#definitely not a 6 foot 4 military man who could kill me

[mirouie]

he’s literally pookie

My fav genre of Simon Riley is the: can't flirt for shit version, where he' gets flustered or just...not comprehending

ie:

"You know....we go could go back to my place."

"We live together. Obviously we're going back home."

"Simon-oh my god just go with it."

"....Sorry, I mean I would love to go back to my home where my bed is and go watch tv on my telly and in my living room-"

"no, no, no it's- no, stop."

---

"Oooo, look at you...my handsome man, my beautiful boy, oh...i love you so much."

...

"Simon?"

....

"baby are you breathing?"

quite literally squeaking, "Thank you."

[passable-talent]

Part 7 of the Dai Li series please!!! Excellent work again, as usual- I'm DYING XD

guess how long it took for this request to come in?

eleven minutes!! thats a new record!!

and so we return... ANOTHER whole month later!

| part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 |

“I need you to tell me what happened to Iroh.”

Zuko kept your gaze, his eyes almost wide. You didn’t look away, couldn’t let yourself. A few heartbeats passed, and he looked away, shame clear on his face. 

“He was put in jail,” Zuko said, closing his eyes. “I visited him often, but when I went to help him break out during the eclipse, he was already gone.” Slowly, his gaze returned to you. “I wish I could tell you I knew where he was.” It made sense, what he was saying, and you knew he wasn’t lying. You had hoped something else had become of Iroh, that day, that maybe he’d escaped after securing yours, but some part of you knew that he was likely jailed in the Fire Nation, if not dead. 

Broken out, though. He had made it out- just like Zuko. Maybe, someday, they’d see each other again. 

But for now, you were satisfied. Zuko, though responsible for Iroh’s imprisonment in an odd way, was ashamed of it. And you wouldn’t hold against him actions that he was paying for. Your heart beating, yet stinging like a raw wound, you fell back into his chest, spending any long moment you could in his arms, the sky darkening around you and revealing its stars. 

The days before Sozin’s Comet just felt odd. 

Four days from the comet, you went to a play, which didn’t mention you at all. That pissed you off- you were instrumental to their escape from Ba Sing Se! Who the hell else would’ve protected Katara from Azula if not you? Not to mention Zuko died in it, which surprised all of you, most of all, Zuko. 

His upset from the night before bled into the next morning, when he attacked Aang. The terror in your chest, when you saw the fire struck toward the avatar again, was thick and visceral. You never thought you’d see him attack Aang again, not after Ba Sing Se, and you didn’t understand what had happened that made him so violent, so suddenly. 

But when you attempted to come to Aang’s aid, and stood between the avatar and the prince, you caught his gaze. That malice that you’d seen in Ba Sing Se, that you’d hated so much, that you expected to see now, in a prince gone mad- it wasn’t there. 

Zuko wasn’t doing this out of hatred for Aang. 

It stunned you enough that the prince slipped past you, continuing his attack. You watched as a spectator, until they dove into the attic, your mind swimming. What could Zuko be thinking?

Okay, so he was confused at Aang’s complacency. Real interesting decision making process there, Zuzu, attacking him to resolve such an issue. 

Three days from the comet. You run a drill- which didn’t make much sense as an actual plan, you had to say, but not many of these other teenagers had the benefit of actual military training like you. Your job was to draw fire with Sokka and Suki- and, though Sokka didn’t admit it, to be an earthbender who could throw up a shield at any time. It was fun training, which you hadn’t really gotten to be a part of for a while. 

Two days from the comet, and Aang is missing. 

Which is really, really, really bad. 

Like, sure, the kid wasn’t exactly super ready to face Ozai, but he’s still the avatar, right? That’s still got to count for something. And he’s missing, leaving a very gifted and still extremely underqualified gaggle of teenagers to face the Fire Lord. 

So you went to the Earth Kingdom. Zuko took you to an old friend named Jun, who seemed to go way back, back to before you’d met Zuko. She seemed like she’d be helpful, but then revealed even more deeply unsettling information- Aang was gone. Which was much, much worse than missing. 

So, facing the Fire Lord without the Avatar. How fun. 

And yet, there was a glimmer of hope, in the form of an old, smelly sandal, which really made you wonder why the hell Zuko still had it. And, really, now that you thought about it, how Zuko even got it. The Shirshu could definitely catch a scent from that- anyone with a half working nose could. 

One day from Sozin’s comet, and most of it was already gone, spent chasing a shirshu across the Earth Kingdom. Appa was the best, letting you sleep on a massive paw, and though he was itchy, it was much better than taking the time to set up your beds. Though, your rest didn’t last long- quickly you were ambushed, a ring of fire surrounding you. Four men looked down upon you, and though you didn’t recognize three of them, you did know King Bumi, and assumed that the others must be friends, if he were in league with them. 

“Well, look who’s here!” Bumi said, a snorting laugh following his words. You saw relief and joy on Sokka and Katara’s face, and so you knew that your assumption was true. It seemed like, for the first time in a few days, you were about to catch a break. 

“What’s going on? We’re surrounded by old people.” A smile cracking your face, you had to be grateful for Toph, and her outlook on the world. 

“Not just any old people. These are great masters, and friends of ours!” She bowed to an old man with long white hair. “Pakku.” 

“It is respectful to bow to an old master,” he said, returning her bow, “but how about a hug, for your new grandfather?” You raised an eyebrow as the siblings reacted with surprise, but not too much, like that was a normal thing to say, if exciting. Following their conversation, though, you picked up enough details to figure out a bit of the history that they must’ve had. 

“And this was Aang’s first firebending teacher!” Katara explained, and Sokka went on to explain the name of the third. 

“Master Piandao,” he said, and you smiled brightly, even if it was to yourself- this was truly a lucky day. 

“So, wait, how do you all know each other?” Suki asked. 

“All old people know each other, don’t you know that?” Bumi said with another snorting laugh. 

“We’re all part of the same ancient secret society,” Piandao explain, causing your gaze to shift to the matching uniforms they each wore. “A group that transcends the divisions of the four nations. 

“The Order of the White Lotus,” Zuko interjected, and you looked sideways at him, wondering how he knew that. He had a smile on his face- he looked hopeful. 

“That’s the one!” Bumi answered.

“The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, and beauty, and truth,” Jeong-Jeong began, and as you crossed your arms over yourself to protect them from the wind, you were glad that such a society exists in such a war-torn world. “But about a month ago, a call went out that we were needed for something important.”

“It came from our Grand Lotus,” Pakku said, diverting his eyes to Zuko. “Your uncle. Iroh of the Fire Nation.” While Zuko’s expression softened, yours brightened- Iroh was as trustworthy as you had always known him to be. You were glad to know that he kept peace just as much as he preached it. 

“Well, that’s who we’re looking for,” Toph said. 

“Then we’ll take you to him.” Reaching Jun and her shirshu, it felt sure that you were going to see Iroh again. But when you followed her for a day, the inevitability of it dribbled away. Yet here, again, your hope renewed, that you could see him again, and be reminded that there was at least one adult in the world that you could really, deeply trust.

“Wait,” Bumi shouted, shoving himself to the midst of the conversation, “There’s someone missing from your group. Someone very important... where’s Momo??”

“He’s gone,” Sokka said, clearly deeply troubled by having Bumi’s nose pressed to his face, “and so is Aang.”

“Oh well, so long as they have each other, I’m sure we have nothing to worry about!” Bumi said, prompting you to wonder what the king had seen and experienced to allow news such as a missing avatar to not startle him. “Let’s go!” 

It was a surprisingly far walk to the Order’s camp, in which the old masters caught up with their friends, and filled each other in on details. You kept quiet, having not personally known any of them. 

The sun came up as you reached the camp, and Zuko entered his uncle’s tent, to wait. You sat outside with Toph, but decide not to practice your seismics- whatever was happening between Zuko and Iroh deserved to stay between them. 

A nice stew was your breakfast, the gaang all sitting around its pot, with Iroh sitting at the head of the group. You’d sat between Zuko and Toph, one leg propped up on its foot with the other extended in front of you. Iroh had given you a long hug when he saw you- delighted that you had continued your path alongside the avatar, and secretly even more delighted that Zuko’s path had also lead him back to you.

“Uncle, you’re the only person other than the avatar who can possibly defeat the fatherlord,” Zuko said, and though you heard his mistake, you only smiled into your stew. 

“You mean the Fire Lord.” Because you could count on Toph to do it for you. 

“That’s what I just said,” Zuko snapped, but it was merely his temper, not true anger. “We need you to come with us.” Iroh seemed to consider for a moment. 

“No, Zuko, it won’t turn out well,” Iroh began, and you lifted your head, ready to hear true, unfiltered Iroh wisdom. 

“You can beat him,” Zuko insisted, before looking sideways across the rest of the group. “And we’ll be there to help.” You gave him a smile, but ultimately turned your attention back to Iroh.

“Even if I did defeat Ozai,” he began, “and I don’t know that I could, it would be the wrong way to end the war. History will see it as more senseless violence: a brother killing a brother to grab power.” Slowly you brought another bite of your stew to your lips, but once you had, your chopsticks slowly maneuvered around your fingers, finding a way to fidget as you considered. “The only way for this war to end peacefully is for the avatar to defeat the Fire Lord.” You let out a quick breath, recognizing the sense in his words, but feeling worry reveal itself. Wasn’t Aang... gone? Off world?

“And then... would you come and take your rightful place on the throne?” Zuko asked.

“No,” Iroh said, quickly, like he’d been prepared for such a question. “Someone new must take the throne- an idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor.” He was speaking directly to Zuko, and you understood before he’d had to say it. “It has to be you, Prince Zuko.” 

In all the time you’d known Zuko, you had known him as a lot of different things. Refugee. Waiter. Friend. Crush. Traitor. Enemy. Prince. Fire Nation. And in all that time, you’d realized his lineage, as the eldest child of the Fire Lord, and certainly most sane. Yet, in all that time, you’d never considered what he was poised to become: the Fire Lord himself. 

In that moment, you nearly felt the need to bow, or scoot away, as though you were reminded of his royalty, the true meaning of the term ‘prince’. Wasn’t the bloodline of the Fire Nation royals considered to have been made royal by the spirits? 

Inferiority didn’t even begin to cover it, but you’d worry about that another day. 

“Unquestionable honor?” He asked, looking away from his uncle. “But I’ve made so many mistakes.” At long last, days after you felt like you had finally forgiven the prince, you were put in a position where you could accept or deny the way he had hurt you in the past. But you weren’t just an earth kingdom citizen, not anymore. You were world-travelled, a soldier, a warrior, a friend to the future fire lord and the avatar alike. You knew the mature and good and right thing to do. And in that moment, it wasn’t to hold above him the things he’d done to you, but instead to recognize the way he’d overcome them. You shuffled closer to him. 

“Yes, you have,” Iroh admitted, his gaze briefly meeting yours. “You’ve struggled, you’ve suffered.” Gently, you took one hand from your bowl, and laid it on his, where he’d left it on his knee. He didn’t look at you, but his fingers slid around yours slowly. “But you have always followed your own path. You have restored your own honor. And only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation.” 

“I’ll try, uncle,” he promised, and you knew he would make good on it. 

“Well, what if Aang doesn’t come back?” Toph asked, and you once again thanked her for saying the things you couldn’t seem to get past your tongue.

