#he's young but he's headstrong. but he's also Charles so.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

It's 1:30am where I am and I can't stop thinking about if old comic Magneto met FC!Charles he'd probably be like 'oh wow you are a BABY, WHAT, I'm putting you in my pocket and maybe try and radicalize you idk' but if Comic Charles saw FC!Erik he'd just think 'Yep. That's my favourite bastard but younger,'

the everlasting cycle of 'i can make him better/i can make him worst' will transcend time and space with these two TRUST

[stormxpadme]

Whumptober 2024 No. 24 - Radiation poisoning

06/04/2018

The glaring sunlight falling into the Principal's office allowed a much sharper view of the people present and what they were up to than had been the case in Charles' quarters back then, not least thanks to the man-high windows and lighter-colored furniture.

That made it impossible even for politeness' sake to overlook how worn Angelica and Bobby looked after all these years of occasional missions for a team under the rigid, short-sighted direct command of the US government. Paling scars all over what little of skin their high-necked suits revealed ... Not only Angelica with her dangerous sickness was sporting dark circles under their eyes, or lines far too deep for their age around the pulled-down corners of their mouths instead of even the slightest playful flickering of their respective powers in a careless moment that might have relaxed the two young peoples' stiff posture a little ... This once so headstrong, careless heroic duo had obviously had earned much – bad – experience since their independent beginnings in New York, and during these terrible events, the optimistic levity of their former shared lover Peter seemed to have been missing gravely from them. Whatever events had brought them to Mutant High this day, had surely not helped dissolving their growing bitterness and mistrust of the whole world either. Mutual comfort also didn’t seem high on the priority list of a couple who'd always remained very casual in romantic matters. Standing at a professional distance from each other, the two guests remained stubbornly silent until all seven Institute leaders had gathered in the room; even any gestures of joy at seeing former friends and teachers again were notably absent.

Even Gringo, who recognized the two people from occasional visits and happily rubbed against their legs, waited for more than an absent pat on his side in vain and retreated back between Ororo's ankles, pouting. Every now and then he let out a soft whine, unsettled by the tense atmosphere.

Hank was last to join the meeting, though he'd welcomed the part time Avengers himself earlier. He'd briefly stopped by his lab again and now appeared noticeably restless, but didn’t speak up either for the moment, hastily dropping on his favorite sofa, his paws clenching a datapad.

Angelica seemed to have an idea already what was on it, judging by how much she avoided looking at the weakly glowing Shi'ar device, demonstratively turning to Logan of all people first. “The ‘New York II’ files have officially been reopened. S.H.I.E.L.D. likes to inform you that the security clearance now includes all currently active senior members of your team. Before we start, maybe you'd like to tell the others yourselves what really happened in Alaska.”

“Are you for real, Angelica? Is that why Rogers didn’t have the guts to come here himself because he knows damn well how I feel about you working with my own people behind my back?”

From the corner of her eyes, Ororo saw Scott's posture stiffen, a dangerously aggressive look twitching around the corners of his mouth, and sighed soundlessly, and buried her hand deeply in Gringo's fur in a gesture that after decades, she didn't even really notice anymore, until the familiar, soft touch of a cool muzzle on her wrist calmed the brief flare-up of restlessness in her soul. Keeping it together, in one of these rare moments when their leader could not, was more important than ever right now. Or in addition to this gruesome story of all things being dug up again, she would also be in for an ugly fight. Ever since the Avengers had contacted Logan and her on the flight home in January, telling them that they had to shut up about the true outcome of that horrible mission, Ororo had dreaded this moment. It was her who spoke up anyway, because the memory had to be almost even more painful for Logan than for her. And because they wouldn't have gotten around to discussing the actual problem until late in the evening if Ororo had allowed Angelica and Scott to piss each other off now. And for that, these developments were too heavy on her heart before she'd even received any new information as it was. “If you need someone to bitch at, Scott: Logan and I are sitting right in front of you. The two of us had personally been ordered by Fury to keep our mouths shut back then. For a matter that henceforth, S.H.I.E.L.D. was fully handling anyway, we weren't willing to risk unnecessary government interference in this house. In this case, the peace of mind and safety of our students had taken precedence.”

Scott didn't seem particularly forgiving, especially not towards the leader of the Avengers or the S.H.I.E.L.D. director, who would undoubtedly be treated to some very prosaically worded e-mail in their inbox by tonight at the latest. But luckily, Scott's sense of duty usually far exceeded his ego; his impatient gesture Ororo's way was unmistakable.

Ororo straightened up, trying her best to keep the grief and anger immediately flaring up in her heart again somewhat in check so as not to let a telltale quiver sound through her voice. “As you all know, Duncan O'Connor, also known as Jericho, has built an independent mutant sanctuary for mostly young people in the Alaskan tundra about 18 years ago. As you also know, on New Year's Eve of 2017, almost all the residents of this camp have suffered a violent death, and the project had to be abandoned.” She closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing thickly. How she wished, all of this would only have been a fatal, stupid accident with the wrong ingredients in the tiny laboratory that Jericho had kept running on the side for his old job at the U.G.E.R. mutant research facility. Then at least she would have been spared this helpless wrath at not having been there when someone who had been very close to her had needed her, and t then not even having been allowed to avenge the destruction out of the most despicable motives of everything the man had lived for.

“What you don't know is that those mutants have died of a virus that's suspected to be of artificial nature.”

“No sugarcoating, please,” Angelica murmured. "By now, it's been proven beyond doubt what we're dealing with here. A killing machine created by the hands of normal people. We call it ’Black Breath'.”

Ororo silenced the young woman with a pleading gesture. It was her job to let the others in on all this as easily as possible; that; notoriously, wasn’t exactly an Avenger specialty. “Only one of the camp's residents survived the attack. The boy arrived at Mutant High today.”

“How many people are we talking about again?” Marie had grabbed Remy's hand in shock, in a gesture not unlike Ororo's search for purchase, a routine gesture keeping her bare fingertips away from the openings in her husband's leather gloves.

The others were far too alienated for words, and Scott was noticeably still too pissed, which, of course, had been one of the very reasons for this security clearance back then. His famous sense of responsibility would never have allowed him not to want to get to the bottom of the cause of this catastrophe himself.

And yet that exactly had been off the table the moment Ororo and Logan had informed the X-Men's competing team about everything after their arrival in Alaska, well aware that they would have had the far more government-leaning strike group on their heels not five minutes after their call to the disease control department anyway. Steve's objection that Westchester would currently never have had the capacity to for an investigation into a possible global threat, they hadn't had much to counter against.

That, even a team leader generally highly respected by almost all the hero constellations on the planet, would have to accept.

Which was why Ororo didn't even address Scott's incomprehensible side any further; no one had time for hurt pride and stallion manners right now. “The number of victims is one hundred and fifty. Among them, the camp leader,” she added a tad too quietly, although at least this information was of course not new to the others.

Ororo wasn't surprised to hear unexpected heavy rain splashing against the window behind Scott's desk that in any case was not originating from her gift. Scott's wife, too, understandably was speechless after the two of them had even been at Jericho's funeral in Dublin with Ororo, at an unadorned grave that didn't hold a corpse. The camp was under strict quarantine up until today; they hadn't even been able to get the people out.

Logan, on the other hand, hadn’t come to Ireland with them. The fact that the last church ceremony Jericho had attended, had been his own wedding had been unbearable for him. His silence now, too, spoke volumes whereas he usually wouldn’t have missed a chance to get into one of these friendly arguments between old rivals with Scott.

“One hundr… This is impossible!” Remy exclaimed, upset. ”If that would really have been a terrorist attack, we would have heard about it. On TV, online, somewhere ...”

“Get real, Cajun. It was just a bunch of shunned mutant teenagers. No one missed them.” Logan's cynical tone expressed his contempt for this explanation, which they had all heard so often in their lives when catastrophes and grievances, even those committed by the authorities, had been played down. Only mutants. “Not like the Daily Bugle could have shot a documentary anyway. Satellite reception up there's been worth shit even on a good day, and around New Year's, not even e-mails got through those snowstorms, let alone Instagram reels from the fleas. On the morning of New Year's Eve, we were called there by Jericho by what's probably been the only phone call that got through at all, but there was nothing we could do. The survivor left on horseback. We would have brought him, but back then, there might still have been the risk of infection. I wanted to go back for the boy ...” He glanced at Ororo; a just as old as unpleasant discussion was in the air once more. “... but I had strict orders to get my ass out of there. The survivor had disappeared without a trace to this day, and S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to avoid causing panic before we'd know more about all this.”

“Jericho had already been seriously ill when he called me. We gave the Blackbird engines all we had, but we were too late.” Ororo hastily wiped her eyes, keeping her other hand on Gringo's head when her faithful companion questioningly put his muzzle on her knee, scenting the hint of salt in the air like usually only Logan and Hank could. “They were all already dead when we got there. The mutants' skin had turned black, all their internal organs had liquefied. By now, the snow has probably covered everything, but that doesn’t make a difference. It's very rare anyone finds their way up there."

Remy shook his head slowly, hatred for the faceless attackers darkening his red pupils. An almost inaudible buzz somewhere in one of the pockets of his trench coat revealed that an unwanted discharge of energy was surrounding one of his cards. “Causing panic ... Merde. Whatever. Then why are you guys suddenly getting candid?”

“Isn't that obvious?” Katja said quietly, nestled closely to her husband's strong chest, as usual during such burdening meetings. "It's started again, hasn't it?”

“Yes," Hank replied surprisingly. "I received an e-mail a few minutes ago, from an Italian colleague reporting a mysterious mutant death in Rome yesterday. The same symptoms.”

“McCoy, that's top secret!” Angelica shouted sharply. "Delete the data from all network-connected devices immediately.”

“Already did. I may look like it, but I didn't grow up in the jungle," Hank grumbled.

“So is it the same virus?”

“Most likely,” Angelica nodded, again without even a word of apology. Only her fingertips had started restlessly toying with one of her strands of red hair, which the young woman had been wearing only at chin-length ever since she had to seek treatment at U.G.E.R. again and again for her recurring cancer relapses, caused by her own powers, yet was still entirely unwilling to give up on the use of them entirely in favor for her crime-fighting career. In the wake of this new tragedy, too, there would doubtlessly once more have to be even more of this dangerous radiation in her cells than was good for her. And that was a wall Ororo had long given up on, talking it down. ”We're flying to Italy right after this meeting to investigate the case. And the X-Men have to research the New York II massacre. It's time to join forces in this matter.”

“Is it?” Logan asked dismissively, ignoring Scott's withering glance in his direction. He was clearly as reluctant as ever about dealing with this catastrophe again. "After you guys couldn’t wait to get sole custody of the case back then?”

“Back then, it hadn't spread to multiple crime scenes either,” Angelica replied in irritation. "The other Avengers are all busy. We need your help, especially now that the survivor is living in your house. Besides …" She paused, suddenly looking everywhere but at Logan. “There's something else. So far, this has all been speculation, which is why we didn't say anything right away. But if you're back in now, you should know. The people who have engineered Black Breath ... They're probably the same ones who killed Jean at Lake Ontario at the time.”

In the stunned silence following this crucial revelation, the snikt of Logan's claws was resounding far too loud, followed by the almost inaudible vibration of the orange-colored radiation field around Angelica's body answering the unmistakable threat.

“Hey, hey.” With two steps Scott, was between the high armchairs before Katja or Ororo had to jump up, neither of whom would allow the young woman to use her powers in this building entirely unnecessarily, with regard to Angelica's health alone, no matter how quickly their own anger on the young woman threatened to rise. ”You two can sort that out in the Danger Room later if you're feeling bored.” Scott only released his firm grip on Logan's shoulder when the latter sheathed his claws, growling his way.

Then he turned to Angelica, no less angered than his favorite rival, but with a control trained from an early age that helped him to fold his trembling hands behind his back instead of giving his aggression free rein as well. “So, what's your security clearance excuse this time? Angelica, by all the ... You, of all people? Jean was your friend, too! Don't you think we're the ones concerned by this the most?”

“That's exactly why. We wanted to be a hundred percent sure before someone overreacts and possibly sabotages all investigations just because they're not in control of their instincts.” While the exhausted way Angelica was rubbing her temple, with tight lips, now revealed she at least felt a little bad about leaving her allies in the dark after all, it was also plain to see where she was coming from, with Logan, by now, visibly shaking all over, who had come to stand behind Ororo at the largest window, leaning heavily on the windowsill with both hands.

That Logan had never gotten over what had happened wasn't a secret even among the X-Men's close partners. He fulfilled his duties at the school and on the X-Men's team with all the strength they could wish for, but if you knew what he'd been like in his time with Jean, you didn't need to be able to read his thoughts to know that part of him had died with her. He was still mourning. And he was still seeking revenge after all this time. Especially because the X-Men had never found even the slightest clue as to who had ordered the attack on Jean. A little of this almost painfully stiff tension only left his shoulders when Gringo ducked away under Ororo's caressing hand and tugged at Logan's jeans playfully, just like in the beginning as a half-grown pup, until one of his favorite playmates absently ruffled his neck fur.

“Are you sure now?” Hank asked uneasily. “We haven't heard from these people ever since. We'd hoped this had been a one-time thing. Someone who just lost it because of Dark Phoenix.”

