#everyone from clue (1985)

[laswells-ashtray]

One day, John finally finds out where his mother is buried. It's the day he finds out that his mother actually was buried. He never knew if she was cremated or if they'd destined her to an eternity in the soil.

He considers tearing up the address of the cemetery and never going, forgetting it ever happened. But he doesn't, we wants to see her just once.

So, he goes. He walks into the cemetery with flowers he picked up after a long mental battle over what to pick. Eventually, he realises that it doesn't matter anyway. He doesn't know what she liked, he never will. She's dead.

And he lays them by her graves and then stands. He just stands. Mary Price. 1961-1985. He's older than her, older than she ever got to be. No-one can tell him he looks like her now because they'll never know. Not that it ever mattered, John was his father through and through. He knew it, as did everyone else growing up.

He doesn't stay long, doesn't see the point. What use does a stranger have at the poor woman's grave. So, he leaves. Heads to the nearest bar and gets himself positively fucking obliterated. Like his dad would've.

He's not sure what bullshit he has to have sent or what calls he had to have made to be dragged out the bar by none other than Simon Riley. Talk about dead fucking parents with that one. If he would even talk at all.

Maybe John's crying, he isn't sure. He thinks he's mumbling to himself. His father would beat him bloody with a belt whenever he caught John doing that, clearly not hard enough if it's still a drunken instinct. His face is pressed against the glass window of the passenger seat, and for a split second, he hopes another care flies right into the passenger side. Meeting his mother for the first time doesn't seem like such a bad idea. Simon still hasn't said a fucking word.

But then he's back in his room, how he got there he has no clue. His face is smashed against his pillow, his shoes are being pulled off, and he wants someone. He just doesn't know who. In the back of his mind, he wonders if this was how his father felt before he died. Lying on his back on the living room floor and drinking himself into a stupor before asphyxiating on his own vomit. He knows Simon would never let him choke. He isn't sure if that comforts him or not.

The next morning when he wakes up with no memory of the night before and a Russian worriedly running his hands through John's hair, he thinks nothing of it because he's too busy trying to keep the vomit that's rising in his throat from hitting his pillow.

When the paperwork he had planned for the day appears on his desk with a signature that looks like an S.R, he doesn't think twice.

He doesn't go back to his mother's grave.

[enthusiasticharry]

𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 | 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 10k

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: I'm so sorry!! I know it's been forever since i've posted and i truly did start writing this to have it out in august but then life got a head of me! I had to move, start a new job it's all be crazy. Now, I can officially say that I'll try and post more regularly (but i can't guarantee anything!) thank you for all the support over the last two and a bit years on this fic, i couldn't ever leave it unfinished for you guys!! enjoy the last chapter of regret me and if you need me, i'll be sobbing in a corner somewhere!!

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: explicit language, talks of drug/ alcohol use, mentions of addiction recovery, angst (i'm sorry), and a stupid little boy who finally realises how amazing he has it.

𝐩𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟓 here

Los Angeles, Spring 1985

The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of a Rock n’ Roll Star by Christopher Thomas

Standing in front of YN YLN’s home, I was nervous. The house itself wasn’t exactly what one may expect of one of the biggest stars to come out of the 70s – it was homely, comforting and not necessarily a ‘rock star mansion’. My nerves stemmed more consequently from the woman I was meeting; one I hadn’t seen in over 10 years and hadn’t necessarily left the best impression at that time either.

However, the second I rang the bell and the door swung open – the past didn’t seem to matter. YLN was wearing a denim skirt, one that landed just above her knee and a light floral blouse with long sleeves that the singer had definitely worn before, or if not something very similar. We chuckled when I pointed out her footwear (her beloved cowboy boots) – something that wasn’t surprising to me and shouldn’t be to any of you. She invited me in and offered me a coffee – something that I was not going to say no to.

After a little small talk, asking how we’d been and so forth, it became time to get to the nitty gritty of my visit, and what everyone reading had been waiting for. After being a household name for the better part of ten years – YN YLN was finally a Grammy nominee. For someone who had been in the spotlight for so long, many may have thought that she was past her prime and that her eighth studio album wasn’t going to be anything special – and yet it was her best one.

“I think it’s raw,” YLN spoke when asked about what was different with this record from her others, “I stopped hiding. It’s the truth – I think people are appreciating the truth from me.”

There was a part of me which was scared to go forward with questioning from here, but with a quick reassurance from YN that it was okay – I continued. In the last four months since her album had been released, YN had started to open conversations about her addiction, something that I had asked her about years prior, at a time when she was in the wrath of her addiction and refused to comment. Looking back, it wasn’t my best moment as a journalist.

“I had freedom that I hadn’t even experienced before,” The air felt thicker as YLN spoke upon this subject, “I went from 0 to 100, and if it wasn’t for the people around me that loved me at that time, I wouldn’t be here today, talking to you.”

The house YLN lives in sits right on the Californian coast, a quiet and calm place away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Once we had finished our coffees, YN suggested a walk down to the beach. She explains that her best friend, Vivienne (“She’s my sister,”), lives in the next house and that she hasn’t gone a day without speaking to her since the day they met, and she wasn’t going to start now.

“Vivienne is my family. I lost interest in my actual family when I realised they didn’t love me, but Viv never made me miss them – she became everything I needed and more. She saw me as a naïve young girl on the strip without a single clue and helped me when she didn’t need to. I’ll never be able to thank her enough.”

YLN mentions her family, more so her parents Mr and Mrs YLN. Her father, a senator seemingly didn’t agree with her new lifestyle and her music even more so, and it seemed as though whatever her father said her mother agreed with. When I asked if the way they had treated her had anything to do with her addiction, and her subsequent overdose YN went silent, choosing not to comment verbally but physically shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t regret anything in my life,” YN takes out a cigarette, offering me one which I accept, “I have come to realise that everything happens for a reason, and I’ve loved and lost for a reason. It’s made me the person I am today.”

The last time I spoke with YLN, she was in a relationship with fellow Rock n’ Roll star Harry Styles, who I have also written for in the past. YLN and Styles have never publicly spoken about the reason behind their split, but rumours surfaced soon after that Styles had been the one to cheat on YLN just before her first world tour.

“I would say that for any songwriter, heartbreak can be a big influence,” YLN chuckles, shaking her head slightly, “I won’t say what happened, I think if anyone has listened to any of my records, especially my latest one – you’ll already know what happened. It was one part of my life, and I don’t hold anything that happened against anyone.”

YN asks for a break after this and asks if we can reconvene later in the day. She recommended that we meet at a café for some late lunch that is a mile or so away from her house. I thought, like probably many of you, YLN would return from the beach to her house. Instead, she made her way up the sand and towards Vivienne’s house, obviously needing some time with her best friend.

“I hope that whoever listens to the album finds something for themselves within it,” YN speaks, sipping on her Iced Tea as we sat across from each other in the café, “It’s my gift for everyone. I hope that everyone who has ever had something to say about me or my life listens to it, and it answers whatever questions they may have.”

YLN lists her relationship, her addiction and everything in between as things that people may have questions about. Since the 70s, the amount of information that the public has known about her has dwindled and she says that is for a reason.

“I had to separate my life from the life that people saw,” YLN nods, “To protect myself, I needed that. All I hope is that people weren’t too angry with me.”

Once we’ve eaten (both having burgers since YLN said that it was the best thing on the menu, and both the waitress and the owner knew her by name), we go outside to have another cigarette. We both joked that we would quit smoking one day, but today was not going to be that day.

“I’ll be there… at the awards,” YN responds when I ask her about whether or not she will be attending the Grammy’s, “I don’t necessarily care about winning – it would be lovely, of course, but it’s not going to make or break me. I’ve lasted this long without; I am damn sure I can last for a lot longer.”

As our time together drew to a close, I asked what I suppose myself and many others are wondering – does YN see an end to her career anytime in the future?

YLN chuckled at the question, “I’ll do this as long as I can if the people will have me.”

If it was up to me, I’d say that YLN will be a name that sticks around for years to come. But, I suppose that’s down to you.

“I know your cowboy boots are like you’re thing or whatever, YN, but I highly doubt that it’s the best look for the Grammys,” Vivienne speaks from where she’s laid upon the bed in YN’s hotel room.

“I don’t feel right without them, Viv, I have to wear them,” YN stresses from where she’s sat, having her makeup done.

Pamela snorts from where she’s lying next to Vivienne. Since they met, Vivienne and Pamela have been inseparable. Therefore, that means that Vivienne, Pamela, and YN have been inseparable. It was a package deal, unfortunately for Pamela, but she didn’t mind too much. The things that Pamela did mind though, however that YN not only had a key to their house but would invite herself in pretty much all of the time. It had become the case that waking up in the morning without three people in their bed instead of two was the norm. At first, Pamela would be confused and disorientated, and then she soon realised that was just what the two girls were like. Where there was one, there was the other not too far behind.

“Pam, I’m nearly done and then it’s your turn,” YN stresses, allowing her make-up artist, Claude, to finish the final touches on her makeup.

Pamela groans, dropping back on the bed and pushing herself into Vivienne’s body. The other girl groans but accepts her fate as her girlfriend’s body rests against her. It wasn’t that anyone was forcing Pamela to wear makeup – she knew it was for the best, considering they were about to be on live television, it just wasn’t something that she normally did. But, as much as this was YN’s moment and her first Grammy nomination, it was Pamela’s too – and that meant, in YN’s eyes, she deserved to be spoilt, too. Pamela hadn’t necessarily ever expected her first band to split up, but it was always a possibility. It was a huge life change, and she hadn’t a single clue of what she was going to do once it happened. Then, when YN invited her to the studio and they started to work on some songs together, they both knew that it made sense for all parties involved that Pamela join YN’s band. That has also meant that Vivienne has been the band’s photographer since that moment as well. As mentioned before, the trio are often never seen without each other.

Apart from being the band’s photographer whenever they needed, Vivienne had also opened her gallery – something that she had always wanted to do but never had the opportunity to do.  Seeing her best friend and her favourite person excel in the way that she had done warmed YN in ways that she couldn’t explain.

“Do I have to?” Pamela groaned, pressing her face deeper into Vivienne’s chest.

“Yes,” YN stood up once she had finished, lifting one of the pillows that had been absentmindedly thrown to the bottom of the bed up and hitting the girl with it. It took a few attempts, but soon Pamela had pushed herself up from Vivienne and, with a sulk on her face, sat in the chair, “Thank you. I know you don’t think so, but I’m doing this with your best interest at heart.”

Pamela just groans and crosses her arms over her chest, allowing Claude to get started. Trying her best not to mess her makeup up, YN drops down on the bed next to Vivienne. YN found herself picking at the hole that sat around the wrist of the sweater she was wearing. It was an attempt at not trying to show the nerves that were wracking around her body – but it was difficult, especially when the people in the room were YN’s closest confidants and knew every little tick that the girl had.

“Look,” Vivienne reaches over and grabs YN’s hand, “If you’re nervous about the awards, it’s honestly too fucking unlikely that you won’t win.”

YN snorts, accepting Vivienne’s reassuring squeeze, “Thanks Viv, but I don’t think it’s that.”

“Ah,” The girl nods, “It’s about Harry, isn’t it?”

The announcement for who would be presenting the awards came out a few weeks ago, and whilst YN had originally not thought it was important to know who it would be – it very quickly became obvious that wasn’t the case. When the presenters had been announced, Vivienne had received word of who would be presenting Album of the Year and had immediately rushed over to YN’s house. Being a two-time winner of the award himself (once for Harry’s House, the album that she had written with him), it shouldn’t have surprised YN as much as it did that Harry would be presenting the award.

Knowing that her chances to win were so likely, YN had wondered if it was sort of a set-up. Whoever had decided to ask Harry to do so knew of their past and knew that it would make a lovely bit of new gossip. That was unfortunately where YN’s mind went, and that’s what stressed her out slightly. Especially since her album was so open about her feelings, and even more so about Harry and their relationship – this wasn’t something that she would have ever asked for.

“I’ve just spent so long… so long, Viv, trying to change the narrative of my life,” YN sighs, now starting to pick at the polish on her nails, “And him being there, after I’ve spent so long trying to reclaim my story for me, I’m just scared of how I’m going to react. I don’t want this to be the thing that spirals me right back to the person I was.”