“Sozin’s comet is arriving, and our destinies are upon us,” Iroh declared, using his chopsticks for emphasis. “Aang will face the Fire Lord. When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would one day take Ba Sing Se. Only now do I see that my destiny is to take it back, from the Fire Nation, so the Earth Kingdom can be free again.”

“That’s why you’ve gathered the members of the White Lotus,” Suki said, her words prompting you to look around at the dozen other old masters, who would be more than capable of pulling your mighty home city from the grasp of a few Fire Nation soldiers. 

“Yes,” Iroh agreed, turning his gaze back to the prince. “Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation, so that when the Fire Lord falls, you can assume the throne, and restore peace, and honor. But Azula will be there, waiting for you.”

“I can handle Azula,” Zuko said, malice written across his face, but this time for your first real enemy. 

“Not alone,” Iroh insisted, “you’ll need help.”

“You’re right,” Zuko admitted. “Katara, Y/N. How would you like to help me put Azula in her place?” A devious smile spread over Katara’s face.

“It would be my pleasure,” she said, and you couldn’t help but smile as their gazes turned to you. 

“She’s had it coming,” you said, cracking your knuckles of your free hand into your thigh. 

“What about us?” Sokka asked, from between Toph and Suki, “What’s our destiny today?” 

“What do you think it is?” Iroh asked, halfway to his next mouthful of stew, and for a moment you saw Mushi again, being cheeky back at the Jasmine Dragon when he suggested you do something that would put you in Zuko’s path. 

“I think that,” Sokka began, considering, “even though we don’t know where Aang is, we need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleet.”

“And that means, when Aang does face the Fire Lord, we’ll be right there if he needs us.” Toph’s attitude, as though she would take on the comet herself, and win, filled you with a sense of hope. You could win the day. 

You rested your back against Appa’s saddle, leaning over the side to say your goodbyes to the Order. 

“So if I’m going to be Fire Lord after the war is over,” Zuko said, once again reminding you of such an insane fact, “What are you going to do?” 

“After I reconquer Ba Sing Se, I’m going to reconquer my tea shop!” You couldn’t help but laugh, remembering the place you’d fallen in love with Zuko, back before the world had fallen down around you. You could imagine going back there, when it was all over. “And I’m going to play Pai Sho every day!” His happiness, his hope, was infectious. 

“Goodbye, General Iroh,” Katara said, and you leaned down on your elbow, as though you could give him one last hug before you left. You already had- but that didn’t curb the impulse. 

“Goodbye, everyone. Today, destiny is our friend. I know it.” You could believe him. For that moment, you were filled with strength, and the feeling that though the day would be hard, it would be won. It had to be. 

Appa kicked off from the ground, and you crawled to the front of the saddle, closer to Zuko. 

“Hey, Zuko?” You asked, taking a deep breath. 

“Yes?” he didn’t look away from Appa’s path, but turned his head toward you. 

“When this is all over, I...” you swallowed, hard, but kept yourself from putting it off any further. “I’m ready to love you again. I think I already do.” 

And then, in that moment, for Zuko, there was a thousand more reasons why he needed to win the day. 

-🦌 Roe

stay tuned (aka request) for the series finale... 

edit: | part 8 |

tag list: @lammello @kittyddandnyla @aangsupremacy @qquell @caitff @coldlilheart @sleeping-with-the-fishes @duh-dobrik @dxcter @furblrwurblr @eridanuswave @bernadineisreborn @angxlicwanda @lmaoashley-blog @celamoon @mywigglybaby @silentwhispofhope @the-girl-in-the-box @mavix @eury-dice3 @ninipoo1 @bigbuckyenergy @lucensei @srgania @uncovered-mad-man @11mb0 @deansbbysblog @pillowjj @ilovespideyyy @heavensgaymenace @thearachna-kid @llama2264 @anime-simp @akariblue @lostgirlheart @kacchasu @ctrl-alt-jeon @tadpoledancer @i-bitch-you-bitch @wetleafwrites @annie-17 @vintageroses10 @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @smol-vy @lana-isabelle @doomedcampesinos @luleck @izzieserra @little-miss-sleep-deprived

[needtherapy]

soaring, carried aloft on the wind...continued 23

An arranged-marriage story for Xichen and Mingjue, in another time and another place.

The Beifeng, the mighty empire of the north, invaded more than a year ago, moving inexorably south and east.

In order to buy peace, the chief of the Lan clan has given the Beifeng warlord a gift, his second oldest son in marriage. However, when Xichen finds out he makes a plan.

He, too, can give a gift to the Beifeng warlord, and he will not regret it.

Part 1: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 Part 2: 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 … HOME

It’s complete on AO3 here.

Notes: Check the tags if you’re concerned about the pairings ;)

For translations of the entirely fictitious Beifeng language, you’ll have to scroll to notes. I’m only going to translate something that’s not clear in the text. Sadly, there’s just not any other good way to do it on Tumblr!

Chapter 23

Xichen has never kissed anyone but Mingjue; he is at first too shocked to react, and then an intrigued, analytical side of his mind registers the differences, the unaccountable differences. Guangyao tastes like salt and wine. He is less demanding than Mingjue in some ways, but there is a fierce intensity in him, like a darting fox on the prowl. Instead of the inexorable heat of Mingjue’s passion, Guangyao’s mouth and hands are the tantalizing flutter of wings, a brush of eyelashes across Xichen’s skin. What does it mean, Xichen wonders, that he is not repulsed by kissing Guangyao as he suspects he should be?

Guangyao makes a soft sound of surprise in the back of his throat and slides his arms around Xichen’s neck, pressing forward with his hips, pushing him back further, and Xichen realizes his intent. With a clanging gong of clarity, it stops being an entertaining experiment. Even if he is distantly curious about what it would be like to bed someone else, it is less appealing without Mingjue to share it with. And no abstract reward is worth this risk to Mingjue’s trust, to his family’s treaty or—he is now fairly certain—to Huaisang’s heart. It is no hardship to plant his feet and untangle Guangyao’s arms from around his neck.

“Guangyao, stop. You’re drunk.” Xichen murmurs, cupping his hands around Guangyao’s shoulders and pushing him gently away. Tousled and flushed, Guangyao looks hurt and vulnerable, and Xichen has a flutter of regret. But this close, he can see a faintly purpling mark on Guangyao’s neck, on the soft skin just under his jawline. “And I do not think you truly want me, do you?”

“You underestimate your appeal, Xichen,” Guangyao says, with a charming smile, smoothly shifting from brittle and aching into an openly flirtatious man Xichen is even less familiar with. He skims slim and agile hands over Xichen’s chest, hooking one finger in the neck of Xichen’s tunic. “I am not too drunk to know what I want.”

“What purpose does this serve?” Xichen asks, truly mystified. There seems to be no value in seducing the Ikarahu commander’s lover, and he is not so vain as to imagine Guangyao does anything without value.

Guangyao blinks slowly at him, glancing up through downcast eyelashes, and his smile holds an enticing promise. Xichen isn’t as immune to the seduction as he ought to be and he moves back a step, putting space between him and this dangerous version of Guangyao.

“Perhaps I am lonely, Xichen,” Guangyao says, taking a half-step toward Xichen. “Ipira’orhew Ikira has made it clear he will not be alone with me, which is flattering, but unhelpful. You, though, are beautiful and, I think, not so uninterested.”

He tips his chin up, lips parting slightly, the invitation clear. Xichen is tired of being the only one who doesn’t seem to know the rules or stakes of this game he is somehow a part of. Unhelpful, Guangyao had said. What did he mean by unhelpful? It seems an important key to unlocking this puzzle, so Xichen accepts the offer, letting Guangyao’s lips meet his and trying to ignore the hands circling his waist.

“How could I possibly be helpful to you, Yao-ti?” he murmurs against Guangyao’s mouth, and Guangyao draws back with a frown, his spine straightening. Xichen expects him to lie or deflect, but instead, Guangyao’s response is unfortunately straightforward.

“Help me...” He lifts his chin and looks Xichen in the eyes, which does not reassure Xichen in the least. “Help me find a way to send the Beifeng home or extend the armistice while my father builds an army great enough to defeat them.”

Xichen steps back, this time more firmly, this time with fear. He had so hoped that Guangyao’s aim was only personal and not political, but of course he was wrong. Of course the Jin chief would not send his son to the Ikarahu without an ulterior motive. Xichen’s father had not, although at least his father was forthright with his goal.

“What you are asking of me...Guangyao, it would endanger…” he is unwilling to share the extent of his fear, and uncertain he knows how this Guangyao will react. “It would endanger the treaty with my clan.”

“If we are successful, it will not matter,” Guangyao says, a strange light in his eyes, and his right hand clenches unconsciously. “Please, Xichen. You do not understand. There is nothing else I can do. I am running out of time, and I am running out of options. I can not fail here.”

Xichen does understand, actually. Perhaps they had not intended to kill him, but Xichen suspects Guangyao’s father has already sent him an impatient message about the consequences of failure. Xichen feels a well of sympathy for Guangyao, but...

“What have you done already?”

Guangyao stiffens, and Xichen is so afraid of the answer, whether it is a truth or a lie.

“Nothing. I have done nothing, which is the problem, Xichen. I have sent my father one message, and his answer was...not satisfied. But I can not...there is no delay he will accept.”

Xichen can not imagine how Guangyao could have sent his father a message without Huaisang noticing. But then he knows. It is the only answer that fits.

“The bridge?”

Guangyao picks up a book, an account ledger, sitting neatly on a shelf and turns it over in his hands, brushing fingers across the rough leather, a tight expression pinching the corners of his mouth into a flat line. “The Ikarahu magic is unique, Xichen. Fascinating and powerful in such a different way than our people’s. My father does not think it holds danger. He values only foot soldiers and cavalry, but...he needed to see. It is a factor to consider if he is to build an army.”

Xichen wonders how intentional it was that tricking the Ikarahu into putting their magic on display also cost Guangyao’s father a bridge, a supply route, and provisions.

“Even if your father can launch a successful attack, the Ikarahu will not turn tail and go home without what they came for,” Xichen points out. “They will fight.”

Guangyao slams the book down, his voice turning bitter and angry. “Do you even know what they came for, Xichen? What they started a war for? What your family sold you for?”

Xichen shakes his head. “Does it matter? You know, do you not? Do you think it unimportant?”

He is angry now too, and frustrated by the lies and secrets of war. It seems like a child’s game of keepaway, and Xichen feels like an unwitting pawn. This time, he will not be used.

“You do not have to stay here, Guangyao. Mingjue will send you home in a week, and you can play maka from the comfort of Jinlin Tai. I will not endanger my family on your word, and…” He squares his shoulders, making a choice. “I will not sacrifice my own happiness for the Jin.”

“Then you have killed me as surely as if you speared me through the heart here and now. My father will not accept anything but success from his eldest son. I have no choice but to do whatever it takes. Whatever I must to be welcomed back home.” His tone has a vicious bite, but inexplicably, a tear slides down his cheek, and he turns away.

“Does inheriting the Jin clan mean so much to you?” Xichen asks. “You have another choice. You could choose to stay with people who care about you.” He ventures into deeper water. “You could choose to stay for Huaisang.”

Guangyao whirls on Xichen, bursting with unconcealed outrage. “How could you possibly understand? Your life in the Cloud Recesses was a dream, a sheltered fantasy. A family who loved you, a clan that respected you, a mother whose memory you were allowed to cherish? You have always had the privilege of your status and position, and you have never known what it was to fear for tomorrow.”

