#even during his last moment logan found a way to traumatize them and make them feel guilty | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

theonetheycallhannah · 4 years ago

Text

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Chapter 19: Debridement

Characters: Captain Logan “Sy” Syverson, Shane Benton (OFC), various other original supporting/secondary characters

Summary: Shane begins to process life after her trauma, and Sy delivers the news of her safety to the people that matter most to her…but there is pushback on a few aspects of his report.

Romance and Smut Abound HERE!

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings: Mostly fluff, but with mention of Shane’s trauma in the cellar. Not graphic.

Author’s Note: My darling readers! Thank you so much for your patience as I deal with seasonal stress, fatigue, anxiety, and some depression. It was my goal to have all chapters of this story done by the end of this year. I don’t think I’ll accomplish it, but I’ll do my very best to get at least one more chapter up by the 31st. 2020 has been a totally shit year, but I will forever owe it some remarkable things. This story, which has been an amazing escape from real life, the friends I’ve made from all over my country and the world, many of them because of this story, and a long overdue shift in my work hours starting next week. I’ll be glad to see the back of it, but the year has really opened me up to new ideas and some major soul-searching. I think, mentally, I’m actually more myself than I’ve ever been, despite some blue times. You can all take some credit for that improvement, because many of my moments of clarity have arisen from brilliant and profound posts here.

The title of this chapter seemed appropriate for a few reasons. Wounds are cleaned and cleared of damaged tissue during debridement. This is one of the steps usually required for a large and/or traumatic wound to heal. We see Shane beginning this process here in this chapter, and in a sense, Sy, as well. The cleansing of Shane in both the literal and figurative sense was so interesting and satisfying to write. And Sy’s bit at the end was a fun puzzle in which I had to figure out how to have Sy give the same news to four different recipients without sounding repetitive. I hope that landed, and if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism. This is an original work by me, Hannah. Please reblog if you wish to share. Please do not repost either in whole or part, as the work of anyone but myself. Thanks so much for reading!

Tags:

@onlyhenrys @cavillryarchive @summersong69 @titty-teetee @bloodyinspiredfuck @agniavateira@oddsnendsfanfics @omgkatinka @thisismysecretthirstblog @speakerforthedead0 @tumblnewby @suavechops @radkesgirl83 @wheretheriversrunintothesea @heartfelt-pen @auds24 @geekycanuck @lunarstarknight @wilma-g @coldmuffinbanditshoe @feralrunaway @sugarpenchant @bichibibi @mzchievous-blog @shesakillerkween @madbadidc7ed @foodieforthoughts @toomanyfandomsshreya

If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although…their lackadaisical notification system might…sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@

Shane still felt as if her head was floating above her body, like a balloon on a long string. The combination of meds in her system had helped many of her symptoms. The pain she felt, the physical pain, had been alleviated. Her troubled mind had been put at ease, more or less. But that was a long time ago. And unfortunately, the side effects weren't wearing off at the rapid rate of the intended ones.

As she sat in the SUV--the escape vehicle-- parked outside a large building the size of a small airplane hangar, she tried not to think about what Sy and his pals were discussing just outside the vehicle. She tried not to reflect on the past few days that she had convinced herself would be her last. She tried not to think about what -- or, really, who -- was inside that building.

She thought about seeing Elliott again. The man who had planned to kill her, and almost succeeded. A part of her wished he had, because she wasn't sure she knew who she was anymore. She was a stranger to herself. And living like this seemed so much more difficult than a quick painless death. She couldn't bear the thought of being in view of him.

But another part of her wanted to go in there and end his life herself. That part of her could pull the trigger on a gun aimed at his head. That part of her could bury a knife in his kidney, or sever an artery. Her anatomy and physiology courses could serve her well here. She had dangerous knowledge. Maybe that's why doctors often seem so full of themselves. They possess the knowledge to end life, and yet they choose to save it. It sort of puts things into perspective. Maybe they're justified in their hubris.

Still one more part simply wanted to go home, clean up, and lay naked in her soft sheets with Sy wrapped around her. Warmer and more comforting than any blanket had ever been. She had remembered missing him so much. She thought now about his gentle, loving hands on her, his mouth tasting her so delicately, his…

But then her mind was ripped from the sensual thoughts of Sy and back to her horrific memories from that cellar. The hands of strangers, rough and hateful, their mouths full of words like bile or the grunts of their own violent fulfillment.

Her nightmare of a daydream was abruptly interrupted by the opening of the back passenger door. She jumped, and looked at the source of the noise with wide-eyed terror. It was only Sy, but she couldn't school her face into a softer expression, even after realizing she was safe.

"Oh, Sunshine, I'm so sorry I startled ya! You okay?"

She said nothing, just let out her held breath woefully.

"Let's head home. I'll get your purse and bag of clothes here."

"I don't want those clothes. Throw them away. And these shoes are going in the trash as soon as possible, too."

"Okay. I'll toss it. You sure?"

"I never want to see that bag again. I'm positive."

He nodded, grabbed her purse, and went around to help her out of the vehicle.

One of Sy's friends approached them from the building.

"You guys okay? You'll make it home alright?"

"Yeah, Matt, we'll be okay. I'll be in touch soon about next steps."

"You got it, Captain. Anything you need, let us know."

"Will do. Thanks for everything you've already done. I owe ya."

"You don't owe me a thing, brother. You don't owe any of us. Not after everything you've done for all of us…for everyone."

Sy just nodded at Matt, and turned toward his truck, steadying Shane all the way to the passenger door.

The drive to Shane's house was quiet. Sy kept one hand on the wheel, holding hers in the other. She felt safe, but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling inside her. Like the other shoe would soon drop, and her love would be taken away again.

When they were safely parked in her driveway, Sy took her keys out of his pocket, apparently having gotten them from his friend who'd drove her car from Elliott's to the airplane hangar place. He walked around to get her, and helped her to her door. She kicked off her shoes immediately when she stepped inside her shadowy living room. She had left the same lamp on that she always did, but it was dimmer now, having been on almost a whole week.

"Bath?" Sy asked. Shane nodded slowly. She would need a long soak to erase this feeling.

Sy got the bath water ready while she found some clothes to put on after. She laid her comfiest lounge pants and her favorite sweat shirt on the bed and walked toward the bathroom. She was soon hit with the comforting aroma of lavender, chamomile, and vanilla as soon as she stepped through the doorway. He had used her favorite bubble bath and salts.

"Check that water temp. I think it's about right." he requested. It was perfect. She started to peel off the stiff paper scrubs she was still wearing, but he insisted on helping her. As she stood before him, even though he'd seen every inch of her body before, she felt more naked and exposed than ever. She looked at him, noticed tears welling in his eyes, and dropped her gaze to the bath mat under her feet. Her skin, typically immaculately clear, olive perfection, was now peppered with dozens of bruises. She felt like a dalmatian, covered in spots. She chuckled inside herself at the thought of one of her favorite Disney films featuring the breed most heavily.

Sy's strong, but gentle hands landed softly on her upper arms. His lips lit tenderly on her forehead. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded and stepped into the large, garden tub full of steaming water. It stung her feet, ankles, and calves, but she still bent to sit, wincing as her tender petals and behind met the medicinal broth. Sy held her hand as she stepped in and guided her down. She closed her eyes at the soothing pain of the hot water and did not open them until she felt the water level rise. Sy had stepped in with her, wearing just his boxer-briefs, and was sitting on the side of the tub. He reached for the hand shower, and turned the water back on, slightly less warm, but still soothing and soaked her hair, directing the water away from her face. He had thought to grab her shampoo from the shower, as well, and was lathering some up in his hands to apply to her wet strands. It felt like heaven to have his fingers in her hair like this. Relaxing and soporific. He kept at it until she was certain he must be getting pruney, not to mention tired.

After carefully rinsing her hair of the coconut-scented lather, he grabbed the lavender foam bath she loved, and worked it up in one of the wash cloths he'd brought from the linen caddy between the sink and shower. He massaged the suds into her tired and injured skin over her back, then requested each leg in turn, kneading her calves and feet as she took another of the cloths and washed her face with the rich cleanser she kept by the bath, typically using it only on her "spa days" but feeling that it would nourish her battered cheeks and nose better than anything else. Sy's ministrations filled her with a kind of blissful contentment. She couldn't help but wonder if she deserved him. She always had thought she deserved the best things in life, even though her romantic past didn't tend to pan out that way. She'd worked very hard and often allowed herself to invest in quality. But now…she felt broken, in spite of herself. She'd have to tell Sy all that happened to her one day, and when that day came, he'd probably realize how damaged she really was, and he'd leave. Just like everyone else always did. She knew the conversation needed to come sooner rather than later, but couldn't bring herself to break the spell yet.

Sy let her soak for as long as she was comfortable until the water grew tepid. She looked up to him, sitting on the side of the tub, legs now outside, his gaze like twin seas met hers. He had been watching her, it seemed. As if worried that she would dematerialize if he looked away. Her bath robe was draped across his lap, as was a large bath towel. She moved to stand from the now chilled bath water, and Sy was immediately up to aid her rising. He held her hand as she stepped out of the tub and dried her top half before helping her don the robe, then continued to dry her bottom half.

"Go on in there and get comfortable, Sunshine. I have a few phone calls to make. I wanna let your folks know you're okay and I wanna tell Detective Clarkson you've been found. Anyone else you want me to get in touch with?"

"Umm, do you know if my brother and sister know what's happened to me?"

"They do. They should both be at your parent's house by now from what I gathered when I visited."

"Okay, so mom or dad will let them know. I guess you should call Susan, and let her know that I'm alive but won't be in this week. On my fridge, there's a phone directory for everyone in my department. But first, call Heather. I don't want her to worry any longer. Call her right after mom and dad. And tell them all I'll have them over tomorrow, but I can't tonight. I'm…"

She didn't even know what she was. Tired, sore, depressed, hopeless, and angry. A combination of so many feelings and emotions coursed through her.

"I'll work it out. You get in bed, and I'll be back in when I'm done with these calls, okay?" she nodded. He continued, "I love you, darlin.'" and wrapped his arms around her, making her feel almost whole again.