For once, it was Bobby answering; Angelica probably knew she'd already said a bit too much. And in the slightly too rough voice of the X-Men's former pupil, too, you could still hear the grief for his former teacher. “That's how what it looked like at first, because Dr. Grey had fried their best warriors before she died, yes. It seems, those bastards haven't recovered from that for a long time. And then they must have gotten a new leader at some point, because their goal is no longer the destruction of individual, potentially dangerous mutants, but of all of them. And they start with our children.” He clenched his fist in an uncontrolled gesture, ice crystals glistening on his skin. Though Bobby and Angelica had never seemed interested in having children of their own, the well-being of young mutants had always been very important to them. One of the few major similarities between their teams. “In retrospect, we have detected parts of a radio message on a top-secret frequency that's been sent from Rome to Alaska before the massacre in New York II, which unfortunately also leads us to fear that someone in the camp was an accomplice of the attackers. This communication happened on exactly the same frequency as one, more than 17 years ago between Rome and Toronto, with someone in a building near the hospital where Jean gave birth on the line. We are still busy, analyzing the scrambled fragments of conversation; and that will take some time. But one thing is for sure: There's been talk about mutants dying both times.”

“Rome, of all places ...” Ororo shook her head bitterly. Even decades after the public had become aware of mutations, the Catholic Church was still very reserved in its attitude towards mutants. It wouldn't have surprised Ororo at all if this cruel group would have been made of some fanatical believers. She was almost glad that Jericho wouldn't have to learn that his beloved deep faith, of all things, might have had something to do with the attack on his children. “They probably had a teenager infiltrate the group. We finally have to find these people.”

“I'm afraid you will, whether you want to or not,” Angelica spoke up again. "Alaska could have been them stirring up the hornet's nest to get you back in the field. They must know that you knew Jericho. And Noemi is old enough now to become a danger. The timing can't be a coincidence.”

“That's ridiculous,” Ororo blurted out – more out of shock than the conviction that what Angelica was suggesting there was absolutely impossible, although that had been one of Logan's and her biggest concerns after Noemi's birth and the immediate appearance of her fire powers. Unfounded, fortunately, at least that was what they had thought after there'd never been another attack ... "No one's ever showed interest in Noemi ...”

“No?” Angelica interrupted her, impatiently rolling her eyes. "How would you know, Ororo? How often did the girl leave this mansion alone?”

Now it was ice-cold shock spreading in the room at the realization that none of them might not have been as safe and undisturbed as they'd thought in the last few years. That they might only have been lucky. And that Logan had been wise to never leave his daughter unattended, as inconspicuously as possible as he'd been able to, so as not to make her feel like she was living in a prison.

Katja, in particular, visibly shuddered at the thought that Noemi's best friend, too, might have been in great danger at the girls' regular trips downtown. “We're lucky that she's so close to Sassy. The two are inseparable. Besides, if you guys are right about your assumptions, then these bastards until recently didn't want to target anyone innocent in their eyes anyway.”

“Very likely.” Angelica tried to soothe her, which, after the revelations of the last few minutes, did not help much though. “But now we can no longer be sure of anything, I'm afraid. And sooner or later, we would have faced this problem in one form or another anyway. At some point, Noemi has to start living. Just be careful. If she's attacked, her hidden cosmic genes could be activated.” Completely unfazed, Angelica addressed this threat, although everyone present had hoped so badly so far that this danger did not exist, simply couldn’t exist.

“Hold your tongue, Miss Jones.” Such impertinence drew a hiss from the lips of even a usually very polite and diplomatic character like Hank. ”Noemi has never shown any signs of being a carrier for Phoenix.”

Angelica grunted all but disparagingly as if she didn't care a bit how painful this subject was for others. “Except or being telekinetic, telepathic, and breathing fire? Just like Jean no longer showed any signs after her resurrection until she almost burned down the Mutant Department? Noemi has her mother's powers and is not subject to the mental restrictions that Charles had forced on Jean back then. If she loses control ... Then the whole universe is in danger. Again. We would all appreciate it if this time, you guys stopped living in denial land in time.”

Katja and Ororo looked at Logan almost simultaneously, saw how his muscles bulged under his plaid shirt, how the tips of deadly claws emerged inch by inch between his knuckles, scraping over wood, leaving deep marks in it, and this time, some charming animal distraction in the shape of a warning nip at his knee didn’t help either.

“If you plan to survive this meeting, this is a great time to shut up,” Katja warned her old friend, surprisingly calm despite the fact that tears were glistening in her eyes and that lightning and thunder had joined the rain over the mansion. This time it wasn't just the ones that her powers created.

Angelica's lips tightened, but she was wise enough to raise her hands in defeat.

Scott soothingly put his arm around Katja's shoulders, although Ororo could see that there was a suspicious fed flash behind his glasses, also, whereupon the storm dissolved. His eyes were on their guests, though, his head tilted in mistrust. “Exactly on the day after there's been another Black Breath victim, the Alaska survivor arrives here, who just happens to have been beaten up pretty badly. Why do I have a funny feeling it's not an accident you've shown up today?”

“We finally found Bastian a few weeks ago after a long search,” Angelica admitted. “But we couldn't persuade him to come either with us or here. Just hearing the word X-Men had him furious. That he seems to have changed his mind is probably mainly because he no longer has a home.” She shifted her weight uneasily in her chair, once again wrapping a suspiciously thinned strand of hair around two fingertips. ”His pimp's been delivered a subpoena this morning.”

“You set this up?“ Remy asked in disbelief, the suspicious pink glowing there in his pocket only intensifying, and if there would be any more revelations coming up, about how much people had really been toying with far too young souls in the last few days, in a way Remy knew best what deep traces it could leave behind, sooner or later this excess energy might actually discharge. "The boy's had an inhibitor implanted months ago! That asshole could have beaten him to death!"

“We had no idea of knowing the guy would lose it so badly. We just wanted to get Murray away from him. We had to move when we heard about Rome," Angelica tried to defend herself.

“And that justifies ...?” Hank just stared at her, open-mouthed, and Ororo felt the same.

Where the hell was little Angelica? One of Katja's closest former college friends, who had almost snapped Emma Frost's neck when she had suspected Katja was in danger in Emma's estate? Who had never been able to stand seeing a normal human or mutant suffer? Who was hiding under that broad red mask today? It certainly didn’t look like a real sense of guilt. Those green eyes under the deep red hard rubber mainly radiated distance these days. This willingness to sacrifice with regard to her powers at any cost, just so she wouldn't have to give up the dream of making this world a little better ... That was something that Steve had once inevitably instilled in Angelica during his recruitment. And apparently, over the years, this constant life with the enemy in her own body had become an expectation that everyone around Angelica had to be prepared to put their own well-being and safety in the background at all times, too.

“... a few cuts and bruises? When the lives of tens of thousands of mutants are at stake? Let me think.”

Bobby tried to mediate, as so often. “That doesn't matter now, does it? Kid will be fine soon, right? It was maybe a little radical a cut, but at least he's safe here now. What's your first impression, Hank?”

“Emotional, impulsive,” Hank replied hesitantly. "As far as I can see, Bastian is suppressing his grief over Alaska as much as his time as a lab rat for normal humans, just like the last six months, which have been filled with physical and emotional violence.”

“It's as I feared." Angelica sighed. ”What a mess ... There's no way we can spare him, sadly. You have to fly to Alaska with him. He's the only one who knows his way around New York II.”

“This is madness!” Marie blurted out before anyone else could object, worried about a boy she hadn't even met, just as naturally as she and Remy had been taking care of the young people at Mutant High for all these past years. ”That boy's been through hell!”

“And probably through even more rooms of it than we know yet,” Angelica agreed. ”If he looks familiar to you, imagine him even paler but as a girl with golden hair and silver pupils. Rebellion, ring a bell? Bastian's secondary mutation has early manifested as an entirely different shape that he can morph into, and his parents took advantage of that by drilling him mercilessly into a teenage singer under the alleged protection of anonymity, and making quite a buck with him. Rebellion has won an American Juniors season and had two relatively successful hits. After Bastian accidentally showed his powers on stage once, his parents kicked him out and he ended up in that lab in Helsinki until he moved to Alaska. And now right back to prostitution ... Do you think I'm not aware of the burden? But do you want to know what's really insane? There are a bunch of maniacs out there randomly turning mutant children into black corpses. That's insane, and right now Bastian is the only one who can help us stop this madness.”

For a few seconds, it was unpleasantly quiet in the room once more, but this time it was reluctant hesitation instead of dark emotions weighing down on everyone. Ororo looked at Scott questioningly, not enthusiastic about the idea of putting the boy in such a position either, but if there was no other way ...

Their leader nodded at her, barely noticeable, glad that they had come to the same conclusion. Scott rarely made a decision without including Logan's and her advice; that responsibility for the team, the three of them had always shared since Ontario Lake at the latest. And since Logan understandably couldn't be objective in this matter, it was up to Scott and Ororo to be the asshole. “We're leaving tomorrow morning,” Scott explained through gritted teeth.

“Thank you. We'll send you our latest research data right away. We'll be in touch as soon as we hear anything new from Rome. Good luck.” The two Avengers were suddenly in a great hurry to get to the door. Angelica only had a brief handshake for Katja to spare. No hug.

In the first moment alone, the X-Men felt completely at a loss for words, knowing how close Logan must be to taking out his aggression over the news on someone or something. It had been a long time since they had been confronted with such a stressful situation.

“Who's going?” Marie finally asked.

Scott arduously swallowed his annoyance at the behavior of both the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. and moved away from Katja a little, leaning forward, crossing his arms over his knees, gathering his focus to deal with the first planning of a major mission in a while. “Hank, you have access to Bastian already. He'll probably feel safer if you go with him. Logan, you've been there before.” He paused just for a moment to check on his teammate in his back.

This wasn’t an easy choice, given how emotionally compromised Logan was regarding this matter. But everyone knew that there was no way, Logan would allow them to leave him out of the hunt for Jean's killers. It was still better to support him as a team and, if necessary, to slow him down, as far as that would be possible. No one was surprised when Logan nodded gruffly without even turning around.

Scott returned the gesture and stopped again, only noticeably if one knew that after a good 20 years, it was still not easy for him to have his own wife on his team. “Katja, you need to melt the snow so that we can actually see anything. I need Ororo here for research, especially if we need to continue to cooperate with the Avengers because of Rome. Rogers hates her guts at least slightly less than mine.”

“Not happening with my powers,” Katja immediately objected. ‘Not to that extent and not in the short time.”

“Noemi could," Remy threw in from the side, exactly the suggestion that Ororo had more or less already feared. It was not surprising that it came from one of the teenagers' trainers.

She herself wasn’t comfortable with the prospect that the greenhorns were to be seriously involved in the X-Men's job all of a sudden. If Angelica was right, that wasn't a good idea for Noemi in particular. “She's only sixteen ...”

“This is only about investigations, not battle. And this won't be the last crime scene she sees,” Logan surprisingly cut her off. ”If that takes her down a notch, fine with me.”

That, Ororo believed him immediately. Angelica's warning had hit him hard. From now on, he would keep an even closer eye on his daughter, even more than before. Especially if Noemi might indeed make the decision for the dangerous life at the front once she was old enough for it. There was all he could do anyway; Noemi rarely let anyone keep her from anything. And after all, it had been Logan himself who had trained Noemi in all kinds of martial arts, regardless of her already powerful mutation, ever since she'd been a child. Together with Saskia; Katja had been very supportive of that. As in so many matters, she and Logan had been in complete agreement on this issue as well. But the worry remained, and so Logan understandably preferred to be there at least for Noemi's first mission.

“Let her have a taste of blood,” Scott nodded at Ororo's resigned glance. After that decision, what he had to tell them next was no longer a surprise. Scott couldn't stop his own daughter on her path to becoming a hero any more than Logan could stop his. ”I still want you there, Katja, and bring Saskia, too. The weather in Alaska is no picnic.”

Ororo saw the shock followed by anger on Katja's face and sighed, rubbing her temples in a vain attempt to fight the beginning of a headache. Especially because of such discussions to be expected, the others had been only moderately enthusiastic about Noemi and Saskia basically wanting their own X-Men uniforms as soon as they'd been able to walk.

“Sassy has to have her first experiences at some point too, Flashwind.” Scott's very firm tone of voice and the fact that he addressed his wife by her code name before she'd even said a word, made it clear that this decision was already set in stone.

Katja gritted her teeth. “And here I thought we wanted to take a different approach than Charles did with some of you guys. Then again, in some states the girls are already legal, right?”

“Wanna take a breath, Cat?” Marie chimed in, confused. As Saskia's godmother, she was very close to the girl both emotionally and as a trainer, and Katja's sudden resistance visibly confused her. “Wasn’t it you who wanted her to become a fighting machine before she'd even finished preschool?”

“Certainly not so that she can risk her life together with us,” her friend replied monotonously. ”I just don't want my daughter to become a victim. But that's not my decision.”

“No, it's not,” Scott replied softly, taking Katja's hand firmly in his. "It's hers.”

"Decision." Katja wiped her eyes with her free hand in agitation. ”All they've heard from us day and night were stories about saving the world. Did we really expect them not to follow suit? This is my own fault.” She hung her shoulders wearily when Scott lovingly took her in his arms again. “And I don't want to lock her up. Sassy could handle that just as little as I could. But you guys gotta understand me, please. Saskia isn't even a level 4 mutant. Her mutation radius is even smaller than my own.”

Now, after far too long a silence, it was apparently time to clarify something that had somehow always been smoldering in the background. Therefore, Hank intervened as so often did with sometimes unpleasantly honest words. “Because her mutation just like yours was never sufficiently advanced. You're both capable of much more than you know. I don't know how you classify mutants, Cat, but I'd say someone who might one day be able to freeze or dry out the whole world deserves a place on our team.”

“That's exactly why we're both keeping our hands off things that are working just fine,” Katja retorted harshly. ”I'm sick of this discussion, Hank. I'm not going to risk messing around with emotion-based mutations and accidentally destroy half the country with PMS-generated storms or plunge it into a new ice age just to stroke some egos.”

“That's not the point right now,” Scott interrupted before even more bickering could start. "What Saskia can do so far has already been very useful in many simulations. Not to mention she's one of the best close combat fighters we have. If you unexpectedly run into trouble in Alaska, she'll be prepared. She wants it so badly, let her see what she can expect. Maybe that will change her mind.”