The words twist with venom in his mouth, and Xichen is stunned, taken aback by the accusations he doesn’t understand. They are both the privileged eldest sons of their fathers, both given away to buy peace. Of course he has known despair. Of course he has known fear. Yet, Guangyao’s fury is so raw, Xichen senses he’s missing something vital.

“I am as much a subordinate here as you are, and unlike you, I can never go home,” Xichen reminds him, and Guangyao’s brow furrows before he laughs, as brittle and bleak as the winds that shear through the camp.

“Are you truly that ignorant, Xichen? You are the edas ahora, the beloved husband of Ipira’orhew Ikira, and I assure you, he takes that definition seriously. Ahora’ipa is not a military title like Zewu-Jun, it is a bestowed honor, the acknowledgement of a relationship so dear it has a name. Did you think they were only words? That they meant nothing more than sound? Why would you want to go home, when clearly, your fortune here is never ending, aitapaho?”

He bites off the sentence with a jagged snap, turning the endearment into a curse. Xichen ignores both the spiteful words and the words that twist in painful hope. They’re only a distraction, he thinks, a veil to hide the truth. Until now, he hadn’t been sure, but Guangyao’s determination to hurt him, to turn his eyes away, has convinced him.

“Your fortune could be the same as mine, I suspect. Why can you not accept Huaisang’s affection as real?” Xichen touches the mark on Guangyao’s neck, the darkening love bite he recognizes. “Why can you not accept that your feelings matter too?”

Guangyao flushes and meets Xichen’s eyes. “Affection is a liability, Zewu-Jun.”

Xichen has to smile because finally, Guangyao has backed himself into a corner. “If that was true, you would be seducing Huaisang instead of me. I have no power here and no military knowledge. Could it be that you do not want to use him as I know you could?”

The only answer Xichen gets is an irate exhale, and in the silence, Xichen hears something that stops his heart.

The scream of fireworks in battle.

To be concluded in part 3!

[seven-oomen]

Love and Monsters Lore/Meta/Headcanons

Spoilers ahead!!!! I feel like I shouldn’t have to say it but obviously this will have spoilers for the movie.

Okay so strap in kiddos because I have spend my entire day rewatching the film, writing down all the little lines I could find and I think I’ve build a pretty decent understanding of its lore despite not having much information to fall back onto from other sources. (I don’t think it’s an easily accessible movie and there’s no wikis or whatever yet.)

Alright so here we go:

Part 1: The apocalypse

The apocalypse in this universe started 7 years before the story starts. An asteroid called Agatha 616 was headed for Earth. And in response Earth send up a bunch of chemical bombs to break up the asteroid.

It worked, a little too well. And those chemicals came back down on Earth and mutated all Cold-blooded animals. (Insects, fish, arachnids, reptiles, amphibians) From what we can tell, that’s all the chemicals affected. Warm blooded animals like Mammals and Birds  don’t seem to be affected. But the source material isn’t very definitive on this.

In the opening story Joel talks about how 95% of humanity basically got eaten to death by the mutated creatures. Even Clyde alludes to humanity being unaffected by referring to a line said by the governments/scientists at the time; “We’re the lucky ones, or so they said.”

To me that makes sense, insects in particular are so vast and so well adapted that if they ever got to the size of a truck, they would dominate pretty much all other species around them. That might also explain why we don’t see many mammals or birds around. I’ve been looking, haven’t found them just yet. Aside from Gertie the cow and Boy the dog.

One of the places were the apocalypse seems to have kicked off is in Fairfield, California. Clyde calls it ‘basically ground zero’ and is amazed that Joel (and Aimee by extension) even made it out of there. Although a part of that may be because I believe the whole “cast” is from the area between Sacramento California and San Fransicsco. I have my reasons for that, which I will explain in headcanons.

Another, based on a news clip in the beginning might be Washington DC and I think it slowly escalated from there, going Global in a matter of days. I think the highest concentration of humanity fell first (cities), which would make sense as more humans generally also means a lot of insects and other scavengers. Conflict would be high in these areas and a lot of people would die at once.

Joel also talks about how the military and the ‘big ones’ basically cancelled each other out and died out after another. Which again makes sense to me, you’d want the most dangerous creatures to be taken out first. A cockroach the size of a tank is definitely a priority. Although how one would kill a cockroach that size is also very questionable, considering what they can survive.

I think humanity held out for several months before they were forced into hiding by the mutated creatures and the news articles that seem to be around throughout the world and in the beginning seem to suggest that as well.

Part 2: Joel’s Journey

Now I am not an American and a lot of places have names that I know nothing about. So I had to Google it, rehear it and figure it out. But Joel’s journey takes him to Jenner Beach, we know based on a sign post that he passes Fulton and is headed off towards Sonoma Coast State Park. Based on those signs I have a made a trajectory of about 85 miles and approximately located Joel’s colony.

I’ve also circled Fairfield here to indicate where he started out. Now as I said, this is guess work based on what the movie gave me from the sign post.

Sonoma Coast state Park (30 miles), Fulton (6 Miles)

And from what the characters in the movie have been saying; Jenner Beach. So yeah, it’s guess work and I might be a couple of miles off, but I like to think this gives a good perspective.

7 days seems to sort of check out though, considering the terrain is rough and hilly/mountainy, you’d constantly have to hide, and you’d need to sleep/forage. But you’d be walking pretty slow still. I think you could make the journey in 5-6 days as well on foot.

Part 3: Clyde and Minnow’s Journey

Now these two are far more difficult to figure out because we don’t know much about them. Wikipedia indicates Clyde is a survival expert, so that’s the official title that I went with as well. He says he had a son named Elliott and that he was in a colony with Elliot, Minnow, and Minnow’s dad. Minnow also indicates that their colony was in a subway station. They were mostly headed North.

I think the most likely candidates for their ‘home base’ were Sacremento, but then why did they cross Joel’s path and didn’t head for Yosemite/ Mt. Whitney if they wanted to go to the mountains?

Or another likely candidate was Richmond. Which is what I went with. This is more headcanony though. Only because they mentioned going to the North as opposed to going East, towards Mt. Whitney. Maybe Sacremento and it’s valley are a no-go zone? That would sense, large open spaces are probably where larger creatures reside.

Part 4: Headcanons

Okay this last section is purely headcanon material and not at based on facts. So please don’t shoot me. (Yes, you may copy the headcanons if you like, I don’t mind.)

Clyde is a survival expert, hunter, and doomsday prepper in the city. He used to lead rich tourist/people onto expeditions into the wilderness of California.

His son Elliott was a State Ranger in one of the local wildlife parks/reservations. He was also very gay,

Clyde is a simple but open minded man who loved his son/family. He really didn’t care his son was gay and supported him.

They lived just outside of Richmond.

Their neighbors was an Indian Transman (as in his ancestors were from India). This was Minnow’s father.

Minnow was one when the Apocalypse hit. (This is somewhat canon actually.)

Her father carried her and gave birth to her, getting a hysterectomy a few months after.

Her father was also a great archer and used to teach people how to use a bow and arrow. He was also a great horseback rider.

When the apocalypse hit they tried to sit it out in Clyde’s shelter but due to circumstance were forced to leave and eventually ended up in a colony in Richmond. Which operated from a subway station. 

Elliott and Minnow’s father fell in love and paired up, raising Minnow together. Clyde became her grandfather figure.

They stayed there for about 4-5 years until an attack decimated the colony, including Minnow’s father and Elliott.

Clyde and Minnow have been surviving out on there own ever since and were slowly traveling up North until they found Joel in a Sandgobblers hole.

Part 5: Creatures

We know the following about the categories of creatures:

Insects: Have terrible peripheral vision

Lizards: Can’t climb for shit

Amphibians: Like to hide and lure in their prey

Sandgobblers: Bad asses, find prey by sound and vibration, their queen is bad news and has a fin.

You can tell if a creature is kind by looking into its eyes.

Bouldersnails are friendly, sensitive, but can crush your ass in a heartbeat.

-

And that’s what I have so far. Feel free to reblog and add to it if you’ve found more or want to enter a counter to some of the things I’ve found.

[jennadrawsandgames]

Don’t Go Alone - A Creepypasta OC Story

Before I get into the story, I want to tell you all that this is an original character I created. A story told in a different person’s perspective. Other than that, I hope you enjoy.

-

I’ve never expected that this town was the heart of missing people. Just the other day, a report of three middle school children went missing. I was fazzing out whenever the news reports talked about the children, and their names. I mean, they didn’t matter. I’m not some type of investigator or police officer. I’m just an average teacher at the prep school downtown that opened just months ago. If I needed to know the children’s names, then I would care. Besides, their just about to become high schoolers. They can take care of themselves.

“Mr. Johnson, the principal was hoping to see you.” Katie, my TA told me as she dropped the class phone, snapping me out of a minor transition.

“Oh, okay. Thank you Katie.” I replied to the high schooler.

She looked kinda disappointed in me when I was just leaving the empty classroom. It’s like she’s missing something. I brushed it off so I can focus on what’s coming to me now.

The empty halls filled with lost papers of homework, little doodles, and missing papers of students. Just having the feeling I’m missing something myself. It must’ve been the coffee from this morning.

I managed to get into the office to meet with the principal, but everyone seemed to be depressed over something. It’s just washing over everyone. I just see the man waiting for me in the doorway like always.

“Good morning Johnson.”

“G-good morning sir.” I just felt so hesitant when the words came out of my mouth.

“Come in. I need to chat with you for a moment.”

He let me into the office. It was just filled with many papers of bills and missing papers of students and some teachers over the last few months. You can’t even see his desk with all of these papers from worried parents and government officials and complaints of how unsafe the school can be from the amount of people going missing.

“You must be wondering why I wanted you in my office.” William Woodrow gave me a grin hoping for the response I’ll give back.

“I was sir. You called me while I was preparing for my English classes with my TA when you called.” I replied back still feeling worried on where this conversation is going.

“Look, we’re not getting a good reputation with all these complaints of missing children and one of our own students going on a homiside just in October. I also looked into your resimay and your were in the army. Aren’t I correct Johnson?”

“Whoa-wait. What does being part of the military 4 years ago have to deal with being a teacher?”

“We need your help to find those missing children. I hate the school getting a bad reputation because the parents are coming to me instead of the government about their children.”

“Sir, I don’t want to look back into my military past. I never wanted to speak about it ever again. Please just let me be the thing I wanted to be-.”

“That’s why I’m not giving you an option. You do what you’re told to do, and you’ll do it.”

I went silent when he stated that to me.

“That’s what a thought. You and some other teachers will begin the search tonight, 7 pm. You’re the only one who knows how to use a gun, so you’ll be leading the group. I hope to see good results from you like always.”

I started to leave the room since that was the only thing he needed me for. My question is why Principal Woodrow making me and other teachers be a search party? Most of these children could be faking of going missing just to make is an excuse to not do school. I only signed up to become a teacher after leaving my past life behind. The tactics they’re teaching in the Army were very sketchy like we’re going for war against each other. I’m just a black individual trying to live a better life, not make it worse for myself.

The day continued on like how it should be, but I can’t get that thought out of my head. The principal has now gone insane. I just had to accept this offer. I need this job. If I lose the job, I lose everything. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.