"I love you." she replied. Holding back tears until he had left the room.

~~~~~~

Shane realized she hadn't brushed her teeth in…far too long. She donned her sleeping clothes and went into the bathroom again to complete a comprehensive oral hygiene routine. Sy had been gone for about a half hour, during which time, his absence felt like a noose around her neck. Or an anvil on her chest. It made it feel like hours had passed rather than mere minutes. She was fidgety. When he finally re-entered, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you need anything, sweet pea?"

"Just you."

Sy crawled under the covers with Shane to spoon her, arm laying over her rib cage. She winced, as the bruises on her torso were disturbed at the contact, but she didn't ask him to adjust. Despite the dull pain, this was what she needed. Sy's protecting arm around her.

"Did you get a hold of everyone?" She asked, sleepily.

"I did. Your family are eager to see you, but they understand your need for rest. Heather says that you better let her come over soon, because she's holding your phone hostage until you pay her in hugs. They all send their love."

"And Susan?"

"Yeah, that woman is a piece of work, I know, but I think she's going to come through for you. She's going to have them hold off on scheduling patients with you until you're better, and put both weeks in as vacation. She said you have plenty of it. But also, if you need more time, she can work out some…family medical leave…thing? She said she'd get the ball rolling on that, and will let you know what you need to do on your end."

"Oh, good. Yeah, she can be an asshole, but sometimes she does right by her employees. What about the detective?"

Sy paused there. "I, uh, I talked to him for quite a while and he said a lot of things. Let's go over the finer points tomorrow at breakfast. Or, rather, today." He said, looking at the blue numbers on the glowing digital clock on Shane's nightstand that indicated the wee hours of the morning were running out. "I'm sure we're both tired enough to grab a few winks, ain't we?" He asked, and she hummed her ascent as she tucked herself closer to his warm, monolithic chest.

As Shane drifted off, she thought she felt a warm kiss, and a whisper at her temple. It sounded like a tearful prayer. She was too far into her sleep to comprehend the words being said.

"Thank you God," Sy whispered. "I know I'm not your most faithful servant, but I am truly grateful that you've kept this treasure of mine alive and brought her back to me. Thank you for reuniting me with the woman I mean to spend the rest of my days with, if she'll agree to it. Thank you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Thirty Minutes Ago-

Sy left the bedroom and began scrolling through his phone for the Benton's number. He pressed the call button with joy.

"Sy?" John answered frantically, just as he did the first time Sy spoke to him.

"John, is everyone there?"

"Yeah, we're all just watching a movie in the family room. Do you have news?"

"I do. You may want to put me on speaker, because everybody's going to want to hear this."

"Okay." and after a brief struggle with the speaker button and help from two younger people Sy presumed were Ethan and Gabby, John was back with the whole family. "Okay, Sy, we can all hear you. What's the word?"

"Oh, it's a very good word, guys. I found Shane and she is alive, and now safe." Cheering from what sounded like a stadium full of fanatics resounded from the ear piece of his cell phone.

"Sy, this is Gabby, Shane's sister. Can we come see her now?" Gabby's tears were evident in her voice. He wished he could tell them yes. But Shane needed her rest.

"I know she would love to see you, Gabby, she'd love to see all of you, but I think what she needs right now is rest. She's been through…a terrible ordeal. I took her to the Emergency Room to get checked out, and she just had a bath and is about to go to bed. She'll want to see you all tomorrow, though. Maybe around lunch time?"

"That sounds good, Sy. We'll bring some of this food over." John said.

"Are you sure we can't come over tonight? I…I want to see my daughter with my own eyes." Margaret said, weepily.

"I truly wish I could tell you yes, Peg, but she's hardly slept the last week, and just had her first full meal since she was taken this evening at the hospital. I really think it's best for everyone if you guys wait until tomorrow when she's more herself and rested." Sy reiterated.

"What about the people who did this to her?" a male voice he didn't recognize asked, assured to be Ethan. "Any leads on them?" He wanted to tell them that most of the men had been dealt with using lethal or nearly lethal force, and that the perpetrator of Shane's misery was locked up in Matt's shop bathroom until they decided just how to take care of him. But he needed to disclose what he knew to as few people as possible.

"The less y'all know, the better. For your own good. At least right now. Just know that whatever justice has not yet been served, it will be very soon."

"That's good enough for me." John offered, in an apparent attempt to bring Ethan on side.

"Thanks, John. I'll take care of her tonight. I won't leave her side. I promise."

"Thank you, son." John replied. Sy appreciated the tender address, but wondered how Ethan felt about his father referring to someone else as his son. Probably not that great. He couldn't worry about that now.

"It's my sincerest pleasure. I want you to know that. She's my world now. I won't let anything else happen to her."

"We know, dear." Peg added.

"Good night. And we'll see y'all tomorrow."

Four incoherent replies rang out before he ended the call. Next was Heather.

"Hello?" she answered in sleepy confusion.

"Heather?"

"Who'sis?"

"It's Logan Syverson. Sy? From PT. Shane's boyfriend."

"Sy! Oh, it's good to hear from you! Any news?"

"The best news, darlin.' Our girl is alive, and home safe." he smiled ear to ear saying the words, but it quickly turned into a wince when Heather shouted for joy in his ear. It was fine. Not like he didn't already have mild tinnitus.

"Oh my GOD! I'm coming over right now!"

"No, Heather, she's resting. She told me she'll see people tomorrow, but I don't think anyone but you and her family should be allowed in right now. She's…well, she's been through seven levels of Hell, and when I look into her eyes, I can still see the fire."

"Shit. Anything I can do?"

"She'll be thrilled to see ya. But tomorrow."

"She better. I have her phone and the ransom is a thousand hugs."

"That's a steep debt." Sy chuckled.

"She can owe me for a while." Heather laughed. "Is she okay?"

What a loaded question. Physically, she was injured, but would heal. Emotionally, that would be more of a journey.

"Honestly, Heather? Not really. The physical stuff is more or less superficial, but…I'm worried about her mental state."

"Poor thing. Please let me know if I can do anything. Anything at all. She's like a sister to me."

"I will. For now, keep the news and the details quiet. I'm gonna call Susan next, and I don't think she'll like it if you know before she does. Just a hunch."

"An accurate one. She'd be furious. I'll keep mum. Thanks so much for putting my mind at ease, Sy. Take care of her."

"I'll do my best. See ya."

He was dreading talking to Susan the most. More than Clarkson. He couldn't quite pinpoint why, but she'd really pissed him off every other time he'd talked to her, and he really didn't think too much of her.

"Hello, this is Susan."

"Hey, Susan, it's Logan Syverson. Shane's boyfriend." He made sure to put the label in there. Remind her that her policy had not been enough to keep them apart.

"Mr. Syverson. Hello. What can I do for you?" her haughty tone was softened a measure with concern for her employee. Even though she didn't ask about her in so many words, he knew that she was wondering.

"Nothing. I just wanted to let ya know, Shane's okay. She's been hurt, and won't be in this coming week, at least. She's in some pain right now, of both a physical and emotional nature."

"What happened?"

"She, uh, hasn't given me a lot of details." Not a lie. "She just escaped from her captor and we found each other." Misleading, but mostly true. "We just got home from the ER." Perhaps a lie by omission of the stop off at Matt's. "They said she'd be okay, but to follow up with her primary for more tests."

"Okay, I'll make sure her schedule is cleared. She has plenty of PTO for these two weeks, but I'll call the FMLA office in charge of family medical leave and short term disability and let them know she'll need some more time off, and see if we can get that going. I'll get with her about the details, and what she'll need to do. I'll text her sometime this week. How's she doing?" Sy thought he heard genuine concern from this dragon woman.

"About as well as someone who's been kidnapped, tortured, and assaulted for a straight week can possibly be, I'd say." Sy's words were civil, but tinged with venom. Even though she was being decent right now, he knew the kind of person she could be.

"Dear God." Susan gasped, shocked at the statement, and Sy wasn't sure whether it was due to the events themselves, or the blunt way he'd told her about them. "Well, I'll do anything I can to help her though this on my end. She's one of my best. I can't…I really don't think I could replace her."

"I'm glad you don't have to try, Susan. Have a nice evenin.'"

"Thanks, Sy, you too."

Sy took a deep breath as he pulled up Clarkson's number and called him. He honestly wasn't completely certain how he was going to explain things, but he'd figure it out. He was good at flyin' by the seat of his pants.

A gruff voice came from the ear piece. "Clarkson."

"Detective, this is Captain Syverson. We spoke about the Benton case a few days ago?"

"I remember you, Sy. What's up?"

"Oh, uh, well, wanted to tell ya you could close the case. I found her." It was the coming conversation in which he would really have to bend the truth or lie altogether.

"Really?! Oh, that's great, man. Where'd ya find 'er."

"I's drivin' 'round, hopin' to come across some lead or sign of her. I was a few miles down highway 100 when I saw a slumped form in one of the ditches. I pulled off at the next drive and went back to check, and it was her. She was hurt, but once she recognized me…I dunno, everything's kind of a blur after that. But I got her checked out at the ER, and brought her home now." Most of that statement was false…but not the recount of them seeing each other for the first time. That was a very real and true fact.

"Highway 100?"

"That's right. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I heard about a terrible, two-vehicle accident on Highway D tonight. No survivors."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He wasn't. "I hope there weren't any kids involved." He knew there weren't.

"Nope. All adult males, aged 30-40. Couple of SUVs. One ran off the road, and another…well, it's almost like it was blown up on purpose. Happened just a few miles from town."

"That sounds horrible, but what does an accident on Highway E--"

"It was D. Highway D." Sy knew it was, and had said the wrong thing on purpose.

"My mistake. My question though, is what does that…tragedy have to do with my finding Shane on Highway 100?"

"That's what I'm wondering, myself, Syverson. See, there was some…evidence that suggests military involvement in this incident."

"Well, I'm retired."

"Are you though? Is anyone ever really retired from the armed forces. No veteran I've ever talked to can seem to shake off the war shackles."

"Well, I ain't shackeled, detective. I'm proud of my time serving my country, but I got no cause to relive it or hang on to it. Especially now that I have Shane. She's my life now. That part of it’s over."

"I guess I have to take you at your word, captain. Got no evidence so far that ties you to the scene. Just…be careful. If you do anything retaliatory to Miss Benton's captor or captors, I won't be able to protect you, no matter how I feel about your actions. Or how justified they might be."

"Understood. I will keep that in mind should I decide to take matters into my own hands." he tried not to let the smile on his face show in his voice.

"Right, well…is she okay?"

"I, uh…I think she will be…eventually. She hasn't said much to me about what happened, but I know it was torture, or akin to it. "