Katja grinned weakly. "How well do you know your daughter, Scott Summers?”

That settled that, and bit by bit, Logan seemed to have recovered from his shock, too. “What about you?” he asked Scott, a familiar spark in his hazel eyes. Tragedy or not, Logan enjoyed every mission that he was in charge of.

“I'll sit down with Ororo and check the security systems,” Scott declared stiffly, trying in vain to hide his annoyance at his own decision. ”If there's a deadly virus out there, I want to be sure we're protected. Air conditioning, sensors, the whole lot. Hank, hook Bastian to a needle while he's still asleep. We need initial tests. Marie, Remy, see what you can find out about Rome. You got twelve hours to become experts. Ororo, help them if they need you. Logan, talk to Noemi. And do your homework; this is serious.” Certain little digs toward his favorite rival, Scott just couldn't help making every now and then even after all this time. “Katja, check what kind of weather expects you in New York II, and then tell Sassy what's up. Move, guys. Let's at least pretend we still know how to do our job.” The briefing dissolved, now that everyone knew what they had to do, until only Ororo and Scott were left in the room. And only now, Scott showed how much all of this was getting to him, too. He buried his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes under his glasses, probably tormented by the headaches that his optic blasts triggered conspicuously often lately, despite Hank's regular attempts at treatment. Not even Gringo jumping on his lap as if he'd still been weighing three and not sixty pounds, couldn't elicit so much as a brief grin. “Here I thought this whole crap was over,” he murmured when Ororo sat down next to him and gently took his arm.

“It never will be, as long as Logan doesn't know who had his wife murdered. He can't lose Noemi, too, Scott. We have to do everything to protect her. For him and for Jean.” Her voice sounded a bit too hoarse, though she hadn't been crying in years. She had always had to be strong for Noemi. That had always been her job; she had made that silent promise to Jean when her friend had put her baby in Ororo's arms on her deathbed. And even 17 years afterward, Ororo couldn't think of that cruel moment without her eyes burning.

Scott was discreet enough to overlook it, just squeezing her hand. “You've always taken care of her as if she were your own child. Now it's time for her to start going her own way, and that will be hard enough. Let's see that we finally take these bastards out so that we can release her on it with a clear conscience.”

Ororo's nod was more hesitative than planned. A mission that had already begun with over 100 dead children would not be easy, not even for the seniors among them. “May the Gods be with us, Scott. I don't think we have the slightest idea what we're getting ourselves into.”

*******************************************************************************

@whumptober | @whumptober-archive

[captainnameless]

How do the bubs process big scary emotions? Eg I can see charles being an absolute crybaby but others (max? Mick maybe?) shutting down and trying not to cause a scene

Charles is definitely a cry-baby but like in a good way. he’s so open and honest with his emotions, the only downside is he’s sometimes so upset he can’t get his thoughts across. he does well with just being held, rocked and so so much physical touch. they get a weighted blanket for him because it calms him down so much easier while being held. when the tears have slowed he’ll be such a good talker, gets through whatever he’s going through with whoever’s near.

Mick’s very aware of his needs and emotions, it’s rare for him to let it come to a boiling point, usually when he just doesn’t wanna be a bother. but he’s doing v well, Sebastian learns to just check in a little bit more, asks instead of waiting for Mick to speak and when he does Mick is such a good lil emotionally aware Bub. knows very well what’s wrong and what he needs and definitely does soak up the cuddles he’s rewarded with. mini-Angie is also such a big comfort for him, Mick knows just how to twist her between his fingers so his thumb’s still free to suck on while he buries his face into the stuffie.

Max is learning okay, my goodest boy. Daniel’s lovingly spending a lot of time and effort into learning Max about big emotions, how he’s allowed them and he doesn’t have to deal with them himself. Max still expresses them in 10 different ways, sometimes it’s immediately tears, sometimes it’s a sugar high before he crashes, or he just switches on and doesn’t turn off again, sometimes it’s a tantrum. Max is such a headstrong boy, needs to align his thoughts before he can speak, so Daniel helps him do that. Leo’s also such a big part of Max’s emotional well being, he’ll sometimes communicate through Leo, voices his emotions through him if he’s dropped young enough or like in When It Gets Bad flings him at Daniel’s head. (:

[bullet-prooflove]

Chasing Fires - Brian ‘Otis’ Zvonecek: Chapter Seven

Brian Zvonecek has spent most of his adult life fighting fires, now it’s time to chase one.

Follows on from Million Reasons but is a stand alone fic.

Tagging   @orileyfiction for all her help and support! Also @me-ladie​ for being the wonderful person she is and betaing.

- Chapter One

- Chapter Two

- Chapter Three

- Chaper Four

- Chapter Five

- Chapter Six

For the first time in a while Firehouse 51 was having a quiet shift. Aside from the callout to the Clifford residence they hadn’t seen much action today, which of course was a blessing in disguise as Brian was trying to work on the marketing plan for Molly’s. The problem was he was still trying to teach himself Photoshop, which turned out to be harder than he anticipated. He’d spent the last few shifts watching YouTube videos and trying to figure out how to finetune the pictures in just the way he wanted them. Which was what he was doing when Gabby dropped into the seat across from him, just back from the trip to Chicago Med. 

“You went out to that scene this morning, right?” Gabby asked him, her finger hooking around the gold chain around her throat and toying with the pendant.

“Yea.” He told her, his tongue sticking out of his mouth on the left side as he manoeuvred the mouse so that he could trace around the image of a Long Island Iced Tea. “Looks like they pumped in Nitrous Oxide through the ventilation system, not something I’ve seen before. Ingenious really.”

“Did you see the girl?” She asked, peering at him over the top of his laptop.

The screen in front of him blurred, the textures slipping out of focus as the shapes contorted and the colours clashed together. There was a tension in his shoulders, he could feel it creeping up his spine as he was taken back to that bedroom. To the seafoam walls, the pink bedspread, the blood. He had a niece, Anya, around the same age. She had Justin Beiber on her walls too. 

“Is she doing, ok?” He asked, ignoring the tremor in his voice as he shut the laptop. 

Being there in that room and knowing what had happened… 

It had shaken him more than he wanted to admit. It nauseated him to imagine what that child had been through, what she was going to endure moving forward. He didn’t know how Kat did it, seeing the worst that people could do to each other day in, and day out eroded at your soul. It took a strong person to shoulder that burden.

“She’s a strong kid. She has a lot of support behind her.” Gabby told him, releasing the necklace before putting her palms flat upon the table. 

It was an anxious gesture, not one that Brian often associated with Gabby. She was headstrong, decisive, right now it looked like she was teetering on the edge of something. 

“There’s something I need to talk to you about.” 

“I’m working on the marketing plan, I promise.” He told her, raising his hands up in a defensive gesture. “Photoshop is just turning out to be a little bit trickier than expected.”

“I picked up a few extra shifts, covering for Peterson and I saw you at Med a few days ago with Doctor Charles. I wanted to check in, see if everything was ok. You know with the ITP?”

Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura.

He’d been diagnosed with it last year after Cruz had caught sight of mottled bruises appearing on his skin, bruises that he hadn’t gotten on the job. His immune system had started attacking his platelets, which could have led to a bleed on the brain if Cruz and Sylvie hadn’t set his Baba on him. He’d been terrified that it had been leukaemia, the thought of it had made him bury his head in the sand, pretend it wasn’t happening. Despite the fact he had been young when his father died of the disease, he still remembered the slow agonising process, how he would cry from the pain.

“It’s not ITP.” He sighed, his fingertips tracing over the Firefly sticker on his laptop. 

Maybe it was time to talk about what was happening with him. Keeping it a secret felt like such a weight on his shoulders. He was lying to Cruz when he went out to therapy appointments, hiding his pills during shifts, the stress of it was suffocating. He just wanted to come clean about the whole thing. It was at that moment he realised how much progress he had made over the past few months. When he’d first started sessions with Doctor Charles, he wouldn’t dream of opening his mouth and discussing his issues with his Firehouse Family. 

Now though… 

Telling someone didn’t seem so bad. They had supported him through his ITP, even when he’d had to take time off. Mental health wasn’t an issue that they talked about, not really. They’d all been touched by Jones death, her suicide stuck with every single one of them, ghosting their steps. He didn’t want that to happen to him. He didn’t want to be a spirit that haunted the memories of the people he loved in Firehouse 51. He believed in transparency, and he knew if anyone came to him with the same problems that he was having, he would do everything in his power to help them. 

“Doctor Charles is treating me for PTSD.” He informed her, tilting his head up so that he could meet her gaze. 

Gabby reached out across the table, her dainty hands covering his and clasping them gently. It was a simple gesture, one full of kindness and empathy. There was no judgement, no reprimand, only the willingness to listen, to hear out his troubles, to be there if he needed it.

“It started creeping up on me a while back. I couldn’t sleep, kept seeing the people that didn’t make it, hearing them…” he trailed off. “There are things in my personal life I hadn’t dealt with, feelings I pushed down, and everything got a little messy.”

“You don’t have to explain…”

“I want to.” He told her with a small smile before continuing. “It’s time I started talking about it. The last few months have been tough, there have been some really dark times, times I thought maybe I wasn’t gonna make it. But I think I’m coming through the other side, and I just wanted you to know because you’re my friend and I want to be more honest about this. I don’t want anybody else to feel like they’ve got no hope, that they can’t talk about it if things get too much.”

“Does anyone else know?” Gabby asked. 

“Kat.” He told her. “She saw that I was in freefall, that I wasn’t handling things.”

“She’s good for you, you know?” Gabby said with a smile. “You need somebody in your life who can call you on your bullshit.” 

“I can confirm she does that pretty well.”

“Look, I have to ask.” Gabby said, resting her elbows on the table so she could lean in close. “Why on earth have you not jumped on that yet? That girl is crazy about you.”

“A few months back, when I started therapy, I told her how I feel, that I wanted to be more.” He explained. “But I wasn’t in a good head space, I couldn’t be that guy you know? The one that she deserved.”

“And now?” Gabby prompted, a hint of excitement in her voice. 

Brian smiled.

“I think I’m ready to make my move.” 

[bwoahtastic]

But like what about an Omega gang AU. I don't know but the peaky blinders thing made me think about Omega Max being an aggressive leader of a small gang of criminal Omegas. The gang is strong but very small town and mostly consists of his family, so they need money to ensure their survival. Max is also scared that a big gang will come to town and swallow the Omega gang up or maybe kill them. So he decides to seduce some rich Alphas to try and evolve the gang a bit. However, Max is a really bad actor, and he would never ask his members to use their sexuality like that.

That's how he meets Charles, a spoiled rich Omega heir, looking for an adventure. So of course he joins the gang, and tries to seduce the rich and respected Alpha Lewis.

Some of the gangs other Omega members could be: Lando the young runner and Max's younger brother. Kevin the older brother and more of an enforcer/wild card that can't be used for more subtle situations. Mick the young brother that work as Max's secretary, keeping control of the money. Esteban, who is not related, but grew up with the family, and works as a bartender at the local pup, to pick up gossip and rumors.

OH I LOVE THIS!!!

Max as the headstrong leader who looks quite scary but really just loves his men like family and just wants to protect them! He would be so worried about them and always protect them fiercely!

Okay okay: max trying to flirt with Lewis but Lewis seeing right hough him? And Charles saw what happens and tells Max that was a horrible attempt and Max growls cos "does Charles not know who he is???" (Charles knows)

And thats why Charles ends up working for him and helping around and he is annoying but clever in his own way, and maybe it ends with charles/max/Lewis???

Pls so much potential

[shepherds-of-haven]

Oh, no, the Shepherds have been hit by a strange spell, and everyone's been turned into dogs! What breed is everybody? (Trouble's definitely a golden retriever, right?)

Hi there, this question was actually asked and answered here like two years ago! However, some of my choices made me go "wtf was I thinking" so I'm going to take a little moment to revise!

Blade: Saarloos Wolfdog

Saarloof wolfdogs are basically German Shepherds crossed with wolves and then crossed back again. They're not super cuddly, aloof with strangers, avoidant of uncertain situations, but extremely loyal to their chosen "pack" and described as kind dogs, which is why I think this breed fits Blade well!

Trouble: German Shepherd (better yet, Golden Shepherd, aka German Shepherd-Golden Retriever mix)

While Trouble's friendly (sometimes dumb-seeming) nature and aesthetics bring to mind a golden retriever, I actually think he has more edge and ferocity and protectiveness in him, so I think German Shepherd's working nature and tenacity suits his personality better!

Tallys: Afghan Hound

This dog is described as "one of the most ancient breeds of dog in existence, they are dignified and independent... they can be affectionate with their families, but not typically with people they don't know" and can be perceived as cool or aloof. That feels like Tallys to me!

Shery: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

These dogs are known to be super sweet, affectionate, and cuddly indoor pets and companions, so they seem just right for Shery! I also feel like the ears really matches her hair, so I'm going to run with it lol!

Riel: Shiba Inu

I also pondered Alaskan Husky or Australian Shepherd for him--basically, I could see any hyper-intelligent dog breed that has an excess of energy and a need for high mental stimulation before they're like "I MUST WORK" and start driving themselves crazy! That's him to a tee, and while he might not start Screaming the way shibas and huskies are known for, he definitely has that streak of drama! They are also described as the most "cat-like" of all dogs, which is why I think Shiba Inus are a great fit for Riel!

Chase: Finnish Spitz (or Schipperke)

Known to be among the most "fox-like" dog breeds and easily recognizable due to their flame-like coats, Finnish Spitzes are described as "highly energetic, easily bored, and extremely talkative," considered chatty and perceptive companions that will keep you apprised of everything happening in your surroundings. While extremely loving and playful, they require firm training because of their independent nature and easily distracted dispositions: they're liable to bolt and chase after any distraction that happens to catch their attention unless you keep them focused, and can sometimes even ignore your instructions in favor of whatever they want to do instead. Totally sounds like Chase to me!