It’s about 6:30 pm when some other teachers started to arrive at the meeting point. Most of them will back out of it and lie about the search. They eventually left at 7:00 out of the fact there’s no use to it. I went into the entrance of the woods all by myself. It sucked to not have others around me for support.

“Pussies. They pretend to be something they aren’t. Just man up and we’ll find out the truth.” I told myself since nobody was around.

The entrance to the woods is gone even from not making that much progress in. It gave me the chills to see only trees and freshly made foot prints from last night. This must’ve been where those children went.

It’s been getting darker, almost pitch-black. It feels like forever since I last entered in. Especially how I still found nothing. I was at the point of giving up when I found a stench coming from around the area. It smelled like flesh being cut opened just recently. I stepped onto a log, but it felt so squishy? The stench grew stronger the more I stepped onto these logs.

I looked down to see exactly what I was stepping on and was shocked. These weren’t logs at all. These were the children that went missing last night. I was so shocked that I couldn’t move at all. Fear just swallowed me up whole.

“You know, it’s funny to say for a man like you to be a fucking wimp and stand up for yourself.” A voice giggled around me.

“Who-who’s there? I got a gun and I’m not afraid to use it!”

“Andrew Johnson. English teacher at Pacific Prep. A private educational school for middle schoolers and high schoolers. It sucks how shady the government is to use students from that school as extermination weapons.”

“The fuck you’re talking about and how do you know my name?”

“That’s a secret for another day, if you can last. Everyone knows not to enter into my woods alone, or at least my father’s woods.”

I shine my phone’s flashlight around, hoping to find where the voice is coming from. This has to be a student prank.

“Show me your fucking face you bitch!”

“Aw.. You called me a bitch. Such an insult from a ‘holy man’ like you. You can say I’ve known you for a while now. Just hiding behind a mask.”

I managed to finally find some movement of a girl wearing one of the school’s uniforms? Half her face was covered with a mask that’s covered in blood. The worst part was how bloody the uniform was. I can see her holding a pistol of some kind. It was a custom made pistol.

“Uh oh.. You found me~.”

“G-get away you monster!”

She jumped down from the trees cocking the pistol up. I felt so defenseless when I met eye-to-eye.

“Who are you?”

“You can say I died in October, but never did. You can say the one who helped the government kill protesters that were fighting for their rights. You can also say I’m the girl who was falsely accused for many fights I’ve never started before getting suspended for breaking a bitches’ nose.”

“Evelyn Brooks? Holy shit. How are you alive?”

“I never died. I only escape. They thought I was the mouse, but I was really the cat with the mouse in my hands. Well bummer that you now know a lot. I could keep you alive, but that would never be fun.”

She didn’t answer my question. Well she did, but why like that? I just realized I still have my gun fully loaded, so I can get back alive. I quickly aimed at her arm and tried to shoot her, but she was already gone.

“Oh now we’re playing. Only one gets out alive.” Her voice rings inside my head as my hands gripped right onto the gun barrel. That’s when I felt a sharp object hit my back. I turned around to see nothing, but it happened again.

Shit, she’s too fast. I don’t even know where she is anymore. I need to think to get out alive. I’m already losing a lot of blood were also too deep in for anyone to hear a person. I just grabbed the gun and shot around the area hoping to hit the girl.

I ran out of ammo just at my second turning. This became bad, to worse. From at top, I see the girl firing shots at me. She was only grazed by some of the bullets, but nothing else. I was in complete shock how this girl survived that without being badly hurt. She definitely knows what she’s doing which makes it the worst part of it. She shot 5 times and all of the bullets hit me in my arms and legs. It just hurts to move anymore and dropped to the ground on top of the dead children’s bodies.

“You know, that wasn’t a bad fight you put up. The first one to manage a hit onto me. And I don’t go by ‘Evelyn Brooks.’ I go by Eve.” She says as she shoots the final bullet into my head and rips the knives out of my back. My body lies there as everything goes black.

-

“This is the daily news for today. This morning police officers found 4 bodies known to be the 3 children that went missing and the fourth one being the man of Andrew Johnson. A teacher for Pacific Prep. Before he was found dead, some teachers saw him enter into the woods near the town around 7:00 pm. He was the only teacher that fully consented to search for the missing children which the school funded a search party to find the students. Police also found a pistol that was there at the crime scene and looked into the gun and saw something they would never expected. Engraved within the gun, ‘Project EVE.’ Were theorizing that this gun to the owner was responsible for the murders of all of those peaceful protesters from October, to December.”

“We also heard about another student that goes to Pacific Prep, Skylar Evans, was considered dead by the government. Before she went missing last month, she was last spotted walking from a small cafe before heading to the school. They claimed to find her dead in the woods as well during the search party that happened earlier this morning. We’re not sure this is true, so we’ll keep the investigation ongoing. That’s all of the news for today.”

The television turns off with people surrounding the area.

“It’s nice to know you’re back from keeping the people away from our territory.”

“I did find someone hiding that was eating some flesh while I was on my way back. Her name, Skylar Evans, but she would be preferred to be called ‘Patient Ø.’”

“Thank you for the information Eve. We’ll have you get her to us tonight, so we can meet her.”

[blouisparadise]

An anon requested that we compile some of our favorite fics from 2017, and so here that list is. There were SO MANY amazing fics this year that we enjoyed and we sadly couldn’t include them all on this list, but we hope every writer feels appreciated because your works mean so much to this fandom.

As always, these fics are listed in order of length (shortest to longest).

Happy reading, and we wish you a happy New Year!

1) Call Me Shallow But I'm Only Getting Deeper | Explicit | 7367 words

The one where Louis is a brat so Harry spanks him with a riding crop.

2) Night Out | Explicit | 9741 words | WIP Sequel

Symphony hall was the first place Louis had felt at home in this city, and he always had the box to himself. Until tonight.

3) Just Let Me | Mature | 14714 words

The party was going well. So well, Niall had already sworn undying love to one multi-tiered chocolate cake, two friendly corgi-poodle mixes, Zayn’s hair, and the entire population of Los Angeles. So well, Zayn had only laughed and ruffled Niall’s hair and not even twitched towards a cigarette. So well, nearly everyone had spilled far past the boundaries of the night’s original plans, extracting bottles of vodka from the cabinets and losing a lot of clothes. Harry had proclaimed that he was finally going to throw a small and very grownup dinner party and of course here they were three hours later, fifty people half-naked in the pool. Soon to be full-naked, if Louis had to guess. Everybody in LA loved a heated pool. Everybody loved Harry.

4) No Place Without You | Explicit | 19089 words

Harry's in love with life and he's in love with the world.

Louis' in love with Harry and he doesn't think there's any way he can possibly compete.

5) Dance Like Warriors On A Battlefield | Explicit | 20048 words

Down in the arena, the triumphant gladiator places his foot on the back of the loser, holding him there as he waits for instruction on his next move. Kill or let live. It’s barbaric, really, the bloodlust involved in this sport. Louis is pretty sure that if it wasn’t for his distaste for the killing there would be a lot more blood soaking that sand.

As it is, his father rarely gives the kill order anymore. He gives the order to let the loser live. Louis rolls his eyes, turning away. He doesn’t miss the way the gladiator’s eyes linger on him.

6) Then We Talk Slow | Explicit | 20493 words

A famous/non-famous AU in which Louis banters back and forth with his new record company on Twitter, only to find out that Harry is the man behind the tweets.

7) Some Flowers In Your Hair | Explicit | 23015 words

A magical camping AU in which Louis is jealous of Harry's magic, Liam's a little too enthusiastic about surviving in the wilderness, and Niall might have misunderstood the rules.

8) Kiwi | Not Rated | 24110 words

AU. Harry plays on Saturday nights at The Motley. Louis bartends on Saturday nights at The Motley. It’s a thing.              

9) Can't Fool Me | Explicit | 30162 words

AU where Louis hates fraternities and would never be into a frat boy. And one of these things is definitely not a lie.

10) What This World Is About | Explicit | 34472 words

An eighties American high school AU; there are first times, football games, and feelings.

Alternatively titled: the beginning.

11) The Sweetest Incantation | Explicit | 40600 words

Harry is a witch who's still working on developing his powers and Louis is a werecat who falls into his life and turns it upside down.

12) Ever Fixed | Explicit | 41521 words

Three years ago, Harry was happily married, successfully heading the largest technology company in the world, and raising his young daughter. After he loses nearly everything in the aftermath of his daughter’s lost battle with a rare brain tumor, it may take three strange and yet very familiar visitors – and a man from the therapy group Harry keeps refusing to go to – to get him back on track.

13) Boiling Blood Will Circulate | Explicit | 42420 words

The wait isn’t long before something starts rustling in the bushes. Harry takes aim, squeezes the trigger, body moving unconsciously. They’re motions he’s done a thousand times before, and his body knows how to do it without the input of his brain now. It’s what makes him such a good shot.

He misses. The shot misses.

Something howls in the woods, a pretty clear indication that Harry hit it, but there’s no telltale sounds of a big body dropping, no animal charging out at him to take him out before he can finish the job.

Something does turn and run, though. “Fuck,” Harry spits out, scrambling to his feet and slinging the rifle back over his shoulder, giving chase. He’s not going to lose this hunt.

The trail of blood goes on longer than Harry thought it would. He doesn’t know how long he runs for, but his muscles are burning, chest heaving with exertion, until the trail just - goes dead. No more blood, just like that.

“Fuck,” Harry says.

14) Tangled Up In You | Explicit | 45412 words

Harry blinks once. And blinks again. And says, his voice dangerous: “Niall, did you get me a mail-order bride?”

Because what the actual fuck. It kind of looks like Niall’s just purchased a person. For Harry.

Niall blinks back at him for a few moments, before throwing his head back and howling with laughter. Harry throws a pillow at him. Hard. “No, what the fuck, Harry.”

“A prostitute then?” Harry also doesn't want a prostitute.

“Of course not!”

“A stripper?”

“No!”

Damn, he’s running out of ideas. He settles for launching another pillow at Niall’s head. Niall bats it away easily, still laughing. “Stop!”

“What did you get me, then?!” Niall must hear the tinge of hysteria in his voice, because he’s pulling himself together, trying to stop himself from laughing.

There’s still a big grin on his face, though, when he says, “I got you a professional cuddler.”

A professional…what. “What?”

15) Love's Truest Language | Explicit | 48195 words

The first part was meant as a joke. He didn't really expect Harry to buy anything. It was just Louis’ way of softening the ‘get the fuck out’ blow.

“Where's your order forms, then?”

“I don't want your flowers.” Louis chided before directing all of his attention to the arrangement in front of him.

Harry laughed under his breath as he stood to his full height, “Who said anything about them being for you, love?”

16) I Carry Your Heart With Me (I Carry It In My Heart) | Explicit | 55854 words

Harry thinks he has good reasons for avoiding relationships. Meeting Louis puts those reasons to the test.

17) Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You) | Mature | 64635 words | Sequel

Louis is staying at his Aunt's farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles.

Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry's friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn.

He also starts to fall in love with Harry.

Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

18) Such Good Luck | Explicit | 66205 words

An Edwardian AU where Harry is a young aristocratic lord and Louis is a working class dairy farmer. Secrets are a necessary part of their relationship, but Louis has one that could topple their whole world.

19) Waiting On You | Explicit | 76577 words

“Vampires,” Louis says with disgust, glaring over at the vampire who is noisily slurping from the woman’s neck nearby.

 Zayn gives the neat fang marks on Louis’ neck a meaningful look.

“Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” Louis finishes, ignoring Zayn when he rolls his eyes.

Louis takes a long sip of his milkshake, presses his fingers against the marks on his neck, and definitely doesn’t think about the vampire who left them there.

20) Through Struggles, To The Stars | Explicit | 80582 words

Louis is a Starfleet captain trying to find his place in the universe. Harry is a prince just trying to do what's right.

21) I Want You So Much (But I Hate Your Guts) | Mature | 83648 words

AU in which Louis gets accepted to play for the Manchester University Alpha-Beta Football Team. The only problem: Louis is actually an Omega. He is determined to make it big in the football world, though, and he can't do that bound to an Omega team. With the help of a faked doctor's certificate and some pretty strong suppressants he is ready to fight for his dream.

That Harry Styles (Alpha, second year and youngest football captain of the A-B team in ages) doesn't seem to like him complicates matters, though.

22) Among the Humans | Explicit | 129435 words

A gothic, modern day vampire romance between a young human named Louis Tomlinson, and Harry Styles, ancient vampire and gentleman.

Creatures of the night come with more trouble than they wish to make it seem.

23) Cold Little Heart | Explicit | 194584 words

Louis is a soft omega with an abusive past and an alpha child. A few months after getting a divorce, Louis meets Harry, an ex-military alpha wolf that offers him something - odd.

In exchange for teaching him how to cook, Harry will babysit his son, Abraham. Louis really could use the help.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[stormcloudrising]

Beric Dondarrion will give the Kiss of Life to Sansa Stark

February 26, 2018

Why is Beric Dondarrion still alive on the show?

Answer: He's still alive to give the kiss of life to one of Catelyn Stark’s daughters.

A STONY HEART

There have been many theories put forth for why Beric Dondarrion is still alive on the show. He died in Book 3 of the series and so should have exited stage left in season 3.  However, that was not the case and so the writers must have kept him around for a reason.  The obvious explanation is that he will give the kiss of life to a character on the show as he did to Catelyn in the books.  In fact, Beric’s most important role in the books was to bring back Arya and Sansa’s mother—an event that did not happen on the show.  And yet, the writers included him and his story in the show.  Why?   

Some have proposed that at Jon’s behest, he will bring back Dany or that possibly she will ask him to do the same for Jon. Other theories suggest that Beric will give the kiss of life to the Hound, Brienne or even Tormund.  However, all of these theories have missed the obvious and most thematic explanation for why the Lightning Lord overstayed his time on screen and that is his book link to Lady Stoneheart and as a result, the Stark daughters. What I propose is that D&D kept him alive for the singular purpose of giving the kiss of life to one of Catelyn Stark’s daughters.

In the books, Arya’s arc is most closely tied to that of her mother.  Her direwolf Nymeria drags Catelyn’s dead body out of the water while Arya is unknowingly having one of her wolf dreams.  She has numerous other dreams where she sees the events of the Riverlands through Nymeria’s eyes.  Arya also previously travelled with the Brotherhood Without Banners and Lady Stoneheart of course, currently leads the group.

The fact that book Arya’s story is so closely intertwined with that of her mom would seem to suggest that it would be her who is given the kiss of life by Beric on the show.  However, in both the books and on the show, it can be argued that Sansa is the daughter who is symbolically most closely tied to Catelyn.  Of the Stark children, she is the most enamored of southern customs and is more like her mother in temperament and looks than any of the other children.

"Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please. She loved nothing so well as tales of knightly valor. Men would say she had my look, but she will grow into a woman far more beautiful than I ever was, you can see that. I often sent away her maid so I could brush her hair myself. She had auburn hair, lighter than mine, and so thick and soft . . . the red in it would catch the light of the torches and shine like copper.

A Clash of Kings - Catelyn VII

Catelyn’s words are shown to be true when Petyr Baelish meets Sansa for the first time.  Littlefinger is actually unnerved at how much she looks like her mom.

When Sansa finally looked up, a man was standing over her, staring. He was short, with a pointed beard and a silver streak in his hair, almost as old as her father. "You must be one of her daughters," he said to her. He had grey-green eyes that did not smile when his mouth did. "You have the Tully look."

"I'm Sansa Stark," she said, ill at ease. The man wore a heavy cloak with a fur collar, fastened with a silver mockingbird, and he had the effortless manner of a high lord, but she did not know him. "I have not had the honor, my lord."

Septa Mordane quickly took a hand. "Sweet child, this is Lord Petyr Baelish, of the king's small council."

"Your mother was my queen of beauty once," the man said quietly. His breath smelled of mint. "You have her hair." His fingers brushed against her cheek as he stroked one auburn lock. Quite abruptly he turned and walked away.

A Game of Thrones - Sansa II

Sansa’s likeness to her mom is also shown to be true on the show as the writers have gone out of their way to emphasize the similarities between mother and daughter…especially in the last two season where they have dressed and written scenes for both Sansa and Jon that echo ones with Catelyn and Ned.

And so for this reason—along with others both on the show and in the books, I propose that the daughter Beric brings back will be Sansa after she is potentially killed by the Night’s King Icy sword but more likely as a result of the machinations of Cersei.

From the time they reunited in season 6, the writers have highlighted Jon’s pledge to protect Sansa and her belief that he can’t as according to her, “no one can protect anyone.”  The seeds of this story arc were planted in season 4 after Joffrey’s murder and Cersei’s discovery that Sansa was missing.

The writers have also made sure to point out the danger she poses to Sansa in each season as shown in season 5x01 when Petyr sold Sansa out to the Boltons.

However, these seeds did not start to bear fruit until season 6, episode 9 when Sansa and Jon argued in private after the war council.

Sansa: “If Ramsay wins, I’m not going back there alive. Do you understand me?”

Jon: “I won’t ever let him touch you again. I’ll protect you. I promise!”

Sansa: “No one can protect me. No one can protect anyone.”

D&D reinforced the idea of Sansa being in danger in season 7, episode 2.  This time they went the extra step of bringing up Ned and how he was unable to protect any of his children.  It can be argued that it’s a tinfoil idea to say that Cersei will have Sansa kidnap and yet that is exactly what I propose will happen.  The foundation for it happening is laid in this dialogue between Jon and Sansa.

Jon: What did father used to say…anything before the word but was horse shit.

Sansa: He never said that to me.

Jon: Yeah, no, he never cursed in front of his girls.

Sansa: Because he was trying to protect us.  He never wanted us to see how dirty the world really is but father couldn’t protect me and neither can you. So stop trying!

Jon: Ok, I’ll stop trying to protect you and you stop trying to undermine me.

Sansa: I’m not trying to undermine you. You have to be smarter than father. You have to be smarter than Rob. I loved them! I miss them! But they both made stupid mistakes and lost their heads for it.

Jon: And how should I be smarter…by listening to you?

Sansa: Would that be so terrible?

The maester then arrives with a dispatch from Cersei and we then get this bit of conversation.

Sansa: What does she want?

Jon: Come to Kings Landing! Bend the knee or suffer the fate of all traitors.

Sansa: You’ve been so consumed with the enemy to the north that you’ve forgotten the one to the south.

Jon: I’m consumed with the Night King because I’ve seen him.  And believe me, you’ll think of little else if you had to.

Sansa: We still have a wall between us and the Night King. There is nothing between us and Cersei.

Jon: There is a thousand miles between us and Cersei. Winter is here and the Lannister are a southern army. They’ve never ranged this far north.

Sansa: You’re the military man but I know her.  If you’re her enemy, she’ll never stop until she’s destroyed you.  Everyone who’s ever crossed her, she’s found a way to murder.

Jon: You almost sound like you admire her.

Sansa: I learned a great deal from her.

The potential danger Cersei represents to Sansa is again emphasized in episode 7x06 during the conversation between Brienne and the Lady of Winterfell.

Brienne: My Lady, you are the Lady of Winterfell

Sansa: I am.  And you will represent my interest at this gathering as you see them.

Brienne: They invited you. They want you there.

Sansa: I will not set foot in Kings Landing while Cersei Lannister is queen.  If they want another Stark prisoner, they can come and take me.

All the scenes I’ve listed build upon the seeds planted all the way back in season 4. When taken together, the dialogue actually reads like a discussion in script writing 101 on how to lay the foundation for a future event.  It also suggests that Jon does not understand the specific threat Cersei represents to Sansa or the possibility that the Lannister army may indeed range north for the first time under her orders, which is what I proposed will happen.  However, instead of the regular Lannister army, I think it may be some of the Golden Company on a special mission to retrieve something or in this case someone Cersei thinks belong to her as hinted in episode 7x04.

Cersei: My Hand Qyburn has made overtures to the Golden Company in Essos.

Tycho Nestoris: I know them well. They have helped us recover significant sums from parties who have fallen into deep arrears.

Cersei: That’s good to hear. I too would like them to recover some things that belonged to me.

Game of Thrones 7x04

I think that Cersei might have meant both Sansa and Tyrion in her conversation with Tycho but she seems to have come to an understanding with her brother—at least for now. 

Yes, kidnapping Sansa sounds like a stupid idea but I think that is just what Cersei will ordered done and it will happen when Jon sends Sansa away from Winterfell to either the Vale or White Harbor for protection in advance of the White Walker’s attack.  And truthfully, is stupidity not Cersei Lannister’s second name. In the books, she may very well die long before the final battle but the show has made Cersei into a more omnipotent character and she still has damage to do in season 8.

The interesting thing is that both Jon and Sansa are right about the enemies they face.  He is right that the Night King is the most important threat and the Lannister army has never ventured that far north.  And she is most definitely right that Cersei never forgets anyone who has crossed her. Just think of Ellaria and Lady Nym.  In fact, I would not be surprised to see Cersei lock Sansa in the same cell.

As far as Cersei is concerned, Sansa is unfinished business and a Lannister always pay their debts.  She may even have tried to tempt Sansa into her clutches with an invitation to the council at Kings Landing but the Lady of Winterfell sent Brienne as her representative instead.  They never actually told the audience who sent the invite to Sansa but it was more than likely Cersei because Jon knows how Sansa feels about Kings Landing and would never ask her to go to a place with such bad memories.

D&D have actually done a pretty good job peppering the story with clues that that Sansa will once again end up in Cersei’s clutches before the end.  I don’t think they will meet again in the books but on the show, it makes thematic sense for it to happen. 

KISSED BY FIRE

The writing on the wall strongly suggests that Beric will give the kiss of life to someone before he exists stage left.  As he was the one to bring Catelyn back in the books, it makes the most sense that he would do the same for one of her daughters on the show.  Let’s look at why the daughter given the kiss of life is likely to be Sansa and not Arya. Here are the thoughts of book Sansa’s as she escapes Kings Landing following Joffrey’s murder.

He had not been dead when she left the throne room. He had been on his knees, though, clawing at his throat, tearing at his own skin as he fought to breathe. The sight of it had been too terrible to watch, and she had turned and fled, sobbing. Lady Tanda had been fleeing as well. "You have a good heart, my lady," she said to Sansa. "Not every maid would weep so for a man who set her aside and wed her to a dwarf."

A good heart. I have a good heart. Hysterical laughter rose up her gullet, but Sansa choked it back down. The bells were ringing, slow and mournful. Ringing, ringing, ringing. They had rung for King Robert the same way. Joffrey was dead, he was dead, he was dead, dead, dead. Why was she crying, when she wanted to dance? Were they tears of joy?