"Well, I hope she recovers quickly. I'll want a statement from her before I close the case."

"Sure thing. As soon as she's ready to talk."

"Great. Thanks for the call, Sy. I'm glad she's safe now. That's all that matters, really."

"Agree. Have a good night, Clarkson."

He ended the call and rubbed his face as head in frustration with his free hand. They'd have to come up with a story. A good one. Close enough to the truth that Shane could feel comfortable telling it, but far enough of a departure that they weren't incriminated in any kidnapping, murder, or manslaughter charges.

But for tonight, they’d rest. And just be glad to be together again.

Up Next: Chapter 20-Second Assist

#Sand Castle #netflix sand castle #captain syverson #Captain Syverson x OFC #sigh for sy #henry cavill #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill x ofc

67 notes · View notes

snowdice · 5 years ago

Text

There Are Things That Are Lost (Part 5 of the series “Is There Anything Left of Patton.”)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Virgil & Logan, Logan/Patton(?), Virgil & Patton (?)

Characters: Logan, Virgil, Patton(?)

Summary: Virgil’s lucky hoodie is missing. Patton is more helpful with this than Logan.

Notes: Zombie Apocalypse AU, Past major character death(?), It’s a zombie AU and Patton is a Zombie. Angst.

This is the fifth part of a series of one-shots called Is There Anything Left of Patton? For once we’re not going to have a big time skip between this one and the next one so watch out for their trip to the Home Depot next week.

Previous parts:

“Something Left”

“Someone You’ll Never Meet”

Food You’ll Never Eat

Things You’ll Never Do

“Ugh,” Virgil groaned. “Where’s my hoodie?!” Patton turned at the slightly louder sound of his voice and shambled over to him. Unwilling to deal with him right now, Virgil took the couch cushion he’d been looking under and raised it between them as a barrier. Patton glommed onto it and Virgil pushed a bit, so he stumbled back. Apparently, he’d been too rough because he fell and landed on his butt continuing to grip at the pillow mindlessly.

“Don’t be mean to Patton,” Logan scolded, walking into the room.

“Have you seen my hoodie?” Virgil asked him.

“You need to keep better track of your stuff,” Logan said. He pulled the pillow out of Patton’s grip meeting very little resistance.

“That is not helpful,” Virgil spat.

Logan grunted as he leaned over and pulled Patton to his feet by the underarms. Patton grabbed for his face once he was standing. “Hush dear,” Logan mumbled, gently taking his hands in his and pulling them away. “It’s okay.” Then he turned his attention back to Virgil. “Based on data from the last three months, I predict you’ll find it in a place you ‘swear you didn’t put it’ within the next 2-3 days. Then, you’ll inevitably loose it again within the week.”

“… I don’t appreciate your tone.”

Logan did not bother to respond to him this time. He simply settled Patton on the couch with gentle pushes. They had found that he was much more likely to acquiesce if they just poked him in the direction they wanted him to go instead of shoving. He liked to push back against things that were too forceful, but if you just nudged him, he tended to accept it. They’d figured out a lot of things like that ever since they’d started to let him off the leash a bit.

Virgil had convinced Logan to let Patton walk around on his own sometimes almost three months ago, honestly mostly out of boredom after a month being stuck inside by the winter weather. He’d cited the fact that the zombie couldn’t exactly figure out how to open doors or anything, and neither of them were worried he’d eat them at this point. All they had to do to keep him contained was make sure the exits of the room they wanted him in were closed. They didn’t even need to lock them; they could probably just put up one of those baby cages.

Okay, maybe not that. Sometimes when he got in attack mode, he could push really hard. Last month Virgil’d forgotten to close the door to the kitchen and had ended up being tackled for a piece of raw meat he’d been intending to cook. It had been all types of traumatizing to watch him eat something bloody while being held to the ground. Beyond just the instinctual fear, there’d also been the thought that maybe being covered in blood would finally activate his eat human mode and Virgil would be desert. Yet, the most he’d done to Virgil was shove at him with his creepy ass fingers. Patton was lucky Virgil had some weird misplaced affection for him after that stunt. Logan also was lucky for the same reason; else he would have murdered the man for laughing after he realized exactly what had happened.

With a dramatic sigh, Virgil flopped down on the couch next to Patton and immediately had fingers on his arm. “Do you know where my hoodie is?” he asked Patton, pushing the fingers away. Patton made a puffy moaning sound. Virgil nodded along. “I already checked there, but thanks for being more help than Logan.”

Logan glared at him. “It’s too warm for it anyway,” he pointed out. It was true, but that didn’t soothe him.

“And if a zombie comes and tries to bite me, I’d like to have more than a t-shirt for cover,” Virgil grumbled. “No offence, Pat.”

He figured since Patton didn’t stop with the grabbing at his face that he did not take any offence.

“The hoodie isn’t going to give you any more cover if a zombie attacks you,” Logan pointed out.

“Well, it certainly helps when this zombie attacks me,” Virgil said as fingers continued to touch him. He’d usually put up his hood and pull the strings tight to prevent the slightly too cold touch from hitting his skin when Patton did this.

“The lost hoodie is your own fault and I have no sympathy for you. Keep better track of your things.”

Virgil stuck out his tongue. “Fine,” he said. “you’d better hope I don’t die in an accident that could have been prevented by a hoodie when we go out today. ‘Cause I’ll haunt you.”

“Yes,” he snapped, “because I need more dead loved ones hanging around my house.”

…

Oops.

“Sorry,” Virgil said, properly cowed.

Logan sighed and sat down in the armchair across from him. “No, I’m sorry. That reaction was needlessly provocative.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he was battling a headache.

They’d been at each other throats the past couple of months. January and February had been particularly hard with the snow and the cold. They’d been snowed in the house with only each other and a zombie whose presence could either make Logan soft and sad or irritable at the flip of a coin. Now it was nearing April and though it had been snowing still two weeks ago, the weather had broken a day ago and it was suddenly edging on hot, at least in comparison.

Hopefully with a little fresh air they’d be able to calm down a bit around each other.

Speaking of.

“It’s fine Lo,” Virgil said. “I get it. We should probably get going if you’re ready.” At some point during the winter, they’d apparently sprung a leak in the corner of the living room by the armchair. They often woke up to the carpet damp and Logan was worried there might be rot if they let it go much longer. So, since the weather seemed to be holding, they were going on a mission to get lumber and some other supplies to hopefully fix it. The hope was that the Home Depot wasn’t too overrun and the wood there was good. Otherwise they’d have to chop down a tree themselves which would make a lot of noise: not exactly a good thing when flesh eating creatures that were drawn to loud noises were wondering around.

Logan nodded at his reminder and looked over at Patton, the skin around his mouth tightening.

Well, they certainly weren’t going to just leave him alone in the upstairs to roam by himself. Yet, Virgil knew putting him in the basement hurt Logan more than he let on.

There wasn’t anything for it.

They walked together towards the basement entrance, hidden carefully behind a few bookcases in Logan’s study. Virgil whistled long and low and, as anticipated, a couple of moments later, Patton lumbered towards them.

Virgil was glad that Patton wasn’t able to make the connection between where they were drawing him and the basement below because, if Patton was capable of hating anything anymore, he hated the basement. He imagined if Patton could produce the fleeting thought that coming to the study = cage in the basement, he would fight them all the way.

He was always discontent in the basement. The more restrained he was, the worse his sounds and struggling became. It was some instinct, Virgil guessed. After all, how were zombies supposed to hunt and eat people alive if they were trapped? Of course, Patton didn’t actually have to worry about that since he and Logan kept him very well fed, but the chomping living beings instinct seemed to be the only zombie instinct shut off for him. So, he’d still mindlessly shove against things restraining him just like he’d still reach for things and pull them to him and he’d still follow loud noises and dramatic movements. Just like he’d still chase you down and tackle you if you weren’t careful. He just didn’t eat you at the end of it all.

The point was, considering how strong he could be when he wanted to, it was fortune that he didn’t understand where they were going.

Unfortunately, Logan did.

He took a measured breath and pressed the lever that would open the basement door. “Come here, dear,” he requested. Patton turned his attention to Logan, reaching out to him. Logan grabbed one of his hands and pulled softly, causing him to stumble forward in confusion. “Come on,” he coaxed, “it’ll be fine.”

“Want help?” Virgil asked, pitching his voice low as to not attract as much attention from Patton. His hands moved towards where his hoodie pocket would usually be, but then fisted at his sides since he was just in a t-shirt. Virgil always asked even though he always got the same answer.

“I can handle it,” Logan said, his voice measured. Virgil just nodded once and leaned against the door to wait.

Want to read more? The next part of this series is…

There Are Things That Are Missing

#sanders sides #virgil sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #logicality #?#adriana writes #zombie au #past major character death #angst #italop #platonic analogical #platonic moxiety #(sorta?)

100 notes · View notes

sidespromptblog · 5 years ago

Text

The Change: Part 3

One, Two

Summary: Deceit decides that its time for a change in his life, tired of being treated as nothing but the most awful and evil villain... he decides to go the largest degree possible to take that change. Leaving everything that he had behind him.

Soon enough the sound of Roman’s voice faded away as he clambered up the stairs with the new side, and it was then and only then when Virgil picked himself up from the bottom of the stairs barely offering the direction in which Roman had gone a single glance. His fingers plucked at the strands of white thread that stood out on his jacket, making one of the ends unravel as he ventured into the kitchen where Patton and Logan were more than likely getting ready to discuss what they would be having for dinner since they had a new guest who’s food tastes they literally knew nothing about. Chances were… they’d probably go for pasta as a go-to, that was what they had done for him when he had been stubborn and quite, but still willing to show up for dinners in the first place.

For one quiet moment, he watched Logan and Patton deliberate between choosing spaghetti sauce and alfredo, their silent anxieties telling him that they were terrified that their new guest had some kind of unspoken allergy to either one of them. It was nice… and familiar, something that he was used to, the complete opposite of the new stranger that would now be living among them.

“Why don’t we just make both!” Patton nervously chattered to Logan, holding up both the can of spaghetti sauce and jar of alfredo sauce, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Many things,” Logan calmly butted in, as he started to count on his fingers. “He could go into a food-induced coma, he could go into shock by one of the many ingredients that you add to your dinners every night, his throat could swell up making it impossible for him to breathe, he could get hives, he could-”

With each word that left his mouth, Patton seemed to grow more and more unsure.