Schipperkes are very similar in personality and a close runner-up!

Red: Border Collie

Said to be among the most intelligent, inquisitive dog breeds, I think the Border Collie is a great fit for Red because, while handsome and charismatic, it's also described as "one of the most challenging dogs to live with. His superior intellect, combined with his intensity and obsessive zeal for working, are his most impressive features – and also the ones that make him unsuitable for most homes. This sharp-eyed, quick-thinking, fanatical workaholic has been bred for hours of endless action and work, and he can outsmart authority figures from time to time." That's Red for you!

Ayla: Azawakh

An ancient dog breed originating from the desert, Azawakh dogs are described as proud, independent, and suspicious of strangers. They love to run so much that they can't be trusted not to take off and just keep on running. They are lean, athletic dogs built for speed, and they are protective of their chosen families, notoriously difficult to rehome because they only bond to their households once or twice: you must be willing to make a lifelong commitment in getting an Azawakh, because they shut down very easily, especially in the face of change. They do not play well with young kids or small animals, since they're used to being employed as fierce hunting dogs. Very Ayla-like to me!

Briony: Brittany

Known as the smallest of the "gun dog" breeds, Brittany dogs are described as friendly, bright dogs full of energy and with a very sweet, social disposition. They are eager to please and are happiest with people, but tend to be underestimated when it comes to rough-housing or hunting skills due to their small size. They are described as having "endless energy and stamina" as well as a love of cuddling, and they love the water, which is why I think they're a great fit for Briony!

Lavinet: Poodle

I chose poodles because they "thrive on praise and positive attention; are quite smart and can easily pick up on your moods, sometimes even mimicking them; are outgoing and extraverted; their intelligence can result in stubbornness and occasional disobedience; they have natural empathetic qualities and a natural ability to engage with people; thrive in large, active households and love being the center of attention; require a lot of attention and hate to be alone." Sounds like Lavinet to me!

Halek: Great Pyrenes

Great Pyrenes dogs are gigantic, white-coated mountain dogs bred to deter sheep-stealing wolves and other predators on snowy mountaintops. They are mellow companions who tend to be either placid or downright lazy, noted for their immense size and power but "usually exhibiting a Zen-like calm. However, they can quickly spring into action and move with grace and speed to meet a threat." Enough said!

Prihine: Daschund

These tiny dogs are often underestimated due to their small size, but they are lively, clever, extremely tenacious, and brave almost to the point of rashness: they are "tough enough to take on a badger" but affectionate towards loved ones. They can keep you on your toes and can be extremely stubborn, and are said to have personalities too big to fit their petite demeanor, with a very "big-dog bark" for their size. Totally Prihine to me!

Croelle: Caucasian Ovtcharka

Caucasian Ovtcharkas (also colloquially referred to as "Russian bear-hunting dogs") are ferocious, fearless, assertive, strong-willed and headstrong dogs that require extremely strong leadership to keep them in line. They are prone to aggression (since that's what they're bred for) and can attack other dogs that they perceive to be threats, refusing to accept strangers and not prone to being friendly to most people in general. While loyal and hard-working dogs, they will occasionally challenge their owner's authority through staredowns, making them a difficult to impossible choice for newer owners. They will never stop fighting threats, able to take down wolves and even bears in an effort to protect their masters.

Thanks for your question!

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Reactions to YouTube Reaction/Review videos I’ve watched recently (only without the videos themselves):

Warning: Spoilers for a 206-year-old novel, and an 11-year old movie (~Keep reading~ divider isn’t showing up)

To a video ranking Jane Austen’s Main and Secondary Male Romantic Heroes:

The reviewer counted 13 total, and placed Captain Frederick Wentworth at #5, saying he was good if you liked “Headstrong Navel Captains with money, who could write a nice love letter,” but worried that he didn’t respect the protagonist  Anne, enough. She ranked Darcy from Pride and Prejudice as #1:

Please Note: This defense of Captain Wentworth is from someone who first read Persuasion when she was at a socially comparable age to Anne Elliot, and so first "met" the fine Naval Captain when she was no longer interested in the heady whirlwinds of first love and romance.

The short version: I don't think he is headstrong, at all.

The long version: The whole novel is told through Anne's P.O.V., and if she were a character in a modern novel, her disposition would be described as "suffering from clinical depression" (thanks to the seven-almost-eight years of emotional gaslighting and abuse from her father and elder sister), so she's interpreting Captain Wentworth's actions through that lens, and she's assuming that he's still angry with her for taking Mrs.Russell’s s advice, and going back on her acceptance of his first marriage proposal, starting with (Mary's report) that he said Anne was much changed from the last time they saw each other; Anne concludes that he now thinks she's too old.

But he might have meant that he remembered her being happy, and he's now surprised to see her so withdrawn.

And he always "just sort of happens" to be in the same room as Anne. And even though they don't speak directly very often (there is that scene when they first meet up in Bath, and start to get into a conversation -- when they're alone -- only to be interrupted by Mr. Elliot), Captain Wentworth is still looking out for Anne's needs (even though he's resigned to the possibility that she no longer loves him), as when she's trying to look after Young Charles and his broken arm, while trying to fend off toddler Walter. Captain Wentworth is the only one to step in and quietly lifts Walter off her neck, without making a fuss. And he's also the only one to notice how tired she is on the way home from the long family trek, and is the only one to speak up on her behalf.

Conclusion: their love is still equally requited after all these years, but they are also equally mutual idiots about the whole thing.

To a Reviewer of the movie Megamind, who thought the ending didn’t make sense:  

His complaint was that the citizens had no way of knowing that Metro Man was still alive, and therefore should have still thought that Megamind was evil for killing him, instead of instantly fawning over him as a hero replacement:

Frankly, I think that was the whole point. I think that the Citizens’ collective love of Metro Man was just as shallow as his “love” for the city. He didn’t really care about the people, and was only in it for the adulation.  And they didn’t really love him, either. They only loved the spectacle of “Good” vs. “Evil”.

I don’t even think Metro Man is Good, in the moral sense. He’s only playing out his role as Defender of the Status Quo.

And the film makes clear that Good and Evil are relative to each other. And relative to Titan (Tighten), Megamind is Good

[thepumpkinthingart]

"Really-?"

"Really, sorry it had to be this way-- but your 80s fashion is a lost cause." Scott smirked as his brother threw his hands up cursing the sky-his brother he hadn't seen in eight years looked not even a day older. Then again the whole world was well... new... They themselves lost thirty years was it? It was 2023, last he checked it was 1993. Erik really needed to talk to his child about opening up multiverse, this was just yet another life altering thing for the X-Men. In light of their new decade, Scott and Alex had decied to have a Summers day. Just them exploring what this new world had to offer, Brotherly bonding and all.

Also because Alex really needed a new wardrobe. Not because of the early 80s fashion -although that didn't help- but because he didn't exactly have anything other then what he been wearing. No one thought Alexander Summers would be coming back. So keeping all his things wasn't exactly thought of, especially not clothing. This was why the blond was wearing a tight cheaply made red shirt with a large spider like logo. It was the first thing they found off a street vender and Alex was despreate for something that was his that didn't have a gaint cosmic burnt hole on it. It toke them all of a hour to learn who 'spider-man' was and for the summers brothers to debate if this was a dumb kid with too much time or a spider mutant hidding eight eyes behind that wide lens mask and not even to touch the topic for where exactly a mutant spider kid would make webs from. Scott and Alex were suddenly happy to have deadly blast from eyes and chest vs- well -the alternative.

"Ok, but from our very informative cultural experince today-"

"We went to three different malls and found out there is now seventy-five types of poptarts-" Scott shook the shoping bag of seven of said new flavors because neither could agree on fruit ones or chocolate ones. Fruit flavors were obviously superior but Scott will have to argue his stance more later.

"Informative cultural experince- wearing 80s and 90s fashion is 'cool' and 'retro'."

"Sure. Because 'cool' and 'retro' also means looking like a suburban dad that needed to get a hair cut like thirty eight years ago-" the younger couldn't help but snort as the blond looked at him like he suggested murder.

"Don't even joke about that."

Scott couldn't help but to laugh- God, when was the last time his arguments had been over something as dumb as poptarts and bad hair styles and not the risking of lives. When had he last felt like the world wasn't ending..? Scott had been a angsty teen but even then his brother could make him loosen up the edgey teen agnst and laugh. He missed Alex... Of course he knew he missed his sibling but he missed Alex- Alex who pulled him out of the foster system the second he could, Alex who decied to go to college just because there was a chance he could provide a better life for them both, Alex who despite losing his parents the moment Scott did turned to trying to comfort his crying sibling other then dealing with his own grief.

"It's good to have you back. It just wasn't the same without you. I didn't- I just... I missed you." The young summers struggled to keep deeper emotions down. He already had his cry session. Clutching to Alex sobbing like he did as a young kid when Alex showed up at his foster home. Not caring who saw in that moment. Just so scared to let go, like Alex would disappear again the moment he let go. Scott lost everything- everything disappeared on him. His parents, Alex, Jean... God he was glad Peter and Logan wasn't there to witness Scott's whole demeanor break down in seconds. Like he needed to be reminded later on how serious, stubborn and headstrong Scott sobbed into his brother's jacket like a five year old.

"Scotty-"

For Alex not a moment passed by. He blasted the alien looking fucker and then and then he woke up to Raven wide eyed looking at him like she seen a ghost. When he learned that second of nothingness was actually eight years- well Alexander set to making up lost time real fast. Starting with hugging the hell out of his brother and apologize through his own tears. He promised he wouldn't leave Scott, not after their parents and well... Alexander had failed. He left Scott alone. Add it to the list of things Alex has managed to fuck up.

"I'm so sorry... I never wanted to leave you alone. I never wanted you to have to deal with more loss-

"Please don't. Not again- Just don't go blasting at highly explosive high tech machinery. Just.. stay here with me... And next time Charles says don't do something, don't." He gave his brother a pointed look. Even with the red sunglasses keeping himself from blasting everything on sight, Scott's 'stop fucking up' look was on point.

Alex couldn't help but smile. Scott really had grown, huh? It sucked it was without him. But, he was proud. Scott was tough, tougher then Alex ever was. "Course. I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon. Besides- obviously I have to reteach you a thing or two if you really believe fruit jelly poptarts are better then any of the chocolate ones-"

"How the fuck does Hank handle you?"

"Roughly. Didn't you see the claw marks-?"

Alex cackled like the evil shit he was as Scott choked on air. God fucking dammit, he swore the moment he had a pair of sissors someone's precious gold locks were being snipped.

[timeless-hollywood-classics]

Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler (November or September 9, 1914 – January 19, 2000), was an Austrian-American actress, inventor, and film producer. She appeared in 30 films over a 28 year career, and co-invented an early version of frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication.

Lamarr was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, and acted in a number of Austrian, German, and Czech films in her brief early film career, including the controversial Ecstasy (1933). In 1937, she fled from her husband, a wealthy Austrian ammunition manufacturer, secretly moving to Paris and then on to London. There she met Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio, who offered her a Hollywood movie contract, where he began promoting her as "the world's most beautiful woman".

She became a star through her performance in Algiers (1938), her first United States film.[5] She starred opposite Clark Gable in Boom Town and Comrade X (both 1940), and James Stewart in Come Live with Me and Ziegfeld Girl (both 1941). Her other MGM films include Lady of the Tropics (1939), H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), as well as Crossroads and White Cargo (both 1942); she was also borrowed by Warner Bros. for The Conspirators, and by RKO for Experiment Perilous (both 1944). Dismayed by being typecast, Lamarr co-founded a new production studio and starred in its films: The Strange Woman (1946), and Dishonored Lady (1947). Her greatest success was as Delilah in Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949). She also acted on television before the release of her final film, The Female Animal (1958). She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

At the beginning of World War II, Lamarr and composer George Antheil developed a radio guidance system using frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology for Allied torpedoes, intended to defeat the threat of jamming by the Axis powers. She also helped improve aircraft aerodynamics for Howard Hughes while they dated during the war. Although the US Navy did not adopt Lamarr and Antheil's invention until 1957, various spread-spectrum techniques are incorporated into Bluetooth technology and are similar to methods used in legacy versions of Wi-Fi. Recognition of the value of their work resulted in the pair being posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

Lamarr was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in 1914 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, the only child of Emil Kiesler (1880–1935) and Gertrud "Trude" Kiesler (née Lichtwitz; 1894–1977). Her father was born to a Galician-Jewish family in Lemberg (now Lviv, Ukraine), and was a successful bank manager. Her mother was a pianist, born in Budapest to an upper-class Hungarian-Jewish family. She converted to Catholicism as an adult, at the insistence of her first husband, and raised her daughter Hedy as a Catholic as well, though she was not formally baptized at the time.

As a child, Kiesler showed an interest in acting and was fascinated by theatre and film. At the age of 12, she won a beauty contest in Vienna. She also began to associate invention with her father, who would take her out on walks, explaining how various technologies in society functioned.

After the Anschluss, she helped get her mother out of Austria and to the United States, where Gertrud Kiesler later became an American citizen. She put "Hebrew" as her race on her petition for naturalization, a term that had been frequently used in Europe.

Still using her maiden name of Hedy Kiesler, she took acting classes in Vienna. One day, she forged a permission note from her mother and went to Sascha-Film, where she was hired at the age of 16 as a script girl. She gained a role as an extra in Money on the Street (1930), and then a small speaking part in Storm in a Water Glass (1931). Producer Max Reinhardt cast her in a play entitled The Weaker Sex, which was performed at the Theater in der Josefstadt. Reinhardt was so impressed with her that he arranged for her to return with him to Berlin, where he was based.

