has no idea about any of it.....until he's cooking breakfast and turns around to find Roy, pale and wide eyed staring at him and just whispering, "Did I....Did I die too?"

[firesign23]

For the fic meme! Perhaps where Jaime and Brienne met earlier in life, before Brienne meets Renly and before Jaime shoves Bran out a window. They get under one another’s skin but also somehow can’t get enough of one another - and then are forced their separate ways. How their earlier acquaintance shapes their respective choices, and what they think of each other when eventually reunited...

OH MAN! Okay, so I do NOT have enough of a grasp of canon to explore this the way you’re probably thinking. If It isn’t about Brienne or (most of) Jaime’s plots or the biggest plot points, it’s in one ear and out the other with me. BUT I’ve been toying with a Persuasion AU story for… awhile, but couldn’t quite decide who was who and character arcs and such. This might be the hook I’m looking for. Even if it has little to do with Persuasion in the end. 

Rational Creatures and Calm Waters

When Selwyn Tarth has a fall from a horse and breaks his leg mere days before he is to travel to King’s Landing, he sends a representative in his place–his daughter Brienne, accompanied by Evenfall Hall’s Master-at-Arms Ser Goodwin. The young woman is plain and awkward at times, far from beloved by the court, but she knows her island well and has an implacable sense of right and wrong when it comes to her people. “Yes, Your Grace, we can supply marble for your new buildings. No, Your Grace, that much marble so soon would endanger our men; we can supply it three moons after that.” But as determined as she is to serve Tarth, she has an ulterior motive for coming to King’s Landing–she can’t pass up the opportunity to train with the best of the best, and they aren’t on the isle of Tarth. 

When Jaime comes to the training yards early one morning, he sees the visiting Master-at-Arms from Tarth fighting with an unknown helmed knight–green, but with a raw strength and skill that puts him in the top twenty, possibly the top fifteen fighters in Westeros. And then the man removes his helm to reveal the Lady Brienne and Jaime’s a goner. He doesn’t love her, of course not–he has Cersei, after all–but he is fascinated by this stubborn creature. And why shouldn’t a woman be a knight, if the woman fights like that? He begins to train her, and finds her stubborn and honorable and more than willing to challenge the Kingslayer; a friendship soon develops, much to the consternation of Cersei. 

And then one day, with little warning, Brienne’s duties in King’s Landing are done and she is sent away by the queen, back to Tarth with hurtful words following behind. Jaime escorts her to the port, annoyed that his dear sister is treating a friend of his so abysmally, and tells her that one day all of court will know Ser Brienne. Brienne thinks it to be a lie, kindly meant, and only asks him one question: Is he truly happy with the oaths he upholds? When he returns, Cersei wraps him in her arms and promise it was the kindest thing. Jaime is not so sure. 

——

They realise too late that it was more than friendship between them; parted by distance and circumstance, it is clear to see there was a true understanding and commonality of spirit, and a simmering attraction they cannot voice even in the aftermath. 

Brienne dances with Renly Baratheon at the age of 25; she knows that he does not respect her, not completely, but she believes he will be a just king. When she earns her position in the Rainbow Guard, she serves with pride even if she never loses sight of what it was to have someone who truly believed she deserved it. 

 Jaime never quite forgets Brienne’s question, the gentleness in her deep voice as she asked it. It’s far from easy, but when his answer is no, he pushes back. He might be a Kingslayer, might have lost the respect of all of Westeros, but like fuck will he lose the ability to look himself in the eye and said he did the right thing. It doesn’t make him a paragon of virtue–he’s still too loyal to his family, too quick to assess and react. But that seed of rebellion that drove him towards knighthood has blossomed, nurtured by the memory of a question he should have asked all along.

——

Amidst rising political tensions, Catelyn Stark arrives in King’s Landing to witness her daughter’s marriage to the king, and at her side is Brienne of Tarth. “Very knightly,” he spits; “Better to serve Lady Stark than a boy king who has his women beaten,” she replies. For the first time, the words seemed designed to hurt. On opposing sides of a battle simmering below the surface, their once friendly banter and respect has been reduced to moments of true anger and cold indifference. Loyalties and assumptions are both tested as Brienne navigates a hostile court and Jaime navigates the latest revelations about his family, and both of them long for something they believe lost forever.

Send me an anonymous (or not) summary of the fic you wish I would write. (maybe I will write a tidbit)

[imagineclaireandjamie]

Anything involving newlywed Claire and Jaime being all over each other and the rest of the MacKenzie dudes cannot resist the temptation to tease them. Bonus points for Ned. Happy new year!

Mod Note: not quite a Ned or a wedding…yet. But Jamie and Claire, that I can do - MBD.

Chain of Command Part 2.

Once was never going to be enough, and as the months flew by, Claire and Jamie found many different (and increasingly more elaborate) ways to be alone with one another.

Waking, Claire felt the tickle of butterflies wings against her tender thighs as soft, supple, warm flesh touched soft, supple, warm flesh. Rocking her hips in time, she pressed herself closer to the feeling, her brain still a lust-filled haze of the night before. Her left shoulder rose from the bed as her legs curled around her morning visitor. Her back twisted slightly as she tried to surrender whilst consciously seeking the contact she needed to make her body tingle.

Jamie dug his fingers into Claire’s lightly bruised thighs as he pushed his head deeper, closer, higher.

She tasted of summer rain, the lust wetness of her coated his lips and his mouth as she writhed above him.

It didn’t last long, it never did. He knew her body too well and she couldn’t prolong the want once it reached a certain spike. Jamie knew her tipping point well.

Shattering into a million pieces, Claire grunted and moaned, her teeth finding purchase in a nearby pillow to stem the vocalisation of her pleasure.

“Good morning, Claire,” Jamie whispered, peeking up at her over her belly, a coy smile lighting his face.

The cat that had gotten the cream, Claire thought, as she ruffled his hair, her legs tingling in the aftermath.

“Yes,” she returned, eventually, “a very good morning indeed.”

–

That was the morning the sickness started, once Jamie had crept silently from her chambers and she’d given herself some time to wake properly without his *distractions* she’d noticed the roll in her belly.

Clenching her hands over her mouth as she rushed for the chamber pot, Claire had retched over the porcelain bowl in earnest.

The next afternoon, after all of her chores had been completed, she found herself in the same situation. Huddled away in her room, Claire worried over the prospect of getting sick - all the while never contemplating the actual reality of her situation. Convinced that it would eventually leave her, she ignored that persistent niggle at the back of her mind that compelled her to consider other options.

Weeks later when the sickness still hadn’t abated, Claire curled herself into a small ball by her self-made fire, tears springing to her eyes as the small voice became a very loud yell - as if someone were wailing directly into her ear.

“No,” she begged, cradling her flat belly as she finally gave in to her body’s signs, “it can’t be…I *cannot* be…”

But she was, and she knew it.

Pregnant.

Only weeks along, but in a family way nonetheless.

--

Throwing anything and everything she could find into the largest sheet she owned, Claire tied the top with loose string. If she left now she was certain she could be far enough away by nightfall. Whether she could find suitable lodgings was another matter, but she was willing to sleep rough if needed.

Walking along the borders of Lallybroch, she kicked the fallen leaves, nerves fluttering in her tummy. Nobody knew, of course, it being too early to tell physically. But they would soon. Soon she would begin to show and there would be no hiding it. Worrying, she imagined the worst possible scenarios. The question of parentage aside, she *knew* that there was only a small chance that she’d be able to keep her child.

She had to flee

As the day drew on, Claire padded closed to the end of Clan Fraser lands. The thought of crossing into unfamiliar territory alone scared her - but not as much as the prospect of having to face Mistress Ellen and Mama Crook scared her more.

And Jamie was another matter entirely.

Before she knew it the tree-line was within reach, the ominous overhang of the deep green boughs swaying in the evening breeze.

“Claire?” A familiar voice called, Causing Claire to swirl around on her heel.

Stood not one-hundred yards away were Ellen and Jamie. A basket of seasonal fruits dangled off Ellen’s arm as she grasped Jamie tightly with the other.

“Where on earth are ye going, lass?” Ellen spoke, not in an unfriendly tone as she tugged Jamie in Claire’s direction, “it’s a wee bit late to be out alone, is it no’?”

Blushing from ear to ear, Claire curtsied a little and clasped her neatly tied pack to her chest. “Possibly,” she choked out, trying to sound as confident as possible. The pair hadn’t been expected back at Lallybroch for at least two days and Claire definitely hadn’t expected to run into them here. “But I had some free time and I didn’t think I’d be missed.”

Hiding behind a partial truth, Claire stepped sideways, an unconscious move that made her intentions clear.

Scrunching his brow, Jamie stood straight, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Something was off, he could tell, but he didn’t want to vocalise his fears in front of his mother. “Should I accompany ye, mistress?” He asked instead, looking between Claire and his mother for reassurance.

Ellen smiled, her teeth showing brightly as she rubbed Jamie’s back, “aye, son, I think that’s a verra good suggestion. Dinna be too late home though.”

“N-no, really,” Claire begged worriedly, her plan to disappear slowly falling apart right before her eyes. If Jamie were to come with her, she would never free herself of him for long enough to flee. He knew the land far too well for that. “I’m quite content by myself,”

Giving Jamie a withering look, Claire tried to convey with just her eyes how little she wanted company. But his hard stare in return told her all she needed to know. Jamie was not prepared to let her go so easily.

“Ach, Claire, lass,” Ellen berated playfully, “ye canna wander this woods during the dusk hours alone. Brian will be out to meet me, take Jamie wi’ ye and dinna argue.” Patting Jamie on the arm, Ellen skipped off back in the direction of Lallybroch leaving Claire to stare after her, shocked.

“Lead the way, mistress,” Jamie whispered, his tone indicating that he knew something was amiss.

But he didn’t ask what she was up to with a large package tucked under her right arm. He simply linked his arm through her free one and proceeded to walk her along the Fraser line, never once crossing into the unknown beyond.

“Where are we going?” She queried finally, as the dark clouds clears, the moon now illuminating the sky.

“I want to take ye somewhere, I’ve wanted to for a while and now seemed like the perfect moment. Is that alright, Claire?” He posed it as a question, but he hadn’t stopped walking, nor did it appear that he was actually giving her the option to refuse his request.

Appearing in front of them, a break in the tree line brought the solid wall of a large cliff face into view. Taking her through the close lines of rowan’s that grew, Jamie carefully showed Claire a safe route off the path and around the sheer rock that opened out into a large concealed cave.

“I ken yer worrit, Claire,” Jamie sighed, turning her to face him as he took both of her hands - causing her to drop the pack she carried. It landed with a dull thud that echoed through the cave beside them as Claire’s eye focused on Jamie’s face in the darkness. Her vision cleared slightly bringing the hint of his features into view. The cold had seeped in, the late summer breeze nipping at his nose, turning it a deep shade of pink. His eyes twinkled in the moonlight, giving him a mischievous look. “But you needn’t be. I’m here, dinna forget that…”

Bending, he nudged his nose against hers, licking his lips in anticipation as his head fell to the side.

–

An owl hooting outside in the forest brought Claire round hours later. Flexing her toes, she curled towards Jamie, her naked skin coming into direct contact with Jamie’s instantly. It hadn’t taken Jamie long to have Claire bare and wanting beneath him on the floor of the hidden cave. Undoing her wrap of clothing, he’d covered the craggy floor with her skirts before laying her down.

Basking in the aftermath, Jamie watched her out of the corner of his eye. Lain on his side, he had her arse resting on one thigh whilst the other sat snuggly over her legs, keeping her pinned against him.

Claire didn’t mind. Even when her stomach rebelled, the telltale sickness rolling in her belly as she breathed in and out, waiting for the feeling to abate, she clung to the closeness Jamie afforded her.

“I can almost see ye dreaming.” Jamie murmured, the fingers of his left hand drawing patterns against her taut abdomen as she writhed.