“Guys,” Virgil cut Logan off quickly knowing that the logical side could and most certainly would carry on for the rest of the night if they allowed him to. And now that he had their attention he forced himself to leave the unraveling string of his jacket alone as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, focusing his gaze onto the little patch of flour on Patton’s glasses rather than meeting his eyes. “Doesn’t he seem a little… I don’t know…” He muttered, his gaze dropping down to the knot of Patton’s cat hoodie, “A little odd?” He hated to admit such a thing, but he… he just had this feeling since the other side had popped up behind him. The kind of feeling that came to him like the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, or like when he was waiting for a ghost to pop up during a horror movie. Suspense. “He feels… a little off to me, you know?”

They probably didn’t know, he was the only one who got these kinds of feelings.

Just the other week he had felt spooked by the ice dispenser of the fridge because it had been churning out more ice than usual, he felt iffy about even Thomas’ car when the tires made a different sound on the road. He was the last person who honestly should have been basing any kind of hard facts on something as fickle as gut feelings. He was Anxiety, everything was a bad gut feeling for him. Nothing was ever going to change that, that was for sure.

And yet…

Logan's hand laid heavily across his shoulder snapping Virgil out of his internal rambling musing. “It is alright,” The logical side patiently said, an almost awkward but warm smile quirking on his lips. “It took you quite a long time to get used to us and all of our eccentricities, and this is a new person who you aren’t familiar with. It is okay to say that he ‘squicks you out’ at first, you don’t exactly have the same relationship with him that you do with us. And that is perfectly normal, just because he is staying with us does not mean you are obligated to treat him like you would us.” Logan readjusted his glasses, as out of nowhere a notecard appeared in his hand. “I believe the term is… ‘Different strokes for different folks’?”

Within seconds a groan left Virgil’s lips as his palm connected with his face, a mixture of awkwardness and embarrassment rushing through him at the phrase that their resident logical side had printed out onto the notecard. He didn’t even want to imagine where Logan had found that phrase out, although he could pretty much guess given the faintest curve of the other side’s lips that revealed the smallest and most satisfied smirk that he had ever seen on Logan’s face to this day.

Cheeky.

“Logan’s right kiddo,” Stepping forward and putting the two different sauces away, for the time being, Patton wore a patient smile on his face. “You don’t have to talk or even interact with him until you’re ready to learn more about him. To be honest…” For a moment that moral side stopped, a look of deep echoing sadness falling into the crevices of the worry lines on Patton’s face. “I think that it might take him a while to get used to everything, I… just the way he responded to being told he didn’t have to do something.. he.. he…” Patton’s bottom lip trembled, and Virgil felt the tears coming before he even saw them.

Of course, he was upset about how Self Preservation had responded. Even Virgil had accepted Patton’s kindness, and he had never cried from just being given the most basic amount of respect. If he was being entirely honest… the entire thing had worried him as well, because whatever it was.. and whatever had happened... He got the feeling that the truth was traumatic at the worst, and excruciatingly painful in the very least. Regardless, all he could do was nod his head at Patton’s words, he didn’t know what it felt like for the moral side if he was being entirely honest. He would never know, that is what it was like to feel things so powerfully and so constantly in the extremes that Patton did.

So the very least that he could do was nod his head, and at least attempt to understand how he felt about this.

“Well,” That one word weighed a ton on his tongue, “I’ll leave you two to the cooking thing.” He almost felt bad for leaving Logan with Patton while he was in this state of mind, but really, nothing cheered their loveable moral side up more than cooking with Logan. So offering the pair one last wave as he sank out, he was pretty sure that they were in good hands.

At least he hoped so.

Meanwhile, in his own room… Deceit had absolutely no idea on what to fill his room with.

It should have been simple, Roman had told him to imagine whatever he felt like and it would appear in the proper place that he would have wanted it. So it really should have been no problem to make his room an exact match to the one that he had left behind, minus all of the black clothing and evil spooky snake decor that he had torn to shreds before he had left. But therein lied the problem, he couldn’t make his room look exactly like his old one. Virgil had seen his old room, Virgil had spent many of nights in his old room with the two of them laying on the floor doing anything from watching old classic movies to sleeping on his massive bed together when Virgil and a good chunk of the time Deceit, didn’t want to sleep alone. Virgil had been to his old room, and he would know right off the bat that it was him based on what he filled it with.

So he was left there, with a rather blank and empty room, and no ideas.

“Uugh,” He grumbled to himself, crossing his arms rather grumpily, “This shouldn’t be as hard as it is…” It really shouldn’t have been, and that was perhaps the most pathetic thing about this entire situation. He had the chance to start anew, and he hadn’t even begun starting yet! Well… that was a lie. He had summoned a closet full of clothing, so there was at least that. Allowing him to change out of the sweltering sweater that he had worn, swapping it out for a sleeveless turtleneck that was bright yellow and spotted with sunflowers.

He had to stick to his branding after all.

In the end, he wasn’t sure how much time he spent in his room, filling it with random things to see how it looked before settling for a bed, a dress that held a tv on top of it, a few bright yellow beanbag chairs that looked like massive smooshed sunflowers, a massive rug that Deceit could just sink his toes into it was so soft, and finally… a few bookcases that had absolutely nothing in them yet.

His room was full of stuff, and yet… it felt absolutely foreign to him, a part of him wanted the comfort of his old room back. The walls that were brick but lined with many of posters from different musicals over the years, the ever-present chill that had always made him bundle up with a ton of different blankets, his old stuffed snake that had long since lost her button eyes and a good chunk of the stuffing that had been inside of her thanks to Remus’ ‘doctor days’, and most importantly… he missed the comfort of feeling safe. In his room he knew that he could relax, it was his room after all. But here… where Roman could summon his room and possibly take it away on a whim, it almost felt like.. like his room wasn’t entirely his. He knew that he could shift his own room wherever he wanted to down in the subconscious, if he wanted it to be closer to the kitchen then he’d only have to think of it and it would happen. Here… he didn’t have that safety, that comfort, that knowledge of knowing of his room would always be his.

It was kind of stupid, in its own little way.

Because he had chosen this, a part of him knew what would happen as soon as he left everything behind, as soon as he took the scissors to his things making his room look more like a crime scene than a bedroom, when he dropped everything even his title. He knew what he was doing, and so he was going to have to deal with it.

Whether he liked it or not.

#virgil sanders #ts virgil #ts virgil sanders #patton sanders #ts patton #ts patton sanders #roman sanders #ts roman sanders #ts roman #deceit sanders #ts deceit #ts deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit

195 notes · View notes

lovemychoices · 5 years ago

Text

RoD- Playing with Fire. CH2 (1/2)

Book: Ride or Die

Pairing: Colt x MC

Once upon a time, an angel fell for a devil and they called it true love. -J.P.D

Kaela Matsuo didn’t think she would fall in love with someone during her senior year of highschool it was the last thing on her mind but then she met Colt while hanging out with Logan and everything changed. After taking down Jason and saying their heartbreaking goodbyes will Kaela and Colt ever find a way back to each other again? And if they do are they ready to face new obstacles together?

Disclaimer : Characters except my OCs belong to Pixelberry, I am just borrowing them.

I’m not a professional writer, just someone with a creative outlet finding a way to express herself. (And trying to improve as I go.) Also sorry for the grammatical errors in advance, I like only double check my work once.

Word count : 2123

Chapter Summary: A heart breaking phone call and a broken Kaela.

A/N : Ha! Finally posted the second chapter of this series. Sorry I’m really bad at updating been busy with life and work stuff, what was thinking doing more than 1 series 🤷🏻‍♀️. This chapter will consist of 2 parts.

Big shoutout to @thecordoniandiaries and @client-327 for listening to my ramblings and throwing ideas around.

Rating : This is a PG-18 series, there will be Violence, NSFW and other PG-18 stuff. If you read this you acknowledge you are above 18 years old.

Warning/ Triggers : A lot Angst, mentions of character death. I’m sorry this chapter might only contain 2% fluff or no fluff at all. If you think you can’t handle this cup of Tea you may skip this chapter. You have been warned!

Tagged list : @thecordoniandiaries @leelee10898 @annekebbphotography @desiree-0816 @emceesynonymroll @jessiembruno @jlpplays1

Rod tag list : @liamzigmichael4ever @client-327 @brightpinkpeppercorn @lovehugsandcandy @lilyofchoices @justdani14 @zaffrenotes @queenkaneko

Song Inspiration: Chord Overstreet - Hold On

Loving and fighting

Accusing, uniting

I can't imagine a world with you gone

The joy and the chaos, the demons we're made of

I'd be so lost if you left me alone

Ximena’s words hit Kaela like a knife to the heart, her breath catches her throat trying to process everything, her body trembled unable to form the next words. This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening. “Tell me this isn’t true X, tell me this is just one of Colt’s stupid plans or something.” She stammers. “How do you even know it’s him it could be someone else?!”

“Because. Because we were working together on a job when it happened. Something went wrong the cops got wind of our operation and they ended up chasing him, the roads were slippery from the rain and he. He just lost control. I overheard from the police scanner that he was found dead on the spot. Kaela I really am so so sorry, I know how much Colt meant to you, how much you both meant to each other.” She informs Kaela regretfully.

“W— Where is he?” Kaela asks her breath shaky but Ximena hesitates from answering. “Ximena where is Colt? Where did they take the body? Please answer me!” She pleads desperately. Ximena could feel that Kaela was hurt and being in denial, not wanting to face the reality of losing Colt. She treads carefully before she finally speaks. “Kaela, it’s not a good idea. The accident it messed Colt up badly, he wouldn’t want that image of him to be the last thing you remember.”

“I don’t care Ximena!” She belted. “I want to see it with my own eyes. I have to please, please, please.” Her voice cracks, her eyes start welling with tears. “Please I need to see him.”

Ximena hesitates again but finally gives in, she gives Kaela the address. Kaela quickly grabs her purse and keys from the counter but before she hangs up there was something else Ximena had to tell her. “Kaela before you go you should know, your dad. He is the one who is handling the case.” Kaela pauses at the threshold of the door when Ximena mentions her dad, they haven’t been close ever since the whole MPC argument. Sure they talked every once in a while to catch up on each others lives but things were never the same as they were before.

She closes her eyes then lets out a calm sigh. “Thank you Ximena, I know you’re risking a lot just by calling me right now.” “Take care Kaela.” Ximena advises her then hangs up. Kaela shoves her phone into her handbag slamming the door behind her quickly races to find Colt.