Vivienne sighed, shaking her head, and lifting their joint hands to press a kiss to the back of YN’s hand, “YN… you are not the person you were back then. Trust me, I was right there with you. I mean… God, if that man tries to say anything to me I might lose my shit, but you won’t lose yours. You’ve grown, you’ve matured and most importantly you’ve forgiven yourself. You thought you needed him – but you didn’t.”

YN nodded her head, wanting nothing more than to accept Vivienne’s words and believe them. She hoped she would at least that her face convinced Viv that she was believing her words. The truth was when YN reflected on that time of her life (mostly when she had finished writing her newest record), there were parts of her that wondered what would have happened if she hadn’t reacted the way she had. It was mostly what would have happened to her and Harry if they had handled the situation differently. Because, to YN at that part of her life (and sometimes now) she felt as though Harry was going to be it for her. That she was his, and he was hers.

YN truly did think that she was going to spend the rest of her life with Harry. He saw her and loved her through her hardest times, and yet it was when her life was truly starting to get back on track that she lost her faith in him. It hurt her soul and truly sent her spiralling through the idea that she could only ever be loved when she was broken – and it took her a long time to realise that wasn’t the case.

“It’s just… I think..” YN shook her head, struggling to articulate the words that were swimming around in her head, “My message, especially with this album, is so much more than what we were and what happened to us… I don’t want to lose that.”

“You won’t,” It was Pamela that spoke up this time, from the makeup chair, “You are going to do what you do best, YN, you are going to dodge and dive any of the sleazy questions and hold yourself with grace and fucking win that Grammy. You can even thank him for breaking your heart because it made you stronger, and it made you the person you are today.”

YN smiles, trying her best not to tear up and ruin the makeup that Claude had worked so hard on, “You’re right… it’s my day, not his. And anyway, it’s been so long since we last spoke that I honestly doubt he’s even thought about me.”

“He has,” Vivienne nods, “I know you haven’t listened to his albums – but I have. Trust me, he has.”

“God,” YN’s eyes widen, “Don’t say that! That makes me more nervous!”

Vivienne shakes her head, “No, nope, not letting you do that. Come on, I’m going to do your hair, then you’re going to put your pretty little dress on, and we are going to go and win that award.”

YN knew that it was silly, but if she had these girls behind her – she could do anything she put her mind to.

Chicago, 1975 – 5 minutes after the concert

“YN!” YN didn’t listen to Harry’s calls of her name as she stormed off stage. She had no idea where she was going or what she was doing, but all she knew was that she had to get far away. Far away from Harry, far away from Mary and far away from everyone who would know that something was wrong, “YN! Stop walking away from me!”

“Why would I listen to anything you say anymore?” YN scoffs, wiping the tears from off her wet cheeks. She turned down a hallway and realised that it was a dead end. She stopped and sighed, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get away from him now – and also that they would have to have this conversation where anyone could hear them.

“I need to explain, YN,” Harry sighs from behind her, but she still doesn’t turn to look at him, “Let me explain, please.”

That’s the thing when you love someone – even when they fuck up, you can’t say no to them. That was what YN was struggling with. This man had hurt her, done something inexcusable to her and yet he wanted her to listen, and she was going to do that. It was just who she was, and it’s just what love is.

YN turned to face Harry, slightly shocked at the sight of his reddened face matching hers, “Explain then. Try and explain what I saw!”

Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair, “It wasn’t what it looked like at all – she came on to me. I would never do this to you, you know that!”

“You only pushed her off because I was there!” YN exclaimed, “To me, it looked like you would have had ample opportunity to walk away, to push her away to say fucking no, Harry, but she was still on you!”

“I tried, YN, I fucking tried,” Harry claimed, clearly becoming more exasperated by the second, “She was coked out of her fucking mind! She was high, and on an adrenaline rush and there was no stopping her without hurting her!”

“Then fucking hurt her, Harry,” YN points her finger in his direction, “You were supposed to be mine. Mine. Not hers. I fucking knew she was up to something, and I never said a word because I trusted you! I trusted you more than I trusted myself.”

“Oh, yeah, right,” Harry shakes his head, “Blame this all on me. Tell me to hurt her and that she was up to something but not once in any of that did you come to me and tell me that!”

“Oh, good one,” YN chuckles, “I didn’t fucking tell you Harry because I trusted you! And I also thought you had eyes and a pretty good eye for this shit. You should’ve fired her months ago, and you know it. The drugs, the booze, the partying – it’s not who you associate with!”

“I associated with you.”

His words stop YN right in her tracks. She couldn’t believe what he was saying to her. She didn’t want to believe what he was saying to her. She had thought that he would’ve never, ever, put her past against her like that and here he was.

“You did,” YN nodded, “You helped me and loved me when I didn’t know I needed that. All I could hope is that you seeing me like that, loving me like that would make you realise that you shouldn’t be around people like that.”

“She’s a good fucking singer, YN, the crowd responds to her. You’re saying I’m just supposed to fire her because she’s an addict? – come off your fucking high horse.”

“No,” YN shakes her head, “I’m telling you that firing her would have been the right option so that she could get help. This life is not the life that addicts need, you and I both know that. You’re enabling her, allowing her delusions to run, and hurting me in the process! You let her get on top of you, let her kiss you. At no point did you think why? Why does she have the confidence to do this to taken man? It’s because she has no inhibitions, no awareness of her actions!”

“So this is all her fault, yeah? Is that what you’re saying?”

“No, I’m saying it’s your fault,” YN took a step forward, pointing her finger against his chest, “You should have realised, you should have put a stop to it. But, now I’m thinking you didn’t want to. Now I’m thinking that you didn’t mind someone coming in and ruining our relationship in this way. I don’t know maybe I wasn’t giving you enough attention, maybe I was getting bigger than you could handle now I’m sober – maybe I don’t ride your dick good enough, I don’t fucking know!”

Harry goes silent, obviously stumped at the girl’s words. Unfortunately for him, that gave YN everything that she needed to know. In her head, all she could think was that he was understanding her, and he wasn’t seeing this from her perspective.

“She hasn’t come in and ruined our relationship, YN,” Harry sighs, shaking his head, “She hasn’t ruined our relationship, you’re the one doing that by not listening to me.”

YN gasps, and that’s it. She lifts her arms and pushes past Harry. He tries to reach out for her, but she pulls away from him.

“YN, you can’t walk away from this,” He calls from behind her, but YN carries on walking. She storms through the hallways, brushing past people lingering in the hallway and hoping that none of them would stop her.

Despite Harry’s calls of her name and the fact that this place is like a fucking maze YN somehow manages to find herself outside. The only problem was Harry had followed her. YN fumbles with her cigarette carton in her pocket and despite her shaking hands she manages to light one.

“Are you finally going to listen to me?” Harry asks, throwing his arms open.

“Are you finally going to listen to me?” She retorts, raising her eyebrow at him.

He shrugs, “What do you want me to say? Sorry? I’m fucking sorry YN.”

YN nods, letting the words settle for a minute. She’d seen this man sorry before, she knew what he was feeling and knew the signs of his true feelings. Whatever he was saying, and trying to express right now she knew wasn’t him. She didn’t know who he was.

“I don’t even know who you are anymore,” YN shakes her head, “I’m going back to the hotel, packing my shit and going home – I’ll see you in L.A.”

YN turns and walks away, ignoring Harry’s calls to her. The fact that he dared to shout that she was the one leaving this relationship and not working on it as she walked away was crazy to her, and yet here he was. She knew that being on the road changed people, but she didn’t think that it would change him this much. He was her everything, and now she didn’t even want to look him in the eye.

There was always a part of her that thought this was too good to be true, and something was going to ruin it. She would be lying if she said that she didn’t think she would be the one guilty of such, but it seems like it was him that caused this and seemingly had little to no remorse for his actions.

As much as it was going to be difficult, she couldn’t let this ruin her tour. More so, she wasn’t going to let it ruin her life. She had worked too fucking hard.

The second that their car arrives on the carpet, YN knows that everything that she was feeling and all of the memories that had been brought to the surface had to be pushed away. This was her night, one to celebrate with her band and her friends and not bring anything from the past up at all.

Out of all of the awards shows she has been to, YN pulled out all of the stops. The dress she had decided upon was a forest green, one which complimented her darkening hair. It had layers and lace, draping around her arms but allowing her figure to be shown at the same time. Vivienne had styled her hair to perfection, just as the girl always does. Even though Vivienne wasn’t a hairstylist by trade, there wasn’t a single person that YN would trust with her hair besides Vivienne. The last and final touch to her outfit was her cowboy boots and despite Vivienne’s protests when she pulled them on – they truly made her feel like herself.

YN isn’t even two metres onto the carpet before a camera is thrust in her face, a reporter standing by, ready to ask her question upon a question that YN had no control over. It was only in the latter years of her career that she found herself truly in the hands of the media. If her name was mentioned before, she wasn’t in a state of mind to know anything of it.

“YN, it’s your first Grammy Awards, how are you feeling? Nervous? Excited?” The reporter asks, thrusting a microphone into her face before she can even think properly.

“Uh,” YN hesitates for a moment before a small smile crosses her lips, “A bit of both of those, I think. It’s an honour to be invited and nominated at that, but it’s also a little nerve-wracking in the same sense. All I do know is that each person who is nominated deserves that win, and even if it isn’t me I’ll still be grateful for the invitation.”

“How do you feel about reuniting with someone from your past today? Harry Styles. I’m sure you’re aware that he’s announcing your category?”

YN’s heart starts to beat ten times quicker, her palms sweating, but she’s thanking God for all of the media training that she’d been given over the years, “I admire Harry so much as an artist, and has won the category twice before – I can’t name anyone more deserving to present the category.”

The reporter doesn’t look too impressed by her answer, but with more thanks to the reporter and a nod from Vivienne, she decides it’s probably time to move on and get inside. YN immediately links her arm with Vivienne’s and tries to calm her breathing down.

“Was that okay? I think I fully blanked for a second there,” YN mutters the second that they are out of earshot of anybody but the two of them, “I honestly think I just spewed absolute shit at them.”

“It was absolute shit,” Vivienne nodded, pushing one of YN’s curls over her shoulder, “But, as far as PR think it was probably absolutely perfect shit.”

The two girls share a giggle. Pamela joins them a few seconds later, having just come out of her interview, and feels a similar level of confusion and delusion to YN. They take some more photos just as they enter the building, and even though there are calls from left and right for photos of YN on her own – she doesn’t stray from her girls. She could’ve, and she knows that in the future, she might regret not having one fully alone on the carpet – but now, the idea of having to stand on her own without Vivienne or Pamela to hold her up was unbearable.

Once they make it inside the building, YN fully intends to beeline straight towards the drinks. She needed something to chug down to get rid of the cottonmouth she currently had. It wasn’t going to be alcohol, and she certainly knew that – but anything would have been better than the feeling that currently was in her mouth.

“Can I have a glass of water, please? Or soda? Or anything without alcohol?” The bartender looks at her confused, as though he wasn’t suspecting anybody to ask for anything non-alcoholic that evening. YN had offered the man a short but sweet smile in thanks, knowing that if she had opened her mouth she might have said something that she would later come to regret, and beelined straight for where Vivienne and Pamela were waiting for her.

“I can wholeheartedly say I have never wished to drink more than I did in that second,” YN mutters with a shake of her head as she stops in front of the two women, “And it’s not for the sake of I wanted a buzz, no it was for the fact that man had sixteen glasses of champagne ready and not a single glass of fucking water!”

“Okay,” Vivienne reached over and placed her hand on Vivienne’s free hand, as the other was currently lifting the glass of water to her lips, “I think the nerves are probably getting the better of us, and drinking is not the solution to that.”

“I’m not going to do it,” YN sighs, dropping the now empty glass back down on the bar, “Have more faith in me than that, it just crossed my mind, that’s all – for ease.”

YN doesn’t notice the partners share a look, one that they both know exactly what that means, and what they are to do. They knew wholeheartedly that this was just YN’s nerves talking, and the second that they got her distracted and sitting down it would all be okay.

“Did I tell you about the man who got in touch the other day?” Vivienne started, immediately realising that she was about to be chatting absolute shit to her friend, but it was better than to let Vivienne sit in a ball of her stress.

“No,” YN shakes her head, accepting another glass of water from the bartender, “What man?”

“Yeah… what man?” Pamela mutters, her entire face pursed with confusion. Vivienne kicks her slightly under the table, “Oh, yeah, that man! How about we walk and talk?”