Leaves and twigs, stray detritus that had blow in from the trees beyond had caught in her hair during their amorous activities making Claire look almost like a wood-nymph. Twisting her head closer to his, she brushed her lips gently across his, elevating her hips in a very suggestive movement - one in time with the playful twitch of his fingers against her.

“I was dreaming of you,” she sighed in reply, a breathy sound that sent pleasurable shivers down his spine. “Thinking of all the improper ways that you could touch me and show me heaven.”

She was lust-drunk, sated from the touch of his body for only mere moments before being driven to want once again. He could feel the desperate way in which she ached for him, something he’d never felt from her before. A heightened urgency which bid him to kneel at her feet and worship her in every way he knew.

Something had changed, something that had caused her to panic initially, but that now held her solidly in his grasp.

Sliding his palm lower, the soft hairs that surrounded her, covering that forbidden place between her thighs, tickled the sensitive skin there. She was slippery, wet from their previous encounter still. A mixture of both him and her. Closing his eyes, Jamie rocked his hips against the outside of her thigh, coveting the thrill of touching her so intimately when he knew he shouldn’t.

“Can I have you?” He spoke, pausing his ministrations for just a second. All thoughts of just taking what he wanted evaporated as the implications of her carrying half of her worldly possessions dawned on him.

He would not simply coax her permission by using unconscious actions. If he wanted to build her trust, her love, he had to physically ask her. The consent of their liaison had to come from her vocalisation. Then, he thought to himself, she might begin to realise her self-worth as well as accepting his undying love and affection.

Breathing out a muffled groan, Claire tried to roll her hips - as if the action might bid Jamie to continue.

“Nay, love,” he returned, the wanton need in his voice driving her to distraction, “I want to hear ye…”

“Yes,” she replied, straight away and without hesitation, “yes, you can have me.”

No sooner had she accepted than Jamie had her at his whim. Moving himself over her, he pushed his groin level with hers, teasing her still with jagged pressure that caused Claire to cry out.

It was too much and not enough all at the same time, the pummelling of an emotion that she couldn’t quite name that tore at her insides and sent gooseflesh pulsating up her arms, along her shoulders and down her sides.

Claire shifted, her arse grating painfully on the sharp rocks beneath her. But that only heightened the feeling. Locking her feet around Jamie’s calves, she pushed herself flat against his crotch, her middle in line with his in an almost perfect way.

The friction built within her and she hadn’t even taken him inside yet.

Holding himself steady, Jamie let her use him as she needed, taking internal note of each of her motions for future use. He had never seen her this way.

Through the dim light, a deep charcoal blend that covered them both in an ebony blackness, he could see the sweat gather on her forehead. Her pupils were large making her eyes seem bleached of colour as her midnight curls swished and swayed around her head. She was the perfect blend of innocence and sin mixed into one perfect human. Had it been light, he thought blearily, he’d have probably been able to name at least six shades of red and pink that would have stained her cheeks. The exertion of their impassioned rendezvous would have shown clearly on her face. As it was, all colour was muted by the night, showing only various shades of damp grey as she keened and squirmed beneath him.

“Jamie…” she moaned, her voice light and airy as she arched her spine and rotated her hips, readying herself for him, “will you have me, too?”

Her question brought him up short, his heart stammering and stuttering as his eyes locked with hers. There was so much potential in her inquiry. One thing became painfully clear to him in that moment; Claire didn’t know that he’d been hers all along. Something niggled at him, begging him to unleash all of his passion and ardor upon her. But the more rational side of him spoke of calm patience. He wanted her to know him inside and out, but Claire was nervous of the supposed gap that lay between their elected stations in life and Jamie would have to be careful how he proceeded if he wished to continue wooing her.

“Yes, Claire, always…” he answered simply, shimmying his knees apart as he raised his hips slowly before pushing himself down and inside her once more, sheathing himself fully before taking another deep breath.

‘Always,’ he thought belatedly, the feeling of complete consummation dragging him under with her as he loved her over and over, ‘because I love you.’

[onespoongirl]

Let Sleeping Wolves Lie | Chapter 1

Pairing: Stiles/oc/Lydia (polyamory)

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Read on ff.net or AO3

Summary: Beth has just moved across the Atlantic to be closer to her father, who lives in Beacon Hills, but she arrives just in time for a dead body in the woods and something monstrous prowling the school hallways. American teen sitcoms really didn't prepare her for this.

Word count: 6740

Chapter Index

Chapter 1: From Wales With Love

On the other side of the room, the alarm clock went off sounding like a meltdown at a nuclear factory, and Beth's eyes shot open. She lurched across the room to turn off the infernal device before it woke the entire neighbourhood. Her sleep heavy and cumbersome fingers fumbled with the buttons before she finally found the right one. The silence that followed was heavy. She sank down on the desk chair, resting her head on the cold surface of the table, willing her eyes not to fall shut again because if they did she would fall asleep again regardless of her uncomfortable position.

With a groan, she staggered to her feet and turned on the light, which made her squint her eyes. She had only lived in Beacon Hills for three weeks but already her room showed a distinct Beth-ness; the cream walls were decorated with countless photographs, which hung from strings with pegs. Some of them were Polaroids and some were printed from the computer. Up against one of the walls was a shelf system with camera equipment of varying degrees of age and functionality. In the corner lay an old Nikon F2, that Beth had bought intending to repair until it was clear that her talents lied in photography and not repairing cameras.

The door to her room cracked open and she looked blearily at the head that peeked through the crack.

"Dad sent me to check on you to see if you're up. He also told me to throw your alarm clock out of the window, although he used some more expletives."

Chloe opened the door wider when it was apparent she didn't have to use it as a shield. Her rumpled appearance made it clear that she had also just gotten out of bed; her normally straight and shiny hair was mussed and tangled and her eyes were still crusted with sleep.

"That alarm clock is the only reason I'm still not a drooling mess." Beth stifled a yawn behind her.

"Who says you're still not a drooling mess?" Chloe asked playfully and swiped at Beth's face.

Beth dodged and gestured rudely at Chloe with one hand while wiping her mouth with the other. She could hear someone making breakfast downstairs, and a delicious smell of bacon drifted up from below. In the kitchen she was met with the sight of her father standing before the stove, juggling what looked to be three different pans all at once. He already looked ready for the day, even though it was abnormally early in the morning, or abnormally early for a teenager who'd just enjoyed a long summer holiday. His hair, just as curly as Beth's, laid perfectly coiffed on his head and did not resemble the rats nest currently sported by Beth.

"'Morning dad," Beth said as she stepped over and peered into the pans. "Are you making a full English breakfast?"

Jaime only spared her a glance before he diverted his full attention back to the cooking. "Good morning, Beth. We wanted to give you a good start on your first day of school." The baked beans had begun to smoke a bit and he quickly removed the pan from the heat.

Chloe had walked in after Beth and gotten two mugs from the cabinet, which she was filling, with coffee. "I Googled Welsh breakfast but that's with fish or something, so I vetoed that."

Beth accepted the mug proffered by Chloe. "It's shellfish, actually. But this is great, it is. It smells just like home."

Jaime sent her a small smile as he tipped the fried eggs over on a plate. He hadn't said anything, which wasn't unusual as he wasn't very talkative in general, but he seemed anxious to make sure Beth was happy living with him. She didn't intend on giving him any reason to think otherwise.

"I trust you slept well?" Jaime asked in his measured voice.

Beth jumped up on the kitchen counter and watched Jaime cook. When she was younger, she had never understood his somewhat formal way of speaking, not just to her but to everyone. Other fathers called their daughters pet names and other terms of endearment, but Jaime had always been very reserved. It wasn't until she got older that she understood it was just one of his many peculiarities. "Like a rock. You'd really think I would've been too nervous to sleep last night, starting a new school and all."

In that moment, Louie sauntered through the doors. If Jaime looked ready to take on the day, Louie looked like he was ready to take over the world. He hurried over to the kitchen table and started to gather some stray papers. "Good morning girls. I'm sorry but I can't stay for breakfast, but I just got a call from Berger that I need to come in right away. The police found something in the woods last night and they want me to cover it."

"The woods? What did they find?" Beth asked while kicking her legs out, almost kicking Louie as he went past.

"If I told you it'd spoil the surprise," Came the muffled answer. Louie was trying to wrestle his day planner into his bag while simultaneously showing a piece of toast into his mouth.

"It'll take us like five minute to hear in school anyway. I swear this city is the worst at keeping secrets." Chloe got up and helped Jaime carry the food to the kitchen table.

Louie went over to Jaime and gave him a quick kiss. "I don't know if I will be home for dinner. It sounded pretty serious so I'm probably going to pull some overtime if I want the story ready for the morning newspaper." Louie turned towards Beth and Chloe. "Now girls, I know you've just had a long summer break but now playtime is over. Beth, you've never gone to an American school so this is literally the most important advice I can give you: cafeteria food sucks. The dough is made with sawdust and the macaroni used to be some poor kid's art project. Stay away from the meatloaf."

Beth snorted. "The food at my old school wasn't exactly four stars either."

"Well, then you won't have problems digesting whatever is in the mac n' cheese. Oh, and also, Chloe, please don't bite anyone, okay?"

Chloe threw a dishrag at him. "Aren't you in a hurry? Please?"

"Indeed I am. Have a great first day!" Louie ducked out of the kitchen and a few seconds later, they heard the front door close.

When all the food was ready, they sat down to eat. The beans were a tad runny but otherwise it tasted pretty much like an English breakfast.

"Are you homesick yet?" Chloe asked and nudged Beth in the leg. Jaime sent her a look over the rim of his coffee cup.

"Well, not really. As you said this is an English breakfast. If it had been a Welsh, I'd be absolutely inconsolable." Beth nudged her back. "But I am mostly excited, really. I've never actually gone to a new school - I mean a school with all new people."

"You already know a bunch of people, so it's not like you'd have to eat your lunch in the bathroom. Lydia seemed very excited that you were moving here." That was true. Three days after Beth had moved to Beacon Hills, Lydia had shown up at the front door and whisked her off to meet her friends, with varying success. Beth had liked most of the people she met, with the exception of Lydia's boyfriend, who was probably the one it was most important that she liked, but Jackson made it exceedingly easy to dislike him.

When they finished breakfast, Jaime started to clear the table. "You better get ready now or you're going to be late for school."

"Dad, I do believe you are right." Beth got up from the table and stretched her arms over her head.

"I call dibs on the shower," Chloe yelled and skipped towards the door.

"No! You'll use up all the hot water again!" Beth hurried after her but nearly lost a finger in the bathroom door. "I can't believe there's only one bathroom in this gigantic house!" She yelled through the bathroom door. The Sandoval house was big, though there were only two toilets and one shower, which normally wouldn't have bothered Beth, as the house she lived in Wales had been a lot smaller. The main difference was that she'd lived alone with her mother, and now she had to share a bathroom with someone who kept using all the hot water.

On the other side, Chloe laughed. "It wasn't a problem before you moved here, honey. I'll be quick I promise."

After Beth's shower, she had barely had time to get dressed after the shower before there was a knock at the door. "Are you decent?" Chloe yelled from behind the door.

"Not particularly, really," Beth yelled back.

Tentatively the door opened. Chloe peeked inside before she opened it completely. "Oh, good. I wasn't sure if you were talking about not being dressed or just you in general. But get a move on I want to get to school early to catch up. Also, that is cute. I approve." She nodded towards the dress Beth was wearing; an off-white, pinstriped dress that was a gift from her mum before she moved.

"Oh thank god, I was afraid I would have to change," Beth said while rolling her eyes.

Chloe walked forward and brushed invisible dust off Beth's shoulders. "They grow up so fast," she said with a thick voice. Beth only just stopped herself from burying her elbow in Chloe's gut. "But for real, though, we gots to go."