****

Kaela drove as fast as she could, hitting the gas pedal speeding across the highway. Swiftly maneuvering through the city and over taking every car that was in her way, she could feel the rush of adrenaline in her blood. “I promise I’ll find away for us to be together again.” The memory of Colt’s words the last time they saw each other came crashing back, tears began welling up in her eyes once more and she quickly wiped them away. She needed to see if it was really. Please don’t let it be him. She quickly put her car in park upon arriving at the coroner's office. Getting out and slammed the car door behind her, not caring that she was double parked.

“Excuse me miss you can’t be here at this hour.” The security at the front desk exclaimed as she barges into the building. Kaela ignores the security guard, quickly pacing past him looking at the signs above for the morgue. She turns the corner and she sees him, her dad standing outside the door that leads to the morgue. “Dad!” She called running towards him. Mr. Matsuo turns his eyes widen, hands in his pocket. “Kaela? W— What are you doing here?” He stutters. “You shouldn’t be here Kaela.”

“I need to see him.I need to know if it’s really him” She tries to head for the door leading to the morgue but he stops her blocking her path giving her a regretful look. “Dad what are you doing to get out of my way.”

“Kaela please don't do this, don’t make yourself hurt anymore than you already have.” He pleads but Kaela doesn’t listen trying to force her way in. He finally shows her a clear evidence bag to get her attention. “Kaela these are some of the things we found on him or at least what we managed to salvage.” She swallows a lump in her throat when she sees what was in it, among the things was a familiar Jade Kitsune.

****

Flashback here..

It was the night of senior prom, the first time Colt and Kaela confessed their love for each other, it was also the first time they slept together. The first time she gave herself to someone. Kaela nestled herself under his arms, her head resting on his bare chest feeling a sense of total bliss. How could anyone with the tendency to bring danger wherever he goes make her feel so safe at the same time. “What’s on your mind sweetheart?” Colt calmly asked while he traced soothing lines on her arm.

“Just thinking about how much I wished we could stay like this forever. No schemes, no bad guys to take down. Just us.. like this in this moment.” She murmured.

“Believe me I’ve been thinking the same thing.” He replied then heaves a sigh. “But we’re going to have to go back to reality soon.”

Kaela turned stretching her hand toward the side table grabbing her small clutch, she opened it and took out a small jade pendant then handed it to Colt. “Is this a Kitsune?” Colt asked cocking an eyebrow as he rubbed his fingers on the Jade pendant. “Mhmm..” She hummed nestling herself back into his arms. He turned the Kitsune behind and noticed some Japanese symbol engraved to it.

ケイラ

“What does this mean?” He questioned. Kaela rolled onto her stomach, propping her head on her hands and smiled when she saw the engraving on the Jade pendant. “It’s supposed to be a translation of my name when written in Kanji. When I was a child, my cousin was babysitting me and decided it was a good idea to let a six year old watch a horror movie. I was traumatized for weeks after that, I couldn’t sleep without the lights on. Then one day my mom gave me this, she told me that Jade crystals are used in asian cultures to ward off evil and that Kitsune’s are known to bring wisdom, long life and luck.”

“They are also known to be tricksters.” He added with a devilish grin. “You’re not the only one with some Japanese blood running through their veins, remember?”

“Maybe that’s why I’m attracted to you.” She winked. “Really? I thought it was because of how cute I was.” He chuckled and she swats him playfully, her expression quickly changes into something sincere. “I want you to have it Colt. It kept me safe all these years, it would make me feel better knowing you have it with you.”

“Kaela I can’t take this from you. You said so yourself your mom gave it to you. I know that this must mean a lot.” He replied.

“It does, but you mean a lot more to me so I want you to have it. Just promise me you’ll keep it with you wherever you go.” She grinned.

Colt doesn’t answer at first instead he pulled her into a deep kiss, when they parted he tucks a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “I promise you, I’ll keep this close to me until my very last breath.”

***

Present day..

Kaela’s shoulders drop when she sees the Jade Kitsune she gave Colt the night of her senior prom. She felt her body tremble and drops on to her knees, pressing her hands on her head and cries. “No, no, no.This can’t be. This can’t. I can't. I can't. I... I can't. I can't. No. It hurts. It hurts. Just make it stop! Please make it stop! It hurts!”

Mr.Matsuo saw how much the news affected her. His heart feels like it’s breaking into a million pieces watching his daughter like this but what’s done can’t be undone. He kneels down and gives her a tight hug rubbing soothing circles trying to comfort her. “It’s okay Kaela. It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

But how could she be? Every inch of her body was hurting when the realization that she would never see him, talk to him or touch him ever again hit her. That last piece of hope that she was clinging on to that piece that kept her going it was gone. Kaela couldn’t think, she couldn’t breathe, She felt like she was suffocating. “I can’t. I can’t breathe. I can’t. Please make it stop. Dad just make it stop! Make it stop!”

****

A few months have passed since she got the heartbreaking news about Colt, they say a broken heart will heal over time but time did nothing for Kaela. Losing Colt hit her hard, she was falling back on all her classes, her grades were slipping, so she decided to take a semester off. She lost a lot of weight because she wasn’t eating well, she wouldn’t leave her apartment unless she had to work or buy some things at the grocery. She isolated herself from the outside world.

“Ah! What the actual fuck?!” Kaela growls as the blinding sunlight pierces through her eyes.

“Get up, we’re going out tonight!” Riya exclaims after opening the curtains, she pulls Kaela’s blanket away from her. Kaela takes a small plush pillow next to her and covers her face from the blinding light, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Go away Riya, I’m not in the mood to go anywhere right now.”

“I'm serious Kaela!” Riya insisted placing both hands on her waist but Kaela pretends not to care. When she sees how stubborn Kaela was being, she drops her shoulders and heaves a sigh. She hated seeing her best friend like this, she takes a sit on the bed next to Kaela. “Listen, I know how much you loved Colt and I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through but it’s been almost 3 months Kaela, even if you’re not over him you can’t just live your life like this forever. When was the last time you went out for fresh air or even had a proper meal?” Riya asked but Kaela still refuses to answer her. “I’m not asking you to move on from Colt if you’re not ready, I just don’t want you to spend the rest of your life miserable and all alone. You haven’t been out in ages, who knows this could be good for you? Meeting new people, opening new doors. Just try Kaela, if not for me then for yourself.” Riya got up from Kaela’s bed and heads for the door she hesitates at the threshold then looks over at Kaela. “There’s a party tonight at Mike's house if you happen to change your mind I’ve sent you the e-vite along with the address. I really hope you’ll come.

Kaela waited until Riya left the apartment before getting out of bed, feeling dizzy as she slowly stood up. She heads to the bathroom dragging her fit. A nice long soak in the tub would be good. She dips her hand into the water to make sure the temperature was right. As soon as the bath was ready, she strips off her clothes and slowly stepped into the bathtub.

She closed her eyes trying to relax, trying to forget until mind slowly drifted and she found herself submerged in the water. But then she hears the voices, a surge of memories come crashing all at once. I love you Kaela.. I promise I’ll find a way for us to be together again.. Kaela I’m sorry… I can't. I can't. No. It hurts. It hurts.. Just make it stop! Please make it stop! It hurts!... I love you, Colt. Hold on to that. Kaela emerges from the water, gasping for air. She could feel her heart pounding as she panted, trying to catch her breath.

Once she managed to compose herself, she gets out of the tub and dries off before wrapping herself in a towel then heads to the sink. Kaela wipes the mist that built up on the mirror, she then leans against the sink staring at her reflection. She doesn’t recognize the person standing in front of her, it looked like an entirely different person, like someone who was broken inside and out. Fuck maybe Riya was right, I need to get out of this apartment a night out should help make me forget.

#playchoice #playchoices ride or die #choices ride or die #Colt x MC #colt kaneko #mc x colt #Logan x Mc #choices rod

34 notes · View notes

unwiltingblossom · 5 years ago

Note

But then you are contradicting yourself then; if you say that in Japan the woman gets the man she loved not the other way around then Mai did loved Zuko and so did Katara loved Aang. According to that, it worked fine. And about sasusaku and zutara being similar, their similarities just end at aesthetics only. Don't get me wrong, I ship sasusaku hard and perhaps might have ship zutara if the show was stretched, but Zutara is actually pretty dark. There's just too much rift that needs to be ....

cleared that the 100 year war brought. Then differences in lifestyle like Zuko belonging from the imperial lifestyle while Katara coming from tribal land. That wouldn’t have fit well. And the bond; Sasuke and Sakura knew each other since childhood. They shared the happier times. That wasn’t the case with Zutara. They started off pretty bad to the point that Zuko ended up nearly killing Aang. The piece you wrote was certainly enlightening and very informative but to compare Sasusaku with Zutara

Side characters don’t count like that. That said, I did account for Mai, as she is the ‘damaged’ and ‘woman of inferior morals’ that the ‘damaged’ Zuko deserves. This is similar to if Sasuke had ended up with Karin. Basically, the men need to be ‘good enough’ for the girl, if they’re not the paragon of virtue (the hero), they get a woman who isn’t as ‘good’ as the heroine. This obviously doesn’t really apply in a canon that lacks ‘good guy hero, good girl heroine, bad boy rival/support’ element, but you can see it even in unlikely places, such as X-Men (Scott will always get Jean in the end because he’s the boyscout, while Logan is the bad boy whose love will never measure up to Scott’s, due to his looser morals).

As for Katara loving Aang… e h h. She falls squarely in the ‘hero earns her love by being a good hero’ square. As Aang hits checkpoints of strength or advances on his hero’s journey, Katara has moments of ‘oh no he’s hot’ or similar. This culminates in him confronting her about his feelings right before the end of the series and her rejecting him on the basis of being ‘confused’. Cue finale, where Aang completes his journey and saves the world. Katara immediately seeks him out and kisses him, resolving her confusion offscreen. Conclusion: her confusion was settled because he completed the prerequisites to unlock her ending.

As for Zutara being darker than Sasusaku…once again… e h h.

I can’t really presume to argue with authority against someone who actually knows the fandom, but I’m going to say what I know of it anyway, and if I’m wrong you or others can correct me.

1- Zuko and Katara are not 100 years old, therefore you cannot project the tensions of the entire war on their relationship and simply say it can’t work under those pretenses. It’s an unfair measurement they appear to overcome in the course of their on-screen relationship anyway.