She found her clothes where she had hidden them, the night before last. With no maids to help her, it took her longer than it should have to undo the laces of her gown. Her hands were strangely clumsy, though she was not as frightened as she ought to have been. "The gods are cruel to take him so young and handsome, at his own wedding feast," Lady Tanda had said to her.

The gods are just, thought Sansa. Robb had died at a wedding feast as well. It was Robb she wept for. Him and Margaery. Poor Margaery, twice wed and twice widowed. Sansa slid her arm from a sleeve, pushed down the gown, and wriggled out of it. She balled it up and shoved it into the bole of an oak, shook out the clothing she had hidden there. Dress warmly, Ser Dontos had told her, and dress dark. She had no blacks, so she chose a dress of thick brown wool. The bodice was decorated with freshwater pearls, though. The cloak will cover them. The cloak was a deep green, with a large hood. She slipped the dress over her head, and donned the cloak, though she left the hood down for the moment. There were shoes as well, simple and sturdy, with flat heels and square toes. The gods heard my prayer, she thought. She felt so numb and dreamy. My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel.

— A Storm of Swords - Sansa V

Littlefinger then stole Sansa away to the Vale where she took on the identity of his bastard daughter, Alayne Stone.  The Vale arc was of course highly condensed on the show.   However, the writers made the point to emphasize that Sansa’s heart had hardened in ways that have not yet been shown in the books. Her hardened heart has toughen her up and she is out for vengeance for herself and her family. On the show, this led to her letting the dogs loose on Ramsay and sentencing Petyr to death.  As she said to everyone in the room when she sentenced Petyr, honor demands that…

“I defend my family from those who would harm us.”

“That I defend the north from those who will betray us.”

I theorize that Sansa Stark, the Lady of Winterfell who once went by the name of Alayne Stone; who looks so much like her mother—a point that has been reinforced on the show in her costume and hair styles since she escaped Kings Landing but especially since she returned to the north; and whose heart has hardened because of her trauma and what was done to her family; will be killed after being kidnapped on the orders of Cersei and will be brought back after she is given the kiss of life by Beric Dondarrion.  Lady Stoneheart anyone!

I believe that this will be how D&D reimagines Catelyn’s death and resurrection. Only of course, when Sansa comes back, she will not be like the deteriorated corpse that was her mother.  The show has vastly over simplified both Jon and Beric’s resurrections and the deteriorating effect the many returns have had on the latter.  When Sansa is brought back, I believe that her physical body will be just like show Jon in that to the naked eye it will look as if nothing much has changed from one life to the next.  Of course, underneath, that will not be true.

I speculate that the attempt to rescue Sansa will be made by Arya—possibly with Jaime’s face where she will play the Valonqar and kill Cersei; the Hound who will finally have the Clegane Bowl showdown with his brother; and Jon who will desperately ask Beric to bring Sansa back.  This will of course echo the events of Ygritte dying in Jon’s arm except this time around, the outcome will be different as Sansa will return.

I believe that this rescue of Sansa from Kings Landing will represent D&D’s version of a similar attempt to rescue her from the Vale in the books.  In the books of course, I don’t think that Arya will be present but if you read my previous 3-part essay, “Do Direwolves Dream of the Weirwood Net” then you know that I am of the opinion that Sansa is the modern day Nissa Nissa, and that she has been moving in and out of the Weirwood Net with Lady in what she thinks are simply dreams.

And so, I am most excited to see if this theory about Sansa plays out on the show as it would mean that I am on the right track with my hypothesis that she is the modern day Nissa Nissa, and a greenseer.  In part 3 of my Direwolves essay, I also laid out the hints in the book that Jon will be in the Vale and others in the fandom have of course written about the clues that suggests the Hound is already there in disguise.  For this reason, it makes sense that the two of them will be the ones who attempt to rescue Sansa from Kings Landing.  You can check out part 3 HERE.  

Most everything from the past is repeating in some manner and if I’m right about Sansa and Nissa Nissa, then it makes sense that she will die and be brought back. Does this mean that I also think that she dies and is brought back in the books?  Possibly but not necessarily.  

Having Sansa die on the show would be a simplification of what I think is happening in the books on the part of D&D.  In the books I think that Lady’s death may have been the symbolic representation of Sansa’s death/sacrifice that opened her third eye, which has allowed her to unknowingly enter the Net.  As is the case with Jon and Ghost, the direwolves and the Stark kids are part of each other.  My theory is that Lady is now in the Weirwood Net and when Sansa visits Winterfell in her dreams, she is traveling through it with her direwolf.  “The bones remember.”

Once D&D didn’t kill Beric but more importantly, move him into the arc of the north, it seemed obvious that he was kept around to bring back one of Catelyn’s daughter and I believe that Sansa’s being the symbolic modern day Nissa Nissa will be why it is her who gets the kiss of life on the show.  And as Beric has the fire of R’llor in him, one can argue that literally and figuratively, Sansa Stark will be “kissed by fire.”  

Now in the books, I think that there is more to this Wilding saying and I’ve been pondering the possibility that it has something to do with the ability to enter in and out of the Net without having to be wedded to the trees as is the case with Bran and other greenseers.  I will have to do so more digging to see if I’m on the right track with that theory.

I don’t see Beric bringing back any of the other characters mentioned in the numerous theories out there. He will not bring back Jon, who I don’t think will die again.  He’s dead already and “what is dead can never die.”  Beric also will not bring back the Hound, who could die, but I don’t think will, as I suspect that he will take on the mantle of Elder Brother.  I also don’t think he will bring back Brienne, who I used to think would die on the show but I’m now not so sure.  

And unfortunately, I also don’t think that he will bring back Dany who will help win the battle for the dawn but I suspect that she will die soon afterwards.  She is the fire queen and as was the case with Rhaenys and Meraxes, I believe that Dany will die when her and her dragon plummets from the Sky into the Dragon Pit—possibly after being hit by a spear by one of Qyburn’s catapults.  Rhaenys died when a bolt pierced Meraxes eye and I think that it will be the same with Dany and Drogon.  

D&D tipped to Dany’s death in Tyrion’s warning to her and the missed attempt by the Night King to bring down Drogon with a spear.  They laid out the hints of where her death will happen with the comments from Jorah about the dragons as the group approach the pit during the summit and of course with her later conversation with Jon in said pit.  

Now I know that many will argue that the dragon pit scene is about Dany becoming pregnant with Jon’s kid and I suspect that will happen on the show.  However, I’m also of the opinion that she will miscarry the baby, which will echo the suggestion in the books of the same thing unknowingly happening to her in the Dothraki sea.

So, that’s my explanation for Beric’s continued purpose on the show and prediction of how things will play out.  What do you think?  Could D&D be going the Lady Stoneheart route with Sansa?  Will they give her detractors another reason to hate on her by having her, instead of Dany be the one who gets the kiss of life?  If you are a Sansa fan, look on the bright side.  At least those who don’t like the character will finally have to acknowledge her importance to the story.

[joshpup]

Royalty // Hoshi // Pt. 9

Pt. 1 // Pt. 2 // Pt.3 // Pt.4 // Pt. 5 // Pt. 6 // Pt. 7 // Pt. 8 // Pt. 9 // Pt. 10

Word Count: 2,316

Genre: Royal au, Angst in this one a tiny bit, fluff 

Summary: You’re driven from your own kingdom by your wicked step-mother and flee to the one safe place you know…but how safe will it stay

“The prince has finished his meeting, he’s looking for you.” Hansol declared walking up to where you had come to sit in the beautiful garden. The meeting had taken much longer then you imaged, and it was already midday when hansol came to get you. You nodded slowly, knowing full well what was to come after meeting up with Soonyoung. While it always makes a person uneasy to meet the King and Queen of the land, the Ocean Kingdom’s King and Queen were much harsher than the other kingdoms. Soonyoung’s father and your own had gotten along well enough, but you had overheard plenty of your father’s conversations about what goes on in the Ocean Kingdom. That’s why when you were little you tried to make sure to steer clear of Soonyoung anytime he showed up in your kingdom. Being in the kingdom itself had brought up these memories. And now, not only are you about to face the two harshest rulers on the continent, but you were meeting them as the very possible bride to their son, and as a princess whose own kingdom is chasing after. The odds were against you. There was no possible way this meeting would go well.

“How can such a beautiful kingdom have such harsh rulers…” you mumbled to yourself as you followed Hansol back into the palace to meet up with Soonyoung.

You had reached the point of stressing yourself out so much that you were too tired to actually worry about anything when the time came. Whatever happened, happened, and there was nothing you could do to prevent it from happening. At worse, the King and Queen would turn you over to your kingdom. To kill you would most definitely end up in a war between kingdoms, and it’s highly unlikely the Ocean Kingdom is looking for war. Now, sure, you were 99% sure you would be killed as soon as you got near the Snow Kingdom, but there was still that 1% chance you wouldn’t, right? Soonyoung, despite looking calm, was far from it. He could barely sit through the meeting. He wanted so badly for his parent’s approval, and if anything did go wrong, it would be his fault because he was the one who arranged for everyone to meet. Now was the long awaited ‘make or break’ moment. You and Soonyoung stood in front of the tall wooden double doors that led into the huge hall the King and Queen resided in. After crossing through these doors, your fate would be decided. Soonyoung reached down and grabbed your hand, giving it a tight squeeze. You looked over at him.

“It’s going to be okay. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Soonyoung said. Part of you felt that he said that to comfort himself as well, but there wasn’t much time to think about it. The doors began to creak open and Soonyoung let go of your hand, offering one more comforting smile that made your heart flutter even during a stressful time like this.

The inside was very different then your own Hall back home. The floors were a beautiful white marble and tall windows rose up on both sides of the walls, open and letting the salty sea air blow against the white curtains that hung down on either side of each window. At the end of the hall sat the King and Queen's thrown, elevated on a platform of sorts. Each seat and tapestries behind them were adorned with a deep purple and beautiful shades of blue, all pulled together with gold accents. The King was just as dashing as his son, but was starting to grey a bit. The Queen looked lovely and regal, but in the end, both looked extremely stiff and nothing like Soonyoung with his relaxed manner.

As the two of you made the long walk towards the King and Queen, you noticed how different Soonyoung seemed. He stood up taller and straighter, and his face looked stone cold. He no longer gave off a calm, easy going vibe. Standing next to him didn’t feel like standing in a beautiful green meadow with golden sunlight streaming down, and it was scary how quickly he had changed. You followed closely next to Soonyoung, trying your best to put off the cold vibe as well, but no doubt failing. The only sound in the room was the fluttering of curtains and the footsteps from you and Soonyoung, and the occasional clang as Soonyoung’s sword hit up against something. When the two of you finally came to a stop in front of the King and Queen, there was a stifling silence. You could feel their eyes look you up and down. All you wanted to do was run away as fast as possible. But you couldn’t know. You were stuck.

“So, you’re the person our Soonyoung is in love with…” The Queen mused. You felt a shiver run down your spine.

“Yes ma’am.” you spoke, trying hard to keep your voice from shaking. This experience was almost worse then being chased out of your own kingdom by your step-mother.

“Where are you from?” The king questioned.