"Oh, wait a moment!" With a flourish, Beth grabbed her camera bag from where it was lying on the shelf. It was a Polaroid camera she’d gotten from Jaime and it was her most precious possession.

"Say cheese!" Beth said, holding it out in front of them. The flash went off and with a whirring noise and the camera spat out a picture. She grabbed it and put it in a small pocket on the camera bag.

"Okay grandma, can we go now? If you're not down by the front door in 5 minutes, I'm leaving without you." Chloe spun around and disappeared out the door.

It took Beth exactly eight minutes to gather all her stuff and get down by the front door; she knew because Chloe had yelled increasingly annoyed updates on exactly how long it took Beth to get ready.

"I need to go to the office first, actually. If you'd kindly show me the way that would be fantastic." They walked towards the school, which was just across the road from their home.

Chloe sighed loudly. "Urgh, fine. I'll show you the way but I can't be late. You have an excuse because you are new, you can just say you got lost, but I refuse to have the record for fastest detention in a new school year. Honestly, Beth, it's the first day and you're already dragging me down. I should just push you in front of a car."

"Your dad told you not to bite anyone, I'm pretty sure pushing someone into oncoming traffic is off limits too."

"Urgh, he says that all the time. I don't know who told him he was funny but they lied to his face."

They arrived at school early enough that many students hadn't yet arrived. Beth really hadn't been particularly nervous about starting in a new school, but standing in the car park she worried at the sleeves of her black leather jacket until Chloe’s stilled her hands.

"Look, Beth, it's not like you don't know anyone here, right. You've been to Beacon Hills once a year since forever and you've met a tonne of my friends and-and you know Chloe freaking Sandoval and if that doesn't give you an in with basically everybody then I don't know what will." Chloe sent Beth a warm smile until something distracted her over Beth's shoulder. "Actually, there’s Lydia. Already a friendly face." She turned Beth around and practically shoved her over towards Lydia who was standing by a silver beetle. "Ask her to show you where the office is," she said as she was already on her way to a group of people standing beside the school entrance.

"You're a rotten sister!" Beth yelled after her but kept walking towards Lydia.

She’d didn’t remember a time she didn’t know Lydia. Their parents were friends and it made sense that their children would get stuck together while the adult did their adult thing. They didn’t become friends proper before Beth found the joy of photography and they developed a sort of mutually beneficial relationship: Lydia loved having her picture taken, and Beth loved taking pictures. It helped that Lydia didn’t seem to have a bad angle.

In place of a greeting, Lydia looked disapprovingly down at Beth's feet. "Sneakers, Beth. Really?" She herself wore a formfitting, expensive looking coat and the sunshine made her hair look glossy.

"Yes, sneakers. They're very comfortable," said Beth and wriggled her toes. Lydia scowled at her and Beth answered with a blinding smile.

"They look like they've been prescribed by a podiatrist."

"Those shoes are bitchin' so I will take that as a compliment. Oh, what do you think of my dress?" Beth swirled around with her arms outstretched.

Lydia looked at her outfit with a calculating look. "It's acceptable, I guess. Not a fan of that jacket though, it makes you look like you just got out of an Iron Maiden concert."

"I'll take it," Beth said jovially and gestured towards the entrance, "shall we?"

Lydia smiled an almost predatory-like smile. She spun around until she faced the school, and started walking as if she was on a runway in Milan and not outside a high school in California. Even the wind seemed to favour her, as it provided a gentle breeze that made it look she was in the middle of a Kanye West music video.

Beth followed a step behind her, not wanting to interrupt Lydia as she asserted her dominance over the school populace. Besides, she could never hope to match Lydia's powerwalk.

Two guys were standing in front of the entrance to the school, right in the way of Lydia's march. One of them sported a mop of dark hair and the other an unfortunate buzz cut and a novelty t-shirt.

"Hey Lydia!" the shorthaired one said after Lydia's retreating form. She made no move to show she had even heard the boy.

When they got inside the school, Beth skipped up to walk beside Lydia. "Uh, I need to go to the office first. I need my schedule and stuff like that."

Lydia turned so her red hair whirled around her. She sighed as if showing Beth to the office was a heavy burden. "Fine. It's down that hall and to the left. There's a big sign in front that says Administration, so even you wouldn't be able to miss it."

"Wow Lydia, that cuts really deep. It's almost like you're trying to hurt me." Beth walked backwards down the hallway Lydia indicated, a playful smile on her lips. "You know I don't think you can sit with me a lunch anymore."

Lydia rolled her eyes and sighed as if she was dealing with a problem child. "Go to the office, Beth."

Beth saluted and turned around so she wouldn't fall over her own feet, and as she walked, she took the time to look at the school. It looked just as rundown as her old one, which was somewhat comforting. The students looked the same and she could hear the same type of "how was your summer" questions albeit with an American accent.

She opened the door to the office and was immediately met with a sour-looking secretary who didn't so much as look up from the screen as Beth stepped up to the counter. "Take a seat, please." She droned, sounding bored out of her mind. Beth raised her eyebrows over the secretary's attitude but nodded once and turned around to look for a place to sit. Behind her were some chairs pushed up against the wall, one of them already occupied by a dark haired girl who looked like she was about to burst from nervous energy. Beth threw herself into the seat beside her.

"Phew, I am so relieved that I am not the only new student here. It's bad enough starting in a new school but in a completely different country too is just a bit nerve-wracking."

The girl startled at the sound of Beth's voice. "Is it that obvious?" The girl combed her hair with her fingers and smiled nervously at Beth.

"A little bit. You're sitting in the administration office on the first day of school, looking just a tad … green. You're either new or you've already gotten in trouble and no offence but you don't look like a dastardly troublemaker."

"Oh, uh, well I'm not. A troublemaker I mean." the girl's smile became a little more genuine and Beth mentally pumped a fist in the air in triumph. "So, uh, what are you in for?"

Beth grinned. "Got five to eight for releasing the frogs from the biology classroom. That's something you Americans do, right?"

The girl laughed, which made the secretary shoot them an angry look over her monitor.

"I'm Beth, by the way."

"I'm Allison. Where are you from?" It looked like some of Allison's nerves had left her and she had turned so she faced Beth.

"Wales, though my dad has lived in Beacon Hills for years so I've visited about every summer and my sister goes to the school too."

"I imagine it's less intimidating starting here when you actually know somebody in this town," said Allison and looked around the room with a pained expression. Some of that aforementioned green colour returned to her cheeks.

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just really good at hiding how utterly terrified I am," Beth said and sent her a reassuring smile, "fake it until you make it, right?"

Allison nodded and took a calming breath. Somewhere in the school, the bell rang and she frowned. "Um, an administrator was in here just before you, but he had to take care of something."

"I think that not having our schedules and not having a clue where to go is a good enough excuse being late." Beth leaned back in the uncomfortable chair and chatted with Allison until the door opened and a man entered.

"Miss Argent and Miss Vinther, I see you've become acquainted. I'm sorry for the delay but there were matters I had to attend to." He grabbed two folders from behind the counter. "This is your schedule and a map of the school where your lockers are marked. My name is Moris Cooper and I'm the school's administrator. If you have any problems, you can come to me. Follow me, please." He gestured towards the door and both girls got up.

"Miss Argent, you said before that San Francisco isn't the place you grew up." Mr Cooper looked at Allison while they walked.

"No, but we lived there for more than a year which is unusual with my family," Allison said, looking just as nervous as she had when Beth had first entered the office.

"Well, hopefully, Beacon Hills will be your last stop for a while. And for you too, Miss Vinther. You may not remember me but I met you a couple of years ago when there was an unveiling of the sculpture your father made for the school."

Beth tried to think back but it had been four years ago and she'd been introduced to a lot of people that day and none of them really stood out.

"Your dad's a sculptor?" Allison asked looking at Beth with curious eyes.

"Yeah, but he paints more than he sculptures, I guess." As Beth talked she tried to take note of the way to the classroom, but after the first few turns, she was totally lost.

"Ah, here's your classroom," Mr Cooper said and gestured towards a closed door. Through the glass pane, Beth saw a mousy teacher standing by a blackboard. When Mr Cooper opened the door and interrupted the teacher, he did not look enthused.

"Class, this is our new students Allison Argent and Bethan Vinther. Please do your best to make them feel welcome." With that, he headed out the door. Fortunately, there were two empty seats and Beth grabbed the first one that was in front of the dark haired guy she had seen earlier. She tried to smile at him but by the looks of it, he only had eyes for Allison.

Beth sat down and got her notebook and pencil case. She fiddled with the worn spine of the book Chloe had loaned her. She could hear her teacher drone on in the background in a voice one could only describe as uninspiring, so she sat back and let the over-analysis of the Metamorphosis wash over her.

Beth walked with Allison towards their lockers, which were almost right next to each other.

"Sweet, I've never had one of these," Beth said as she peered into her locker, "this day is just full of new experiences. What should I put in it?"

Allison looked at her from two lockers over with a bemused smile. "Whatever you want I guess, but I think the intended purpose is school books."

"Urgh, that's boring." Beth closed the locker and leaned her shoulder against it. She saw something that made her eyes glint with glee. "Hey Allison, don't look now but I think someone is looking at you."

Allison straightened up and peeked stealthily through her long hair at the dark-haired boy from their English class. The downright bashful smile she sported was pretty telling what she thought of him. "He borrowed me a pen." She said while biting her lips to hide the smile.

"Ooh, you know that means you're married!" Beth said with a cheeky grin.

"Beth!" Allison admonished but she still laughed, even when red appeared on her cheeks. "Honestly."

"What did she do now?" Like a creature out of a Dracula adaption, Lydia appeared as if she stepped out of the mist. "Never mind. That jacket is absolutely killer. See Beth, not everyone has to dress like they have a leather fetish."

"It's one jacket, Lydia, it's not like I've come to school in assless chaps."

Lydia pointedly ignored Beth. "So, where'd you get it?"

Allison looked between Beth and Lydia, a slightly confused smile playing in the corners of her mouth. "My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco."

"And you are my new best friend," Lydia said with easy confidence that came from never having anyone really oppose her.

"No!" Beth croaked and clutched her heart. "Does this mean I'm not even a contender anymore? Shit Lydia, you're breaking my heart."

Lydia sent her a derisive smile. "You were never even a consideration, sweetie."

Beth's mock-horrified look was wiped away when a cloud of man-perfume announced the presence of Jackson who descended on Lydia's face like a leech. "Oh, hi," she said in a flat tone. Because of her friendship with Lydia, she couldn't be openly antagonistic towards Jackson, but by God, the boy made it difficult to remain civil.

"Hello," said Allison a little unsure which was understandable enough, since one of her conversational partners was just unceremoniously snogged in a school hallway.

Lydia detached herself from Jackson. "Oh, this is Jackson." She sent her boyfriend a playful look. "I didn't catch your name, actually."

"I'm Allison," Allison said and gave a small wave. She was holding her messenger bag in front of her kind of like it was a shield.

"We're in English together," Beth added, wanting to be a part of the conversation somehow.

Jackson spared her a look that clearly said that he didn't care, and turned back to Lydia. Beth had to fight the urge to stick out her tongue at him.

Lydia also pointedly ignored Beth. "So, this weekend there's a party."

"A party?" Allison asked, looking like she wasn't quite sure what to say to that.

"Yeah," Jackson said, "Friday night. You should come."

"Beth is the photographer," Lydia said with confidence. "She has all those cameras and now they can finally come to good use."

"I am? When exactly was this decided?" Beth leaned forward and shot Lydia a questioning look. "Because I don't remember agreeing to be your personal photographer."

"It was decided when you can't go two minutes without taking photos of whatever mundane thing is happening. Honestly, it's kinda sad how you use your camera as a security blanket. You know as well as I that you would spend the entire party behind a camera anyway, and now you're just in my employ."

"Great, does that mean you'll pay me?"