Vivienne started to rattle on to her about a man who had come into her gallery and asked her question upon question without seeming to be interested in buying anything. It became obvious to YN further on in the conversation that the man wanted to ask Viv on a date, and she had to be the one to break the news that she was in a committed relationship. Even though Vivienne was rattling on, YN knew why she was doing so. It was to distract YN from the thoughts, and more so from the impending reunion that was on the horizon.

Vivienne rattled on until they got to their seats and continued even when they had sat down. It was funny to YN, that these two women would do anything for her, and she would do anything for them – and that included making a story that certainly wasn’t as interesting as they were making it seem so for YN’s sake.

YN was repeatedly kicking herself internally for the fact that every time her eyes darted around the room, there was one person that she was thinking specifically about. The thing that YN didn’t want to face was not being in control when she saw him again. She had learnt so much about how to control herself recently, and that would send her spiralling right back to a place that she didn’t want to be.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” YN spoke once there was a lilt in the conversation, “Don’t want to be needed a piss in the middle of the awards.”

“Okay,” Vivienne nodded, knowing that some time by herself might be what YN needs right now just to centre herself, “Do you need us to come with?”

“No,” YN offers her a smile, “I’ll only be a minute or two.”

When YN weaved her way through the corridors to the bathroom, it was made abundantly clear to her that her time in the bathroom would be spent sitting on a closed toilet rather than doing anything. After a few minutes, she left the cubicle to glance at herself in the mirror and make sure that her makeup and hair still looked okay.

Once she was happy with herself and felt calmer than she did it was the perfect time to make her way back to the awards and hope that it all went smoother.

Just as YN had turned out of the bathroom door, a smile on her face finally – it was made obvious straight away that it wasn’t to last long. That was because standing a few feet away from her was Harry. He was dressed to the nines in a full pinstripe suit, one hand resting in his pocket as he walked towards her.

YN froze completely, unable to move or breathe or simply function. It was a second or so later that Harry noticed her as well, and his movements came to a stop also. His face dropped, just as hers had. It was the first time in ten years that they had been face to face, the last time being the night of her final performance in L.A., when their relationship had ended completely. Even though it had been ten years, when Harry opened his mouth to speak to her, she felt as though she was right back in that moment and that all of the work she had didn’t matter anymore.

“Hi.”

L.A., 1975 – The last performance of YN’s tour

To say that YN was ready for this tour to finish was an understatement.

There was nothing she loved more than performing her songs for the people who loved them – but with everything that was going on behind the scenes, she just wanted to go home and be with Vivienne and Pamela.

Her band had been doing her fucking head in the entire time, not the girls, mainly the boys, but they were all at fault. It was her simple rules, and they seemed to just not understand the consequences of what happens when they break them. It was why for the first time in a while, YN walked into the green room with a certain skip in her step.

The band was lounged around, empty cans and packets of coke on every surface, but YN was past the point of caring. This was their last night together, and she was not embarrassed to say that she was excited to break that news to them.

“Last night,” YN sighed as she dropped down against the sofa, crossing one of her legs over the other (her cowboy boots sat comfortably on her feet), “I didn’t think we’d get here but we have.”

There was a slight chuckle in the room, and then there was a silence. It was a bittersweet moment. This tour had been one of the best and worst times of her life, and there were only so many words in the English language to explain that.

“I’m not one for many words, as you all know,” YN starts before she hears a snigger from one of the boys.

“Unless you’re fucking complaining about some shit.”

A laugh spreads through the room, and even YN is guilty of a smile spreading across her face.

“Normally complaining about you two just being fucking idiots,” She retorts with a smile, “That’s why I’m happy and relieved to say that this is our last show of this tour, and our last show together… because if I ever do this again, it isn’t going to be with any of you.”

For once, the room is silent, and YN feels a wave of accomplishment rush through her veins.

“Now, let’s go and put on the best fucking show of this tour.”

YN turned to walk out of the room, an ever-present smile still resting on her face. Despite what this show was, and what was consequently going to happen because of this – there was at least this positive for her to focus on. As YN prepared to go on stage, standing on the sidelines and hearing the screams and shouts of the people who were here to see her, she realised that nothing was going to ruin today.

“You ready, babes?” Vivienne smiles from behind her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

YN sighs but nods, “I am… is he here?”

Vivienne’s eyes never leave YN’s, but a wave of sadness washes over them, and she nods, “He’s in a green room with his band.”

YN nods. Since that night in Pittsburgh, there’s been no communication between herself, and Harry and she was glad about that. Everything had gone through management, and YN thought that was the best way to do it. It was strange to think that she would be seeing him in the flesh soon, and singing with him once again but it was probably for the best that she hadn’t thought about it at all.

“If you see him, tell him not to be shit,” YN says and Vivienne chuckles, reaching out to give YN’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Don’t you worry,” Vivienne shakes her head, “If I see him, I’ll be saying a whole lot more to him.”

YN just rolls her eyes but is appreciative of her friend, and she knows that Vivienne knows that, too. When YN had first called Vivienne to explain what had happened, Vivienne was ready to jump on a flight and speak her mind to Harry. Once YN had gotten over her initial anger at the situation, Vivienne was there for her throughout the sadness, too. When she needed to cry, Vivienne was always there at the end of the phone to be there for her.

The two girls shared one last hug before it was time for YN to go on stage, to finish the tour that might have actually been the hardest thing she’d ever done, but she would be lying if she said that she hadn’t loved it as well.

Telling her band that she was firing them before the last show could have gone one of two ways. Fortunately for YN, it had gone a better way than many would have expected. They were good at what they did, and they all (she was including herself in this) played the best that they had the entire tour. There was an energy from the crowd that was palpable, and it seemed to be wearing off on the band as well as herself. It was a damn good show if she said so herself.

Just as she was coming to the last song on her set, she received a nod from the side of the stage saying that it was time. Time for her to welcome a guest on to stage, and to pretend in front of thousands of people that this man hadn’t just broke her heart.

Once the cheering has subsided, YN tucked her hair behind her ears and addressed the crowd, knowing it was better to do so like she was ripping a band-aid off rather than drawing it out.

“Now, it’s coming up to the point where we have to say goodnight,” YN smiles, hearing a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd, “And before we do say goodnight, I thought… since it’s the last night of our tour, and you’ve been such an amazing crowd that I’d surprise you all… Now, this guest, he’s someone that’s very special to me. I haven’t seen him, or spoken to him in a while… but he has my heart, and he should always know that… Now, please put your hands together for Mr. Harry Styles!”

There’s a moment where YN doesn’t want to turn to look at Harry, in fact she just wants to ignore that he’s there all together – but she knows she can’t do that. Once she does turn to look at him, she’s shocked at what she sees. It still looks like him, the man that she loved with all of her heart, but he looks worn out, and tired and quite possibly heartbroken.

The band starts to play Cherry and all of a sudden she’s transported back to that night. Everything that happened, everything that he did, everything that she felt rushed back to her body, and flooded every one of her thoughts. It was difficult to keep her composure, and even more difficult not to turn and look at him, but she couldn’t. Not when she had a show to put on, and a tour to finish.

“Don’t you call him [me] baby/ We’re not talking lately.”

As the song was drawing to a close, YN realised that she had to look at Harry. Now that her initial anger and upset had passed, he needed to see how she felt. He needed to see how he had hurt her.

It wasn’t in YN’s plan to change the lyrics, but she couldn’t help herself. A song that Harry and herself had written all those years ago was now resonating in their life in a way that neither one of them could’ve expected.

“Don’t you call her what you used to call me.”

Harry stopped singing when he noticed what she had done, and even with thousands of people in the room it felt as though it was only the two of them, once more, just as it had been on that night. Instead of an anger running through her veins, YN felt sadness, a heaviness. She was grieving the man she knew and the life that she had envisioned for herself because in that moment she realised it was over… for good.

“Thank you all, you’ve been amazing!” YN snapped herself out of her trance and turned back to the crowd, “Thank you for having me, and I’m sure we’ll see you all soon!”

With once last smile and wave to the crowd, YN turned and walked off the stage, leaving her band and Harry standing there. She wasn’t necessarily proud of this action, but it was needed. It was her time to leave this tour, and these feelings in the past – and there was one more thing that she needed to do to ensure that.

“When Harry comes off, tell him to come to my dressing room,” She spoke to Jeff as she walked past him, offering him a small smile as she did.

“Of course.” He replied with a nod.

She paced in the room for a few seconds and then the door opened behind her. She turned, and he was there. It was strange, she had imagined what this conversation was going to be like so many times in her head and now that he was here, she couldn’t think of any of it. All she knew was that she needed to tell him how she felt.

“YN…”

“No,” YN shook her head, biting the side of her lip and resting her hands upon her hips, “I need you to listen to me… and I need you to listen carefully,” There was a slight pause where she had to compose herself from crying, “I love you, and I still love you and I probably always will… but, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t… you couldn’t see it from my perspective, and I don’t know if you ever will, but I know that for myself, I can’t wait and find out.”

“YN…” There were tears in his eyes.

There were now tears in hers, “I will never be able to get that image out of my head, and what you said… It hurt me. I love you and I want you to know that… but we’re over.”

A silence washes over them, as though both of them were coming to terms with what she was saying.

Harry shrugged, “I don’t know what else I can say but I love you.”

“I just saw him,” YN says the second she sits down with Pam and Viv.

Vivienne almost spits out her drink, and Pamela’s mouth drops open, “What do you mean?”

“He was there when I left the bathroom,” YN shook her head, “I just stared at him. I didn’t even say anything.”

“Did he say anything to you?” Vivienne asks and YN nods her head.

“He said ‘Hi’ and then I bolted back here,” YN places her head in the palm of her hands, “I knew that I was going to see him, but I thought it was at least going to be in this room, or when he gets on stage – not after I had a piss.”

Vivienne wraps her arm around YN, “The show’s about to start. Put it out of your mind. You’ve got a Grammy to win.”

That’s exactly what (with a little bit of inner strength) she did. The show started, and awards were given out, and the clock was ticking until it was her category. She kept herself looking cool, calm, and collected to anyone glancing at her, but inside, her heart was racing out of her chest.

“Your next babes,” Vivienne grabbed YN’s hand from the side of her, “Whatever happens, I just want to tell you that I love you and I’m so proud of you.”

YN’s eyebrows lifted, tears collecting in her waterline, “Stop it… or I’ll cry before it even starts.”

“Don’t you worry, babes…” Vivienne squeezed her hand tighter, “I’ll wipe your snot before you go on stage.”

YN rolled her eyes, and the girls shared a chuckle. It was then that the lights dimmed. A round of applause started, and the spotlight hit the stage. Harry was dressed in the same pinstripe suit as she had seen him a few hours before. He stood on the stage, his arms crossed in front of him and a smile on his lips. It wasn’t the smile that YN remembered in her dreams, the one where his dimples and his teeth lit up the world – but it was him.

“As a recipient of this award myself, I am honoured to announce this category today,” he said, cool, calm, and collected, “As much as I’m sure you would all love to hear me chat away, I think it’s probably better for everyone that we get to it. The nominees are…”

YN blanks out as the names are read, but when he speaks her name for the first time in years, she almost melts. It was strange that her body had such a visceral reaction to something that she hadn’t ever thought about before.

“And… the Grammy goes to…” Harry speaks, opening the envelope. It was then that a beaming smile crossed his face, “YN YLN!”

A gasp left her lips, a high-pitched buzz filling her ears. There was a part of her that didn’t believe it, but when she saw Vivienne’s teary-eyed face staring at her – she knew it was real. The girl, who was usually cool, calm and collected was sobbing so forcefully that YN was slightly scared for her.

“I told you, babes!” Once YN pushes herself up from her seat, Vivienne pounces on her in a hug, “I knew it was going to be you!”

“I…” YN shakes her head, her eyes brimming with tears.

“You need to go,” Vivienne places her hands on YN’s cheeks and nods, “Take Pam, and go. Get your fucking Grammy babes.”

YN nods and reaches for Pam’s hand, whose face looks the same as YN does. There was a flash of disbelief as well as pure shock on both the girl’s faces. YN squeezes Pam’s hand as tightly as she can, trying to centre herself as well as be there for the other woman as they walk towards the stage. It’s then that YN hears the clapping from the crowd, and it takes every ounce of strength she has not to burst out into tears.

Then she sees him.

He was standing at the front of the stage, the award clutched in his hand, but at that point, it was almost as though the award didn’t matter. The smile on his face was the one she saw in her dreams when she closed her eyes and thought back to that time of her life. When she doesn’t want to think of the heartbreak or the hardship, when she wants to think of the overwhelming love she felt and had in her body. That was the Harry that she saw standing there, the one who first asked her to come on stage and sing his song with him, the man who gave her everything.