Kiesler never trained with Reinhardt nor appeared in any of his Berlin productions. After meeting Russian theatre producer Alexis Granowsky, she was cast in his film directorial debut, The Trunks of Mr. O.F. (1931), starring Walter Abel and Peter Lorre. Granowsky soon moved to Paris, but Kiesler stayed in Berlin to work. She was given the lead role in No Money Needed (1932), a comedy directed by Carl Boese. Her next film brought her international fame.

In early 1933, at age 18, Hedy Kiesler, still working under her maiden name, was given the lead in Gustav Machatý's film Ecstasy (Ekstase in German, Extase in Czech). She played the neglected young wife of an indifferent older man.

The film became both celebrated and notorious for showing the actress's face in the throes of an orgasm. According to Marie Benedict's book The Only Woman In The Room, Kiesler's expression resulted from someone sticking her with a pin. She was also shown in closeups and brief nude scenes, the latter reportedly a result of the actress being "duped" by the director and producer, who used high-power telephoto lenses.

Although Kiesler was dismayed and now disillusioned about taking other roles, Ecstasy gained world recognition after winning an award in Rome. Throughout Europe, the film was regarded as an artistic work. However, in the United States, it was banned, considered overly sexual, and made the target of negative publicity, especially among women's groups. It was also banned in Germany due to Kiesler's Jewish heritage. Her husband, Fritz Mandl, reportedly spent over $300,000 buying up and destroying copies of the film.

Kiesler also played a number of stage roles, including a starring one in Sissy, a play about Empress Elisabeth of Austria produced in Vienna in early 1933, just as Ecstasy premiered. It won accolades from critics.

Admirers sent roses to her dressing room and tried to get backstage to meet Kiesler. She sent most of them away, including an insistent Friedrich Mandl. He became obsessed with getting to know her. Mandl was a Viennese arms merchant and munitions manufacturer who was reputedly the third-richest man in Austria. She fell for his charming and fascinating personality, partly due to his immense wealth. Her parents, both of Jewish descent, did not approve, as Mandl had ties to Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, and later, German Führer Adolf Hitler, but they could not stop their headstrong daughter.

On August 10, 1933, at the age of 18, Kiesler married Mandl, then 33. The son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother, Mandl insisted that she convert to Catholicism before their wedding in Vienna Karlskirche. In her autobiography Ecstasy and Me, Mandl is described as an extremely controlling husband. He strongly objected to her having been filmed in the simulated orgasm scene in Ecstasy and prevented her from pursuing her acting career. She claimed she was kept a virtual prisoner in their castle home, Castle Schwarzenau in the remote Waldviertel near the Czech border.

Mandl had close social and business ties to the Italian government, selling munitions to the country, and, despite his own part-Jewish descent, had ties to the Nazi regime of Germany. Kiesler accompanied Mandl to business meetings, where he conferred with scientists and other professionals involved in military technology. These conferences were her introduction to the field of applied science and she became interested in nurturing her latent talent in science.

Finding her marriage to Mandl eventually unbearable, Kiesler decided to flee her husband as well as her country. According to her autobiography, she disguised herself as her maid and fled to Paris. Friedrich Otto's account says that she persuaded Mandl to let her wear all of her jewelry for a dinner party where the influential austrofascist Ernst Stahremberg attended, then disappeared afterward. She writes about her marriage:

I knew very soon that I could never be an actress while I was his wife. ... He was the absolute monarch in his marriage. ... I was like a doll. I was like a thing, some object of art which had to be guarded—and imprisoned—having no mind, no life of its own.

After arriving in London in 1937, she met Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM, who was scouting for talent in Europe. She initially turned down the offer he made her (of $125 a week), but booked herself onto the same New York-bound liner as he. During the trip, she impressed him enough to secure a $500 a week contract. Mayer persuaded her to change her name from Hedwig Kiesler (to distance herself from "the Ecstasy lady" reputation associated with it). She chose the surname "Lamarr" in homage to the beautiful silent film star, Barbara La Marr, on the suggestion of Mayer's wife, Margaret Shenberg.

When Mayer brought Lamarr to Hollywood in 1938, he began promoting her as the "world's most beautiful woman". He introduced her to producer Walter Wanger, who was making Algiers (1938), an American version of the noted French film, Pépé le Moko (1937).

Lamarr was cast in the lead opposite Charles Boyer. The film created a "national sensation", says Shearer. Lamarr was billed as an unknown but well-publicized Austrian actress, which created anticipation in audiences. Mayer hoped she would become another Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich. According to one viewer, when her face first appeared on the screen, "everyone gasped ... Lamarr's beauty literally took one's breath away."

In future Hollywood films, Lamarr was often typecast as the archetypal glamorous seductress of exotic origin. Her second American film was I Take This Woman (1940), co-starring with Spencer Tracy under the direction of regular Dietrich collaborator, Josef von Sternberg. Von Sternberg was fired during the shoot, and replaced by Frank Borzage. The film was put on hold, and Lamarr was put into Lady of the Tropics (1939), where she played a mixed-race seductress in Saigon opposite Robert Taylor. She returned to I Take This Woman, re-shot by W. S. Van Dyke. The resulting film was a flop.

Far more popular was Boom Town (1940) with Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert and Spencer Tracy; it made $5 million MGM promptly reteamed Lamarr and Gable in Comrade X (1940), a comedy film in the vein of Ninotchka (1939), which was another hit.

She was teamed with James Stewart in Come Live with Me (1941), playing a Viennese refugee. Stewart was also featured in Ziegfeld Girl (1941), in which Lamarr, Judy Garland, and Lana Turner played aspiring showgirls; it was a big success.

Lamarr was top-billed in H. M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), although the film's protagonist was the title role played by Robert Young. She made a third film with Tracy, Tortilla Flat (1942). It was successful at the box office, as was Crossroads (1942) with William Powell.

She played the seductive native girl Tondelayo in White Cargo (1942), top-billed over Walter Pidgeon. It was a huge hit. White Cargo contains arguably her most memorable film quote, delivered with provocative invitation: "I am Tondelayo. I make tiffin for you?" This line typifies many of Lamarr's roles, which emphasized her beauty and sensuality while giving her relatively few lines. The lack of acting challenges bored Lamarr, and she reportedly took up inventing to relieve her boredom. In a 1970 interview, Lamarr also remarked that she was paid less because she would not sleep with Mayer.

Lamarr was reunited with Powell in a comedy, The Heavenly Body (1944). She was then borrowed by Warner Bros. for The Conspirators (1944), reuniting several of the actors of Casablanca (1942), which had been inspired in part by Algiers and written with Lamarr in mind as its female lead, though MGM would not lend her out. RKO later borrowed her for a melodrama, Experiment Perilous (1944), directed by Jacques Tourneur.

Back at MGM, Lamarr was teamed with Robert Walker in the romantic comedy Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945), playing a princess who falls in love with a New Yorker. It was very popular, but would be the last film she made under her MGM contract.

Her off-screen life and personality during those years was quite different from her screen image. She spent much of her time feeling lonely and homesick. She might swim at her agent's pool, but shunned the beaches and staring crowds. When asked for an autograph, she wondered why anyone would want it. Writer Howard Sharpe interviewed her and gave his impression:

Hedy has the most incredible personal sophistication. She knows the peculiarly European art of being womanly; she knows what men want in a beautiful woman, what attracts them, and she forces herself to be these things. She has magnetism with warmth, something that neither Dietrich nor Garbo has managed to achieve.

Author Richard Rhodes describes her assimilation into American culture:

Of all the European émigrés who escaped Nazi Germany and Nazi Austria, she was one of the very few who succeeded in moving to another culture and becoming a full-fledged star herself. There were so very few who could make the transition linguistically or culturally. She really was a resourceful human being–I think because of her father's strong influence on her as a child.

Lamarr also had a penchant for speaking about herself in the third person.

Lamarr wanted to join the National Inventors Council, but was reportedly told by NIC member Charles F. Kettering and others that she could better help the war effort by using her celebrity status to sell war bonds.

She participated in a war bond-selling campaign with a sailor named Eddie Rhodes. Rhodes was in the crowd at each Lamarr appearance, and she would call him up on stage. She would briefly flirt with him before asking the audience if she should give him a kiss. The crowd would say yes, to which Hedy would reply that she would if enough people bought war bonds. After enough bonds were purchased, she would kiss Rhodes and he would head back into the audience. Then they would head off to the next war bond rally. In total, Lamarr sold approximately $25 million (over $350 million when adjusted for inflation in 2020) worth of war bonds during a period of 10 days.

After leaving MGM in 1945, Lamarr formed production company Mars Film Corporation with Jack Chertok and Hunt Stromberg, producing two film noir motion pictures which she also starred in: The Strange Woman (1946) as a manipulative seductress leading a son to murder his father, and Dishonored Lady (1947) as a formerly suicidal fashion designer[verification needed] trying to start a new life but gets accused of murder. Her initiative was unwelcomed by the Hollywood establishment, as they were against actors (especially female actors) producing their films independently. Both films grossed over their budgets, but were not large commercial successes.

In 1948, she tried a comedy with Robert Cummings, called Let's Live a Little.

Lamarr enjoyed her greatest success playing Delilah opposite Victor Mature as the biblical strongman in Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949). A massive critical and commercial success, the film became the highest-grossing picture of 1950 and won two Academy Awards (Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design) of its five nominations. She won critical acclaim for her portrayal of Delilah. Showmen's Trade Review previewed the film before its release and commended Lamarr's performance: "Miss Lamarr is just about everyone's conception of the fair-skinned, dark-haired, beauteous Delilah, a role tailor-made for her, and her best acting chore to date."[48] Photoplay wrote, "As Delilah, Hedy Lamarr is treacherous and tantalizing, her charms enhanced by Technicolor."[49]

Lamarr returned to MGM for a film noir with John Hodiak, A Lady Without Passport (1950), which flopped. More popular were two pictures she made at Paramount, a Western with Ray Milland, Copper Canyon (1950), and a Bob Hope spy spoof, My Favorite Spy (1951).

Her career went into decline. She went to Italy to play multiple roles in Loves of Three Queens (1954), which she also produced. However she lacked the experience necessary to make a success of such an epic production, and lost millions of dollars when she was unable to secure distribution of the picture.

She was Joan of Arc in Irwin Allen's critically panned epic, The Story of Mankind (1957) and did episodes of Zane Grey Theatre ("Proud Woman") and Shower of Stars ("Cloak and Dagger"). Her last film was a thriller The Female Animal (1958).

Lamarr was signed to act in the 1966 film Picture Mommy Dead, but was let go when she collapsed during filming from nervous exhaustion. She was replaced in the role of Jessica Flagmore Shelley by Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Although Lamarr had no formal training and was primarily self-taught, she worked in her spare time on various hobbies and inventions, which included an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that would dissolve in water to create a carbonated drink. The beverage was unsuccessful; Lamarr herself said it tasted like Alka-Seltzer.

Among the few who knew of Lamarr's inventiveness was aviation tycoon Howard Hughes. She suggested he change the rather square design of his aeroplanes (which she thought looked too slow) to a more streamlined shape, based on pictures of the fastest birds and fish she could find. Lamarr discussed her relationship with Hughes during an interview, saying that while they dated, he actively supported her inventive "tinkering" hobbies. He put his team of scientists and engineers at her disposal, saying they would do or make anything she asked for.

During World War II, Lamarr learned that radio-controlled torpedoes, an emerging technology in naval war, could easily be jammed and set off course.[53] She thought of creating a frequency-hopping signal that could not be tracked or jammed. She conceived an idea and contacted her friend, composer and pianist George Antheil, to help her implement it.[54] Together they developed a device for doing that, when he succeeded by synchronizing a miniaturized player-piano mechanism with radio signals.[40] They drafted designs for the frequency-hopping system, which they patented.[55][56] Antheil recalled:

We began talking about the war, which, in the late summer of 1940, was looking most extremely black. Hedy said that she did not feel very comfortable, sitting there in Hollywood and making lots of money when things were in such a state. She said that she knew a good deal about munitions and various secret weapons ... and that she was thinking seriously of quitting MGM and going to Washington, D.C., to offer her services to the newly established National Inventors Council.

As quoted from a 1945 Stars and Stripes interview, "Hedy modestly admitted she did only 'creative work on the invention', while the composer and author George Antheil, 'did the really important chemical part'. Hedy was not too clear about how the device worked, but she remembered that she and Antheil sat down on her living room rug and were using a silver match box with the matches simulating the wiring of the invented 'thing'. She said that at the start of the war 'British fliers were over hostile territory as soon as they crossed the channel, but German aviators were over friendly territory most of the way to England... I got the idea for my invention when I tried to think of some way to even the balance for the British. A radio controlled torpedo, I thought would do it.'"

Their invention was granted a patent under U.S. Patent 2,292,387 on August 11, 1942 (filed using her married name Hedy Kiesler Markey).[58] However, it was technologically difficult to implement, and at the time the US Navy was not receptive to considering inventions coming from outside the military.[35] Nevertheless, it was classified in the "red hot" category.[59] It was first adapted in 1957 to develop a sonobuoy before the expiration of the patent, although this was denied by the Navy. At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, an updated version of their design was installed on Navy ships.[60] Today, various spread-spectrum techniques are incorporated into Bluetooth technology and are similar to methods used in legacy versions of Wi-Fi. Lamarr and Antheil's contributions were formally recognized in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Lamarr was married and divorced six times and had three children:

Friedrich Mandl (married 1933–37), chairman of the Hirtenberger Patronen-Fabrik

Gene Markey (married 1939–41), screenwriter and producer. She adopted a boy, James Lamarr Markey (born January 9, 1939) during her marriage with Markey. In 2001, James found out he was the out-of-wedlock son of Lamarr and actor John Loder, whom she later married as her third husband.