"No," Lydia snapped and turned towards Allison, "so what do you say?"

"Uh, I can't. It's family night this Friday. Thanks for asking."

Beth felt a pang of disappointment as she liked Allison and the party would be infinitely better if she were there to block out the Lydia/Jackson snogging session that would surely commence.

Apparently, Jackson was disappointed too. "You sure? I mean, everyone's going after the scrimmage."

"You mean like football?" Allison asked innocently. Beth wanted to shake her head vigorously. Jackson felt very fondly of his lacrosse and there was a high possibility of an angry rant if he heard any perceived slight against it.

"Football's a joke in Beacon," Jackson spat. "The sport here is lacrosse. We've won the state championship in the last three years." He sounded so smug that Beth almost gagged.

"Because of a certain team captain," Lydia said, never turning down a chance to brag. She adjusted Jackson's hair while practically letting him carry her entire weight.

"Well, we have practice in a few minutes. That is if you don't have anywhere else to go." Jackson turned towards Beth. "I know that it might seem confusing for your but in America, sport is sort of a big deal and we have to practice-"

"Piss off water-boy; I know what bloody practice is." Even though he only tried to get a rise out of her, she still raised her hackles at his condescending tone.

Lydia clicked her tongue in disapproval at the two. "And Jackson-" she shot him an acidic look- "is going to be late. So come on. Allison?" She waited for the girl to nod before she turned on her heel and marched down the hallway somehow making even the click of her heels sound angry.

When they arrived out at the field, the players were already running around on the field, swinging their sticks.

"Jackson wasn't kidding when he said lacrosse is the sport at Beacon," Allison said, as they sat on the bleachers. They were surrounded by students who, like them, had shown up to watch people play lacrosse.

"Yeah, I thought showing up and watching people practice sports was only something I did." Beth sat behind Allison and Lydia but was leaned forward so she could hear them over the loud whistles and yells from the players.

"You really like sports that much?" Allison asked with a smile.

"There was a local rugby team and I swear I was their biggest fan. Actually, I reckon I was their only fan because they really sucked."

Lydia flipped her hair over her shoulder and almost hit Beth in the face. "Well, this team is not some backwater soccer team. Winning actually matters here." She sounded so smug that you'd think she'd herself singlehandedly won the championship.

Beth was in the middle of a heated explanation on the differences between real football and rugby when Allison interrupted them. "Who is that?" She nodded towards the goal, where number 11 was standing looking back and forth with a somewhat lost look.

"Him? I'm not sure who he is," Lydia said, "why?"

"I thought you were the queen bee of this school, aren't they supposed to know all their little bee-lings?" Beth asked with a cheeky smile, and Lydia responded with an unimpressed look.

"He's in our English class," Allison said with a small, shy smile.

"He loaned her a pen!" Beth said excitedly, this time earning an annoyed look from Lydia.

"How wonderful," she deadpanned and turned her attention back on the lacrosse pitch.

Down on the field, it looked like number 11 was having some issues. "Um, he doesn't look too good." She leaned forward again as if she could get a better look at the guy who had grabbed his head as if he was in pain. "Shouldn't we-" she didn't finish her sentence before a lacrosse ball nailed him in the face. The only reason he didn't wind up with a broken nose was due to the helmet. There was scattered laughter around them.

After a couple of seconds, he got up again and stood ready at the goal. Beth winced as the next guy swung his stick but amazingly, enough Allison's pen-dealer caught the ball. Even buried under layers of protective gear she could see the other player's confusion. On the bench in front of the field buzz cut guy gave a surprised yell of encouragement.

The next player threw the ball closer to the ground but as before, the dude caught it neatly. He repeated that feat a couple of more times until the small crowd were cheering for him.

"It seems like he's really good," Allison said with a slightly dreamy expression.

"Yeah, really good," Lydia said, looking more surprise than amazed.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't knowing all the best lacrosse players your thing, Lyds?" Beth asked from behind them.

“Don’t call me that,” she said absentmindedly. "That must have happened over the summer, there is no way that I didn't notice him last year."

"Someone must have eaten all their Brussels sprouts," Beth mumbled but she, like Lydia and Allison, wasn't paying attention to what came out of her mouth as Jackson had just stepped forward, looking like a scorned king ready to challenge a usurper. It was a tad overdramatic for high school lacrosse.

Beth held her breath as the ball soared towards the goal. Not surprisingly, the ball got stopped before it met its destination and around her people started cheering. Even Lydia stood up to cheer, but Beth was only confused for a second and a half before she saw the challenging look she shot in Jackson's direction. "That's healthy, that is," Beth mumbled, but it was drowned out in the ruckus. On the bench, the dude who she could only describe as strangely elastic looked to be having a celebratory seizure.

"I'm going to talk with his friend," Beth said and got up.

Allison's hand shot out and grabbed Beth's wrist. "Why?" She asked and looked at Beth with alarmed eyes.

"To find out who he is and, according to Lydia, which creature of the night he sold his soul to, to be this good at lacrosse." Beth gently pried Allison's fingers away from her wrist. "And besides, I am nothing if not aggressively friendly." When Allison's hand was gone, Beth turned around and climbed down from the bleachers. After a little difficulty getting past people without knocking them down, she plopped down on the bench beside buzz cut.

"That's your mate there, isn't it?" she asked and leaned forward, adopting the same stance as him.

The boy yelped louder than should have been necessary, which made Beth rear back with a confused look. He opened his mouth but it looked like his brain still hadn't caught up completely.

"Y-yes he's my ma-I mean friend." He looked at her like he wasn't quite sure she was sitting there.

Beth waited for him to elaborate a bit while she stretched out her legs in front of her. When he just continued to gawk she realised she had to prompt him a little more. "And his name is?"

"Scott!" Buzzcut almost shouted. Across the field, Scott's head snapped up as if someone had called his name. "Yeah, his name is Scott and you-you're Bethan right? We have English and Chemistry together." He still sounded utterly confused but now he at least seemed to have rediscovered the use of words without having to be prompted.

"Everyone calls me Beth, except my grandmother who thinks it's disrespecting Welsh culture. I'm fairly certain she has written me out of her will." She smiled at him but he just nodded thoughtfully, like they were discussing global politics and Beth hadn't just made a terrible joke.

They looked at each other for couple of long, awkward moments before Beth asked, "so what's your name-"

"I'm Stiles." They said at the same time.

They both stopped abruptly and Beth pursed her lips while they silently observed the players. She wasn't lying when she said she was aggressively friendly, she could talk with pretty much anyone, but for some reason the awkwardness of trying to talk with Stiles made her forget every conversational topic she had stored in her brain.

Stiles' was tapping a confusing beat on the bench. It seemed like he had to have some body part moving, lest the nervous energy would build up and he would rocket off to the moon. She crossed and uncrossed her ankles, desperately trying to find something to talk about. If there was anything Beth didn't do well, it was long uncomfortable silences.

"I don't even know the rules for Lacrosse," she said as she leaned her head back to enjoy the sun with her eyes closed.

"Wha-?"

She cracked open an eye and looked at Stiles. Instead of tapping on the bench, he was turning a lacrosse helmet repeatedly between his hands.

"The rules for lacrosse. I don't know them. I don't think I've ever watched a game of lacrosse even though I do watch a lot of sports. And we're not just talking the regular football and basketball, we are talking obscure shit." She stole a look at Stiles again and he looked at her with narrowed eyes. "A bunch of my mates and I once took the bus to Gloucester- that's in England -to a cheese rolling competition."

There was an unbelieving snort from Stiles, and she opened her eyes and levelled him with an even stare. He was leaning back on the bench and by the looks of it, only an exceptional equilibrium kept him from toppling down. "On top of a hill the cheese is released-" She stopped to truly admire the circumstances that led to her saying that sentence. "-and people leg it down trying to catch it."

"Is that true?" He asked, his voice somewhere between laughter and scepticism.

"No, I've never been. The rest of it is true, though. It's my life's dream to catch that darn cheese."

A smile spread across Stiles' face. "No ending world hunger or-or be ridiculously famous? You want to catch a runaway cheese." He snickered into his fist.

"Hey, don't you dare criticise my one true dream. I can get there with patience and hard work."

Stiles looked a little unsure about what he should say. "I-uh … at least it's doable I guess."

Beth nodded eagerly. "With low goals, there's less chance of disappointment," she said cheerfully.

"So, has Scott always been a bloody ninja at Lacrosse?" Beth asked when they'd been quiet for a time.

Stiles furrowed his brows as he watched his friend dance around obstacles like a ballerina. "No, definitely not. He has asthma but he hasn't used his inhaler today at all." He was leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and tapping a finger on his chin.

"You can grow out of that, can't you?" Beth leaned forward too, to try and make eye contact with Stiles.

The coach blew the whistle and the players gathered in a huddle. Evidently, the practice was over because the audience started to get up and move towards the school.

Beth got up from the bench. "Well, that's my cue I guess. Nice chatting with you, Stiles," She said with a smile and a little wave.

Stiles waved back absentmindedly but it was like the mention of his friend had snapped him out of any form of thought not concerned with Scott, who was standing in the middle of the field shaking his head like his ears were full of water.

When it became apparent that Stiles wouldn't answer, she threw up her hands and started towards Lydia and Allison, who were waiting for her by the bleachers.

"Did you find out his name?" It seemed that Allison herself realised how eager she sounded because she immediately tried to backtrack. "I mean-"

"His name is Scott and he used to have asthma but that it's maybe gone, apparently." Beth shrugged, throwing an arm over Allison's shoulder as they walked back to the school.

Allison wasn't fast enough to hide the infatuated smile that spread on her face at the mention of his name. It was incredible how fast she had gotten smitten, and by the looks of it, Scott had caught the love bug too.

"Did you talk about anything else? You were down there some time." Allison's hopeful voice made Beth smile.

Beth's smile turned into a grin. "Cheese, mostly." Allison snorted loudly and shot her a confused look. "Seriously, instead of asking me, who, by the way, has all of this information from a second-hand source, you could just go and talk to him." She gave Allison's shoulder a little squeeze.

"Oh no, I'm not going to do any dating. I am going to finish high school without distractions, that's the plan."

"I just want to say, for the record, that you were the one who brought up dating. It's 2012 Allison, people are allowed to have a friend of a different gender without the need of a chaperone."

Allison snorted and bit her lips. "You don't know my parents at all. I'm pretty sure my dad would prefer if I only have friends of the female persuasion."

"Oh, it's so much easier when you're bi and both your parents know. They can't very well ban people in general from your room, so I've never really had that problem. Besides, I seriously can't imagine my dad or Louie setting any sort of restriction on who can come to my room and not."

"Louie is …?"

"My dad's husband and my sister's father. My family situation can seem a bit complicated for the uninitiated."

"I am initiated and I still find it confusing," Lydia said. Her eyes were glued to her phone but apparently, she had been listening to the conversation.

Allison pursed her lips. "Okay, so your mom-" she paused to shoot Beth a questioning look.

"I actually have nine fathers."

"No you do not," Allison laughed and gave Beth a little push.

"You don't know that! I could be like that Arnold Schwarzenegger movie."

Allison laughed and waved her hand in the air as if she was trying to wipe out their current conversation. "Okay, we are getting off track. So your mom is Welsh."

"She is indeed. They met each other in London when my mom was working part-time in a gallery my dad's painting was showing in. When that didn't work out, he moved to California and met Louie. Actually, my maternal grandfather is Danish, so my roots are spread out over four countries."

"Four?"

"My dad's Mexican. You know where your family is from? As in before they were American."

Lydia had apparently found the conversation too boring because she had diverted her full attention back to her phone. "My family is from France. Argent means silver, actually."

"That's pretty cool. Do you know much about them?" They had reached the school and were walking through the halls.

"Not really. My parents never really talk much about them, only that it's a very old and influential family."