If it wasn’t for Pamela pulling her up the stairs, she would’ve ceased moving altogether. Once she had come to a stop in front of him, he held the award out to her.

“Well done.”

“Thank you.”

That was all she could say before she was pushed in front of a microphone. Pamela tried to slip out of YN’s hand, but she pulled Pamela right to the side of her.

“I hadn’t expected this,” YN chuckles into the microphone, “So I’m sorry if I forget anyone or anything. I think… I want to thank my team, my band, and Pamela in particular, who stayed with me all of those nights when I couldn’t give up and had to finish even though everyone else had left… I want to thank everyone in my life who saw me at my lowest and pushed me to my best. Vivienne. I want to thank you for forever being my best friend, my sister, and my family. This is for you and for everything you’ve ever done for me… and, uh, Harry. I, uh, want to thank you for seeing something in me that night at your show and asking me on that stage… I wouldn’t be here without that. Thank you so much, I’ll keep this forever close to my heart.”

Even though he was standing right next to YN, she couldn’t look at him. When she had given her speech, some thought earlier on in the day, the thought of thanking Harry hadn’t even crossed her mind. Looking back, she assumed it was because she was too nervous to see him that thanking him in her speech hadn’t even crossed her mind. Once she had deemed that seeing him hadn’t been as bad as she expected it to be (minus the stress and also rehashing of memories that she had wanted nothing more than to forget), it was like her brain couldn’t stop the words from coming out of her mouth.

Music started playing around her, and she saw this as her cue to leave the stage. Grabbing Pamela’s hand, she pulled them off the side of the stage, where she guessed that she was going to have her photo taken.

Just as she started to make her way down the steps, she felt something tug the end of her dress, and she nearly went toppling forward down them. A hand grabbed onto her elbow, steadying her. She turned, and there he was, a concerned look on his face.

“Keep going,” He nodded, “It’s okay.”

Then she felt the skirt of her dress lift, and she didn’t have to worry anymore.

“If it was up to me, you would’ve won for your very first,” A man who YN knew as some studio executive was standing in front of her. There was a strong smell emanating from his person, and the empty glass in his hand, YN assumed it was whisky, “It’s the studio’s fault for not nominating you. I would’ve done that straight away. You would be on your fourth, even fifth nomination and win by now.”

“It wasn’t the studio’s fault,” YN offered him with a small smile, trying to be polite and not as though this was the fiftieth conversation she’d had like this since she arrived, “It was mine. I was in recovery. They couldn’t have nominated me even if they wanted to.”

“Oh,” He seemed surprised, “Anyway, if you ever do fancy a switch in studios, gimme a call.”

“I won’t,” YN offers another smile, “But thanks for the offer.”

YN turns, and spots Vivienne and Pamela coming back and drinks it hand. It happens every time they leave or every time they even turn their back on YN for a second. YN was so proud of herself for having won, but if this was what she was going to get from here on out, she was going to have to mentally prepare herself for such.

“Here is your water, winner,” Vivienne passed her the glass with a smile on her face, and YN rolled her eyes at the girl’s antics.

“Are you going to stop with that already?” YN accepted it and placed the chilled glass against her face, flushing from the heat in the room.

Vivienne shrugs, “I will… once the novelty has worn off.”

YN just rolls her eyes and shakes her head, “I’m going outside for a cigarette, it’s too hot in here.”

“Okay, winner,” YN shakes her head once more, seeing as though Pamela had decided to join in on her girlfriend’s antics as well.

“You’re a winner too, Pam, don’t forget that.”

YN placed a kiss on Pam and Viv’s cheeks before making her way towards the glass doors that opened to a balcony. They were at some fancy hotel that YN assumed she had been at before in her life but couldn’t remember either due to being high or so exhausted that she didn’t know where she was. Once she stepped outside, though, she realised that she had been here before, and it was on neither one of those occasions. It was after that tour had ended, the one where she had broken up with Harry. There had been a party to celebrate the end, and it was here. YN only remembered the view because instead of being inside celebrating, she had been out here, sitting watching the skyline pass by her.

YN pulled her cigarettes out of her bag, slipping one between her lips and lighting it. It seemed like a coincidence that she was here now after so much had changed. She stood, leant against the railing just as she had that night prior, and looked out at the skyline – this time a Grammy winner, but she would not say any less heartbroken.

“Congratulations,” YN didn’t jump at the sound of a voice behind her, but her eyes closed when she realised who it was, “I didn’t get to say that before.”

“You did,” YN mumbles, exhaling smoke as she did so, “On stage.”

He stops and leans against the railing next to her, taking his own cigarette out. She doesn’t turn to look at him but once she does she just nods her head.  

“What’s your plan now? Going to write another?” He asks, turning on his side slightly so that his body is facing hers.

YN just shrugged, turning her body so that she was facing him as well, “I don’t know. What about you?”

Harry sighs, nodding his head slightly, “I’m taking a break. Going back to London, going to spend some time with my family. Gem’s getting married in the summer, and I want to be there.”

“Pass on my congratulations to her,” YN nods, “A break sounds nice. I mean, it’s been ten years for me must be twelve, thirteen for you.”

“Thirteen,” He nods, running a hand over his face, “I need to slow down, I’m not getting any younger here.”

YN exhales a laugh, “We all know that’s the truth… and in hindsight, I don’t think a break is ever on the cards for me. As long as I’m breathing, I’ll probably be making music.”

YN had said it before, and she’d say it again – as long as she was making music that people enjoyed, she’d do it for as long as they let her.

“Speaking of music…” He looks away from her for a second and back out onto the skyline, “You didn’t have to thank me in your speech… I know it probably wasn’t the easiest thing you’ve ever done.”

YN just shakes her head, turning to look at him even though he wasn’t looking at her, “It was just the truth. I truly would not be here if it wasn’t for you. Without you pulling me on that stage that night, God I dread to think what my life would look like. I’d probably be in some unhappy marriage, with a husband who I hate and kids that hate me – just like my parents.”

Harry finally turned to look at her, “It was nothing.”

YN shakes her head once more, “It wasn’t.”

Harry clears his throat, “I know… I know I’ve done this before, and I know last time it didn’t go the way that I wanted it to, okay? But YN, I swear to you… I am so sorry about everything that happened. Looking back, you were right. I was enabling her, and not only that, but I was also hurting you in the process. I can never forgive myself for that… and I’d understand if you never forgave me as well.”

YN sighs, immediately feeling tears starting to well within her eyes, “It’s okay… it’s been too long now, it’s water under the bridge.”

As YN spoke, her voice cracked. She hadn’t realised that even though her mind knew what she wanted to say, her body betrayed her. She hadn’t realised what was building within her as he spoke, even more so when she did.

When she turned to him, there were tears in his eyes just as they were in hers. Standing here, with him after all of those years – no matter how much he had hurt her, there was a part of her that still loved him. She loved him, the life he gave her, the memories they had – the way he made her feel. She tried not to go back to that chapter of her life if she could help it, to stop the pain from resurfacing, but oftentimes, it was the memories of love that she welcomed the most.

Harry dropped his cigarette down on the floor, squashing it with his heel so that it was out. YN turned to him once more, watching as a tear slipped down his face. He immediately reached up and wiped it off his cheek.

“Listen, YN, if you ever do fancy that break London’s just a plane ride away,” He turned as though he was going to walk away, but then he stopped and turned back around, “And I’m always just a phone call away.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

[trashisstillhere]

Alright! One more new teacher for the NN AU! A gym teacher this time!

Let’s meet him, shall we?

Meet the new gym teacher…..

Mac Antfee- wait hold up, what!?

This guy is the new gym teacher!? Since when-

Aww yeah, this guys back in Norrisville high school as one of the new teachers!

Don’t worry, he won’t be much trouble like before! He’s a changed man now!

Onto the info!

Info:

Mac Antfee is back once again at Norrisville high school! And this time he’s gonna!…

Become its new gym teacher?

Huh, well that’s not what I expected..

That’s right, Mac Antfee, one of the former ninjas who went almost cray cray back then is now the schools new current gym teacher! With a slight fresh new look and everything!…expect for the yellow transparent visor.. and those pants of his, can’t be a cool gym teacher without them. Right?

It is quite a surprise how he is now the gym teacher but hey, he was mind wiped few years ago and still doesn’t remember any ninja stuff so it’ll be fine! In fact, he’s surprisingly doing well as one, believe it or not! No seriously, that man knows what he’s doing in this new job of his!

Even his old lacky and buddy, ‘Gong’, is with him still! He too also help around by checking on the kids during gym class to make sure that everyone is alright.

Mac’s just like what a gym teacher should be: out going, supportive, determined, inspiring and motivational!

That’s exactly what the kids need! Someone who can really help them not only get more active but believe in themselves, believe that they all do have some strength on the inside and that they just have to give themselves a chance to finally show it off!

To be inspired by him, to be just like him! Strong and soooo bruce!

What a role model! (For real this time)

And man, does he love it so far! He thinks that so far, he’s doing fantastic on his new job and is pretty neat gym teacher for the children!

NN, along with some other kids who also has gym class, finds Mr. Antfee to be not so bad of a guy!…

All except for one 12th grader, Randy.

Even though Mac doesn’t remember any of his old ninja days anymore, Randy still can’t help but be very wary around him. After getting to find out about HIM being the schools new gym teacher, he immediately freaked out. Mac Antfee, former ninja of 1985, now a gym teacher in NN’s gym class!? Oh honk no!! He can’t let that slide!

Even with Howard trying to stop him, Randy still went on to ‘deal’ with Mac Antfee…

By joining in the gym class!

Yup. He decided to go and let himself get in the gym class JUST to keep his eyes at the man and make sure that NN, who has absolutely no clue about Mac’s past and ninja history btw, was safe. He kept giving HIM not so friendly stares behind his back, talking bad about him under his breath and just did everything to ‘protect’ the kid from HIM. Even though NN was in fact NOT in danger whatsoever and was most of the time during this, just being cheered by Mac.

Howard just kept trying to stop him but Randy still wouldn’t listen, he was THAT stubborn.

it all then soon ended up with him doing something SO bad that he humiliated Mac Antfee in front of every body!

Now THAT was too far, Randy.

And it got the man so upset that he, of course…

Ended up being the sorceresses new stank victim.

(Wooo- did my best with this one)

A Texas longhorn bull!! (May not look quite accurate but I did my best!

Super Strong and not so easily tamed, this guy will stop at nothing to ‘kick’ every butt that gets in his way! (Just like his past bad self) no matter who they are.

As Gong now tries to protect the kids in gym class from the stanked bull roaming around, it is once again up to NN to go stop this! (They’re also a little bit mad at Randy since this kinda started cuz of him in the first place)

But how are they supposed to take care of the man which’s animal he turned into when stanked literally hates the color red that just so happens to be apart of their suit?

Idea for this man as a gym teacher and all of this with stank form and such was all by @artistic-harlom-world !

(Kinda) Size comparisons with NN:

[metamatronic]

Could you talk a little about your MCI from your Fnaf au?

This isn’t exactly what you asked, but here’s my timeline! It’s altered a bit over the years and characters have changed roles, but this is my little AU:

1983: Evan “Jack” Afton is bitten while Henry murders Charlie behind the pizzeria. Charlie mistakes her killer for William. Fredbear’s Family Diner closes and the springlock suits are moved to Freddy’s. Jack continues to haunt Michael and creates night terrors for him.

1984: Circus Baby’s Rental opens and Elizabeth “goes missing.” William, after losing his second kid, becomes consumed with finding Elizabeth and fails to notice Henry reprogramming the animatronics. Funtime animatronics steadily kidnap/kill kids from 1984~86.

1985: Official first Missing Children’s Incident™. Henry lures five kids (Gabriel, Jeremy, Susie, Fritz, and Cass) and stuffs their bodies in the suits. William is suspected but never convicted, Freddy’s is shut down.

Early 1986: William, suspecting foul play and feeling guilty, goes to the now closed Freddy’s location to search for clues. Charlie and Co, believing their killer to be William, scare him into the suit and he is springlocked. Using William as a scapegoat, Henry has the walls sealed up so that William can “remain at large” should the case be reopened. Becoming more paranoid that he will be found out, he hunts down Michael’s friends from the bite of ‘83 and hides their bodies in the not-yet-released toy animatronics.