“I’m the princess of the Snow Kingdom.” you replied

“And why are you not in your own kingdom? I’m sure you are needed there.” the queen asked. You could almost feel the blood drain from your face. There is no telling what they would do if they found out you were being chased by your own kingdom. With your crazy step-mother, if someone found out you were hiding in the ocean kingdom a whole military could be sent to retrieve you. Next to you, Soonyoung shifted from one foot to another, worried as to how you might answer the question. You thought for a second, but not wanting to take any longer and make it look suspicions you finally answered.

“I wanted to see what each kingdom looked like before I have to fully take on my title. I met Prince Soonyoung while I was in the Mountain Kingdom.” The queen nodded, but you noticed a small frown appear on the king's face. Did he know?

“Your father passed away recently did he not? What a shame, he was a good man.” the king stated. You nodded. Things were going to smoothly, something didn’t seem right.

“But your stepmother is still, around right? Shouldn’t you be at home to comfort her. She has lost her husband after all?”

“We were never very close, I figured it would be smartest if I left her at home so she could mourn by herself…” you answered, trying to word your sentences perfectly. You could feel Soonyoung tense up next to you. Something wasn’t right at all, even Soonyoung agreed with you. There was a moment of silence between the four of you. All that could be heard was the gentle flapping of the curtains in the ocean breeze. The king let out a long sigh and leaned forward in his chair.

“Soonyoung, will you please go wait outside?” the king spoke, his tone of voice making it more of a statement then a questioned. Every muscle in your body froze as you watched him slowly look towards you, a look in his eyes that held too many emotions to read with the quick glance. He bowed to the king and queen then turned around and walked back down the long hall and out the doors. The one thing that made you feel safe was now gone. You heard the king clear his throat and looked up at him, his hands clasped around the arms of his chair.  

“I’m going to get straight to the point Miss (y/n). I know what is going on in your kingdom. I’m aware of your queen’s actions and why you are currently not in your own kingdom. That is something you must deal with on your own. You will get no help from this kingdom so long as i am in charge. While your father was alive, he created a powerful army unlike any of the other kingdoms. Why he created such a powerful army when all of the four kingdoms are at peace is still a mystery to me, but I will not have the Snow Queen's biggest target living in my kingdom when she has such a powerful force behind her. And I certainly will not allow my son to get tangled up with such a person as you. Leave my kingdom as soon as possible, and drop all contact with the Prince.” Your heart dropped. Of course, this would happen, it was inevitable.

“Where should I go?” you questioned, something you probably shouldn’t have asked, but did anyway.

“It doesn’t matter to us, but you may soon find that all the kingdoms will turn you away when they find out about the Queen and her actions.” the king answered, leaning back into his thrown.

“All that matters to us, as both the rulers of this kingdom, and parents, is that you leave Soonyoung out of this. He doesn’t need to go around chasing after some run away like you. I recommend that you stay as far away from the prince as possible before you leave, or there will be some consequences.” The queen spoke up. You didn’t know what to say, what could you have said? You finally managed to stumble out a shaky, quiet “yes ma’am” before turning around and walking out of the hall. Your legs shook with each step that you took. You were worried they’d give out before you left the hall.

When you finally reached the doors and walked passed them, and you heard the faint click as they latched together you finally let yourself go. Soonyoung was nowhere in sight, one of the castle staff probably pulled him away by the king and queen’s request. Every part of you was shaking, from your legs to your hands. You could feel the hot tears start to spill from your eyes. You just ran. You ran straight through the castle, passed your room and passed the garden, right off the castle grounds and straight for the ocean. It was already dark out. The once friendly seeming ocean was now dark and cold. The sea breeze saw sharp and cold, whipping the sand around your bare legs, stinging each time a grain of sand flew against your skin. You pushed your hair out of your face, trying desperately to calm down. You stood there for a while, watching and listening as the waves crashed against the shore. You knew that the best outcome for you from that situation was simply being told to leave, but to drop all contact from Soonyoung was a different matter. The queen said there would be consequences if you spoke with Soonyoung, you didn’t know if these consequences would be against you or Soonyoung, but all that mattered to you was that Soonyoung stayed safe, and if leaving the kingdom meant that he would be safe, that is what you are going to do. You decided to take a little walk along the shore before heading back to your room to get a little more sleep before leaving tomorrow. You watched as crabs scuttled away every now and then, and listened to the waves and the sound of the wind rustling the plants that grew on the sand duns. Among these noises, you picked up footsteps that weren’t your own. Was guy from earlier back? Did the king and queen change their mind and send someone to kill you? You quickly turned around and your heart stopped. There, maybe thirty or so feet away from you stood none other than Soonyoung.

“(Y/n)! Are you okay? Some guard took me and locked me in my room but I escaped! What happened?” Soonyoung shouted over the wind, starting to walk towards you.

“No! Soonyoung stop! Don’t get any closer I don’t know what’ll happen!” You shouted back. He stopped immediately, but gave you a confused look.

“Soonyoung, I-” you began, ringing your hands together. “I really do love you. I love you more than anything else.” you said just loud enough to be heard over the wind. A warm smile spread across Sooyoung's face, and even from where you stood you could see his eyes sparkling with joy. Right as you opened your mouth to say another thing a look of terror crossed Soonyoung’s face.

“(Y/N) LOOK OUT!” He screamed, already taking a few steps towards you. You didn’t even have time to react. Right as he spoke those words something sharp slammed into your back. At first you thought maybe a rock or something had been thrown against your back, but then you felt it. A sharp, biting pain spread through your body faster than wildfire. You dropped to your knees and reached to your shoulder only to come into contact with something smooth sticking out of your back. You’d been shot by an arrow. You looked up in horror to see Soonyoung still running towards you. His hand was reaching for his sword when the arrow finally found its way to him. The first hit him in the shoulder, the second near the stomach. You didn’t know anything about fatal wounds, but it couldn’t have been good. Soonyoung dropped down into the sand no more than ten feet away from you. Everything before him seemed to happen in slow motion. He watched, helpless as you were knocked unconscious, and he watched as someone bent over your body and tied up your hands. He slowly slipped into the darkness, the last thing he saw was you being carried away by some unknown hooded figure. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to stay awake and chase after you, but the darkness swallowed him before he could do anything.

Next

[cinephiled-com]

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At 113, Joan Crawford's Mommie Dearest Gets a Reprieve

On this day in 1904, Lucille Fay LeSueur (later known as Joan Crawford) was born in San Antonio, Texas. Some sources list the year of her birth as 1904, 1905, or even 1908, but a quick search of the San Antonio census records reveals the truth. By any measure, Crawford was one of the greats in the history of Hollywood.

I recently watched the 1981 film Mommie Dearest for the first time in decades. While Faye Dunaway’s depiction of Crawford over the course of almost 40 years is dead on, it sometimes seems as if she’s using Carol Burnett’s parodies of Joan Crawford as her source material rather than the actress herself. The way Dunaway transforms herself through makeup, hair, costumes and her exquisite acting chops is one degree short of channeling, but her performance is so over-the-top that you have to wonder what the filmmakers were going for. What could have been a truly incisive look at the stresses and psychological issues of a well known figure is instead an exercise in High Camp even though I don’t think that was anyone’s intention at the time, least of all Faye Dunaway’s (who refuses to discuss this film today). I’m not sure director Frank Perry was the right man for the job, and yet he did direct two films that I thought were outstanding depictions of mental disorders: David and Lisa in 1962 and the classic Diary of a Mad Housewife in 1970.

I have long wished for a new look at Joan Crawford on the screen, one that would treat her life and issues more seriously, not as a big punchline. But I never dreamed it would actually happen — I was sure that Faye Dunaway’s larger-than-life depiction was the last time we’d ever see a talented actress donning Crawford’s red lipstick and shoulder pads. I was wrong!

Ryan Murphy’s eight-part series Feud, currently running on FX, details the production of the 1962 Robert Aldrich film, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Though we’ve only seen half of the episodes, I have to say that I am deeply moved by the performances of Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis.

Not everyone in my circle of classic movie-loving friends agrees, but I find Lange and Sarandon’s depictions deeply moving and nuanced. Yes, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? has itself become a camp classic on par with Mommie Dearest, and this series focuses on the bitter rivalry between the two stars as they grappled with the agonies of being middle-aged in Hollywood (Davis was 54 and Crawford 58 during the making of that film, not old by today’s standards but in Hollywood they were considered ancient relics), but Feud also looks beyond the Hedda Hopper-ish “dirt” to the living and breathing women behind the icons, with all their wisdom, experience, insecurities, and vulnerabilities on full display. I think Sarandon and Lange, themselves 70 and 67, are remarkable in the roles.

Feud also looks at aspects of the questionable parenting of both women, but presents it in a much more compassionate way despite many cringe-producing moments. Davis’s daughter, B.D. Hyman, who would eventually write her own tell-all about her mother, actually had a small role in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? although it was clear from the start that she did not inherit her mother’s acting ability. Played by the talented Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper from Mad Men), we see Davis and B.D. struggling through difficult moments in their relationship as mother and daughter as well as fellow actors. In 1962, Crawford’s two older children were out of the picture but we see Crawford interacting with her teenaged twin daughters who would later refute the charges levied by their older sister.

When Christina Crawford’s tell-all book came out a year after her mother’s 1977 death, Old Hollywood divided into two camps: those who thought the book represented the slanderous ravings of a spoiled brat bent on revenge for being written out of her mother’s will; and those who said they had witnessed Crawford’s unstable behavior with her children and were convinced that the book’s shocking claims were true. At the top of the list of Joan’s defenders was her old friend Myrna Loy who had known Crawford since she first arrived in Hollywood in the 1920s and had appeared with daughter Christina in a stage production of Barefoot in the Park. Loy disliked Christina and said that she had behaved horribly during the run of their play. She said that while she never saw Joan hit her daughter, if anyone needed a good slap it was Christina. Yikes.

Helen Hayes, however, another great actress whom Joan had befriended in the 1930s, did not exactly elect Joan Mother of the Year in her autobiography:

Joan was not quite rational in her raising of children. You might say she was strict or stern. But cruel is probably the right word.

When my young son Jim came to stay with me, we would go out to lunch with Joan and her son Christopher. Joan would snap, “Christopher!” whenever he tried to speak. He would bow his little head, completely cowed, and then he’d say, “Mommie dearest, may I speak?” Joan’s children had to say [that] before she allowed them to utter another word. It would have been futile for me or anyone else to protest. Joan would only get angry and probably vent her rage on the kids.

I have read that people who are abused as children often become abusive parents. Maybe it was Joan’s tough childhood that made her exert her power like that over her own children. But understanding the reason did not make their suffering any easier to watch.

Pretty damning stuff, and yet were many who claimed that Christina Crawford exaggerated some of the childhood episodes for dramatic purposes. I admit that certain scenes from the film that so appalled me when I first saw it in the 1980s don’t seem that bad today. At Christmas time and on birthdays, Joan’s fans would send Christina mountains of presents. Crawford would let her keep one or two and have her give the rest to needy children. This is presented in the film as monstrous abuse but I have to say that it seems pretty reasonable to me today. Still, it’s clear that there were times when Crawford’s highly disciplined and controlling nature devolved into episodes of severe mental and physical abuse. The last thing I would ever do is accuse Christina Crawford of lying about her own childhood. I would think that the only thing worse than experiencing such abuse is telling people about it and not being believed. Only she knows what happened between her and her mother and it certainly seems like Joan had plenty of issues that made her a challenge to live with. On the other hand, I wish the makers of Mommie Dearest had avoided the temptation to create completely fictional scenes of terror like the one in which Joan almost kills Christina in front of a magazine reporter.