"Maybe you're actually royalty and your family escaped the reign of terror." Beth who up until now still had her arm slung over Allison's shoulder had to let her go so they could navigate the crowded hall.

"Lots of noble families escaped so that wouldn't be that special." Allison dodged two guys who were carrying some kind of paper-mâché monster. It seemed a little early to be doing projects for art class.

"Damn, I thought we had a French princess in our midst."

"Sorry to disappoint," Allison said with a cheeky smile before they all split up towards the different classes.

Next chapter

[netunleashed-blog]

Release date, trailers and theories

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=19571 Release date, trailers and theories - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=19571 Get set for The Long Night Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 7 below… Got Season 7 GIF by Game of Thrones – Find & Share on GIPHY Discover & share this Game of Thrones GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs. The Long Night is here, everyone. Game of Thrones Season 7 bowed out with an epic final episode in which we learned of Jon’s true parentage and saw The Night King and its Ice Dragon break down The Wall and move on Westeros. But we’re looking forward to Game of Thrones Season 8 already, so here’s absolutely everything we know about the show’s final episodes, including release date, casting news and trailers.  When is Game of Thrones Season 8 returning? At the 2018 Television Critics Association tour, HBO‘s programming president Casey Bloys offered more details on when we will see GoT‘s final outing. With the show previously announcing 2019 for its release, Bloys was asked if he could be more specific. “First half,” he said. After Game of Thrones‘ official account confirmed a 2019 release date for the show, Metro published an interview with Maisie Williams in which she appeared to say it will return in April 2019, after wrapping in December 2018. In the interview, she reportedly said: “We wrap in December and we air our first episode in April [2019]. That’s a four-month turnaround for these huge episodes. There’s a lot that goes into the final edit. You would not want to rush this season at all. We owe it to our audience and our fans to really do this final season to the best of our abilities.” However, Williams has denied giving the quote reported by Metro, writing on Twitter: “This Game of Thrones release date ‘quote’ I’ve supposedly given is completely false and taken from an interview I did years ago. Just a tweet letting you know this game of thrones release date "quote" I've supposedly given is completely false and taken from an interview I did years ago. — Maisie Williams (@Maisie_Williams) January 30, 2018 Game of Thrones Season 8 was originally slated to return in late 2018 or early 2019. Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa, previously suggested that the show would return in 2019 during an interview with Variety, and HBO officially confirmed the news on January 4. “Send a raven. #GameofThrones returns to @HBO for its eighth and final season in 2019,” a tweet from the official GoT Twitter reads. See that below. Send a raven.#GameofThrones returns to @HBO for its eighth and final season in 2019: https://t.co/FpWV0O0L9i — Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) January 4, 2018 Who’s going to die in season 8? As Entertainment Weekly reports, a data scientist has done loads of maths with 2,000 characters from GoT and figured out the likelihood of various character deaths. You can see them below – with Daenerys at the most risk: Daenerys Targaryen – 83.77% Jaime Lannister – 72.91% Tyrion Lannister – 70.76% Bran Stark – 66.02% Cersei Lannister – 60.39% Jon Snow – 58.99% Euron Greyjoy – 54.95% Sansa Stark – 50.28% Arya Stark – 49.04% Gendry – 39.87% What have HBO said about season 8? The full statement reads: “The epic fantasy series Game of Thrones will return for its six-episode, eighth and final season in 2019. David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, David Nutter and Miguel Sapochnik will be the directors for the new season. Writers for the new season are David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman and Dave Hill. The executive producers of the series are David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger and Bernadette Caulfield. Co-executive producers are Bryan Cogman, Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis and George R.R. Martin.” Official promo poster for Game of Thrones season 8! pic.twitter.com/RkxvL5llnN — King Jon Snow (@LordSnow) February 27, 2018 Why will season 8 take so long? In January 2018, HBO boss Casey Bloys spoke to Entertainment Weekly to explain the long wait. “Here’s what I’ll tell you,” he said. “They take the time they need to do the show at its highest level of quality. As the show has gone on, it’s gotten bigger — big battle scenes, big special effects.” He continued: “These things take time. Here’s the one thing I can assure you: Dan and Dave were not sitting around on a beach waiting to go back to work. They’re perfectionists and this is the soonest it can come back at a level of quality that they are comfortable with.” How many episodes will there be in Game of Thrones Season 8? As confirmed by show runners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, Game of Thrones Season 8 will feature just six episodes. Though it is likely that each episode will be a feature-length, so anything from 60 mins to 120 minutes. Speaking about the end of the show, Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark) has said: “It won’t go the way some people want. It will be too happy for some people, or too sad, or too whatever. That’s the nature of an ending… Nothing more is coming, and the certainty of it being over will definitely bother people.” Talking about shooting the final season, Maisie Williams told NME: “It’s the end of an era. Everyone’s playing it cool, at the moment I’m focused on absolutely nailing it – I have an expectation in my head of how I want it to be, how I want this to go. I just really hope I achieve that. Because sometimes, looking back you can tell ‘yeah, I wasn’t concentrating enough’. I just want to live and breathe every minute of this season because once it’s gone, it’s gone.” Addressing concerns that six episodes were not enough to complete the show’s storyline, Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei) told Metro: “It definitely will not be a rushed conclusion. They’ve taken the exact number of hours to tell the story they want to tell and it will be brilliant. [Show bosses] will never leave the fans unsatisfied, they won’t leave the fans left short, it will go over and above the fans expectations as they do every season.” Will there be any new characters in Game of Thrones Season 8? The gigantic cast list for the show has been expanding season-on-season since its inception – and yet more are being added for season 8. According to fansite Watchers on the Wall, the first major casting for season 8 has been made for a character called Harry Strickland – who, in the books, is the leader of a mercenary group called The Golden Company. You may remember in season 7 we learned that Cersei had sent Euron to fetch the Golden Company from over the sea in the eastern land of Essos, to help her conquer Westeros. Fans initially theorised that Daenerys’ old friend Daario Naharis might be leading this group, which might have challenged his allegiances to Cersei – but it looks as though this theory has been scuppered, and Strickland will be a brand-new villain. Strickland is reported to be played by Marc Rissmann (The Last Kingdom, Into The Badlands) after his Thrones character’s name was added to (then deleted from) his CV and his agent’s website. He is expected to appear in two episodes. That's a wrap on #IntoTheBadlands Season 2 is going to be amazing… #outofcontrolhair pic.twitter.com/cUbzHJJtwj — Marc Rissmann (@rissmannmarc) December 7, 2016 Another actor has also been cast, according to Lisa Richards Agency. Seamus O’Hara will play Fergus, according to his Spotlight page. Fergus is not a name from the books, so there’s no knowing what his character will do yet. See a picture of him below. The lengths an actor goes to – @ShimyO in full flow for 'Deporting Patrick' @KaboshTheatre @ImagineBelfast pic.twitter.com/SjE8bWEB8Z — Paula McFetridge (@PaulaMcFetridge) March 15, 2016 According to Watchers, more castings are due soon: they are for characters currently referred to as ‘Northern farmer, 25-35’, ‘Sassy and attractive girl, 18-25’, ‘Northern sentry, 18-25’, ‘Sailor, 35-50’ and a couple of guards, in their 20s and 30s. See the full descriptions here. Watchers has also reported that a new character from the Frey clan may appear. Danielle Galligan has been cast as character named Sarra, and Watchers have noted that the only Sarra to appear in the A Song Of Ice and Fire book series is Sarra Frey – one of Walder Frey’s granddaughters. Game of Thrones has been known to recycle common names for small characters – but this one seems to close to just be a coincidence. Also joining the cast is EastEnders star Alice Nokes, who Watchers report will be playing a non-book character called Willa. Though the credit now appears to be deleted from her agency CV, ‘Willa’ is thought to be appearing in episode one, two or four of Game of Thrones season 8. Is Game of Thrones Season 8 the last series? Alas, yes. The showrunners have opted to split the final seasons into a smaller runs, but will make lengthier episodes. But basically, it’s endgame for these characters and maybe Westeros. In an interview with Metro Williams has explained the difficulties of shooting the final season. On seeing the script she said she thought it would be “an impossible challenge” to shoot. “For the final season as a whole it was just so impressive,” she said. “My first real thought was, ‘Oh god, we have to shoot this now. And it is kind of an impossible challenge. It will be really difficult’. I am currently on my way to a night shoot, which is week four of 12 weeks of night shoots. It’s just huge. The task is huge. But, there’s no better way to leave the show, to be honest.” Sophie Turner recently revealed what each cast member was presented with once they finished filming. “I wrapped shooting in Spain – like, the whole of Game of Thrones,” Turner told Digital Spy. “But I remember the first time, when I wrapped in Belfast with the crew that we worked with so often, it was in the Winterfell courtyard.) “I wasn’t even shooting there, but the director, David Nutter, called me into the courtyard, because he knew it was my last day on set. He said to the whole crew, ‘Sansa Stark is leaving Winterfell for the last time.’ “As you can imagine, I bawled my eyes out,” she added. “Then David and Dan presented each actor with their favourite scene of their character in a storyboard, with a little note on the back. That set me off as well. As soon as they brought that out… And the documentary crew saw me. It was just a nightmare, to be honest – I was just bawling.” Is it going to include plots from the book? Since its inception, the show and the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin have existed on an uneven time schedule. This means that parts of the book appear in the show further down the line, and that the show does not incorporate every storyline in the book. Since the end of Season 6, the show has been running on completely fresh material – as its storylines went beyond that of A Dance With Dragons, Martin’s last finished work. One specific scene had everybody in tears, says Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister). “We had a giant read-through with all the cast in October,” she told Mashable, “and I think pretty much everybody cried at one point. And it was… pretty surprising.” HBO’s Francesca Orsi has also told the Hollywood Reporter that the read-through of the final script ended with 15 minutes of applause by those in attendance. Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss with George R.R. Martin Is there a Game of Thrones Season 8 trailer? Not yet, but when production begins – some images will begin to emerge. So will George R. R. Martin write the ending? It’s hard to say just how involved he is with the show’s finale. Just weeks ago Martin said that he hadn’t caught up with Season 7 of the show, but in previous series he had several writing credits for episodes. In 2014, however, Benioff and Weiss said that they had sat down with Martin and learnt how the book’s were going to end. So whether they decide to follow Martin’s blueprint, or continue to take the show in their own direction is up for debate. But considering that the show has taken a distinctly different path from the books in its later series, and Martin’s currently slow writing pace – Game of Thrones Season 8 could provide the definitive ending for the saga. According to HBO’s President of Programming Casey Bloys, the show will shoot several different endings in a way to combat hackers and keep the finale secret. “I know in Game of Thrones, the ending, they’re going to shoot multiple versions so that nobody really knows what happens,” he said . Where can I watch Game of Thrones Season 8? As per previous seasons, Game of Thrones Season 8 will originally air on HBO, and then on Sky Atlantic the following day in the UK. Game of Thrones GIF – Find & Share on GIPHY Discover & share this Game of Thrones GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs. Has Game of Thrones Season 8 started filming? Yes. Filming began in Belfast late last year, and in January it was revealed that the show would be returning to Dubrovnik in Croatia to film part of the King’s Landing scenes for the final season, as reported by The Dubrovnik Times. Cast members including Gwendoline Christie, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hijvu, John Bradley and Iain Glen arrived in Iceland in late January 2018 for filming, and in February it was reported that filming had begun in Dubrovnik, though it’s currently unknown which actors are involved in these scenes.  