1987: After the disappearance of his father, Michael finds William’s frantic theories over Elizabeth’s whereabouts and decides to go look for her. Scoopage occurs.

After discovering the truth of the incidents, the not-yet-rotting Michael takes a job at the new Freddy Fazbear’s under the guise of Jeremy Fitzgerald. (The dayshift guard, also named Jeremy, gets bit by Mangle) Michael comes back later as “Fritz Smith” and sneaks Charlie out with him.

~1988: Ennard (without Baby) sneaks into Michael’s apartment and asks to stay. Michael begrudgingly lets Ennard live in his closet.

~1991: Circus Baby finds Michael’s apartment and demands to stay. Michael and Ennard begrudgingly let her.

1993: Mike takes a job at the reopened Freddy’s. Finds out that his uncle (Phone Guy) died there not too long before him. Mike continues working there for a while until he gets fired for “tampering with the animatronics” and the place gets shut down. He sneaks Phone Guy’s ghost out with him and hides him in his apartment.

2017: Michael takes a job at Fazbear Fright under the name Eggs and “meets” Springtrap. Neither recognize each other and form a friendship. This culminates in the two of them burning the place down and Michael sneaking William back to his apartment, where Phone Guy reveals both of their identities to each other.

2019: Michael, in an attempt to lure Henry and kill him, franchises a Freddy’s location and steadily sneaks his animatronic family members in. It’s the most successful Freddy establishment and becomes incredibly popular. When Henry tries to burn the place down, the Afton family captures him and forces him to burn in the restaurant with them. Despite everything, everyone but Henry survives. Henry’s soul escapes into the computer.

2020: Realizing they now have to live “normal lives” in the aftermath of the fire, Michael and William retrofit illusion discs so the whole family can pose as living people.

2023: After developing into a malicious computer virus, Henry/Glitchtrap poses as a Fazbear Entertainment email address and commissions a VR studio to make the FNAF series. On top of using this to possess the beta testers, he uses this to spin the narrative that William was the murderer and that he was the hero that stopped him. Michael joins the VR team as “Iggy Wilson” in order to stop Henry.

I don’t really have anything for Security Breach. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[hardlyinteresting]

I've been thinking about Hotch playing poker / cards. Hes so competitive 😂 imagine having game nights with him

You're so right.

Hotch isn't the world's greatest poker player, but so long as Reid isn't in the game he can manage to hold a winning streak. Rossi invites him to a lot of his poker nights, but he rarely accepts, he prefers to spend his nights off with family. But, when he does get roped into evenings of whiskey, cigars, and card games that will surely hurt his wallet he admittedly enjoys himself. Plus, the satisfaction of taking money from Rossi is impossible to resist sometimes.

Aaron is too good at clue. While it's basically a game of probability, he's far too good at spotting patterns and two turns in he's figured out the mystery just based off of the cards in his hands, and the questions the other players have asked. He tries to be a good sport about it and hold back to let everyone else have fun, but he wins every time. (Side note: Aaron Hotchner is absolutely a fan of the 1985 film inspired by the board game. It's quirky and hilarious and camp. It gets him laughing every single time).

He's ruthless when he plays monopoly. He's got hotels built, and he's claiming rent on half of the board. He's a mastermind and it's fascinating to watch but it doesn't make it any less painful when you have to hand over stacks of colourful bills to him for landing on one of his properties. He also pouts every time he lands in jail or misses a turn.

Scrabble is fun. He's a nerd and not enough people take the time to notice that about him. He has a wide ranging vocabulary, but he takes more satisfaction in playing silly words than he does in spelling out big fancy words. Emily and JJ have definitely convinced him to start playing words with friends. When you find him glaring at his phone or his iPad on a Saturday afternoon there's a very good chance one of them just got a high word score. When the two of you play each other a glass of wine in your hand he's all smiles. He spells out I LOVE YOU with the pieces when you're getting ready to put the the board away for the night

No one on that team should be allowed to play uno. They played once at a gathering with a deck JJ brought from home. Never again. They can hunt serial killers, face trauma, and get held at gun point together, but none of them can play uno without spitting out threats or insults.

[gutsofgold]

HAPPY HALLOWEEENNN!!!

What I think the witw characters would be for halloween yayayayaya

— Mole’s not a huge fan of getting scared, so he's wearing something silly, like one of those big lobster costumes

— Ratty is the creature from the black lagoon!!

— Toad has multiple costumes, and he does several outfit changes throughout the day. They include (but are not limited to); the creature from frankenstein, a clown, dolly parton, the statue of liberty, Barbie, Ken, an alien, doctor who, and jane austen

— Mrs Otter is just wearing a black dress (maybe with a bit of purple) and a witch hat

— Portia is a classic ghost, with a sheet over her head

— Badger is Bela Lugosi's Dracula!!

— Chief is the Ghost of Christmas yet to come

— Lesser is the Ghost of Christmas present

— Cheryl is the Ghost of Christmas past

The three of them LOVE halloween but they're also super annoying and went as something christmas themed just to mess with everyone (and im super christmas carol rotted)

— The Hedgehogs are the Addams family

— Toad’s Rabbit Butler (also known as Bucky) is Wadsworth from Clue (1985)

— The fieldmice quadruplets are Mystery Inc

— The Gaoler's daughter is Carrie

— The Car Driver wears an orange shirt and says he's a pumpkin

— The magistrate isn't a halloween guy

— The washerwoman is a classic zombie

If I've forgot anyone please lmk ‼️‼️

[average-hyperfixator]

Chat do we fw Clue 1985.

LISTEN LISTEN HE'S SO MR. GREEN CODED. Homosexual coward who gets tossed around half the movie? That's Ted right there

MILD SPOILERS but like this scene is from the beginning of the movie so

sorry for the low quality.... anyway they're all getting thrown into a murder mystery (Benny is Colonel Mustard, Nimdok is Prof. Plum (bc I don't like him) and I haven't figured out the rest.)

I will be redrawing a bunch of scenes of Ted as Mr. Green because GOD his dialogue is funny. anyway yea everyone appreciate this a little bit plz

I love this movie and was rewatching it the other day so now you all have to witness my madness

[fmajorenthusiast]

Omg HIIIII!!!! Just found your blog- I LOVE Rocky Horror so this is a dream come true!! If you see me liking all of your rhps posts in rapid succession I’m so sorry lmao-

How would the Rocky Horror cast react to meeting the cast of Clue 1985? (I’ve always loved both films, they were my first big introduction to Tim Curry aside from Muppet Treasure Island). I like to imagine Wadsworth would HATE Frank. Also I’m being professor plum in clue the musical soon so I’m in a clue mood as well as rhps!

Thanks! <3

HIIIII!!!! :D TYSM TY TY TY TYSMMMMM!!!!! I'M SO HAPPY UR HEEEERE Also dw I love all ur likes it makes me feel like my work is doing good awesome things and it makes me happy!!!! :DD

OMG I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!! I LOVE CLUEEEE!!! ahhh I haven't seen Muppets but I have seen his number in it and Clue is SOOO GOOOODDDD!!! AAA I bet you're gonna break all the legs in the world as Plum if you haven't already!!!! :DD

Frank: Oh you are SO RIGHT! Wadsworth would fucking DESPISE Frank!!! Wadsworth would be trying to give everyone their code names and Frank would NOT! CATCH! ON! He'd just be like, "That's Frankenfurter to you, BITCH!" then just name everyone else in the RH cast in rapid succession, fucking up Wadsworth's whole set up!!! Also, he'd get right under most of their skins for trying to fuck ALL of them. (This would be especially funny with green since he's pretending to be gay I'm imagining this so much rn LMAO and also plum being so into all the girls and then Frank's just like "hey ;)" LOLL) He'd pretty much fail with everyone and be pissed that he's not as much of a hit here as he was at the castle! He also wants Peacock and Scarlet's outfits!!! Wadsworth and Riff probably team up to kill him at the end of the day so that they can both feel the satisfaction!

Brad: Brad is terrified to be surrounded by a bunch of rich and important people who all seem sophisticated and scary! He feels a true sense of connection to the cop. He's never related more to anybody in his life! He comes on a bit strong and definitely scares the cop at least a little bit! He spends the whole time awkwardly trying to make small talk whilst everyone hits him with something he doesn't know how to respond to! I feel like Wadsworth, White, and Scarlett would be the worst in this regard!!! Basically, he's scared out of his mind and he spends the entire show trying to be gentleman enough for these people! Were he left alone with these people, I'm all but certain, and I say this with love to Brad, that he wouldn't make it out alive! And hey! We love him for that energy!

Janet: Janet would also be terrified but in her own unique way!!! She would scream when confronted with any sign to fear most of these people!!! She'd be really intimidated by the other women except for the singing telegram girl!!! I feel like, and I mean this in the most excited way possible, there might be a contest to see who can make Janet scream the most! Also I TOTALLY have a vision in my head where White is mentioning her having had five husbands and Janet just goes "but they were all your husbands, yes???" And everyone else is looking around at each other like "OK we now know what kind of a person she is!" Also, she'd really want to be as sexy and mysterious as White and Scarlet but since these women scare her so much she doesn't really have it in her to try! She's afraid of most of the men as well! She does trust Wadsworth, though!!! Which isn't a mega genius move, but she trusts him! (I remember watching the movie for the first time and being SO SHOCKED omg!!!)

Riff Raff: Riff Raff is SO on top of his game that if any of these people tried to kill him or damage his reputation, he'd already have a counter attack!!! He'd have the same command and self control that the rest of them do and he'd be prepared to take some of them DOWN! He would make it out of the building unscathed and he wouldn't attack anyone new unless he was attacked first! If he is attacked first however, he will kill! He'd slyly take a moment with both Green and Wadsworth to be like, "I see your game. Don't you try anything fucker" and then walk off! Also, he'd totally hate Mustard! Mustard would come up to him trying to be all like *trying to make some grand and profound accusatory claim at Riff* and then Riff would be like "I just work here. And I don't actually care quite as much as you think I do." And just walk off!

Magenta: OMG she'd be so delightfully blunt and cutting! Scarlet would say something rude like, "I thought that Transylvania was just another part of Romania now" and Magenta would just be like "Vell I thought zhat your tits vere real until I realized zhat you can afford a pushup bra" and it would be INSANE. She'd also laugh upon figuring out how wild these people's lives have been. She'd be begging them for so much information and laughing the whole time, especially when it gets to the murder part! I feel like she and Yvette would have a bit of an awkward relationship given that there's never actually been a second sexy maid in the room like that! Also, I feel like she'd definitely catch Plum's eye as so many women in this show do!!! She'd definitely find it amusing and NOT be interested, though. She doesn't tease him because she wants to leave him desperate! She'd love the whole experience of meeting these people honestly!!! She finds them amusing!!

Columbia: Columbia would be BEST friends with the singing telegram girl!!! I know. She's onscreen for all of 5 seconds before getting shot but can you IMAGINE this???? Holy shit omg. They both had wild affairs as well!!! I feel like they'd have the world's greatest double act! Also, Columbia would have a lot of "HA! Bitchy old lady!" Humor with Peacock where she keeps one upping her!!! Also, I feel like Columbia would think that Wadsworth is quite charming, all things considered! I also think that she'd offer some personal information rather freely because she doesn't really have anything to lose with these people!!! She'd be like, "Really? My man's been to jail too!!! I do love him, though!" And Wadsworth would just be like "Interesting indeed! Thank you Columbia!" Whilst ushering everybody onwards! It'd be amazing!!!

Rocky: It's a very good thing that Rocky is pretty much invincible!!! I can just imagine any and all of them trying to shoot him to no avail and Rocky not even realizing what's going on in the first place!!! Also, he'd just smile and think that everyone is so unique and good, much to their confusion! He'd follow all of them around and I can see him accidentally passing up on flirtation attempts because he has no idea that someone's flirting with him if they aren't really blunt like Janet and Frank were!!! Basically, I think that Rocky would think everything was really pretty and that he'd not be able to communicate with these people because they're all too sophisticated for him!!! Wadsworth would really have to hold his hand the whole time and he'd just be like "I don't know why but I feel like I should trust you!!" Everything winds up working out ok, though!