John Loder (married 1943–47), actor. James Lamarr Markey was adopted by Loder as James Lamarr Loder. During the marriage, Lamarr and Loder also had two further children: Denise Loder (born January 19, 1945), married Larry Colton, a writer and former baseball player; and Anthony Loder (born February 1, 1947), married Roxanne who worked for illustrator James McMullan. They both appeared in the documentary films Calling Hedy Lamarr (2004), and Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017).

Ernest "Ted" Stauffer (married 1951–52), nightclub owner, restaurateur, and former bandleader

W. Howard Lee (married 1953–60), a Texas oilman (he later married film actress Gene Tierney)

Lewis J. Boies (married 1963–65), Lamarr's divorce lawyer

Following her sixth and final divorce in 1965, Lamarr remained unmarried for the last 35 years of her life.

Lamarr became a naturalized citizen of the United States at age 38 on April 10, 1953. Her autobiography, Ecstasy and Me, was published in 1966. In a 1969 interview on The Merv Griffin Show, she said that she did not write it and claimed that much was fictional. Lamarr sued the publisher in 1966 to halt publication, saying that many details were fabricated by its ghost writer, Leo Guild. She lost the suit. In 1967, Lamarr was sued by Gene Ringgold, who asserted that the book plagiarized material from an article he had written in 1965 for Screen Facts magazine.

In the late 1950s, Lamarr designed and, with husband W. Howard Lee, developed the Villa LaMarr ski resort in Aspen, Colorado. After their divorce, her husband gained this resort

In 1966, Lamarr was arrested in Los Angeles for shoplifting. The charges were eventually dropped. In 1991, she was arrested on the same charge in Florida, this time for stealing $21.48 worth of laxatives and eye drops. She pleaded no contest to avoid a court appearance, and the charges were dropped in return for her promise to refrain from breaking any laws for a year.

During the 1970s, Lamarr lived in increasing seclusion. She was offered several scripts, television commercials, and stage projects, but none piqued her interest. In 1974, she filed a $10 million lawsuit against Warner Bros., claiming that the running parody of her name ("Hedley Lamarr") featured in the Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles infringed her right to privacy. Brooks said he was flattered; the studio settled out of court for an undisclosed nominal sum and an apology to Lamarr for "almost using her name". Brooks said that Lamarr "never got the joke". With her eyesight failing, Lamarr retreated from public life and settled in Miami Beach, Florida, in 1981.

In 1996, a large Corel-drawn image of Lamarr won the annual cover design contest for the CorelDRAW's yearly software suite. For several years, beginning in 1997, it was featured on boxes of the software suite. Lamarr sued the company for using her image without her permission. Corel countered that she did not own rights to the image. The parties reached an undisclosed settlement in 1998.

In 1997, Canadian company WiLAN signed an agreement with Lamarr to acquire 49% of the marketing rights of her patent, and a right of first refusal for the remaining 51% for ten quarterly payments. This was the only financial compensation she received for her frequency-hopping spread spectrum invention. A friendship ensued between her and the company's CEO, Hatim Zaghloul.

Lamarr became estranged from her son, James Lamarr Loder (who believed he was adopted until 2001), when he was 12 years old. Their relationship ended abruptly, and he moved in with another family. They did not speak again for almost 50 years. Lamarr left James Loder out of her will, and he sued for control of the US$3.3 million estate left by Lamarr in 2000. He eventually settled for US$50,000. James Loder was the Omaha, Nebraska police officer who was charged but then acquitted of the killing of 14 year old Vivian Strong in 1969.

In the last decades of her life, Lamarr communicated only by telephone with the outside world, even with her children and close friends. She often talked up to six or seven hours a day on the phone, but she spent hardly any time with anyone in person in her final years. A documentary film, Calling Hedy Lamarr, was released in 2004 and features her children Anthony Loder and Denise Loder-DeLuca.

Lamarr died in Casselberry, Florida, on January 19, 2000, of heart disease, aged 85. According to her wishes, she was cremated and her son Anthony Loder spread her ashes in Austria's Vienna Woods.

In 1939, Lamarr was voted the "most promising new actress" of 1938 in a poll of area voters conducted by a Philadelphia Record film critic.[95]

In 1951, British moviegoers voted Lamarr the tenth best actress of 1950,[96] for her performance in Samson and Delilah.

In 1960, Lamarr was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the motion picture industry, at 6247 Hollywood Blvd adjacent to Vine Street where the walk is centered.

In 1997, Lamarr and George Antheil were jointly honored with the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award.

Also in 1997, Lamarr was the first woman to receive the Invention Convention's BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award, known as the "Oscars of inventing".

In 2014, Lamarr and Antheil were posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology.

Also in 2014, Lamarr was given an honorary grave in Vienna's Central Cemetery, where the remaining portion of her ashes were buried in November, shortly before her 100th birthday.

Asteroid 32730 Lamarr, discovered by Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in 1951, was named in her memory. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on August 27, 2019 (M.P.C. 115894).

On 6 November 2020, a satellite named after her (ÑuSat 14 or "Hedy", COSPAR 2020-079F) was launched into space.

The 2004 documentary film Calling Hedy Lamarr features her children, Anthony Loder and Denise Loder-DeLuca.

In 2010, Lamarr was selected out of 150 IT people to be featured in a short film launched by the British Computer Society on May 20.

Also during 2010, the New York Public Library exhibit Thirty Years of Photography at the New York Public Library included a photo of a topless Lamarr (c. 1930) by Austrian-born American photographer Trude Fleischmann.

The 2017 documentary film Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, written and directed by Alexandra Dean and produced by Susan Sarandon,[108] about Lamarr's life and career as an actress and inventor, also featuring her children Anthony and Denise, among others, premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.[40] It was released in theaters on November 24, 2017, and aired on the PBS series American Masters in May 2018. As of April 2020, it is also available on Netflix.

During World War II, the Office of Strategic Services invented a pyrotechnic device meant to help agents operating behind enemy lines to escape if capture seemed imminent. When the pin was pulled, it made the whistle of a falling bomb followed by a loud explosion and a large cloud of smoke, enabling the agent to make his escape. It saved the life of at least one agent. The device was codenamed the Hedy Lamarr.[109]

The Mel Brooks 1974 western parody Blazing Saddles features a male villain named "Hedley Lamarr". As a running gag, various characters mistakenly refer to him as "Hedy Lamarr" prompting him to testily reply "That's Hedley."

In the 1982 off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors and subsequent film adaptation (1986), Audrey II says to Seymour in the song "Feed Me" that he can get Seymour anything he wants, including "A date with Hedy Lamarr."

On the Nickelodeon show Hey Arnold!, there is a running gag in which whenever something unfortunate happens to Arnold's grandfather, Phil, he constantly states how things would have been different if he had "married Hedy Lamarr instead!". In one episode, it is revealed that he carries a photo of her in his wallet.

In the 2003 video game Half-Life 2, Dr. Kleiner's pet headcrab, Lamarr, is named after Hedy Lamarr.

In 2008, an off-Broadway play, Frequency Hopping, features the lives of Lamarr and Antheil. The play was written and staged by Elyse Singer, and the script won a prize for best new play about science and technology from STAGE.

In 2011, the story of Lamarr's frequency-hopping spread spectrum invention was explored in an episode of the Science Channel show Dark Matters: Twisted But True, a series that explores the darker side of scientific discovery and experimentation, which premiered on September 7.

Batman co-creator Bob Kane was a great movie fan and his love for film provided the impetus for several Batman characters, among them, Catwoman. Among Kane's inspiration for Catwoman were Lamarr and actress Jean Harlow. Also in 2011, Anne Hathaway revealed that she had learned that the original Catwoman was based on Lamarr, so she studied all of Lamarr's films and incorporated some of her breathing techniques into her portrayal of Catwoman in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises.

In 2013, her work in improving wireless security was part of the premiere episode of the Discovery Channel show How We Invented the World.

In 2015, on November 9, the 101st anniversary of Lamarr's birth, Google paid tribute to Lamarr's work in film and her contributions to scientific advancement with an animated Google Doodle.

In 2016, Lamarr was depicted in an off-Broadway play, HEDY! The Life and Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, a one-woman show written and performed by Heather Massie.

Also in 2016, the off-Broadway, one-actor show Stand Still and Look Stupid: The Life Story of Hedy Lamarr starring Emily Ebertz and written by Mike Broemmel went into production.

Also in 2016, Whitney Frost, a character in the TV show Agent Carter, was inspired by Lamarr and Lauren Bacall.

In 2017, actress Celia Massingham portrayed Lamarr on The CW television series Legends of Tomorrow in the sixth episode of the third season, titled "Helen Hunt". The episode is set in 1937 "Hollywoodland" and references Lamarr's reputation as an inventor. The episode aired on November 14, 2017.

In 2018, actress Alyssa Sutherland portrayed Lamarr on the NBC television series Timeless in the third episode of the second season, titled "Hollywoodland". The episode aired March 25, 2018.

Gal Gadot is set to portray Lamarr in an Apple TV+ limited series based on her life story.

A novelization of her life, The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict, was published in 2019.

[heartbcund]

𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 : @debraganca​ ( madalena de bragança )

𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 : 1717

𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖓 : the left wing of the chateau of saint - cloud.

                  for  most  of  his  life,  he  had  struggled  with  viewing  the  chateau  of  saint  cloud  as  his  home  —  a  home  was  somewhere  you  felt  wanted  and  comfortable,  and  if  the  feeling  of  inadequacy  had  haunted  him  as  a  child,  in  his  youthhood  it  was  a  clear  persecution,  often  voiced  in  distaste  for  him  and  his  by  his  father.  it  was  as  such  alexandre  thought  a  hard  task  to  disassociate  the  orléans  main  residence  with  negativity,  yet,  as  his  brother  came  to  inherit  the  state,  and  then  the  later's  son,  it  seemed  as  if  there  was  a  vacancy  he  could  fill.  certainly  that  was  the  case  for  the  dozen  of  rooms  he  was  allowed  to  inhabit  as  he  wished,  and  alexandre  was  also  almost  convinced  there  was  a  spot  within  the  bosom  of  the  family  that,  too,  needed  to  be  taken.  

the  extraordinary  notion  of  it  still  shocked  him,  of  course,  as  he  was  so  deeply  used  to  not  being  able  to  simply  live  up  to  it  (  in  the  opinion  of  his  progenitors  )  and  take  a  role  in  this  household  but  it  was  with  a  natural,  instinctual  fashion  he  sought  to  entertain  a  part  that  had  not  been  given  to  him  by  right,  but  that  fell  to  him  anyways  by  circumstance  (  the  will  of  god,  his  grandfather  would  preach;  and  mine  own,  which  is  often  the  same  ). after  all, there  was  only  so  much  a  woman,  even  one  as  headstrong  and  seemingly  capable  as  the  portuguese  princess  turned  duchess  of  orléans,  could  do.  

that  much  is  clear  as  he  finds  charles  swinging  his  little  body  out  of  the  cushioned  seat  while  the  tutor  —  a  stuffy  kind,  probably  attempting  to  teach  the  kids  their  numbers  —  occupies  himself  with  françois,  who  doodles  rather  violently  on  almost  torn  paper  —  the  scene  is  so  ridiculously  despairing  he  wills  to  laugh,  and  he  does,  stifling  the  amusement  with  a  huff  as  he  walks  in  the  classroom  and  sees  it  fit  to  relieve  the  poor  tutor  from  the  trial  better  known  as  his  three  year  old  twin  nephews.  before,  he  remembers  faintly,  this  ruckus  would  be  broken  by  his  articulate  sister  -  in  -  law,  but  alexandre  can  not  find  it  in  himself  to  blame  her  for  this  when  she  probably  has  the  youngest  one  clung  to  her  breast,  along  with  all  the  other  duties  enthrusted  (  rather  unwillingly,  he  had  heard  his  cousins  say  )  upon  the  young  widow.  

“where  is  eleonore  ?”  he  queries  to  the  twins,  swinging  charles  into  his  arms  in  order  to  still  him  and  stop  the  little  brat  from  attempting  an  impromptu  hide  and  seek  (  something  that,  in  his  experience,  often  ended  with  the  two  of  them  tugging  at  decades  old  curtains  and  pushing  ancient  goods  out  of  the  way  to  make  room  for  them  to  hide  properly  ).  “françois,  come,  we  can’t  play  hide  and  seek  without  your  sister.  do  you  know  what  your  aunt  charlotte  would  do  if  we  played  without  her  ?  no,  you  do  not  wish  to  know.  first,  we  must  gather  the  lot  of  you.  come,  little  fiend,”  he  beckons  the  child  harshly,  but  his  tone  is  sweet,  and  his  hand  upon  the  short  curls  of  the  kid’s  head  is  affectionate  as  he  carries  the  eldest  of  the  two  and  guides  the  other  gently  by  the  back  of  the  head  out  of  the  room  to  begin  their  search.

[allgirlsareprincesses]

Another Search for the Lost Husband: Reylo as the Ballad of Tam Lin

This was originally going to be just a short post (HAHA) to cover a variation of the Search for the Lost Husband folktale type that wouldn’t fit into my previous metas, but then I did more research and BUCKLE UP, friends, because there’s lots to unpack here. Among my illustrated fairy tale collection is a version of popular Scottish ballad Tam Lin retold by Jane Yolen, and I noticed pretty quickly that this was another Cupid and Psyche tale (ATU 425) when I was doing research for my first post on the same topic. With the benefit of further research on Swan Maiden tales and various ways to disenchant fairy husbands, I realized that the Sequel Trilogy aligns surprisingly well with Tam Lin, and the story may offer yet more clues as to the ultimate fate of our heroes in The Rise of Skywalker.