In June, a fan posted a video that appeared to suggest filming for the King’s Landing scenes in Belfast is still ongoing – and the new footage hints that much of the city could be destroyed in a fire, with its iconic dome being shown completely ablaze. Better quality video. I hadn’t seen the small fire on the left #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/o5VWOccD06 — A Red Priestess (@a_red_priestess) June 22, 2018 At the SAG Awards in January 2018, Peter Dinklage revealed to Variety that the crew were “about halfway” through filming season 8, adding: “It’s the final season, and it’s a long one so we’re taking our time.” In a post to Instagram last year, cinematographer Fabian Wagner posted a picture of himself alongside some of his colleagues, including director Miguel Sapochnik – with the caption “Back on Game of Thrones for prep of the final season and the team is back together”. The team behind some of the show’s greatest episodes – ‘Hardhome’, ‘Battle of The Bastards’ and ‘The Winds of Winter’ – are back for Season 8. In September 2017, Variety reported that each episode of the new series is budgeted to cost at least $15 million, far surpassing Netflix’s The Crown as the most expensive TV show ever ($10m per episode). Speaking to TV Guide, Liam Cunningham (Davos) revealed that the show will be filming until summer 2018. “When you think about it, up until last season we’d have six months to do ten episodes, so we’re [doing] way more than that for six episodes. So that obviously will translate into longer episodes.” Emilia Clarke has revealed to the Telegraph that her and the cast will be on a social media ban as the show films. ”We have a very strict social media ban this year because people need to stop spoiling it for everyone. It’s really frustrating.” Earlier in 2017,  HBO president Casey Bloys said, “I know in Game of Thrones, the ending, they’re going to shoot multiple versions so that nobody really know what happens. You have to do that on a long show. Because when you’re shooting something, people know. So they’re going to shoot multiple versions so that there’s no real definitive answer until the end.” The cast are clearly having a lovely time filming, if this tweet from Belfast pub Kelly’s Cellars – including Grey Worm actor Jacob Anderson – is anything to go by: As you may have noticed, Winter Is Coming. Or Coming Back. Or whatever.But whatever it is, it was a pleasure to welcome some of the cast of Game of Thrones yesterday evening. Because that's what they do.They drink. And they know things. pic.twitter.com/UyhlYHb9NY — Kelly's Cellars (@kellyscellars) March 4, 2018 On March 9, new photos emerged of a potential filming location in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. HBO have reportedly spent £1 million on the building of a new makeshift castle in the city, and it is reportedly now nearing completion, with images of the structure being released in March. Who’s directing? It’s been revealed in Collider that David Nutter (who directed Red Wedding episode, The Rains of Castamere) will be directing episodes 1, 2 and 4. Miguel Sapochnik, who’s become known for action-heavy episodes like Hardhome and Battle of the Bastards, will be directing episodes 3 and 5. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff will be co-directing the sixth and final ever episode of the show. Who’s going to be in Game of Thrones Season 8? Unless told otherwise, we can assume that all the main characters will be returning for the show. So Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) will all feature in the epic finale. It was also confirmed in March that Headey’s body double Rebecca Van Cleave, who stepped in for Lannister’s walk of shame in the season five finale, will return in season 8.  Littlefinger (Aidan Gillian) came to grisly end at the end of Season 7 at the hand’s of The Stark sisters – so he’s well and truly out. The director’s commentary on the season 7 DVD and Blu-ray has confirmed that Benjen Stark – aka Coldhands – died in the final episode of season 7. Describing the scene when Benjen saves Jon from the army of the dead and heads into battle the wights, director Alan Taylor says: “He meets his end here.” However, some are speculating about whether or not Benjen could return as a wight. A big question remains about Tormund and Beric Dondarrion – two of the heroes who went beyond The Wall to capture a White Walker. At the end of Season 7 finale, The Dragon and The Wolf, we saw The Night King make his offensive on The Wall – and Eastwatch, where both characters were based. Neither character were killed on screen, so there’s a big chance they would return – but will it be as the living or the dead? However in a now-deleted post to Instagram, Kristofer Hivju – who plays Tormund – was spotted in Belfast, Northern Ireland recently alongside with the cast members we know to be starring. The same applies to Gendry, who returned midway through Season 7 after a lengthy absence. He too went beyond The Wall, and was last seen making his way back to Eastwatch to have a raven sent to Daenerys for reinforcements. He wasn’t spotted at all in the finale, so his location is also a mystery. We know that The Night’s Watch will be returning though. Ben Crompton, (Lord Commander Eddison Tollett) confirmed to Chronicle Live that he will return and that he was at the table read for the script with Kit Harrington – aka Jon Snow. We also know that Alys Karstark – whom Jon asked to swear fealty to him in season 7 – will be back for season 8, thanks to a listing on the website of actor Megan Parkinson’s agent. Next to Alys Karstark in the ‘fealty’ scene was Ned Umber (Harry Grasby), who has been spotted in Belfast, suggesting he will also appear in season 8. Will we see Ghost again? Jon’s direwolf, Ghost, has not been seen in the show since season 6 – a fact that’s in part down to the show’s CGI budget. In 2016 director Miguel Sapochnik explained: “It’s an incredibly time consuming and expensive character to bring to life,” adding that in the episode Battle of the Bastards he chose to include scenes with the CGI giant Wun-Wun rather than those with Ghost. In December 2017 a group of fans started a campaign to raise £500,000 to contribute to the show’s CGI budget and ‘guarantee’ Ghost’s return. HBO have not yet commented on the campaign. What’s going to happen in Game of Thrones Season 8? Well, it’s going to be The Great War, isn’t it? The show and book have teased at lengths that the ultimate battle in the show is between the living and the dead – and now that The Night King is through the wall, that showdown is going to come sooner rather than later. Obviously, there will be other smaller plotlines, but as the show moves towards its conclusion, every storyline sits within the lingering chill of The Night King’s assault on Westeros. In a recent interview with Time, Kit Harington teased that this season the show is “bigger than it’s ever been”. Meanwhile, in January 2018 Emilia Clarke told Access that the series is worth the wait. “Oh my god, it’s gonna be worth it,” she said, adding: “I don’t know if anyone’s ready. I don’t know if TVs are ready.” She continued: “I read the scripts this season and I, in some kind of a daze, walked out of my house… and about three hours later I came home and I still hadn’t taken it all in”. However, speaking to The Times in January 2018 Maisie Williams has said viewers might not be shocked by the show’s denouement. “I don’t know if it’s gonna surprise people,” she said, “but it’s just different to what you think it’s gonna be.” One person who doesn’t seem to give a damn is Cersei Lannister, who is already manoeuvring to defeat Daenerys and Jon’s armies once the battle is ‘over’. This was despite her promise to pledge her Lannister men to the cause. Basically, she’s going to screw over whoever she can to keep her icy hands on the Iron Throne. Photos taken in Dubrovnik in February suggest a meeting is set to take place between Cersei and Jon Snow in King’s Landing, in a scene believed to be from the fourth episode of the season. It’s not clear whether the former enemies will eventually become part of the same team or whether Cersei is somehow tricking Jon. Jon and Dany, meanwhile, got it on in the final episode as they started their journey from Dragonstone to Winterfell – with Tyrion lingering outside with a concerned look on his face. His concerns are likely different to ours, as Bran and Sam Tarly exposed Westeros’ best kept secret – that Jon is actually a Targaryen, that his real name is Aegon, and that he’s actually the rightful heir to the throne. Oh, and that means Dany is his Aunt. That will obviously play a big role in what comes next for the happy couple – but let’s quickly go through the big questions that remain. Judging by a sneaky pic taken at Titanic Studios, Belfast, the Dothraki could play a huge role in the new episodes. The pictured hut was like many we saw in earlier Seasons in Essos – where the Dothraki were based. A hut at Titantic Studios, where they're filming Game of Thrones. From Los Siete Reinos: https://t.co/jiB6RkOKmR pic.twitter.com/t2ZpP9orlk — Crown_For_A_King (@Crown_ForAKing) September 8, 2017 The fighters were rarely used in Season 7, but this leaked photo could suggest that the Dothraki’s motives, and maybe even Essos will feature more heavily in Season 8. Unsurprisingly, the battles are going to get a whole lot bigger too – with one taking a staggering 55 days to film. According to ever-reliable fan site WatchersOnTheWall, the cast and crew recently wrapped a massive battle which was filmed over 55 consecutive night shoots. The length of time is more than what it took to film some of the the previous large-scale action scenes. A since deleted Instagram post features a thank you note from assistant director Jonathan Quinlan, who recognises the hard work of the team. “”When tens of millions of people around the world watch this episode a year from now, they won’t know how hard you worked,” the letter reads. “They won’t care how tired you were or how tough it was to do your job in sub-freezing temperatures.” What are the big questions that need to be answered? What’s going to happen with Jon and Daenerys? Either way – it can’t end well. Bran Stark is adamant that the pair need to know the truth about their ancestry, and you best believe he’ll find a creepy way of telling them. In the final episode, we also learn that Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark married before giving birth to Jon (Aegon), meaning that due to the line of succession (Rhaegar’s dad, Aerys II was killed by Jamie Lannister), Jon is actually the rightful heir. That whole scenario begs a lot of questions – some we’ll never know the answer to. Does Jon want the throne? Probably not. Will Daenerys and Jon still feel the same way about each other when they find out? Hopefully not. And will it cause serious friction between the pair as they battle The Night King? Almost certainly. Game of Thrones GIF – Find & Share on GIPHY Discover & share this Game of Thrones GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs.   What was Tyrion doing outside of their room? Perhaps the weirdest part of the whole scenario was Tyrion lurking outside of their room with a pretty confused look on his face. Throughout Season 7, Tyrion was adamant that Daenerys needed to begin thinking about a successor, much to her displeasure. Since her miscarriage early on in the show, Daenerys has repeated the prophecy that she cannot bear any more children. So Daenerys needs to start thinking about who will succeed her, Tyrion says, but Daenerys thinks its all a ploy for Tyrion to be named the successor. Was Tyrion concerned about that whole situation because he’s worried a Dany child would be as obsessive, and potentially dangerous as she shows signs of being? Or did something happen between Cersei and Tyrion in that meeting room in King’s Landing? Tyrion was pretty shocked at the news at the news of Cersei’s ‘pregnancy’, and sounded distraught at the news of Tommen and Myrcella deaths. Could he be turning back to team Lannister? Surely not… Is Cersei actually pregnant? Well she says she is. But it’s been pretty conveniently timed. As Jaime’s loyalty appeared to wane, she revealed the news that she’s pregnant with their child. But during the Season 7 finale, Jaime abandoned Cersei and King’s Landing – and told her that “I don’t believe you” before he stormed out the room. This most likely refers to her order for The Mountain to kill him, which he didn’t, but nothing can be ruled out with Cersei. Mothers Day Drinking GIF by Game of Thrones – Find & Share on GIPHY Discover & share this Game of Thrones GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs. And, in a recent interview, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau appeared to confirm that this was the case. He told Vanity Fair: “That’s, of course, said in a moment of passion. Who knows if it’s true? I’ve almost been married 20 years—June 6th will be our 20th anniversary—and I’m very, very lucky. I have a wonderful wife. But over 20 years, there are times where you have fights. “You can be so angry that for a second in your passion and anger you can go, ‘Oh, fuck this.’ Of course, three seconds later, you go, ‘No, no, no. What am I doing? What am I thinking?’ . . . I think the fundamental emotions are the same in every relationship. As a setup for the season we’re shooting now, it was just amazing.” Are we finally going to see Clegane Bowl? The big throwdown we can all get behind. A fight between brothers Sandor Clegane, our beloved antihero The Hound, and his ghastly brother, Gregor Clegane, The Mountain, has been longed for by fans for a while now. In the Season 7 finale, we got a brief glimpse of what that could look like as the pair squared up at the Dragon Pit in King’s Landing. Will some of the main characters turn into White Walkers? Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime, certainly thinks it’ll happen. “You know some of the main characters are going to get turned. There are going to be some blue-eyed main characters running around, ” he told Esquire. “And, god, I hope it’s not me. That’s three hours of make-up in the morning.” Is Bran Stark actually The Night King? This popular theory picked up a bit of steam in the last few months, as we learned more about Bran’s powers and saw more of The Night King. The crux of this theory is, basically, that Bran Stark is actually The Night King. The theory suggests that Bran warged into The First Man as he is turned into a White Walker by the Children of the Forest and became trapped in that body. It’s pretty full on, but definitely plausible. Take a look here for the full lowdown. Scared Game Of Thrones GIF – Find & Share on GIPHY Discover & share this Season 6 GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs. How will the show end? Emilia Clarke has teased her final scene, saying of the experience: “It fucked me up. Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavour in someone’s mouth of what Daenerys is…” Clarke confirmed some widely theorised directions for her character as she spoke of “shooting for the first time with several of the show’s top stars, including Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark)”, as well as mysteriously teasing Daenerys “doing all this weird shit – you’ll know what I mean when you see it.” Kit Harington has also hinted at an “emotional” finale. Speaking to BBC Radio 2, he said he was glad that the pressure is now off his shoulders but that he has “always enjoyed” the massive success of the show. “I’ve actually just wrapped on Thursday last week,” he continued. “And it’s just been this amazing journey. I kinda said to them on my wrap speech that it’s always been more than a job. “They were a family and it was my life. I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve been quite emotional all last week thinking about having finished it.” On July 18, Natalie Dormer revealed that she knows how Game of Thrones will end. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Dormer – who played Margaery Tyrell on the show – said: “I’m excited to see the next season. I’m on the edge of my seat like everybody else. “I know A to B,” she said about her knowledge of how the show will finally end. “I know what B is, but I don’t know how they get B. But I do know B.” Meanwhile, Sophie Turner’s new tattoo could also hint at what lies in store for her character’s future. Turner recently got a new tattoo of a dire wolf and the words: “The pack survives.” Tattoo artist Lauren Winzer shared an image of her handiwork on the star’s body on Instagram, which you can see below. Stay tuned for for more Game of Thrones Season 8 information Source link