As far as Joan’s friends defending her, it’s true that you never really know what goes on behind other people’s closed doors. Still, Christina Crawford hasn’t helped her “case,” in my opinion, by encouraging the camp-fest that has developed around the book and movie of Mommie Dearest. She has appeared at screenings with drag queens playing her mother and at which the crowd interacts with the film à la Rocky Horror using props. The last time I saw the film in a theater, an AFI-sponsored screening for its 25th anniversary in 2006, I was uncomfortable at the uproarious laughter that greeted so many scenes. If the story is true, we are laughing at horrific child abuse. If it is an exaggerated tale of a troubled childhood, we are participating in a major defamation of character of a woman who is not here to defend herself and whose public image (the one thing everyone who knew Joan Crawford said she cared about more than anything) has been utterly trashed.

Not that I can truly blame the audience for laughing or claim that I took the high road and didn’t join in from time to time. How can you not laugh at lines that are so out there they have become indelible parts of our pop culture such as “Christina, bring me the ax!” or the iconic “NO WIRE HANGERS…EVER!!” My personal favorite is a scene that I think shows Joan in a positive light even though she’s clearly being a Class A bitch. After her fourth husband, Pepsi-Cola honcho Al Steele dies, the top brass at Pepsi try to kiss her off. Never one to meekly slither away, Joan Crawford lays into the Board and threatens to use her fame to turn her fans against Pepsi if they continue their campaign to get rid of her. After years of dealing with the sleazeballs of Hollywood, Joan was not about to let this group give her the heave-ho. “Don’t fuck with me, fellas!” she spews with an evil smile on her face. “This ain’t my first time at the rodeo.” I hope she really said that, it’s such a great line.

While the Crawford twins, Cathy and Cynthia, that we see in Feud always defended their mother against their sister’s charges, Joan’s adopted son, Christopher, definitely did not. Though he was never as interested in sharing his story with the world as Christina had done, his own childhood was every bit as troubled.  As a young boy, Christopher ran away from home several times. At 12, Joan placed him is a residential military academy but it didn’t curtail the trouble the boy constantly got into. Following Crawford’s death and the release of his sister’s book, he finally agreed to talk to a newspaper reporter in 1978 about his unhappy childhood.

“I want to tell this once, so people will get off my back and leave my family alone,” says the 6-foot-4 man whose hard life shows in his face. He needs dental work. There are small scars on his face and larger ones on his back from a mortar explosion in Vietnam.

Crawford recalled his mother’s “sleep safe,” the harnesslike device used to keep infants securely in their beds. Chris was strapped into bed until the age of 12. Once caught playing with matches, his mother made him hold his hand in the fireplace. “I had blisters all over my hand. That day I ran away for the first time. I was 7.”

Though Chris attended his mother’s funeral, his last encounter with J.C. was five years ago. His youngest child was born in Brooklyn, on welfare. “When Bonnie was born, she had a lot of trouble. She was just a tiny little mass of bones with some skin stretched over them. So I called J.C. and said, ‘I need your help. Your granddaughter needs blood and she needs it now. She might die.’ J.C. said, ‘She’s not my granddaughter. You were adopted.’ I lost my temper and slammed down the phone so hard I broke the receiver. That was it between J.C. and me.”

FEUD: Bette and Joan — “Mommie Dearest” — Installment 1, Episode 3 (Airs Sunday, March 19, 10:00 p.m. e/p) –Pictured: (l-r) Jackie Hoffman as Mamacita, Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford. CR: Suzanne Tenner/FX

That’s as bad as anything in Mommie Dearest. Christopher Crawford died of cancer on September 22, 2006. Cynthia Crawford died the following year. It’s quite possible that Christina and Christopher’s perspectives about their mother were as true and valid as their younger sisters’ claims of a strict but very loving mother. In any event, I’m grateful to Ryan Murphy and Jessica Lange for allowing the world to see a more multifaceted and complex version of Joan Crawford, albeit another fictionalized take that is open to different interpretations. Few people cared more about their career or their public image than Joan Crawford and I’m happy that this poignant examination of the screen legend doesn’t treat her incredible and often tragic life as one big joke. Happy Birthday, Joan!

[njawaidofficial]

'God of War': PS4 Game Hinges on Bond of Its 2 New Actors

http://styleveryday.com/2017/09/30/god-of-war-ps4-game-hinges-on-bond-of-its-2-new-actors/

'God of War': PS4 Game Hinges on Bond of Its 2 New Actors

Nearly a decade has passed since gamers concluded the tale of the rage-filled Spartan warrior Kratos in 2010’s God of War 3, in which the son of Zeus finally exacted his vengeance against the spiteful gods of Olympus.

Now, Santa Monica Studio and Sony are bringing the action gaming icon back to consoles with God of War, set for release in spring 2018.

A lot has changed for Kratos since he was last seen hacking and slashing his way through the roster of Greek deities. The new game sees the familiar anithero sporting a bushy new beard, an apt look for the series’ new locale in the frigid wilderness of Norseland; new weapons now that he’s lost his trademark, chained Blades of Chaos; and, most importantly, he has an adolescent son. 

The change of tableau is not simply cosmetic, as the franchise’s Grecian setting was integral to Kratos’ story and was a fundamental aspect of the plot, characterization and even gameplay of the previous titles. The new location opens up the narrative to the wide breadth of Norse mythology, something of great interest to game director Cory Barlog.

“When I came back to the studio I knew I needed to make a big change to the game,” Barlog explained to Heat Vision during a recent visit to the studio. “We had exhausted Greek mythology and kind of started to set up Kratos to be able to connect to more myths. We didn’t know exactly where we were going to go at the time, but we knew we were going to expand it out.”

Barlog has been working on God of War since the first game in 2005, on which he was the lead animator. He moved up to game director for 2007’s sequel, earning a BAFTA for his writing on the project, then served as game director for eight months on the third game before leaving the company. His return to the franchise (and developers Santa Monica Studio) came in 2013 where he put together a team to work on the next leg in Kratos’ blood-soaked journey.

“When I really started forming the seed of this idea I knew it was going to be a massive polar shift for the whole franchise to really reimagine everything we can about it while still keeping the guts of God of War,” Barlog said.

Changing up the setting was not the only shake-up Barlog had planned for the fourth installment, however. To match Kratos’ new look, Barlog needed a new actor. Christopher Judge, perhaps best known for his role as alien military commander Teal’c on the hit sci-fi television series Stargate SG-1, won the role, replacing longtime Kratos voice actor Terrence C. Carson.

“The way we shot all the previous games, we were able to have a different body actor than the voice actor, so the voice actor could do most of their work similar to an animated film where they just did all V.O. work in the studio,” Barlog explained. “Doing what we wanted to do with a camera that was never going to cut away, we had a lot of scenes that required two characters to interact physically on the stage. The size difference between Kratos and Terrence is very great. Offsetting that for the size of a child, it turned out it was going to be almost impossible to try and actually shoot them and go in and redo the animations.”

Luckily, Judge had no such problem. Standing 6-foot-3 with the build of an NFL linebacker (Judge attended the University of Oregon on a football scholarship), he had the look of the character down. However, unbeknownst to the veteran actor, his fate ultimately lay in the hands of a 10-year-old: Sunny Suljic.

Suljic was cast as Kratos’ son Atreus very early on in the game’s development, when the actor was only 9 years old. The Atreus character was modeled after the young actor’s stature and appearance, and when it came to finding his co-star, the team weighed Sunny’s opinions about the casting of Kratos heavily. 

“There was an audition and they asked me who I liked the most,” Sunny, now 12, recalled as he took a break between recording sessions at Santa Monica Studio.

He was doing the one-on-one interview with Heat Vision as his mother waited around the corner (“She makes me nervous sometimes during these,” he explained) when Judge showed up. A towering presence even to other grown adults, seeing Judge beside Suljic is an exhibition of true contrast. The massive actor immediately began rough-housing with his co-star, lifting him over his shoulders handily with one arm as Sunny giggled. The familial bond between them is evident instantaneously, a promising preview of the bond their roles require.

The laughter between the two was quick and genuine as they recalled the casting process. “We did a chemistry test, and I didn’t find out until later that they really did ask Sunny for approval,” Judge said with a laugh. “If I had known then that my fate was in the hands of a 10-year-old,” he turns to Sunny. “I owe you a pair of Nikes.”

That relationship is all the more important when considering the amount of time both actors have worked on the project. Suljic has been recording motion and voice performances for over three years while Judge has been attached for two. The duo often perform their scenes together, sporting skin-tight suits covered in white balls, on a stage at Santa Monica Studio. That experience is clearly conducive to bonding.

“My sons now are adults and out of the house,” Judge said as Suljic, beside him on the couch, looks (way) up at him. “The thing you always regret is that you can’t go back and spend more time with them at certain ages. “Being around Sunny just feels good to me. It’s feels like some of the time I missed with my own kids.”

Stepping into a role already made famous by another performer can be daunting, but Judge saw the role as an opportunity to really bring something new to the character. “When I realized it was God of War, I did some background work on it,” the actor said. “Terrence had played it for so long I thought it would just be a huge mistake to mimic his performance. I figured, well, if they’re recasting they’re going for something different or in a different direction. I just started with a blank slate and went from there.”

That new direction extends to most other aspects of the game. Not only is Kratos now a father in a new land, but the gameplay reflects both the relationship between the two characters as well as the new Norse mythology.

“It’s most definitely not an escort mission,” Barlog said, emphatically. To many gamers there are no two words more reviled than the dreaded escort mission. “It’s more like a military leader and a soldier that he’s teaching and taking under his wing,” Barlog continued. “The player has direct command over Atreus and is trying to guide him through the process, but the kid has his own mind and he is able to handle himself even when you’re not paying attention.” A button (square) on the controller is dedicated to Atreus, which allows players to direct him to different objectives which he will carry out on his own. “What we’re trying to do is kind of tap into that ‘teaching your kid to ride a bike as you run alongside’ thing,” says Barlog.

For fans of the series, this is an extraordinary change of tack for Kratos’ character — a man so driven by rage that he toppled the gods themselves to become the eponymous deity of conquest, battle and destruction.

“Kratos’ change in his play style is really this idea that he’s struggling with mastering this rage that he let out of the box in all the previous games. He was an angry monster who walked up to people and just killed them, didn’t even care,” Barlog says. “I think Atreus is offering just this tiny bit of humanity that he lost long ago that allows him to not just kill somebody the first time he meets them and find out a little bit more.”

For Judge, that nuance of character meant a meatier role. “When I first read this it kind of threw me because this was a real script. It wasn’t just a way to get into battles, it was really this great story of this relationship and this crazy mythology,” he said before heading into a recording session.

Watching Judge — a jovial giant of a man who is quick with a smile and a rumbling laugh — transform into Kratos through the thick glass of a recording studio, it’s easier to see how the actor scored the role. It takes him roughly three sentences and a whole bottle of Teavana iced tea to drop his already baritone speaking voice to the bassy thunderous grumbles of Kratos, yet he still maintains a patience in his delivery that was before unknown to the character.

“It’s not a softer side, but a softer side to Kratos,” said Barlog. “He has a very long road ahead of him before he can express the softer sides that we would associate with being softer, but he’s definitely a changed person.”

No official release date for God of War has yet been announced. It will be available exclusively on PlayStation 4.