1b- Sakura is a hardcore village loyalist who is never given any reason to question the Leaf dammit kishimoto and Sasuke views - not completely incorrectly - the village as collectively at fault for the total massacre of his family. While he does change his perspective to ‘the shinobi system as a whole is at fault’, the reason they end up on opposite sides for a while is an extremely personal trauma to Sasuke, and part of the hatred and oppression of the Uchiha that stretched back to the village’s founding.

2- Zuko being royalty and Katara being tribal doesn’t appear to be a real concern? Do they often butt heads and find themselves incompatible with each other due to this difference of raising? Even if so, would this reasoning not equally apply to Kataang, as Katara comes from a hunting and gathering tribal system, while Aang comes from a peaceful and serene temple monk lifestyle?

2b- If we consider different raising to be important, then we have to consider the differences between Sasuke and Sakura’s raising. Sasuke is essentially the younger prince of the Uchiha and a genius, with incredible talent that everyone (except his father, at least by his perception) believes means he will OF COURSE end up with some legendary or amazing status…until he’s seven, when his beloved older brother inexplicably goes insane, murders the entire clan including their parents, then forces Sasuke to live through watching those murders repeatedly before abandoning him because he’s ‘not worth killing’. He then lives in his empty home where his parents died, all alone, from that point until joining Team 7. Sakura, on the other hand, has completely normal and unremarkable parents no one knows or cares about. She’s bullied as a child because her forehead is big and she’s timid, until Ino befriends her and teaches her to be tough. For the most part, Sakura doesn’t really have a traumatic childhood like Sasuke does, and she doesn’t truly understand the isolation and pain he suffers until he leaves. When it comes to different backstories, they have quite a rift.

3 - It’s true, they do start out as enemies, but Sasuke and Sakura become enemies, and I don’t know if Zuko and Katara are ever seconds away from outright killing each other and need intervention. I don’t deny that Sasuke and Sakura have a deeper bond to begin with, but there is certainly plenty of angst and hostility between them during the time that they are enemies, despite the fact that both of them love each other and are suppressing it.

4 - Does Zuko almost kill Aang to the tune of puncturing his lung with his fist and leaving him to bleed out, almost call down a giant lightning storm to kill him, poison him almost to death, or get into such a brutal and long lasting beat down that he blows off Aang’s arm and then nearly kills him through sheer exhaustion and (again) blood loss? I legitimately don’t know the answer to this. However, if the answer is no, I don’t think Zuko ‘almost killed’ Aang as hard as Sasuke ‘almost killed’ Naruto. Therefore, this shouldn’t count as a point against him in a debate over whether Zutara is darker than Sasusaku.

Now, I’m not saying that one is better than the other. I’m not saying they’re identical. My only point here, really, is to show that at least from what I can see…Zutara is not particularly darker than Sasusaku. Yes, Zuko and Katara began as enemies and Sasuke and Sakura didn’t, no Sasuke didn’t ever kidnap her and had to be deeply provoked to try to kill her, but considering how much time is dedicated to moving Katara and Zuko to a point where their relationship has grown beyond that (even as platonic friends, the point still remains the same), I don’t see the reason to hold it against them.

I also said in the post itself that they aren’t identical, merely that they ‘have the same energy’ and that there are some direct parallels between them, so that it’s close enough to make this observation.

Your second ask seems to end abruptly, like there should be a third, but I don’t see one and I have waited a bit to be sure.

Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on any Zuko and Katara points, but from what I have seen, addressing your specific points, I don’t see the rift between the ships that you do, and would be surprised to find anyone who strongly OTPs Sasusaku and Kataang and NOTPs Narusaku and Zutara.

#zutara #sasusaku #naruto #atla #a:tla #ooc #ask #meta #long post #anonymous

4 notes · View notes

itzcyberx · 4 years ago

Text

My New Story - The School Who likes school? Hardly nobody right? Well, there once was this guy named Albert, who peculiarly loved going to school, he went to school even on Saturdays and Sundays, so basically he was going to school every day, which is, kind of weird if you think about it. He never went with his family to any places during vacations, nobody knew why he went to school regularly, until one day he went to school on a Sunday, and never came back. This caused confusion between his family members and friends and the local members. They called the cops, but after 1 month of thorough research, even they were unsuccessful. So, one of his friends named, Martin, decided to go look for him again, and he took two more of his friends with him, Shaun and Logan. They packed all the necessary things that they might need to survive for 72 hours, just in case anything happened to them, just like Albert. They packed stuff like, torches, canned food, lots of water bottles, a hook, a matchstick, wood, lot of ropes, school map etc. Then, they firstly head towards to the school. None of them went to the school Albert went to, as they studied in a private school. So, they reached out to the school map. The school was huge with 7 floors, so if they had to search the entire school it would take them about 1 whole day, excluding the restrooms, of course, why would someone chill in the bathroom for a month, but with Albert, the situation was different, he was a bit unpredictable. So, they decided to search every nook and corner of the school. After searching thoroughly for a few hours, they found his hat, it was looking new, and didn’t have much dust on it, so they knew that albert was here some time ago. For the next few hours they found nothing, not even a single footprint. It was night now, they searched the whole day, but didn’t find anything except for Albert’s hat. They decided to set up their camp in the topmost floor of the school, as they still hadn’t explored much of it, and in dawn they would start searching again. During the night, they suddenly heard a very loud noise, and everyone rushed to find where it came from, but forgot to carry the torches, because some moonlight was already coming, illuminating the stairs and everything, but that didn’t last long, after the moonlight was gone, they were on their own. They walked slowly, touching everything in front of them, to get an idea of what was where. Martin was struggling to keep up the pace with Shaun and Logan. Unfortunately, Shaun and Logan had walked away way too far form Martin, he was scared, he shouted, “Shaun, Logan !!!! where are you??” as soon as he completed his sentence, he got dragged by something, its nails were as sharp as knife and they were piercing Martin’s skin, he wasn’t able to shout for help, his mouth was covered by something’s hand, he was then thrown in a dark and filthy room filled with mud and some hay, he then eventually fainted. Meanwhile, when Martin got dragged, Shaun and Logan heard his echo around the corner, they ran to him but suddenly, Logan got hit by something and blood was flowing out from his head, Shaun saw this, but wasn’t able to get a look at the thing that hit him. Shaun then ran for his life, he was able to hear the scurried footsteps approaching from behind, he quickly climbed up the stairs, but he twisted his ankle on the last step of the staircase, by then, abruptly, he wasn’t able to hear any noise, it was pitch black, and dead silent, he was only able to hear the bats screeching, he then slowly, limping, went into his tent, closed it, and then bandaged his ankle, and sat quietly thing about what happened to him and his friends in the last few minutes, though he was still traumatized about what happened, he somehow, pondering about the thought fell asleep. Next Shaun woke up to see a black mark outside his tent, it was somewhat like geometric shapes, like hexagons and triangles mixed up all together. He then suddenly remembered what happened to his friends, he then decided to go and find them because it was day time and there was a lot of light, so he wasn’t scared, as soon as he went down, he saw blood scattered on the floor, it wasn’t fresh, so he knew that it was from the incident of last night, so he decided to follow it, after sometime, it strangely came to a dead end…… He was very confused, he thought for a long time, then just out of thought, put his hand on the front wall, and then almost in a jiffy the wall flipped and he landed on the other side, where he found all his other friends!! He was relieved to see them, but now the problem was how to get back out, because when he tried to push the wall in the same way, it didn’t move. He quickly understood that this wall can be moved only from the outside, and he had to figure out how to get himself and his friends out of there before “they” came back. He firstly tried to wake up his friends, but they were given sleeping pills, so they weren’t waking up on his call, so he then strolled around the insignificant room, trying to find something to break out of that senseless place. He found a small pickaxe, and some wool, after sometime he suddenly heard screeching sounds, he got very afraid, and hid under the bed, which was almost half wrecked, but out of fear, he made this decision. He then saw the “thing” came in, it wasn’t an animal, but didn’t seem human as well, he then had the thought that it might be a anthropophagus!! He tried to keep himself calm, then it ultimately went away, closing the wall behind him, at this point Shaun was certain, that the thing was looking for him, that totally freaked him out. Shaun knew that it would be back again, so whatever he did, he needed to do it fast. First thing he did, was that put the bed in front of the wall, so that it couldn’t come in, next he very cautiously broke the mirror, making sure he didn’t make much noise, then he attached the broken mirror piece to a stick, he did this three times, and that pretty much got the “swords” for all of them. After that, broke the light bulb, so that, if it succeeded to come in, he wouldn’t be able to see anything, and the would make there move. Now, the most vital part, was to wake up his friends, who were slumbering for literally 15 hours. He remembered not to scream, he shook them, but no use. He had no idea how to wake them up… then he had an idea, he poured some cold water on them, and luckily that did the trick, they both woke up gasping… then quickly Shaun told them what all had happened, and they were shaken. Shaun then told them his plan, and the agreed to him right away, then Shaun was feeling very happy, because that was the first time in his entire life that someone had given him so much respect and importance. They waited for a long time, and then they knew that it was dark, they got ready. After waiting for some more time, they finally heard the noise of footsteps, they all came into position and then the wall flipped and in came the thing, then they all attacked it, it also tried to defend itself, but it was outnumbered, yet it managed to give all the them multiple scratches and bruises, but fortunately the three of them had managed to faint the cannibal. But, now they were stuck again, the wall could be opened only from the outside. Now, they were completely blank. They had absolutely no idea, what they were supposed to do. After thinking and searching for a long time in the room, they found a drill machine, but, there was not power source to connect the machine to, so they went on searching again, they knew that they did not have much time, because the cannibal might wake up at any moment. Then suddenly Shaun remembered that he had a pickaxe !! he could break the wall probably !! Then they went to work, everyone taking turns to break the wall, they were so engrossed, that they didn’t notice that the cannibal was waking up!!! Then suddenly, he grabbed Shaun by the neck, he put a very think and big knife on his neck, and threatened Logan and Martin, to drop their weapons otherwise it would be the end for their friend. They did as they were told, and then he started shouting like crazy, Shaun was very petrified, he didn’t even dare to open his eyes, Logan started thinking what could be done to save him, but couldn’t think of anything. The cannibal then started howling, he was actually calling the other cannibals, Logan understood this quickly and grabbed a stick which was kept nearby and hit the cannibal strongly on the head, which killed him, but the other cannibals had already heard his call, and were coming towards them fast. He told everyone what the plan was, and as soon as the door flipped they jumped and made it through that narrow space, and they had made it out. Now those 2 cannibals were stuck in. They ran as fast as they could and made it out of the school, they all then sighed in relief. They made an oath to never go back in that school ever again, but still they were a bit disappointed, as they weren’t able to find Albert. But when they reached they saw Albert sitting in his home at watching television. They didn’t know what to say…..