[theleftoverurl]

.*.*. October 16, 2017 .*.*.

Facing the Music :(

So I’m going to do a double-post about yesterday and today because I didn’t have time last night.

Yesterday was a very, very bad day because I finally had to face the music and deal with the fact that my disorganization has meant that I haven’t completed one of the capabilities that I need for my degree. I have been in denial about it for a long time and pushing it back. In first year I was very nervous and had strong personalities in my hospital group, so I never felt able to speak out and I did not feel comfortable (especially as I was a first year) doing my SOCAs then. By the end of the year I was in a mild form of panic about it, but rationalized that I had to do 4 and there were 4 courses next year, so all I had to do was do one per course. Additionally, I already had one under my belt sans reflection, and I don’t think the importance of the reflection had made its impression on me.

Despite the fact that upon reflection I sort of knew about that being a key component as expressed during clinical skills, the fact that I was still settling into interstate life, being in college underage and not being able to rely heavily on my friends because they were new led to this negligence. I made a terrible mistake out of laziness in not checking the other requirements, such as what courses I had to do them in and that they were actually due after the 3rd course of second year. I have also always struggled with asking for help as I have never really had to do it and I think maybe it is pride to some extent or just being scared to ask. I was also too scared to ask my new friends about the requirements of SOCAs or how to submit a reflection because it was so late in the year and I was afraid of judgment. In hindsight, it’s sort of fitting that I’m going to fail the Effective Communications capability.

Unfortunately for me, this realization all came crashing down towards the end of the second course and then I didn’t contact anyone about it because I was in a state of homesickness and general misery for most of the end of Semester 2 and couldn’t get my act together. I don’t want to call it depression but it was the most prolonged state of helplessness, stasis and low-key just feeling down that I’ve ever experienced. Veronica had suffered a panic attack, Hadeel had tried to kill herself, Kate’s dad was really sick so her mum had to come up, I was in the process of breaking up with my boyfriend and then I had this to stress about too and I just couldn’t deal. I considered talking to the psych about it, Ute, but I’ve never approached a psych before and I didn’t want it to seem like a cop-out trying to get out of the fact that I dropped the ball sort of thing. Also I just couldn’t seem to motivate myself to do anything during this period. Luckily 2nd course ended so I got to go home and recuperate a bit.

Then when I got back ready to start 3rd course and deal with this I realized a terrible thing – I forgot to submit my hospital SOCA for the 2nd course amidst all that misery. I was very upset because I made super sure to get it done, but there is no fax machine in college and so my inherent lack of motivation kicked in and I brought it with me to Perth to scan it in during the holidays but by then it was too late. Then we had a weeklong break because it was university break even though we had just started so the med office was closed, and the week before that I went to Singapore (I arranged it so I only ended up missing one class and I am glad that I went).

Then last week I spoke to Katie, head of my floor about it because I wanted advice and anatomy help for pracs and she wasn’t very helpful, to be completely honest. Very lovely and encouraging, but I knew then that I had to go to MESO. I went that Friday but the Phase 1 coordinator was not in, so I sent an email. The reply came on yesterday.

My issues with communicating about this issue were sort of exacerbated by email because I had to keep it short and to the point. Also I know all of the above does not negate the fact that I just dropped the ball and was lazy and disorganized and it’s jeopardized by degree but I’m a university student and a teenager, so I wanted to sort of explain myself and realized that I just can’t. There’s no way I can summarize the above and frankly I don’t really think it makes a difference to my case either way. However my lack of being able to tell my account and the fact that my case bounced between different people in charge through a very long email chain meant that I spent the entire day being reprimanded by different people, and ruminating on my mistakes without really having an outlet to vent/let it out/explain myself. This made me very miserable and distracted so I probably didn’t do a very good job at all of tutoring that afternoon.

However, luckily my common sense kicked in enough to realize I still have to prepare for exams and I still have to try my best in anatomy and study really hard for the other components, so I had quite a productive day. Hospital was cancelled because our tutor forgot and my ethics teaching for peer teaching was today so I did a lot of work on that and got through some notes for the general med course. We had a group meeting and I had come up with some really interesting/controversial ethical issues and linked them to the main topic (euthanasia) so it was a really good group meeting. I really like Luke, he’s a top bloke and Kuheli and Hei Wai were good at expressing their opinions which gave me a lot of hope for my lesson.

Then after tutoring I missed the bus (probably because my mind was after other things) and so made it as far as Newmarket and then had to pay $15 to Uber home which was really annoying. In a very, very bad mood I went up to Floor 7 where Kate was starting to pre for El Topo and I figured that there wasn’t really much more I could do about my Effective Communications cap right now, so I might as well go out and have fun. I borrowed a really nice dress from her for pink party (to raise awareness for breast cancer) and we drank a bottle of bubbly. By then I was feeling a little better because I’m (too) good at compartmentalizing my problems. We joined Loz and Jaime and stuff for a floor crawl and Linley was absolutely trashed. Then we headed for the bus. I was feeling good cos I only had 3.5 standards in me so wasn’t drunk at all and it was the last time Baxter went out as a college and the last party bus too.

Linley vomited into a bin the whole bus ride, so Max took her home. Kate, Claudia and Nick were really triggered because she was being dramatic about it and wanting them to leave the club to see her and they didn’t want to. Kate and I had agreed as soon as the music was shit we would go home because I wanted an early night to do work in the morning and she had class but the music was so good. It was a really good night and we still left relatively early and Hamish tagged along. Kate went straight to bed when we got back and so I was left to my own devices. I added tuna to Mi Goreng and it was probably one of the best decisions of my life. A bit too salty but I love tuna and I love noods and I felt proteinated and a bit more healthy and a bit more full. Brilliant.

Hamish sent me the weirdest passive-aggressive texts about me ignoring him all night and never talking to him etc. etc. and it was just so awkward because like I do want us to be friends but I also don’t really care like I’m not really going to touch base a lot or anything. I want it to sort of be like low maintenance cos I ain’t got a lot of time but I feel like he and I are just on completely different pages now.

Finally, full and feeling marginally better, I took the 4h of sleep available to me.

 .*.*. October 17, 2017 .*.*.

Work, work, work, work, work, work :)

That title is fairly representative of my life anyway in the next 2 weeks with 55 lectures to catch up on.

Anyway, I was woken up at 7:00 to take the college picture which I didn’t really give a shit about but didn’t want judgment from Kate for not going. I then tried to go in my Baxter jumper and pyjama shorts but then saw that everyone bothered to put on nice clothes so rushed back to change. How ridiculous. We are wearing our academic gowns so you only see a strip of clothing and there are 210 people in Baxter, so you’re hardly gonna see you pinky fingernail-sized face let along your formal dinner gowns. I felt so dead but a little better after hot brekky.

Then I tried to get back to sleep to no avail and was just drifting off when I was woken by the cleaner. I took my book Peak and my laptop to the common room and had a nice peaceful morning reading and doing lots of med work. I skipped the tutorial we had (I think it was physiology?) because I got a follow-up email from the professor in charge of portfolios for my college and the time he gave me to ring him was during the tute. I gave him a call and it was really quick and basically he said he has no information about what I can do, he has to ask Dr. Taylor (who refused to tell me anything yesterday so good luck) and to get back to him tomorrow. He did say if I fail though it “sets you back to the end of February” which I think is wrong because we don’t start uni till then anyway? Anyway all you do is rewrite your portfolio and they “get you to do things like SOCAs” so I think it should be okay cos I can’t imagine being set back very far and my only concern now is doing the SOCAs when I’m in Perth for the holidays, but I can probably come back early anyway as I have settled accommodation here. So that was some relatively good news.

I ran my ethics tutorial and it wasn’t as good as I expected but it was also more interesting and in some ways better than I expected too. Karim said it was interesting which I thought was high praise. Steph was her usual self-absorbed whiny self and Pam looked like she was gonna kill me when I gave my argument for gay marriage. However, everyone participated and I think they at least appreciated what I was trying to do. No one in my group commented on it so I think it was okay. Then we had a last minute group meeting and I was allocated the Johari windows again RIP but I think I can bullshit it well enough (hopefully). It doesn’t really matter anyway.

Then I went to tutor Ella and mum rang me on the bus. I was running really late (30min!) which was embarrassing but mum and I had a good chat even though I feel kind of bad I’m not telling her about this portfolio fiasco but I also feel like that will just cause her unnecessary anger and stress when I’m handling it (finally). I love Ella she’s a beautiful girl and we are really going to work on her problem solving skills so that she’s a confident maths student by the time I’m done with her. Her dad Scott is really nice too.

Then I bussed back and tried to do anatomy but maybe it was the 4h sleep or maybe it was the sudden alleviation of stress from the day before or maybe because I only ate a salad all day but I fell asleep and had an hour-long nap. Then when I woke up I started reading Gray’s Anatomy because I think textbooks are helpful and the consequence is I have a lot of work left to do but I think the nap was a good idea anyway because my concentration was noticeably better.

Now it’s bedtime and tomorrow will be another chaotic day, full of group meetings and tutoring and lectures and follow-up for portfolio and also Tas has come and is staying the night?! So yeah lots of fun and I don’t really even mean that sarcastically, at least I’m busy and my life is sorting itself out and we will just deal with each day as it comes.

[evilsapphyre]

Sapphy’s Spoilerific Review

Season 7 Episode 6

In case the title isn’t specific enough, this will be a very spoiler-filled review for Game of Thrones.

Well, what the fuck.

That’s my mindset after that episode. 

What. The. Fuck.

So, let’s just skip right ahead into the continuing longshot of the opening credits as the camera sweeps over the Painted Table to where Eastwatch sits on it, making it a simple segue to the Fellowship of the Crazy Stupid Idea. Because seriously, the idea to capture a wight, is fucking stupid. Just in case I didn’t make that painfully clear in my last update. 

Also, it’s amusing to me that the Fellowship is made of seven named characters plus five red shirts. If you’re hip to the know of book lore, there’s some symmetry that you can argue with the legend of the Last Hero of the Long Night who travelled with his twelve companions. Just keep that in mind for later in the episode.