Eddie: I feel like Eddie would see a bunch of rich people in a room and attempt to steal from all of them! In the best world, he escapes victorious! In the worst world, all of them team up to kill him!!!! Eddie stops learning about these people once he sees that they're rich! I feel like he'd fully get into a massive fight with Plum and or Mustard that results in Eddie scratching and biting them! I can see him getting killed with the candlestick, but I can also see him killing somebody with a candlestick, so it all comes down to who's feeling more vicious! I think that he wouldnt go for it at ALL when these people start talking all sophisticated at him! Someone would say something passive aggressive and he'd just be like "Fuck off!!!" Also- he would run away so fast when he finds out that Green is a plant!!! He would BOLT out of that place like there's no tomarrow! Everyone would just be so confused until it comes out later that he's also got some secrets!

Doctor Scott: He 100% spends the entire time promising himself that he is not like them! Basically, he finds out about all the blackmailing that goes on here and is desperate to not let anybody find out that his job is aliens!!! He could NOT handle the risk of that!!!! He enjoys talking with these people at first before he realizes how unhinged they are! He's like "finally! Some other people with class- wait nevermind they're all killers. Every last one of them's a killer-" and then he'd try his best!!! He'd enjoy talking with some of them, though!!! He finds Wadsworth to be an interesting individual!!! He tries to get a few upbeat stories out of him!!! And he does a pretty good job!

The Criminologist: He's like... frothing at the mouth for the chance to expose all of these people! Like, in a BIG way!!! When he meets these people, he's so obvious that the only thing protecting him is his narrator plot armor! (Which we LOVE) but he's just swooning upon learning about every single scandal! Obviously some will tell him more than others, but I feel like his enthusiasm wouldn't do him too many favors in the wrong universe! However, were the secrets already out, he'd pester them for info and I feel like some of them would fold! I don't think that Peacock would ever tell him too much but White might admit to some stuff! Of course, when Wadsworth is asked, he hits him with a classic. "Can you keep a secret?" "YES" "so can I" He's a bit upset, but he just thinks that that guy is so fascinating!!!

[electronickingdomfox]

"Uhura's Song" review

Novel from 1985, by Janet Kagan. I have mixed feelings about this book. For starters, if you're looking for a story focused on Uhura, this isn't it. She plays an important role in the very first chapters, but then she goes to the background, and doesn't have more protagonism than, say, Chekov.

Anyway, misleading title and cover aside, there are good things about it. The culture of the Sivaoans (some kind of anthropomorphic cats) is well fleshed and described in detail. Little by little, we learn a lot about this people: their social structure and rites of passage, the importance they place on names and oral tradition, their linguistic quirks, taboos and legends, etc. By the last third of the novel, when the crew goes on a quest along the main Sivaoan characters, we've come to understand and care about them. So yeah, as an exploration of an alien culture, it's alright.

But on the other hand, there's an incredible amount of filler in this novel. It's about twice as long as the average TOS novel of this era, but a great chunk of it is just pages and pages of the Enterprise crew doing cute things and playing with cats. With little development in-between. The narrative has a tendency to overindulge in the most insignificant events. Sometimes, after several pages of this, I'd stop and think "Are they really STILL talking about that!? It wasn't so interesting to begin with!" Granted, the main mystery is engaging enough to keep going: I wanted to know what had happened between the Sivaoans and their distant relatives thousands of years ago; and I wanted to know how they'd find the cure for the plague that's at the core of the mission, and what had songs to do with it. Those things kept me going... but with a lot of struggle to wade through the fluff.

Another problem is the guest character, Dr. Evan Wilson, who's not just a doctor, she's a... (insert anything you can think of here). No, really, whatever you can do, be sure she can do it ten times better: she beats Sulu at fencing and Spock at computers, she's a better engineer than Scotty, she's the best friend of everyone and is impossible not to love her (including the Sivaoans), she will develop a new vaccine and then kill a dangerous beast with a spear in the same breath, all the time being "super funny". Even when she's not present, other characters' conversations tend to gravitate towards her and comment on how awesome she is. (For those that get "The Simpsons" references: she's a Poochie, literally). But it's not just that she's a blatant Mary Sue; after all, a Mary Sue may fulfill an important role in a story, provide the plot or be the key to solve a conflict. The main problem with Dr. Wilson is that I see no reason why she needs to be in the story to begin with. She just steals McCoy's role as chief medical officer, and doesn't offer anything that couldn't have been done by other character (like Uhura, for example). There's some mystery about her identity, but its resolution doesn't explain why she's important for the story either.

To summarize, this novel has an interesting premise, but would have been much better without Dr. Wilson, and cutting corners on the fluff. If you want to read an actual Uhura story, go get "The Tears of the Singers" instead... Unless you absolutely need lots of cats, I don't know.

Spoilers under the cut:

The Eeiauoans (some sort of cat people) are being ravaged by the worst outbreak so far of a deadly disease: ADF syndrome. Sick Eeiauoans start losing all their fur, bend in pain, and in the final stages, enter a coma and die. At first thought to be exclusive to this race, the disease starts propagating among humans, and Chapel is one of the first to fall sick. So while McCoy battles the disease planetside, Uhura tries to find a solution in the Enterprise. She's good friends with Sunfall, an Eeiauoan dancer, and suspects there are clues about a cure, hidden in the ancient songs that Sunfall passed to her.

Thus, Uhura starts working with Spock to analyze the songs. Some of them seem to allude to a different origin for the Eeiauoans, as if they were colonists or exiles from another planet. And Uhura believes the cure is to be found in their planet of origin; one of the songs mentions similar symptoms as ADF, but unfortunately, the part about the cure was cut out. Speculating about some astronomical references in the songs, they narrow down the search to a certain quadrant. But the Eeiauoans refuse to help, or even acknowledge this extra-planetary origin, as if they were hiding something. Finally one of them, desperate about her sickness, confesses that the planet's name is Sivao, which helps Spock and Uhura to pinpoint the place. And considering how difficult was this search, and how vague the references in the songs, they solve this part of the problem with relative ease.

McCoy is left with the medical team in the planet, so Dr. Wilson takes his place in the Enterprise. Once in Sivao, Kirk, Wilson, Spock, Uhura and Chekov beam down to contact the aliens. They're very similar to the Eeiauoans, suggesting a common ancestry, though their language is a bit different. And unlike the Eeiauoans, they still live as nomadic tribes. They're amicable enough at first, but as soon as Kirk mentions the Eeiauoans and the plague, they become really hostile, and refuse to talk about the subject. Just as happened with their relatives, the Sivaoans don't even recognize the existence of the others. Nonetheless, the crew stays with them for several days, in the hope that they reveal something eventually. Uhura trades songs with the local bard, Chekov builds shelters and plays with the kids, Wilson befriends Brightspot (the local chief's young daughter) and Jinx (a kind of outcast among her people). They also discover that the Sivaoans have perfect pitch when singing, and perfect memory of events, so they don't need books. But although some Sivaoans seem to be itching to help them, they still can't acknowledge the existence of the Eeiauoans. Besides, a description of ADF syndrome doesn't ring any bells with the town's doctor.

Meanwhile in Eeiauo, McCoy has contracted ADF too, but a new treatment developed by Wilson before her departure can slow down the symptoms, though it's not a cure. (And there's a big mood whiplash here, since Kirk and co. are having so much fun with the cats, while McCoy is having the shittiest time of his life...).

In the Sivaoan village, the crew finally gets one of the natives to speak, even if she can only confess it to the tricorder: two thousand years ago, their civilization split between a technologically-advanced one, and a tribal one; but technology and urban dwelling brought disease and the extinction of several species, so that part of the Sivaoans was forced to leave the planet, and establish a colony in Eeiauo. The two branches have tried to ignore each other ever since, out of guilt. However, if the crew wishes to learn more, they'll have to undergo a rite of passage to be considered real adults for the Sivaoans. So the crew, together with Brightspot and Jinx (who was ostracized for having failed the rite several times) go out on a quest. They need to traverse a dangerous part of forest to the nearest village.

For the following days, the crew fights against wild animals with primitive weapons, survive a fall into the river, and must take care of Chekov, who has fallen suddenly ill with ADF. It turns out that Chekov was specially sensitive to the disease, and he will die even before reaching the next village. Then Uhura decides to sing again the song about the cure, but this time varying the pitch, in case that makes Brightspot and Jinx recognize it. Effectively, one of the variations matches a Sivaoan song about some mild chidren disease. This way, they find out that this minor disease in Sivao, has evolved into the lethal ADF among other populations. Chekov caught the disease because he was playing a lot with the cat kids. Once they know this, Jinx quickly concocts a cure with local plants, and Chekov starts recovering.

After finishing the quest, the crew is able to confront the local chieftain as adults, and several Sivaoans choose to go with them to Eeiauo, to help with the cure (among them, Brightspot and Jinx). Everyone is cured and vaccinated, and it's time for Dr. Wilson to depart. Spock, who had grown increasingly suspicious about Wilson, starts investigating her records. And he discovers she's not the real Dr. Wilson, but some kind of "space pirate" or benevolent trickster, who goes around impersonating other people and helping here and there... Okaaay. In her last message, Wilson challenges Spock to keep searching for her across the galaxy (but I'm pretty sure Spock will have forgotten everything by the next novel).

Spirk Meter: 2/10*. There's the usual mind-link between Kirk and Spock, so the latter is certain that the Captain's alive after falling into a river. Kirk is often amused by Spock's idiosyncracies. And one night, he wakes up from a nightmare, to find Spock's "reassuring form" next to the fire. Also, Kirk teases Spock saying that "some of my best friends are devious- isn't that right, Mr. Spock?" However, there's only timid examples like these. Compared with other novels, there's not much more.

A bit of McKirk as well. McCoy is reaaally happy to have Kirk back in the end. And Kirk comes to a sleeping, sick McCoy (who's cuddling with the cat kids; you know, the ones that carried the infection... WHY!?), and wakes him gently to tell him everything about their adventure.

*A 10 in this scale is the most obvious spirk moments in TOS. Think of the back massage, "You make me believe in miracles", or "Amok Time" for example.

Tagged: @agenderlessrat

[rewildling]

LADYHAWKE: The 80s Fantasy Movie that Inspired SanSan?

Could this movie have partially inspired GRRM’s Sansa Stark and Sandor Clegane as a romantic pairing in ASOIAF? And could it contain clues for their TWOW arcs? Let’s investigate.

Isabeau of Anjou and Etienne of Navarre from Ladyhawke (1985)

Ladyhawke (1985) is apparently one of GRRM’s favorite films. According to him, it’s “romantic fantasy done right,” so it’s definitely possible that it influenced the romantic plot lines in his own fantasy series.

The movie tells the story of cursed lovers Etienne of Navarre and Isabeau of Anjou. They are always together, yet eternally apart. By day, Isabeau takes the form of a bird, turning back into a woman at night.

“You’re like one of those birds from the Summer Isles, aren’t you? A pretty little talking bird, repeating all the pretty little words they taught you to recite.” Sandor Clegane, Sansa II, AGOT

By night, Navarre takes the form of a large black wolf, turning back into a man during the day.

The Hound ripped the sword free and threw away the scabbard. The Mad Huntsman gave him his oaken shield, all studded with iron and painted yellow, the three black dogs of Clegane emblazoned upon it. Arya VI, ASOS

Navarre is the former Captain of the Guard of Aquila, a formidable fighter and deadly with a sword.

The White Book was well behind. The deaths of Ser Mandon Moore and Ser Preston Greenfield needed to be entered, and the brief bloody Kingsguard service of Sandor Clegane as well. Jaime XIII, ASOS

The Hound was deadly with a sword, everyone knew that. Arya VI, ASOS

Like Sandor, Navarre is a generally cynical person and is pessimistic about the possibility of ever breaking the curse. He also rides a temperamental black stallion named Goliath.

Arya had tried to steal him once, when Clegane was taking a piss against a tree, thinking she could ride off before he could catch her. Stranger had almost bitten her face off. He was gentle as an old gelding with his master, but otherwise he had a temper as black as he was. She had never known a horse so quick to bite or kick. Arya XI, ASOS

At one point in the film, Navarre asks Matthew Broderick’s character, Phillipe, to tell him everything Isabeau said about him the night before:

“Every moment you spend with her… I envy you. But you can tell me. Tell me everything that she said. And I warn you, I will know if the words are hers. Etienne of Navarre, Ladyhawke

“A dog can smell a lie, you know.” Sandor Clegane, Sansa II, ACOK

Like Sansa, Isabeau is described by others as being exceptionally beautiful, with porcelain skin, blue eyes, and a lovely voice.