While there are many, many different versions of the Ballad of Tam Lin (which dates to at least 1549 and probably well before), the basic outline of the story is thus: In the Scottish borderlands, young women are warned not to venture into the enchanted woods of Carterhaugh, where the faery prince Tam Lin dwells to steal their symbolic or literal maidenheads. A headstrong maiden, usually called Janet or Margaret, brazenly defies this warning and enters the wood to seek flowers, or to lay claim to the land which she says is her birthright. When she plucks a rose, Tam Lin appears asking by what right she enters his wood and “breaks his wand.” Unintimidated, Janet tells him that she is the rightful heir to Carterhaugh, and that she will come and go as she pleases.

Tam Lin then takes Janet by the hand or the waist, and she returns home to discover she is with child. When her family realizes it, they try to pressure her into marrying a suitable man, but Janet declares that her baby’s father is a faery whom she will not forsake. She returns to Carterhaugh to question Tam Lin as to whether he was ever human. The faery prince shares his sad story, that he was a mortal man who many years before was traveling in the wood when he fell from his horse and was abducted by the Queen of the Faeries and forced to serve with her knights. He tells Janet that he has been a captive for seven years, and he fears that on Halloween he will be offered as a tithe to Hell. However, Janet may free him if she carefully follows his instructions for breaking the enchantment.

[Original Art by Wylie Beckert]

At midnight on Halloween, Janet returns to a crossroad or bridge in the enchanted wood once more to carry out her lover’s rescue. When the faery company appear, she sees the knights on black, brown, and white horses. Recognizing Tam Lin on the white horse by his signal of having one glove off, she pulls him from his mount and holds him fast. The Faery Queen demands his return but Janet refuses, so the Queen transforms Tam Lin into a series of terrifying beasts in his lover’s arms. They bite and scratch her, but still she holds on until finally Tam Lin becomes a burning coal or cinder. At this moment, Janet plunges the fiery coal into a well, and Tam Lin emerges as a naked man. Still following his instructions, Janet throws her green mantel over him protectively, and the Faery Queen must acknowledge that the curse is broken, lamenting that she did not replace Tam Lin’s heart with stone and his eyes with wood.

That might seem like a lot of unnecessary detail, but what’s fascinating is how closely the Sequel Trilogy tracks with the folktale. To begin with, we have the menacing faery prince, Kylo Ren, who threatens the righteous and is feared throughout the galaxy. The heroine, Rey, ventures into a forest and finds him there, after we have seen rose imagery once in her AT-AT home on Jakku, and the “broken wand” in the form of the legacy lightsaber that she discovers in Maz’s castle in the same wood. She has in that sense “plucked” the rose which rightfully belongs to the Skywalker child, thus summoning him to demand of her why she treads on his birthright. When Kylo tries to intimidate her in the interrogation, she rebuffs him by turning his own powers back on him.

Just as Tam Lin takes Janet by the waist as a sign of his sexual conquest of her, so Kylo Ren lifts Rey into the distinctively romantic bridal carry in The Force Awakens. While Rey is of course not pregnant after this encounter, a bond has been forged between them, which is effectively the purpose of the pregnancy in the folktale: it signifies that the lovers now belong to one another and that they have a bond that is not easily broken. Soon, we learn more of Kylo Ren’s tragic past, that before he was the faery prince, he was a mortal man, Ben Solo.

Much as Tam Lin fell from his horse to be then abducted by the Faery Queen, young Ben fell from his path when his uncle Luke betrayed him, then turning to the controlling and manipulative Snoke. We further learn in the novels, comics, and other supplemental content that he was twenty-three when he fell to the Dark Side under Snoke’s tutelage, and we know that he is twenty-nine in The Force Awakens. We have been told that the events of The Rise of Skywalker occur roughly one year after TFA and The Last Jedi, which means that by the end of the story, Ben Solo will have spent seven years as a captive of the dark otherworld. In the folktale, Tam Lin has been a captive of the Faery Queen in her realm for seven years, after which he loses her favor and fears that he will be offered up as a sacrifice to Hell on Halloween.

A note about Halloween in this tale: Scottish folklore blends pagan and Christian traditions in its stories, so this holiday can also be understood as the Celtic celebration of the new year, Samhain. This was a time of change, when the barrier between the mortal world, underworld, and faery worlds became very thin and the likelihood of the dead visiting the living was high. This might not have had sinister undertones when it was first practiced by ancient Celts, but with the arrival of Christianity, such pagan rituals were assigned demonic connotations, which is why Tam Lin expresses his fear that he will be sacrificed to Hell (as he claims the faeries do every seven years). On Halloween, the faery company will cross into the mortal world, which is when Janet will have a chance to rescue her lover.

In the trailer for TROS, we hear Palpatine rasp “Long have I waited, and now, your coming together will be your undoing.” It seems from all the hints that have been dropped so far that the timing of his return is due to some event that offers a conduit from whatever state he’s in to greater influence over the mortal world. He’s either returning in corporeal form, or he’s somehow able to control the corporeal world enough to threaten our heroes and the galaxy as a whole. There are various theories as to how this might happen, but the point is that Palpatine has mythologically been confined to the otherworld since Anakin chucked him down the Death Star II shaft, and only now, at the same moment that Ben finishes his seventh year on the Dark Side, can Darth Sidious return.

Still more parallels appear when you consider the Knights of Ren, though we don’t know their full story yet without Charles Soule’s much-anticipated The Rise of Kylo Ren comic run. However, just as the Faery Queen forced Tam Lin to join her company of knights, so it seems that Snoke manipulated Ben Solo into joining the Knights of Ren and finally becoming one of them. In the folktale, several of these knights ride forth before Janet is able to identify her lover, a motif suggested by the appearance of the helmeted Knights in TROS along with the now-helmeted Kylo.

But how does Janet identify Tam Lin? He has one glove removed as he rides. This is certainly an image that appears in the Sequel Trilogy, as Ben Solo removes one glove to touch Rey’s hand in TLJ. It is this action that finally allows her to recognize him as his true self rather than as Kylo Ren. As I’ve discussed in other posts, seeing or knowing a lover is often the key to rescuing them from the dark power of the otherworld, as is being seen and known oneself. The removal of the mask and the removal of the glove serve the same purpose: these allow the mortal lover to recognize her true husband and claim him as her own.

While we eagerly await the ending of the Sequel Trilogy and the saga as a whole, the folktale offers tantalizing clues as to what might happen. In the ballad, Janet must hold tightly to Tam Lin as the Faery Queen transforms him into various beasts and finally into a burning coal, in an effort to make Janet release him. This Protean motif might appear in TROS as Palpatine trying to convince Rey that Ben is not who she believes him to be, that he is a monster beyond saving. The motif of fire is also likely to appear, as leaked concept art suggests that Mustafar is likely to make an appearance in the final film. Transforming into a fiery coal is another expression of burning the beast’s skin, a sort of baptism by fire which cleanses the faery husband of his beastly form.

Speaking of baptism, the last thing that Janet does to save her beloved is throw the burning coal into a well, after which Tam Lin emerges as a naked mortal man. The connotations here are obvious: the healing power of water appears in all mythologies, so the well in this instance serves to douse the fire and baptize the fallen prince, both healing and cleansing him of his connection with the faery realm. Many have theorized that Rey’s association with water in the production design suggests she may gain healing powers, but even if she’s not the explicit agent of Ben’s healing, we know that water in several forms will factor heavily into his redemption, as we’ve seen both snow and a raging ocean in the trailers so far. It seems likely that Ben Solo will rise from the water at some point a new man, no longer under the power of the Dark Side and ready to be united with his true bride.

While the original ballad does not record much beyond the Faery Queen’s anger at losing Tam Lin, the children’s book version I have has Janet marrying her prince and having children with him at Carterhaugh, her inheritance of which kicked off the whole story. This enchanted wood is the magic of the folktale, so it seems to me much like the Force is to Rey and Ben Solo. Ben was the original inheritor of a Force legacy, but after his fall, that legacy eventually went to Rey. Only when they are united can the Force be new and whole again, rather than the forbidding ruin it has become. This is why I find it so intriguing that John Boyega said he had expected Episode IX’s title to be “Heirs to the Force.”

So there you go; yet another rambling post about how the Sequel Trilogy is totally the Search for the Lost Husband and Rey is going to get her man by the end of TROS. I hope you liked this latest installment, and please let me know if you discover other variations of this folktale!

[crimsonredemption]

Your take on the gang as Disney princes/heroes etc?

okay, this is my jam! @arthurs-atonement ​ helped me with a few of these! Thanks bby! Please feel free to add more!  Yall this is gonna be a long post!

Van der Linde boys and girls as Disney’s heroes/heroines 

Notes: This is completely random, sometimes I just go with the general vibes from the characters, sometimes the storyline, etc. I think I saw a post by @redemptionbaby ​ weeks ago talking about this but I can baaaarely remember it?? 

Arthur Morgan: Captain Phoebus (The Hunchback of notre dame) honestly I just kinda think they have quite a bit in common. They’re strong, trustworthy, kind and caring. Even though they both value loyalty, they decide to go against the wishes and orders of their superior, in order to do the right thing and follow their heart. Also, I could just easily see Arthur falling for Esmeralda or someone of her caliber. 

Javier Escuella: Eugene Fitzherbert aka Flynn Rider (Tangled) We all know of Javier's past as a thief, and I love the idea of Javier climbing up a tower in hopes of finding a treasure only to be greeted by a woman who just smacks him with a frying pan, he would also almost definitely try to help her escape as well, he has a big soft heart. Javier and Flynn are both kinda vain so I could absolutely imagine Javier being unhappy with his wanted posters “THIS LOOKS NOTHING LIKE ME” 

Charles Smith: Hercules They’re both very big, strong and soft boys/men who actually really only wanna help those in need. Charles, as well as Hercules, takes on a lot of responsibility. While Hercules does that because he thinks it’s his duty as a hero, Charles does it out of love for the ones he cares about and the goodness of his heart. I’m not tryna say Hercules doesn’t have a good heart u know what I mean ALso I wouldn’t mind seeing Charles in Hercules outfit thank you

Dutch van der Linde: John Smith (Pocahontas) I see some similarities here between those two men, mainly their very fastly shifting priorities. They both are very quick to be fire and flames for something or someone, but it doesn’t take long for them to lose interest. Their priorities change and if those who are close to them do not share their visions, they abandon them. John left Pocahontas in the movies and never answered her letters, or got back to her. Later on, he decides he would just rather sail the world, instead of spending his life with her and when she tells him that she has responsibilities that she can’t run from, he leaves her behind. Dutch also leaves those who love him behind in the end. 

Emma (@arthurs-antonement) says that Gaston is also a very good fit for Dutch, and I agree! While I don’t think Dutch is AS vain as Gaston, he definitely has those tendencies. Much like Gaston, Dutch thinks he’s doing the right thing, and it gets to a point where he doesn't listen to reason anymore which more or less leads to his death. 

Lenny Summers: Aladdin Lenny is a young, inexperienced boy who relies on guidance from the people who surround him and who he looks up to. Both are parentless and thus so crave a place to belong, a better life even. Aladdin is brave, fast on his feet, loyal and also very smart and mischievous; somehow all these fit Lenny perfectly in my opinion?  

Kieran Duffy: Milo Thatch (The lost empire of Atlantis) Okay we know Milo’s biggest asset is his intellect, it’s what get him to join the expedition to Atlantis in the first place. He’s academically trained, which of course is nothing Kieran can say for himself? But none of the gang members can really, so whatcha gonna do. What I love about Kieran is that he’s so incredibly loyal to those he loves, he fights for what he thinks is right. He’s shy and introverted, and so is Milo. They don’t believe they have much to give but that’s so far from the truth, and those who truly get to know them will see that they’re willing to give their all to the right cause. 

Mary-Beth Gaskill: Ariel (The little mermaid) Mary-Beth is a true romantic at heart, and I just know she would have liked the original story of the little mermaid by Hans-Christian Anderson, even though it ends tragically. But we’re with Disney now so, yeah. She’s young, headstrong, loves to daydream, and likes the thrill of adventure. Who am I describing? Is it Mary-Beth? Is it Ariel? We’ll never know. I also can see Mary-Beth actually selling something vital to an evil witch in exchange for a chance to be with her one true love. 

Hosea Matthews: Mufasa (The Lion King) Another suggestion from Emma, which I’m so thankful for because it fits perfectly!! He’s a father figure to Arthur, as much as Mufasa is a father to Simba. Hosea sees through Arthur in a heartbeat and tells him to stay true to himself and to the cause, the real one. Mufasa also reminds Simba to remember who he is and to stay true to his heart. 

John Marston: Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid)  I gotta be honest with you guys I thought long and hard about Johnny M. and I know it doesn’t fit perfectly, but??? I would go with Eric???? I can just perfectly imagine John at the beach, being rescued by someone with a beautiful voice and falling in love instantly, just to be fooled later on because someone else has that exact same voice but looks nothing like the woman who saved him? He’s a little dumb but has a good heart, they both do. 

I also thought about Jack Skellington, someone who wants to escape their current situation because it’s getting unbearable. But it doesn’t work out and he has to fall back into old patterns, into his old life. Also really resonates with Johns life, I think. 

Molly O’Shea: Duchess (The Aristocats) Literally the first thing that came to my mind was the Duchess, whose life has been turned upside down the moment she met this charming stray who shows her the world outside of her guarded home. Molly fell for an outlaw and abandoned her wealthy life for the chance of love, but it turned out to be only a shadow of what she hoped to get. The end of Aristocats is, of course, a happy one. 

Tilly Jackson: Rapunzel (Tangled) Okay can I just say that I adore the visuals here? Tilly sitting in the frame of her window, a book in her hand and an increeeedibly long braid falling down the side of the tower??? Aside from that, Rapunzel's story reminded me a little bit of Tilly. She was “imprisoned” in a gang for a significant amount of time until she freed herself and found a life and a family that loves her. Kinda like Tilly, who was “imprisoned” in her former camp and found Dutch his gang, who protected and cared for her. 