#short story

0 notes

graceivers · 8 years ago

Text

Review #2 - The Mistake

The Mistake Author: Elle Kennedy Genre: College, Contemporary Romance, Sports Rating: ★★★★★ Recommendation: worth reading; would read again Summary: Grace is an unsuspecting underclassmen. John is a college hockey playing upperclassmen. John makes a mistake when he doesn’t realize what he’s looking for and what’s right in front of him. It’s a college romance, people.

Female Lead: THIS IS MY GIRL. I named this freaking tumblr blog after her because Grace Ivers is literally everything. I relate to her so, so much. She’s just completely normal and real in this setting. She’s not some overtly sexual co-ed. She doesn’t have family drama or past traumatic experiences. I say this with absolute love, but there is quite literally nothing extraordinary about her. She just is. She’s someone who embodies the true definition and reasoning of why there is new adult literature—people in their twenties trying to figure out what this thing called life is, what they want, what they can achieve, what they deserve.

Kennedy writes Grace so amazingly because she doesn’t shove a bunch of adjectives down our throats or unnecessarily use appearance to illustrate personality. Her descriptions of the character are the epitome of how to use ‘show, don’t tell’ in writing. Every quality of Grace shines through in her actions, her likes and dislikes, her relationships. She’s a neat freak; she loves action movies; she prefers football over hockey; she’s smart because she works hard; she hates being the center of attention; she gets nervous and rambles around guys she’s interested in; she removes people from her life when she knows they’re bringing her down; she knows what she wants in a career but at the same time is also exploring her options. Grace is seriously everything to me—so honest and normal and human. There was not one thing I disliked about this character. If I can’t be someone like her, I want to be best friends with someone like her. Male Lead: Listen, if I don’t know a guy much at all (fictional or otherwise) and I call him by his first name, it usually means I’m somewhat in love with him. In my fictional dream world, if Grace is who I want to be, then JOHN—though mostly referred to as Logan because sports reasons and the fact that there’s another John in the book/on the hockey team—is absolutely who I want my boyfriend to be. Hockey player? Check. Respects women (though he unintentionally hurt Grace)? Check. Honest? Sense of humor? Sweet and secretly has an arsenal of romantic gestures ready at hand? Yes to all of the above! I’m not sure you can get any better than John in a college setting.

John has little more of that family baggage thing going on, but that’s okay! Again, Kennedy’s good at that ‘show, don’t tell’ thing. Facing his troubles in having to deal with his alcoholic father makes John all the more lovable to me. Because honestly? One of the sexiest things about John is his sense of duty and commitment. He and his coach and his friends all know that he can definitely go pro, and it’s his dream to do so. But given the circumstances, he puts that completely aside out of obligation. He can’t let his brother down; he has to care for their father, work for the deteriorating family business. Family is family and though he knows he’s going to hate it and maybe even resent his father if he doesn’t already, he’s going to do it. He’s already doing it. That kind of commitment? Putting family first even if you want to punch them in the face? Sacrificing your own dreams and aspirations for other people? Jesus, that’s an amazing, stand-up man right there. Kudos to Kennedy for making family drama not a burden but relevant and character revealing. In a lot of other circumstances, I might have found that kind of baggage hanging around a character to be annoying and detracting to the character and story, but not here. Not with John.

There are probably a thousand more things I could say about how much I love John, but it would get embarrassingly long. So I’ll leave with the point that John is the best, and basically every male lead in every book I’ve read since this one I’m subconsciously going to compare to him because THIS GUY IS THE BEST. Seriously, if there is a real life John Logan type guy out there, please point me in the right direction. Plot & Writing: College romance at it’s finest. Kennedy does an excellent job at keeping it real. Real because yes, there are people out there that have sex on the brain very often and sleep around a lot, especially given the age and setting. But also real because there are people like Grace out there who are normal and unassuming and don’t want any fuss or fanfare; they’re just trying to live their life as unspectacular as they think and know it is. There are so many ways you can take and write a college romance, but this by far is my favorite. I don’t need the over the top stuff, the extreme personalities, the tortured backgrounds. I relate to normal, and that’s why I love this book so much.

The timing of the book was a little weird to me. Yes, I realize it was because Kennedy wanted that summer vacation period where Grace and John didn’t see or directly talk to each other, but I felt that got in the way a little of the pacing because you’re skipping out on weeks—weeks that were in fact relevant to both character insight and development as well as the status and dynamic of the relationship between the two leads. Honestly, I kind of quick-read/skimmed around sometimes up to the point where John sees Grace at the gazebo before school starts up again during my first read of the book. If it weren’t for a reread, I wouldn’t have picked up on the important stuff Kennedy put into those summer months. The pacing everywhere else was fine, but again, it just felt strange to me that Kennedy shoved summer vacation as the reason for Grace and John not communicating when she could have come up with something else. (Don’t ask me what that something else is. I don’t know. I’m just a dumb reviewer.)

This is also a book where the biggest conflict is not saved for like the last few chapters. Kennedy does her set up, reveals John’s mistake of mistreating Grace before the halfway point, and spends the rest of the book building a great relationship. Yeah, there’s a tiny stumble in the relationship towards the end, but it’s a squabble that every couple is going to go through, so there was no need to worry. I loved the way Kennedy wrote this couple. The development of their relationship ran a natural course. Nothing was hurried or seemed out of place. I as a reader knew exactly why the relationship between Grace and John worked because Kennedy expertly put in scenes where the characters were basically forced to realize and say aloud why they wanted the other, John in particular when Grace was making him work for that date and their subsequent relationship. Kennedy brilliantly inserts her best ‘show, don’t tell’ moment by showing us how much John loves Grace while he’s actually telling it to her and everyone else who’s listening. I am sure that’s trickier to pull off than it sounds, so major props to Kennedy’s writing there.

I read some reviews before I read the book, and some people mentioned that they didn’t like the epilogue because there was no interaction between the couple. I disagree. While, yes, that interaction might have been nice to see, I think the epilogue is still very telling of the kind of John and Grace’s relationship. In the short amount of space that she has, Kennedy doesn’t quite have time for her great showing skills, so she opts to tell us what’s been going on with John’s family and some important relationship milestones like moving in together. Still, I found the love between Grace and John pertinent and visible. It’s an epilogue. People are supposed to get their happy endings. John’s dreams is realized as we watch him on the ice as now a professional hockey player for the Bruins while he has his girl up in the executive suite to watch his first game. Grace is graduating and with the man that she loves. What more could you want? Secondary Characters & Plots: I have this strange thing where I read the second book in a series first when the books can be read a standalones. This is not intentional, I swear, but it happens more often than not. That being said, I loved Garrett as a secondary character in this book not knowing anything about him because I hadn’t read his book yet. He was entertaining and funny and totally there as a friend for John even when the latter thought he was in love with his best friend’s girlfriend. Most of the interactions between John and his friends/teammates were fun. Jesus, even when he goes to confront Morris who was on a date with Grace, that turned out into a fun friendship that definitely helped out in the end.

On Grace’s side? Not so much. My one tiny gripe with this book is that there weren’t more female friendships. I did not like Ramona. I absolutely loved that because she and Grace had been best friends for so long, Grace had a sense of duty to be by her side when things went wrong. But that spoke more to Grace’s character than Ramona’s. Ramona was not very supportive when Grace confided in her about her relationship with John. I mean, she accused Grace of lying and basically aligned herself with those stereotypical fake/plastic friends who were only interested in gossiping and having sex with popular dudes/athletes. Thank the lord for Grace who has common sense to cut those people out of her life. Then there was Daisy, Grace’s other roommate. I was indifferent about her. She was fine when she was there, but it made no difference whether she was there or not to me. Her friendship with Grace seemed like one of those things when you’re friends with someone because you see them a lot, but it’s probably not everlasting. I mean, maybe I can praise Kennedy for writing something realistic like that, but I still would’ve liked to see Grace have stronger female friendships.

Secondary plots… I’m not sure there were any? Or any worth mentioning… I don’t know, I read this a while back. I was all for the growth and dynamics of the protagonists. But hey, at least I’m not complaining about bad side plots. That should be a major plus. Favorite Part(s): That first real date John takes Grace on after she made him jump through hoops to get it. This perfect date is perfect. John getting a table at a restaurant on short notice when reservations are hard to come by. The sheer fact that they’re going out to some fancy restaurant instead of the million other things people constitute as a date, especially when you’re in college. SAME SIDING IN A BOOTH. The humor laced in when John finds out that Grace prefers football. THEY BOTH HATE BASKETBALL. They talk, and it’s normal and honest and fun and what a date is what we all hope a date should be. HE HOLDS HER HAND IN THE CAR THE WHOLE TIME. I mean, I can get very annoyed at people doing dangerous things that will distract them in the car while they’re driving, but I totally didn’t care here. JOHN ASKED FOR A FREAKING PERFORMANCE REVIEW BECAUSE HE HASN’T BEEN ON A REAL DATE LIKE THAT IN A LONG TIME AND SAVED IT FOR GRACE BECAUSE HE WANTED IT TO BE HER AND SHE DESERVED IT AND HE WAS NERVOUS. Take notes, everyone! Authors, you don’t need amazing sex for a relationship to work. Guys and girls, you don’t need to end a perfectly perfect date with sex. This scene sealed the deal for me, and I loved Kennedy’s writing, the story, and the couple so much because of it. Final Thoughts: The couple seriously sold this for me. There was so much amazing stuff between them. I LOVED when Grace called him John (obviously) or Johnny. I loved the way John treated her even though he did mess up when he didn’t realize the great thing they already had. True to John’s words as he declared his love for her for everyone—or at least people who actually listen to their college radio stations—to hear, it’s not about the sex. John loves Grace for who she is and vice versa. So, I got my sports/hockey fix, my amazing couple, my realistic leads and setting. And oh, yeah, it takes place in Massachusetts, my native state that I will forever love and probably never ever move away from. The Mistake is college romance at it’s finest and definitely one of the better books I’ve read.