The journey to wherever they are going to travel starts off well enough, under bright and clear blue skies. The men banter amongst themselves as they walk, trudging forwards to Icy Mount Doom. Gendry lets loose his anger towards Beardy McTopnot and the Undead Lightning Lord about how they sold him to the Red Woman. Gendry doesn’t help his plight by telling them that the Red Woman stripped him and tied him to a bed. He’s also told that he’s not dead, so to stop whining about it. I must say, I have missed the gruff and brutal honesty of the Hound. He’s like the voice of reason that we never realized that we needed. Since it seems to be a long journey, we cut to another important dialogue also involving The Hound. Apparently, he has the most to say on this journey. 

Next up is a conversation with my least favorite person to get screen time of late, Tormund of the Bear Fuckery. (Okay, I don’t hate Tormund as a character, except for whenever he looks at Brienne or talks about her.) So Tormund starts to wax poetic about this beauty of his that is madly in love with him to The Hound. Based on the description, Sandor can easily deduce that he is speaking of Brienne, the woman who bested him and left him for dead back in the Riverlands. Tormund’s eyes light up, and for a second, it looks like Sandor wants to backhand him for being with that woman. But, Tormund at least admits that he hasn’t won her over, and that she is waiting for him back in Winterfell. (Which she isn’t.) And they’ll have monstrous babies that will take over the world…. And just stop. Really. Just fucking stop. Which, The Hound reads my mind and basically tells Tormund the same thing. 

Tormund also has a talk with Jon, that thankfully does not have anything to do with his unrequited crush on Brienne. They talk of Mance, and how Mance never knelt. Tormund talks about how Mance should have based on what he knows now. It seems important for them to point that out this early in the episode. Maybe Jon is going to be a kneeler after all. (Tormund also has a few jabs about how Winterfell is part of the South too early on.)

Finally, the last conversation between the groups of note is between Jon and Jorah, in a topic that I think would have come up sooner, but hey, better late than never. Jon takes off Longclaw and offers it back to Ser Friendzone, who looks at it with longing and regret, just not quite to the same level that he reserves from his Queen. He then hands the sword back to Jon, stating that it was given to him and that he hopes it will serve Jon and his sons well in the future. And, as I said at this point during my viewing, farewell Ser Friendzone. I feel your time is nigh.

We’ll come back to the North towards the end, but first, we’ll cut to Dragonstone. Tyrion and Dany are fretting at first over the stupid idiots that went North. Too bad she didn’t protest more about how stupid their idea is, and that maybe they shouldn’t do it. After all, heroic men tend towards a heroic death. Tyrion astutely points out that Jon fits that same model, and that she’s falling for him. She protests, but not very much. The conversation steers towards the armistice. Both Tyrion and Dany are trying to figure out how Cersei will betray them, as they expect that’s the only outcome that could come. Tyrion tells her that they have to think like their enemy if they want to win, and then it steers towards how Cersei rules with fear, and Aegon ruled with fear. Fear is the wheel, and Dany can’t rule with Fear if she is going to break the wheel. While discussing that, Tyrion also mentions that she needs to name an heir since she can’t have an heir. She won’t listen to it, not until she has her crown. (There’s also a point where Tyrion tells her that she needs to keep her temper, and not burn her enemies - and I’m surprised her glare didn’t burn him.)

In Winterfell, we’re given more of the Arya/Sansa show who are bickering like Season 1 still, except now they're adults, and Arya is a scary person. After Arya tells Sansa about this story of their father watching her shoot an arrow over and over again until she hit the bullseye, she informs Sansa that she has the letter she wrote Robb all those years ago. Some of the old wounds are bared for both to see regarding how their father died, and we as the audience know both sides of the story. It plays out now that Arya just has an axe to grind in Sansa’s head, and well, she at least doesn’t have the actual axe yet. 

Sansa talks to Littlefinger some time later about the very same thing, and how she has all these lords that support her, but if they found out about that letter? She seems genuinely distraught at the idea, but Littlefinger is all about trying to take advantage of this situation. He suggests that Brienne might have to protect one of the sisters if things don’t improve. After all, she’s sworn to protect both daughters, and if one wanted to hurt the other… It’s more seeds, but it seems clumsy. I think they don’t know what to do with Littlefinger anymore.

Which they seem to be grasping at what to do with Brienne as well. Apparently, Sansa is going to send her south to King’s Landing for the meeting with Cersei. Sansa says she’s not stupid enough to walk into Cersei’s grasp again, and Brienne will be a fine enough person to treat in her stead. And she even name drops Jaime there for Brienne, which I’m at least down with that. However, Brienne doesn’t want to leave Sansa, especially with Littlefinger still there. Sansa will hear none of it, telling Brienne she doesn’t need protection, and she better hurry - even turning away the offer to leave Podrick behind. And given that Sansa burned the letter, something seems off about the scene. But hey, maybe Sansa’s spies beyond the wall heard that Tormund was hopeful that Brienne was waiting for him, and Sansa knowing where Brienne’s true love lies, sent Brienne south to rescue her fair Jaime.

Wrapping things up in Winterfell, Sansa goes snooping in her sister’s room. What could go wrong with rifling through her angry and murder happy younger sister’s stuff? Of course, she’s looking for the letter, and when she finds a bag under the bed, she discovers - not the letter - but a bunch of faces. She’s made of much sterner stuff than I now, as I’m fairly certain I’d be screaming if I found a bag of faces tucked under my brother’s bed. Arya comes strolling in, and she decides it’s time to play the lying game (not to be confused with the crying game). Sansa demands to know what the hell is going on with the faces, and Arya goes into cryptic lies about wanting to be Sansa. All she needs to do is take her face, which she emphasizes with by playing with the Valyrian steel dagger. She then hands Sansa the dagger and leaves.  It seems to me with the way she goes on in this scene, that maybe Arya has been playing the game with Sansa all along. After all, that would explain all her really odd behavior, in her other scenes. I just don’t know if Sansa would be aware. I think it’s plausible that Sansa and Arya are both playing the games on how to beat Littlefinger the way they know how, but they are unaware of how the other is doing it. Perhaps Sansa getting Arya’s dagger now is a way for Arya to later claim Sansa’s face (which I don’t think the person has to be dead to claim their face) so she can get close to Littlefinger.

Back in the North, the Dumb Ass Fellowship of the North Excursion, find themselves in blizzard like conditions now. Up ahead, the first red shirt bites it as they are besieged upon by an undead polar bear. RIP, lowly red shirt wildling. The group bands together, doing what they can to fight off the bear, but not without some additional cost. The bear latches onto Beardy McTopknot, ripping into his chest. The others stab him with flaming weapons, so it’s a great big flaming bear, which causes the Hound to be paralyzed with fear. Fortunately for Beric, and the others, Thoros does not die, and Beric cauterizes the wound with his flaming sword.

Once the weather clears, the Fellowship finds themselves nearing the point of Icy Mount Doom, which The Hound points out. In a nearby ravine, they spy some of the undead traveling so they concoct the plan in which they will lure the undead so they can capture one. And from there, it’s on. They light a simple campfire, and a group of wights with one White Walker arrives. The Fellowship springs their trap, and they try to fight the wights without killing them. Jon takes on the White Walker, killing it, and all but one of the wights are instantly slain along with it. They subdue the last wight quickly, but it becomes apparent that this was nothing more than trap-ception, as the Night’s King unveils his trap for them. Gendry gets voluntold that he will run back to Eastwatch and send for help, and oh, by the way, they’re keeping his hammer. So, run Gendry, run. While he is running, the others run in the opposite direction, giving him time to break away. They cross some thin ice, barely making it to a rocky outcropping in the center of a lake before they are surrounded by the undead. It seems for now that they have to hope Gendry makes it to Eastwatch before he is killed.

And fortune is with the brave and stupid heroes, as Gendry collapses just outside the gate to the Wall. He tells Davos that they need to get word to Dany about what happened, and then we see Dany getting word in Dragonstone the next morning where she is about to fly off her all her dragons to save the idiots. So, this is good. She can end this now with all three dragons, as she can toast the Night King from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.

The Fellowship mostly survived through the night, but it seems that the combination of the cold and the wounds spell the end of Beardy McTopknot. I guess he doesn’t get the same gift of eternal warmth like his Priestess sister, Mellisandre. RIP Thoros of Myr, we’ll miss your drunken happiness. Jon tells them they have to burn the body, and so at least for now, they’ll have some warmth for a bit.

The Hound gets bored waiting for the Dragon Queen, so he beings to chuck rocks at the undead. Which is amusing after the first throw, but then the second alerts the undead that the ice is now frozen enough for them to walk on it again. So now it’s time to eat the rest of our heroes. The remaining red shirts are quickly picked off, and we almost -almost- lose Tormund. (I was both scared and elated to see him possibly die. Like I said, I like Tormund. Just not his obsession with Brienne.) Just as it seems all hope is lost, Dany arrives with all three of her dragons, burning the undead in huge strafes. She then lands Drogon for all the Fellowship to climb on board - and all climb on board - except for Jon. Jon is torn between buying them more time, and maybe doing something stupid like going after the Night King.

The Night King decides to show off his athleticism, taking out an ice javelin and throwing it at Viserion who is still strafing. And GOD DAMNIT NIGHT KING! I MAY POKE FUN AT THE WYVERN-POSERS, BUT YOU DON’T KILL THE DRAGONS!! *sobs* WHY!?!?!?!

Apparently, the javelin is of Dragon’s Bane with True Aim cast upon it as it strikes Viserion in what must be the fire bladder. It erupts in his neck, blood gushing from the wound…

AND FUCK YOU! HOW COULD YOU KILL THAT POOR CREATURE?!? *more sobbing*

And Viserion falls into the lake, sliding under the water as a corpse- his brothers screeching in anguish.

FUCK YOU!

I CAN’T HANDLE THE MOURNING CRIES OF DRAGONS!

Jon seems emboldened with anger at the sight of the dead dragon, and I can’t say that I blame him. I want to kill the Night King for killing Viserion. Of course, he does indicate for Dany to leave with the others, as he is about to get overrun. As he falls into the lake himself, being dragged under, Dany and Drogon fly off with Rhaegal close at hand. As they disappear into the horizon and the Night King begins to leave, Jon reemerges from the lake, somehow, with all his furs and armor drenched. He grabs his sword and seems intent to continue his vendetta against the Night King, but suddenly a rider appears, wielding a flaming flail, or censer. It’s Benjen, aka Coldhands and I wonder if that is somehow Jon’s 12th companion on his first foray beyond the Wall? It would make sense, even if it seems a deus ex machina style event. He sticks Jon on his horse and sends him away, as he gets ripped apart by the undead.

Back at the Wall, Dany stands vigil on the Wall. Some may claim that she’s watching for Jon, but I think she’s looking for Viserion. She’s in shock, not wanting to admit that one of her children has been killed in front of her eyes. She scans the horizon looking for a sign of her child to return to her, but instead, the horn sounds, and they see the lone rider - Jon. He gets scooped up by Davos and company, and put on a ship promptly, the same one that Sandor at least is taking to King’s Landing with their still functioning wight. Jon is stripped of his frozen clothes, and Dany sees his scars firsthand, including his stab wound to the heart. Maybe Davos wasn't using a figure of speech. When he awakens, he has a touching scene with Dany. They hold hands, she pledges herself and her assets to his war, and he figuratively bends the knee. Sansa will be mad. 

But not as mad as me when I watch the fucking Night King have his men drag Viserion’s body from the lake with giant chains. He then walks up and lays a hand on the snout - only for Viserion to open a bright blue eye. 

So, fuck you once more, Night King. 

Instead of being delighted that Brienne and Jaime may finally reunite, I'm terrified at the prospect of an undead dragon wreaking havoc over the lands. 

Guess I'll have to see how things go on Sunday. For now, I'll just continue to cry myself asleep.