“Men would say she had my look, but she will grow into a woman far more beautiful than I ever was, you can see that.” Catelyn VII, ACOK

She is just as comely as the Tyrell girl. Her hair was a rich autumn auburn, her eyes a deep Tully blue. Tyrion VIII, ASOS

“We were talking about the prince,” Sansa said, her voice soft as a kiss. Arya I, AGOT

Isabeau is also kind, clever, and brave. As the Comte d’Anjou’s daughter, her manners are noticeably refined.

Be brave, she told herself. Be brave, like a lady in a song. Sansa V, ASOS

"Knights they are," said Petyr. "Their gallantry has yet to be demonstrated, but we may hope. Allow me to present Ser Byron, Ser Morgarth, and Ser Shadrich. Sers, the Lady Alayne, my natural and very clever daughter..." Alayne II, AFFC

For this next part, let’s keep in mind the theory that Shadrich, Morgarth, and Byron — the three hedge knights who appear at the Gates of the Moon in Littlefinger’s service in AFFC — are actually Howland Reed, the Elder Brother, and Sandor Clegane in disguise.

Phillipe is known as The Mouse. He’s small and stealthy — the first person ever to escape from Aquila’s prison. He’s also very cheeky. At first, he wants to get as far away from Aquila as possible. After he becomes invested in Navarre and Isabeau’s story, he decides to help them infiltrate Aquila and confront the man who cursed them.

Ser Shadrich was a wiry, fox-faced man with a sharp nose and a shock of orange hair, mounted on a rangy chestnut courser. Though he could not have been more than five foot two, he had a cocksure manner. ... “Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen. Some call me the Mad Mouse.” ... “And are you mad?” “Oh, quite. Your common mouse will run from blood and battle. The mad mouse seeks them out.” Brienne I, AFFC

When Isabeau is wounded, Navarre orders Phillipe to bring her to Imperius, a solitary monk and healer, who saves her life and, along with Phillipe, helps the lovers break their curse.

“The Seven have blessed our Elder Brother with healing hands. He has restored many a man to health that even the maesters could not cure, and many a woman too.” Brother Narbert, Brienne VI, AFFC

The man who cursed them is the Bishop of Aquila, an older man who covets Isabeau and became enraged when she rejected him. The Bishop is portrayed as a greedy, deceitful lord who uses his power to manipulate and exploit people. Imperius describes his desire for Isabeau as “a sort of madness.” Sound like anyone we know?

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

Imperius tells Phillipe that Isabeau sensed the Bishop’s wickedness and “shrank from him.” She fell in love with Navarre, and they married in secret.

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

“I despise porridge.” He looked at her with Littlefinger’s eyes. “I’d sooner break my fast with a kiss.” A true daughter would not refuse her sire a kiss, so Alayne went to him and kissed him, a quick dry peck upon the cheek, and just as quickly stepped away. Alayne I, AFFC

The parallels between this film and ASOIAF are pretty obvious. Isabeau is a bird, and Navarre is a black wolf — an obvious connection to House Stark — but he could just have easily been a black dog.

All three character’s proposed as the true identities of the three hedge knights in Shadrich, Morgarth, and Byron have parallels in this film. Phillipe the Mouse, Imperius the monk, and Navarre the wolf infiltrate Aquila to confront the Bishop and free Isabeau the bird from his curse. If the theory proves true, Shadrich the Mad Mouse (Howland Reed), Morgarth (the Elder Brother), and Byron (Sandor Clegane/the Hound) are working together to infiltrate the Gates of the Moon and help free Sansa (the little bird) from Littlefinger’s clutches. The broad strokes of the characters and their potential future storylines in TWOW are all present.

Ladyhawke is decently acted, and the story itself is beautiful and interesting. But GRRM is right, the score is terrible.

7.5/10

[cheeekycharchar]

Even more S2 speculations but.. "CLUE" edition! lol

Don't forget that the entire point of the game/movie of "CLUE" is a "WHO DONE IT?" type mystery which we already know our fav Ineffable Husbands are trying to figure out the mystery of amnesiac/possibly human Gabriel... BUT...

To start, I believe I read that sadly, Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell's actor, Michael Mckean, wasn't able to make a comeback this season but he WAS the hilarious "Mr. Green" character in the 1985 movie.

And his character in 2/3 of the alternate endings was being blackmailed for being a closeted gay government employee.

And in the real ending.. he was an undercover agent.

Take with that what you will *cough* lol ;)

Then there's the big "love song" in the middle of the movie "Sh-Boom" by The Chords from 1954.

"Life could be a dream, Sh-boom, if I could take you to a paradise up above. If you will tell me I'm the only one that you love. Life could be a dream, sweetheart, hello, hello again. Sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again, boom."

The lyrics alone give me hope and fear for what could happen between certain characters this upcoming season..

But it's highly likely we're going to hear this particular song at some point in season 2.

But here is another 1950's hit song about love that's taken too long to come to realization like Buddy Holly's 1957 hit, "Everyday" that they've been teasing us in the trailer/promos.

The 1950's will definitely hold significance somehow..

Because between the 40's.. the Blitz.. church.. books.. wine date.. and the 60's.. the church heist.. the holy water thermos.. the "you go too fast for me"... sandwiched right between is the good ol' golden oldies of the 50's! ;)

Overall, I don't think we're going to get alternate endings like the movie per-say but maybe focus more on the "who done it? with what? and where?" type of fun mystery on our hands.

You can't trust anyone this season! Everyone's a suspect!

And if the apocalypse was really just a "red herring" as they say.. someone is doing all of this as a distraction to something bigger to come.. some kind of ineffable long drawn out plan that's been in the works probably as far back as the Fall or earlier perhaps..

And a certain arch angel and demon lord.. were trying their best to go against this unknow ineffable plan to follow the "Great Plan" last season.. and we know one loses their memory and the other loses their original corporation in this upcoming season.. hmm..

Overall, remember.. Gabriel once said..

"God does not play games with the universe"

and.. what is "CLUE"? A GAME! I wonder... ;)

Sorry.. combining my favorite movie and tv show plus mystery.. it's what I love best! hmmm!

WAIT AND SEE, INDEED! \^0^/

[myhauntedsalem]

The Unexplained Mystery of Granger

A young man, Granger Taylor was a mechanical genius that was self-taught. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade, however, at the age of only fourteen he built a one-cylinder automobile which is now on display the Duncan Forest Museum along with a steam locomotive that he hauled out of the woods and restored. At age seventeen he overhauled a bulldozer that no one else could repair. He built a replica of a World War II fighter plane that was snatched-up by a collector for $20,000.

Granger always wondered how Flying Saucer were powered. He built his own out of two satellite dishes, one top and one bottom, as an inspiration. His “flying saucer” became a home-away-from-home with couch, TV and a wood stove. He would often sleep in his “space craft”.

He later said he was in contact with extraterrestrials that were going to show him how their technology works. He told everyone he was going for a trip on an alien space ship. Then one night in November of 1980 he disappeared and left a note for his family. To this day, despite an RCMP investigation, he has never been found, nor have they found any possible clues as to his whereabouts.

The Granger Affair is certainly a great Canadian mystery. Surely a man of his obvious mechanical talents would not go unnoticed had he simply slipped away in the night. After a four year investigation authorities haven’t a single lead to where he might be.

The Granger Taylor Flying Saucer rests on stilts in the backyard of the Taylor home at Duncan on Vancouver Island. It is a mute memorial to its builder, young Granger Taylor.

“He built his spaceship out of two satellite receiving dishes and outfitted it with a television, a couch, and a wood-burning stove. He became obsessed with finding out how flying saucers were powered, spending hours sitting in the ship thinking and often sleeping there,” wrote Douglas Curran in his book: In Advance of the Landing: Folk Concepts of Outer Space (1985).

Then one November night in 1980 Granger Taylor simply disappeared.

He left behind a yard strewn with old tractors; machine engines, vintage automobiles, a bulldozer, as well as a note which read:

Dear Mother and Father, I have gone away to walk aboard an alien ship, as recurring dreams assured a 42 month interstellar voyage to explore the vast universe, then return. I am leaving behind all my possessions to you as I will no longer require the use of any. Please use the instructions in my will as a guide to help. Love, Granger.

The forty-two months were up in May 1984 and his parents, Jim and Grace Taylor, leave the back door unlocked in case their son shows up. But he never has.

Granger Taylor left school in the eighth grade and found work as a mechanic’s helper, showing a flair for repairing machinery. At the age of fourteen he built a one-cylinder car which is on display at the Duncan Forest Museum. He constructed a replica of a World War II fighter plane, and he left behind his silver-and-red flying saucer.

He told a friend a month before he disappeared that he was in mental contact with someone from another galaxy and that he was in receipt of an invitation to go on a trip through the Solar System.

“On the night that Granger disappeared, ” wrote Curran, ” a storm struck the central part of Vancouver Island. Hurricane winds were reported and electrical power was knocked out. Granger vanished, along with his blue pick-up truck.

“After four years of ‘exhaustive checks’ of hospital, passport, employment, and vehicle records, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have not uncovered a single clue as to the whereabouts of Granger Taylor. ‘I can hardly believe Granger’s off in a spaceship, ‘his father said. ‘But if there is a flying object out there, he’s the one to find it.’ ”

[kuwdora]

Festivid 2023 Recs - Part 01

My first batch of recs! Some fun and sweet and funny vids from animated shows, comedies, a trillion media adaptations, THE CHOCOLATE GUY, Shakespeare, and more. Incredible work from amazing vidders this year.

Hard Times by elipie. Star Trek Lower Decks. Boimler. A Boimler vid! To Paramore! Boimler really does have some HARD TIMES. But in the end he has all of his friends that also go through hard times and are at his side! The timing in this vid is so much fun. It’s so energetic and full of shenanigans. And it makes me CACKLE. A must-see for Lower Decks fans!

Here It Goes Again by eruthros. Moby Dick, multi-source. Ishmael/Queequeg. Soooooo many different Moby Dick live action and animated shows and films! This is incredibly fun and a joy to see the sheer amount of times this story has been made for the screen. All to OK Go! #teamwhale 📝 Lots of notes at the vidder's journal about the Moby Dick adaptations.

She’s a Lady by lily_the_kid. Christine (1983). I'M SCREAAAAMING IN LAUGHTER AND AWE, the brilliance of Tom Jones song for the car. the car as a character. I’m sorry this is one of my favorite kinds of things to vid and it’s even better when I get to see people make vids I love making cause i get to enjoy the fruits of the vid joy!! This is so funny and serious at the same time. crack treated seriously. Horror + comedy + seriousness = my jam. Amazing. I’m also admiring all the subtle musicality of the editing, too because this song is delicious with the drums and horn section. #TeamChristine

Teenagers by tafadhali for Dimension 20. Adventurers do whatever we want, with no consequence. THIS VID IS JOY. I couldn’t help but grin during this whole vid. The transitions are so much FUN and i love the way the vidder uses the miniatures throughout the vid with everyone’s reactions and silly faces. Oh what a great way to run with this song too.

Your Horoscope for Today by Josett_Arnauld. Game Changer. I don’t know this show at all but I believe it’s some kind of comedy/improv thing, judging by the antics here. And they're SUCH good antics. Comedy show + Weird Al = VID OTP! This is chaotic joy and silliness and a must-see for anyone who wants a dose of laughs. It’s so smartly timed and the transitions are so fun too.

The Only Way To See by BeatriceEagle. OMG it’s a vid about The Chocolate Guy!!!!! The song choice is so lovely tribute to the creative process. Om nom nom nom this is delicious editing.

I’m Going To Make You Love Me by periru3 and tafadhali, a Christine (1983) A DUET! FROM TWO VIDDERS! This is so fucking clever and funny and utterly fucking brilliant. This absolutely is smashing all my horror/humor buttons.

Everybody Talks by absternr. Much Ado About Nothing. Filmed stage productions! TO NEON TREES! The joy of theater, and these productions in particular! Some I recognized and others I hadn’t seen. Oh, it’s so much FUN. Delightful editing, great use of the song and I definitely ran to drop this vid link in in several of my Neon Trees and Shakespeare friends laps.

Caught in Hit and Run by turquoisetumult. Clue (1985). The vidder used Paula Abdul for the vid!! And I can’t emphasize enough how much fun this vid is. The editing, the comedy, the EDITING! It’s bouncy and grooving along with the physical comedy SO WELL.

In case you missed it:

Festivid Recs - Part 02

[halloween-central]

🔮 Spooky Watchlist 🔮

I figured I’d share what I tend to watch around this time of year! This includes a wide range of shows/movies ranging from family friendly to rated R stuff so there’s something for everyone! That being said, I know not everyone will like everything I listed, please be kind!