#book: the mistake #author: elle kennedy #genre: college #genre: contemporary romance #genre: sports #rating: five stars

2 notes · View notes

katrinaneenie · 6 years ago

Text

Robert Redford is my choice for the Reel Infatuation Blogathon of 2018. This is not so unusual. Like my crush on Outlander’s Sam Heughan, there are millions of others who share my affection for this amazing actor. The multi-talented Redford has done more than just perform in 79 movies. Besides acting, he directed ten movies; and in my humble opinion, two of those ten films are near perfect examples of the best kind of film making: Ordinary People (1980) and The Horse Whisper (1998). Along with acting and directing, he has also produced 50 films.

In addition to his amazing body of work within the industry, he has been active in many social issues. He is nearly legendary in his work as an environmentalist and his philanthropy. To add to all of this, he is the founder of the largest independent film festival in the United States: Sundance Flim Festival.

Now, before I go further, I would like to thank two wonderful young ladies and bloggers: Ruth from Silver Screenings and Maedez from Font and Frock and A Small Press Life. I hope they will host, like they have for last three years, next year too. To read about more posts about Reel Infatuation, please use the links below:

https://silverscreenings.org/2018/06/08/reelinfatuation-2018-day-1/

https://fontandfrock.com/2018/06/08/welcome-to-the-2018-reel-infatuation-blogathon/

Why Did I Pick Robert Redford?

I chose Redford because he is my first ever crush on an actor. As we all know, you never forget your first love. Unbelievably, my love for Redford didn’t begin because of his stunning good looks or his magnetic screen presence or even for my loving every one of the his 79 movies.

My magical crush happened when he very young (26 years old) and complete unknown to me and the rest world. He had been acting on numerous television shows from 1960 to 1964. He first showed up on one of my favorite shows: Maverick starring James Garner. During this four-year span of time, he had guest starred on quite a number of popular shows at the time: Perry Mason, Route 66, The Untouchables, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dr. Kildare, Naked City etc … His last television appearance was in 1964 on The Defenders.

I “fell in love” with Redford while watching a re-run of a very popular television show Twilight Zone (1959-1964). For those unfamiliar with this American television show, it was created by Rod Serling. He was a producer, playwright, and screenwriter. In addition, he introduced and closed each episode with his compassionate pathos and unique voice.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cxf_Dvy0VLs

The Twilight Zone

This series is a science-fiction, fantasy, horror anthology. It was brilliantly written, acted, and realistically presented with twists and turns in the end. Also, and maybe more importantly, it usually had a philosophical, howbeit hidden, message about the nature of mankind and what life lessons we need to be learning. Usually, this was an emotional truth that Serling felt should be shared. The legacy of his Life Lessons.

A Few Notes About The Creator of Twilight Zone

Right out of high school, Serling joined the Army to fight in WWII. He was wounded several times; but, he kept going back to combat duty. He fought hand-to-hand combat in the Philippines. After the war, he suffered from severe PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) that haunted him with night terrors for the rest of his life. While working in Hollywood, he was known as an “angry young man.” There were issues that he continuously fought against: racism, the Vietnam war, and censorship.

Twilight Zone: Nothing in The Dark

Introduction

An old woman living in a nightmare, an old woman, who has fought a thousand battles with death and always won. Now she’s faced with a grim decision – whether or not to open a door. And in some strange and frightening way, she knows that this seemingly ordinary door leads to the Twilight Zone.

They claim the best writers always write at an emotional level that they are most familiar with. This introduction conveys the words written by an ex-solider who has witnessed death and is still haunted by it in his dreams.

More People Behind The Scenes

Nothing in The Dark first aired on January 5, 1962; and, it only ran for 24 minutes. There are three actors: Gladys Cooper, Robert Redford, and R.G. Armstrong. It was co-written by screenwriter George Clayton Johnson (Logan’s Run (1976), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), and Ocean’s 11 (2001). Here are a couple of pics of Johnson with Redford and Gladys Cooper.

This episode is directed by Lamont Johnson who will go on to win two Emmys for Directing two made for television movies: Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story (1985) and Lincoln (1988). In this clip he explains how the unknown twenty-six year old Redford was hired and the superb British actress, Gladys Cooper reaction after meeting him. This interview was published in October of 2010…48 years after it first aired in ’62.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2-BSFlzaU8

A Summary of Nothing in the Dark

This story centers around a sad, lonely old woman, Wanda Dunn, (Gladys Cooper) whose fear of Death is so great that it has forced her into isolation for most of her life. Oddly enough, she can recognized Death in his infinite forms and disguises. She “knows him” and has been able to avoid him for years. However, there is a cost to pay for having this amazing skill: fearful isolationism. She has never really lived her life because her fear has trapped her from others. As a result, she lives alone on the bottom floor of a dilapidated apartment building. With double locks on her door, she is totally alone, as she nervously sleeps.

One snowy night, she is awaken by the sound of class breaking, probably her own window; then, she hears a whistle and then, gun shots. A policeman, Harold Beldon, (Robert Redford) is shot and begs for help. Should she open her door and try to save him? Is it Death tricking her?

She finally gives in to his cries and helps him into her flat. She places him on her bed as he profusely thanks her. Then, he begs her to call a doctor, or the police, or an even a neighbour. She explains that she does not have a phone and all the neighbors have moved away. She refuses to go outside to look for help because “he” is out there waiting for her. She decides she can trust the young man; since, she didn’t die when he touched her. She reveals her life story and her gift of recognizing death.

Here is a clip of those first 3 minutes of their encounter.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gK1MCE3teZ8

As incredulous as Wanda’s story sounds, Beldon is sympathetic to her tragic situation. Suddenly, there is someone banging on her door. She is too afraid to answer it. Someone is breaking in the door. Finally, the door flies open; and, Wanda crumbles to the floor, unconscious.

A contractor ( R.J. Armstrong ) is relieved that she is still alive. He explains that she must leave because he is tearing the old building down to build a new one. He tries to calm her down by explaining that how things work in life. Wanda is terrified to go outside; so, she asks Beldon to help her explain it to him. The contractor looks at her like she is crazy. He warns her that she must gather all the things she doesn’t want to leave behind. He said he would help her move her them; once, he comes back in an hour.

Wanda is feeling so hurt and overwhelmed that she cannot understand why Beldon did not say anything to the contractor to help her. Then, she realizes that Death tricked her. I must say Ms Cooper’s performance is this show is what ” pulled me in, hook line and sinker.” I felt so sorry for her and what she missed in her life. All because of a fear of something that was enviable.

I was completely into this story. So, you might understand how shocked I was when I learned that twenty years earlier, Cooper played Betty Davis’s BITCH mother in Now, Voyager (1942). Who I hated. Cooper plays a better bitch than Betty Davis in any of her best Bitch roles. This is quite a compliment to Cooper, who I love as Wanda Dunn.

Once Wanda realizes that Beldon is Mr Death, he begins to calm her down and reassure her she has nothing to fear from him. He charms her and convinces her that she will be at peace and in comfort. In order for Wanda to surrender her will to Beldon there has to be a believable sense of compassion and trust. Not only for the characters, but also between the actors too. This can then be felt by the audience: The connection is successful. This bond and chemistry between Gladys Cooper (who was 74 years old) and Robert Redford (who was 26 years old) was very strong and compelling.

When he reaches for her hand and begs her to trust him and to come with him, I wasn’t sure if she would. Then, in one second everything changed. It changes with two heartfelt words. He softly, begs: Please, Mother.

That was the moment that I cried and fell in love with Redford. I doubt Wanda has ever been married or had children. Beldon is probably the only person/Inhuman ever spoke those words to her in her entire life. In the video clip, Lamont Johnson tells the story of the actors mutual respect. Without their mutual regard and respect, this performance could not have been as successful.

Rod Serling closes this episode with the following words:

There was an old woman who lived in a room. And, like all of us, was frightened of the dark. But who discovered in a minute last fragment of her life that there was nothing in the dark that wasn’t there when the lights were on. Object lesson for the more frightened amongst us, in or out, of the Twilight Zone.

Here is a 2 minute video clip that I found on You Tube that mashes scenes together to summarize the story. Unfortunately, the “Mother” was completely left out. To me that was a huge mistake.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i9JZCo912kI

In closing, I have added an interview clip with Redford published four years ago. He is reminiscing about this 52 year old episode. It is very interesting because he mentions the “wonderful dynamic” between the two characters. It’s funny because when most people think of great chemistry between actors, they usually refer to sexual attraction. However, for actors it means so much more.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JuuAEEj1fq0

I once remembered a quote that defined love not in years but in moments … if that is true; the, my “Reel Infatuation” with Redford only started in a moment; but, happily his work keeps adding more moments over the years.

Please check for more “Reel Infatuation” stories by using the links near the top of this post.

Reference Links

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0734603/quotes?ref_=m_tt_trv_qu

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178066/bio

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0785245/bio

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0425593/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clayton_Johnson

Blogathon Reel Infatuation (2018): Robert Redford in The Twilight Zone Robert Redford is my choice for the Reel Infatuation Blogathon of 2018. This is not so unusual.

#A Small Press Life #Font Frock #Gene Tierney #Horror #Nothing In tHe Dark #Reel Infatuation Blogathon #Robert Redford #Rod Serling #Science Fiction #Silver Screenings #Twilight Zone

0 notes