Shows:

Over the Garden Wall

Buzzfeed Unsolved

Scooby Doo

Scream Queens

What We Do in the Shadows

X Files

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Halloween/ Spooky Episodes:

BTVS:

season 2 episode 6 (Halloween)

season 4 episode 4 (Fear Itself)

season 4 episode 10 (Hush)

season 5 episode 1 (Buffy vs. Dracula)

season 6 episode 6 (All the Way)

Suite Life of Zack and Cody:

season 1 episode 19 (The Ghost of Suite 613)

season 3 episode 12 (Arwinstein)

Simpsons TreeHouse of Horror

(I’m not gonna list all of these because there are over 30)

That 70s Show:

season 2 episode 5 (Halloween)

season 3 episode 4 (Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die)

Wizards of Waverly Place:

season 3 episode 2 (Halloween)

iCarly:

season 1 episode 7 (iScream on Halloween)

Zoey 101:

season 2 episode 4 (Haunted House)

Movies:

Scream (1996) (franchise)

Halloween (1978) (franchise)

Twitches (2005)

My Babysitter’s a Vampire (2010)

Halloweentown (1998)

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Corpse Bride (2005)

The Addams Family (1991)

Addams Family Values (1993)

Scooby Doo (2002)

Scooby Doo Monsters Unleashed (2004)

Scooby Doo Camp Scare (2010)

Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost (1999)

Scooby Doo and the Goblin King (2008)

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (1998)

Scooby Doo Abracadabra Doo (2010)

Scooby Doo Alien Invaders (2000)

Scooby Doo Legend of the Vampire (2003)

Coraline (2009)

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Van Helsing (2004)

Blade (1998)

Underworld (2003) (film series)

Practical Magic (1998)

Clue (1985)

Zombieland (2009)

Zombieland Double Tap (2019)

Happy Death Day (2017)

Freaky (2020)

Fear Street (film series starting in 2021)

Ready or Not (2019)

A Quiet Place (2018)

A Quiet Place II (2020)

It (1990)

It (2017)

The Omen (1976)

Poltergeist (1982)

The Shining (1980)

The Evil Dead (1981)

Evil Dead II (1987)

The Exorcist (1973)

Horror of Dracula (1958)

Vampyr (1932)

The Birds (1963)

Rear Window (1954)

Vertigo (1958)

Psycho (1960)

Silver Bullet (1985)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

I know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Prom Night (1980)

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

Jeepers Creepers (2001) (this is a series but I’ve only ever seen the first two)

American Psycho (2000)

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Cloverfield (2008)

Paranormal Activity (2007) (also a series but I’ve only seen the first one)

Blair Witch Project (1999) (tbh I have never seen this I’m too scared)

Feel free to add anything you think I might have missed!

[myrna-nora]

2024: Books

January 1. The Final Curtain (祈りの幕が下がる時) (2013) Keigo Higashino 2. The Last Word (2023) Taylor Adams 3. Unruly (2023) David Mitchell 4. Death in Kashmir (1953) M.M. Kaye # 5. Death of a Bookseller (1956) Bernard J. Farmer † 6. There Should Have Been Eight (2023) Nalini Singh 7. Miss Marple: Complete Short Stories (1985) [1927-1956] Agatha Christie ♥ 8. Murder's a Swine (1943) Nap Lombard † February 9. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels (2023) Janice Hallett 10. Death in Fancy Dress (1933) Anthony Gilbert † 11. The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) Agatha Christie ♥ 12. Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (2023) Benjamin Stevenson 13. Inheritance (2023) Nora Roberts 14. Someone from the Past (1958) Margot Bennett † 15. The Body in the Library (1942) Agatha Christie ♥ 16. The Extra Woman (2017) Joanna Scutts 17. The Inugami Curse (犬神家の一族) (1951) Seishi Yokomizo March 18. Traitor's Purse (1941) Margery Allingham * 19. The Moving Finger (1943) Agatha Christie ♥ 20. Mother-Daughter Murder Night (2023) Nina Simon 21. Murder in the Mill-Race (1952) E.C.R. Lorac † 22. Club You To Death (2021) Anuja Chauhan 23. A Murder Is Announced (1950) Agatha Christie ♥ 24. Murder by the Book (2021) [1933-1973] Martin Edwards (Editor) † 25. The Choice (Anything You Do Say) (2017) Gillian McAllister

April 26. The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties (2024) Jesse Q. Sutanto ^ 27. They Do It with Mirrors (1952) Agatha Christie ♥ 28. How to Solve Your Own Murder (2024) Kristen Perrin 29. Jumping Jenny (1933) Anthony Berkeley † 30. The Ministry of Fear (1943) Graham Greene 31. A Pocket Full of Rye (1953) Agatha Christie ♥ 32. Close to Death (2024) Anthony Horowitz ^ 33. Betsy-Tacy (1940) Maud Hart Lovelace 34. Betsy-Tacy and Tib (1941) Maud Hart Lovelace 35. Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (1942) Maud Hart Lovelace 36. Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown (1943) Maud Hart Lovelace 37. Crook o' Lune (1953) E.C.R. Lorac †

May 38. Deep Waters (2019) [1893-1975] Martin Edwards (Editor) † 39. 4.50 from Paddington (1957) Agatha Christie ♥ 40. The Hike (2023) Lucy Clarke 41. The Spoilt Kill (1961) Mary Kelly † 42. Nightwatching (2024) Tracy Sierra 43. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1962) Agatha Christie ♥ 44. The Last One (2023) Will Dean 45. The Clue of the Broken Locket (Nancy Drew #11) (1934, rev.1965) Carolyn Keene * June 46. Mind Games (2024) Nora Roberts 47. A Caribbean Mystery (1964) Agatha Christie ♥ 48. The Great Mistake (1940) Mary Roberts Rinehart * 49. Quick Curtain (1934) Alan Melville † 50. One Perfect Couple (2024) Ruth Ware 51. At Bertram's Hotel (1965) Agatha Christie ♥ 52. Big Ben Strikes Eleven (1934) David Magarshack † July 53. Fear Stalks the Village (1932) Ethel Lina White † 54. Lady in the Lake (2019) Laura Lippman 55. Nemesis (1971) Agatha Christie ♥ 56. The Widow of Bath (1952) Margot Bennett † 57. The Marlow Murder Club (2021) Robert Thorogood 58. Middle of the Night (2024) Riley Sager 59. Sleeping Murder (1976) Agatha Christie ♥ August 60. The Cheltenham Square Murder (1937) John Bude † 61. The Case of the Missing Servant (2009) Tarquin Hall ♦ 62. The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing (2009) Tarquin Hall ♦ 63. Ludo and the Star Horse (1974) Mary Stewart 64. The Division Bell Mystery (1932) Ellen Wilkinson † September 65. The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken (2012) Tarquin Hall ♦ 66. Death on the Down Beat (1941) Sebastian Farr † 67. Death of a Busybody (1942) George Bellairs † 68. Invisible Weapons (1938) John Rhode 69. Bodies from the Library 3 (2020) [c1920-1967] Tony Medawar (Editor) October 70. The Case of the Love Commandos (2013) Tarquin Hall ♦ 71. The Postscript Murders (2020) Elly Griffiths 72. Home Is Where the Bodies Are (2024) Jeneva Rose 73. The Case of the Reincarnated Client (2019) Tarquin Hall ♦ 74. We Solve Murders (2024) Richard Osman 75. Castle Skull (1931) John Dickson Carr † 76. He Who Whispers (1946) John Dickson Carr † November 77. The Glass Bottom Hoax (2024) Diane Vallere ^ 78. The Z Murders (1932) J. Jefferson Farjeon † 79. Be Buried in the Rain (1985) Barbara Michaels 80. Surfeit of Suspects (1964) George Bellairs † 81. Marple: Expert on Wickedness (2024) Mark Aldridge 82. The Listening House (1938) Mabel Seeley 83. What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust (2024) Alan Bradley ^ December 84. Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (2024) Benjamin Stevenson ^ 85. Dramatic Murder (1948) Elizabeth Anthony † 86. The Will and the Deed (1960) Ellis Peters 87. The White Priory Murders (1934) Carter Dickson † 88. Letters from Father Christmas (1976) [1920-1943] J.R.R. Tolkien # physical TBR pile: read what I already own ^ finished or caught up in series * re-reads ♥ re-read complete series (Miss Marple) ♦ re-read complete series (Vish Puri) † British Library Crime Classics imprint

yearly list books

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

Surprising absolutely no one, I have strong feelings about Grease, and the ditch I am most prepared to die in is that the Millennial Commentary Industrial Complex is fundamentally wrong about the end of the movie and it's mostly Disney's fault.

Oh, no, it's a bad message! It tells girls that they're responsible for changing themselves to suit a boyfriend! Danny should have told Sandy that it was okay to be herself, he should have loved her for who she was! Respectfully, this is the opinion of a fool. I love you, but it's fool talk.

I know that the Inspiring Message of every single piece of media for children made from like 1985 on was "you should be yourself." And that's fine! In some ways it's good. And I don't want to get too deep into whether or not it's good for teenagers to cling to a specific sense of Self and worry a lot about their personal style and mannerisms adequately showing the world their True Selves lest they betray Who They Are -- I think that's worth interrogating, but I also think a range of positions on that question are possible and probably even valuable.

But Grease is not a show about everyone finding and actualizing their Truest Most Distinctive Self. If it were, the main characters probably wouldn't all wear matching jackets the whole way through. Grease is a movie about how being cool is rad. The clue is in the title! Grease is the word -- the protagonists ("greasers") inhabit a subculture that's specifically contrasted to the nerdy earnestness of the poodle-skirted 50s mainstream. They are bad kids, they are burnouts, they regard "trying things" and "caring a lot" as nerd shit. They are also fucking fun. They look cool and they get laid and the show (produced in 1972) is not making the argument that it's acceptable to be a greaser if your soul so compels you, it's arguing that it's desirable.

Everybody gets an arc in Grease. Sandy falls in with these Bad Kids and discovers that she likes them, that they are good friends and that she has fun when she's with them. She interrogates the person she has been up until now and decides she doesn't really like that person, who is nervous and naive and acclimated to the uptight and judgmental parts of her society. The reason she quits dressing like Patty and starts dressing like Rizzo is that Rizzo is a better person to be like than Patty is. Grease is positing a vision of the 50s where conformity to the mainstream is a weakness, and Sandy discovering that the Bad Kids are objectively better -- braver, more honest, loving and loyal and fun -- is how she is liberated. She doesn't become a Pink Lady to please Danny, she evolves far enough that she's worthy of being a Pink Lady.

There is a character whose arc is to realize that he has to be his own individual, and it's Danny's. Danny steps out of the self-imposed box of the Alpha Greaser to actually try hard at something and admit he cares about someone. The movie gives him a kind of a Third Road, saying that he can absorb some of the better qualities of the jocks he disparages -- some of the earnestness, some of the achievement -- without having to stop being cool. Sandy already had those qualities, and she adds being cool to them once she gets over her fears.

In either case, you have to take it as a point of worldbuilding within the story that it is cool to be a greaser, not just for some people, but objectively cool. Particularly in the movie's directing choices, it does find some fondness for characters like Eugene and Patty, who are doubtless being themselves, but it's never going to argue that it's equally good to be Kenickie and Eugene, or Frenchie and Patty. Grease as a text definitely assumes that some of these people are more aspirational figures than the others.

I just feel strongly that if you come at it with the lens of "don't change for anyone else, be yourself," you are missing what is actually happening in the story. Danny does already love Sandy even when she's a hopeless dork, that's the starting point of the show. His story is about not being too afraid of what other people will think to admit that. Her story is about not being too afraid to let herself have the freedom her friends have. The narrative sense of the whole thing depends on both of them wanting a goal we want them to have -- not dating each other, that's a plot goal, but the story is in Danny letting love make him more vulnerable so he's a good enough partner for her, and Sandy stepping out of her shell to experience the freedom and joy that she's so attracted to in the people around her. No part of it is about getting Danny to like Sandy more; he doesn't like her more after her transformation, he already liked her the maximum amount before that.

It's about Sandy becoming better, and to grok the ending you have to understand that the show isn't defining better as "more like the Platonic Ideal of Sandy," it's outright saying that "Sandy but a Pink Lady" is better. As the audience you can agree or disagree about that, but the show stakes out that position and holds it consistently.