Abigail Marston: Nani (Lilo and Stitch) It actually took me a while to think of a good mother figure...I suppose Disney is notoriously ignoring mothers, or often have them as the villains. While of course Nani isn’t Lilo’s mother, she slips into the role of a parent after their actual parents died. She’s impulsive, and chronically overwhelmed and stressed (but duh she’s not that old herself of course she’s stressed) but also very loving and understanding. Abigail shares all these traits I think! 

Sadie: Merida (Brave)They’re both very headstrong, impulsive and independent. If they put their mind to something, you can be sure that they’re gonna try to make it happen - whatever it takes. 

[diana-prince-s]

Harlots Thoughts

so I watched 3x01 at like 12:30 and I was just so psyched when I finished it because IT’S BACK, then I slept and thought about it for a little and here we are

spoilers ahead

•I’m not a huge fan of time jumps in any series and in any capacity, because I think there is a chance that a lot of necessary (and enjoyable) information is lost. Time jumps should be used appropriately (like not when you just left three to four storylines on pretty big cliff hangers).

•That said, Harlots did it and while I don’t think it was the right move, it was the move, so it’s up to the writers to make up for the lost year and give us the information -- and they didn’t.

•How did Charlotte’s house become the best one in London? When did William North leave, where is Jacob, and why don’t they have better protection than Nance (she’s formidable but come on, even Will has been taken down before)? How does Charlotte feel about Isabella, how does Isabella feel about Charlotte, and when did they make up? Did they make up? Where did all of Quigley’s girls go? Is Anne Pettifer with the Marquess of Blayne?

•On the subject of unanswered questions: Violet, Amelia, Hunt, and Mrs. Scanwell. Obviously one of the bigger cliffhangers, since Amelia was almost killed twice, Hunt was finally understanding the world of the poor and of harlotry and was going to do something about it, even as a former justice. Hunt was going to reengage his engagement to Amelia, and Amelia and Violet’s relationship was coming to a head. Also, Violet was about to be a spy.

•My theory is that the actors left. The writers wouldn’t have written an intertwined cliffhanger like that and then just write the characters out for lack of care. Also, they haven’t yet written the characters out, so it’s actually possible that they will show up in a later episode (which points to a serious flaw in this episode -- more on that later).

•Charlotte and Isabella: where are we? One of the many downfalls of a time jump, and this time jump in particular, is that we are missing an entire year of a story. The last interaction we had between Charlotte and Isabella was an angry and headstrong Isabella, finally empowered to take agency in her life, going off to get her daughter back from her brother (you know, after Charlotte wouldn’t take the situation seriously and gave Lydia an opening to take Sophia); Charlotte was overwhelmed by the death of her mother and heartbroken that Isabella refused to help her. Also, don’t forget that Isabella is the reason the women didn’t take down all the Spartans or get true justice for their fallen.

•Fast forward to one year later, and we get a total of one (1) Charlotte/Isabella scene that is supposed to fill in the gaps. I understand that the writers were trying to “show, don’t tell” this one, but they barely showed anything and told us absolutely nothing. The line about Charlotte not having any men in her bed, and the little (happy? hopeful?) look from Isabella is the only smidge of information that we received about the nature of their relationship. I can’t tell if they are lovers, just friends, or merely allies. 

•Of course, I had hoped that they’d made up and were lovers, but I think even then I’d be disappointed not having seen any of the process of making up. I’m disappointed no matter what they are, because we haven’t seen any interaction that would show us meaningful conversations over the last year (I also think in a year they would have already addressed what had happened -- a year is a super dramatic time jump).

•The scene with Isabella and Nancy was cute and was a bit more indicative of the relationship that Isabella has with Charlotte and with her house in general, but once again it doesn’t fit into the timeline of: a year after Charlotte and Isabella parted in a bad way, they are now tentative friends with obvious lingering chemistry but Charlotte still holds a grudge, but also Isabella goes to Greek Street often enough to be chummy with Nancy.

•I’m going to be honest, I’m shocked it’s taken this long for Sophia’s parentage to be questioned.

•I like the idea of Isabella pushing the boundaries of propriety and throwing out her reputation, but, once again, this seems like something that might have happened a long time ago, since Isabella spent a good number of weeks “conspiring with... harlots” in broad daylight and had already brought Charlotte and Lydia Quigley into her circles. I’m not sure why inviting Charlotte -- now a respected bawd rather than just a talented harlot -- to Isabella’s salon is that much more of a scandal now.

•I don’t understand the idea of Sophia running away, although I read someone’s theory that the servant she’s running away with was paid by Harcourt (props to whomever that was) so I guess that’s going to be neat. That just didn’t make sense to me.

•I’m interested to see where the Fanny/Charles storyline goes. I never really liked Charles, even when he worked with the women to throw Lydia in Bedlam, but to see him so low actually makes me very sad.

•They are doing really well with the Lydia storyline. I have always hated Lydia and I absolutely think she’s getting what she deserves, but every so often during the Bedlam scenes I caught myself pitying her, then I reminded myself how awful she was. That’s a really interesting and fun way to feel about a character, and I commend the writers for doing well with that.

•I love the idea of Lucy being a bawd, and I think it makes a lot of sense with her history of being afraid of men and having little desire to be a harlot. It’s weird to me that she’s this young and already a bawd, but I guess there isn’t like an age limit for bawds. Go Lucy.

•On to the men: I’m happy for Harlots’ continued presentation of  “every white straight male on our show is awful” because it’s true. However, I don’t find Alfie Allen (Isaac? Theon? What’s his name?) that interesting. He’s not particularly charming, he’s not particularly threatening, and he isn’t that witty. The rhyming and “poetic” dialogue isn’t... that good. He doesn’t have chemistry with Charlotte. Also, I feel like the entire pimp thing was brought about too quickly and resolved too quickly

•Charlotte has this incredible ability to think so quickly on her feet. She always seems to have a remedy for the fuckery she gets caught up in, because she’s really smart. However, I think that the pacing of the episode was just so bad. It took her two seconds to deal with the Pimp Problem and when it didn’t work, it took her another four seconds to get a better fix. The storyline just doesn’t challenge her.

I guess that’s all, so let me know if I forgot anything super important!

It looks like I’ll be writing fics from “the forgotten year”

[brujeria-histeria]

Best Mates

Harry meets up with his Friend who he hasn’t seen in years. Hacy of course.

Packing was all done, now it was time to say goodbye for the long weekend. Maggie double checked his checklist and checked his clothes, Mel suggested the best coffee shops in the area according to her friend in that city and Macy... well sweet Macy baked him a sweet send off treat and gave him a thermos full of his favorite piping hot tea, with a blush. She had learned well from his tea lesson tutelage. 

Harry was going to Seattle for the extended weekend to do important whitelighter business. He was only comfortable going making sure each of his charges pinky swore to call him immediately should any problem they could not face alone arised. He was excited himself because he’d be seeing an old friend he hadn’t seen in a couple of decades.  Louis Aznavour Jordan, a french born whitelighter who had been his partner in crime for a long time. 

Louis’s charges were often connected or close to his charges, up until he was assigned Fiona. They had many adventures together and in whitelighter years Louis was 10 years his senior, although they both died at the age of 37, Louis was born in 1910, whereas Harry was born in 1920. With country pride an all that, some wouldn’t think a Frenchman and an Englishman would get along so splendidly but they did. Louis was a dashing man, of course with an air of old fashioned charm and the handsome face to match, he had wavy slightly lighter brown hair than Harry, but was the same height as him and some would mistake them as cousins.”

After hugging each the girls goodbye, a kiss on the cheek from Maggie and squeezing Macy a little extra tight after he heard her breathe him in, he snapped his fingers and made it to a “checkpoint” in an alleyway and then emerged from it hailing a cab to his hotel. He got all checked in and made his way to the meeting spot in a reserved restaurant and looked around eagerly for Louis. 

“GREENWOOD!” He heard that distinct voice yell across a room full of Whitelighters. 

“JORDAN!” they shook hands and embraced warmly. “Good to see you old chap.” Harry smiled. 

“Likewise Mon Amie. Look at you, Whitelighter to the Charmed ones! I’m proud of you.” he praised him honestly. The pair continued to compliment and catch up on their way to a table where they ordered tea and finger sandwiches. 

“So, what’s it like serving the Charmed ones?” Louis leaned in. “I heard they are very cute young ladies.” Harry grew uncomfortable at his words, not because Louis was being offensive, because they were ......cute and Macy in particular made him blush a lot with how......cute... she was.

“Louis please, have some respect.” he blushed. 

“What? Word gets around, I heard they’re very talented and smart too. The youngest one wants to be what a psychiatrist, the middle one is almost a professor herself and the oldest one a doctor. Jackpot of charges.” he said sipping his water. “My current charge, bless his heart, is wants to go live in Salem to feel his ancestors before him, yet the boy is too scared to drive.” 

“I don’t blame him, people drive worse today than back in our day.” Harry replied. “And yes, I have great girls, they’re Darlings, mischievous and hard headed, but Darlings.” 

“Aren’t they all, hard headed and conniving?” Louis laughed.

“Mmm,” Harry hummed sipping his tea “Maggie the youngest one, truly is the definition of a younger sister, if it weren’t for the fact I’m almost 100 years old I’d swear she’s mine, she’s an angel but uses her big doe eyes to get her way when I won’t budge, she’s still compassionate and huge sweetheart and all she wants to do is help, she’s wise in her own ways.” 

“Children, always made you a softie.” Louis chuckled, 

“She’s 19 but yes in relativity to me, a child.” he scoffed. “Mel is the middle child, she’s hard headed and headstrong but I respect the hell out of that girl and she’s very smart, she takes no mess from anyone, not even me but she’s still so sweet when she doesn’t think anyone notices, she’s gained that aspect of kindness from her mother.” 

“Mmm sounds like my old charge Randie, remember her?” Louis asked, not particularly needing an answer. 

“Macy is the eldest and she’s...wonderful. She’s insanely smart, her I.Q. is impressively high. She’s a scientist, she went off to college at 16, you know.” Harry praised, and Louis noticed a shift in Harry’s demeanor. “She loves to bake and do nerdy little awkward things like watch corny 90s tv shows. And she’s so strong, she mastered her power in almost no time.”

“Hm,” Louis stared intently at Harry, who had a small smile grace his lips. “You have a crush on her don’t you?” 

“What??” Harry whipped his head up. “I, I do not, Louis, don’t be ridiculous.” he scoffed. 

“Greenwood I have known you since 1965, and I know how you look when you meet a girl you fancy and I know how you look when you meet a girl you really really fancy. And right now it looks like you really really fancy the eldest.” Louis said biting his sandwich nonchalantly. 

“I, well, um, well you know I can’t...” Harry sighed, there was no use in lying to Louis. They’d both known each other through each other’s relationships, even his relationship with Charity “Its not like I can actually date her, Louis, yes she’s gorgeous and smart, but she’s my actual charge and I’m.... like an old man compared to her. I was alive well before she was thought of.” Harry slouched in his seat. 

Louis understood Harry’s apprehension of course, Harry never dated a charge, not only was it against the rules but Harry for the most part would date around with mortal non magical women until it was time to move onto the next charge, well until he met Charity. 

“Harry, mon amie, if you go through your whole whitelighter lifespan worried about a fully grown adult woman being in diapers in the 80s or afterwards, you’ll never get laid again.” Louis sipped his tea a matter of factly, “My rule is 30 or older. Never younger personally. We feel, things Harry. Unless you want to be celibate you don’t have to be. We need love in our lives too, you know as well as I do our lives can be lonely, when you go home to your bed at night and there’s no wife or husband... no kids interrupting your sleep to climb in bed with you, if you’re lucky the least you could get is a cat or a dog... we’ve had all these things before probably... why should we be loveless servants, we’re more than that, and there are no elders around anymore. We’re free to love who we want.”

“Thank you Louis, but I don’t know if she really wants me in the same way I want her.” 

“Take time to feel her out, does she act differently around you, spend time with you outside of magic training and demon hunting?” 

“Well... she bakes me special treats, we have tea time and tv show bingeing together, we cook together, we listen to the opera together, sometimes the crystals that are brung into her lab for testing will be very old and the ones she finds as old as 1920 she names them after me, like Harry the 3rd.” Harry mused, a smile forming. 

“When did you first get a crush on her?” Louis had never seen his friend so happy.

“Mmm, probably after I first met her, and got to know her, and how she used science to solve problems along with magic. Of course I wasn’t head over heels, I fancied her a bit, but she was into another man at the time which eventually didn’t work out..”

“Well, mon amie, I say go for it. It sounds like she may be sweet on you back. I love to meet your amour and the other Charmed sisters one day.” 

“I think when i get back I’m going to ask to spend more time with her. I hope you meet them too, and I hope you fall in love like I have.” Harry sighed.

“I did, but you didn’t like me back.” Louis winked. 

“Hush up, you cheeky man.” Harry laughed

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Louis’s name is based on one of the two french actors/entertainers I know and I like them alot Louis Jordan and Charles Aznavour. I described him to kinda look like Louis Jordan though with Charles’s curly hair. Also I know more German than French and I’m not really good at Deutsche either lol

[raphaels-prism-crew]

Prism Characters - Full List

Patricia Sanders (Pat, Trish, Trisha) - 19 at beginning of series.  Aspiring Pangaean bard.  College student.  Long, red hair, blue eyes.  Full of hope until a certain asshole (Vlad, see below) shows up and by a certain series of events permanently damages her left hand.  After a while she realizes he’s cool (most of the time) but there’s still issues.

Leland Sanders (Lee) - Pat’s older brother (26 y/o).  One of 3 people who call her “Trish/Trisha”.  She would call him an asshole.  She wouldn’t be wrong.  Matching hair and eyes, easy to tell they’re related.  Has a dragon brand on his left arm, a bond to the Golden Crown. In a complicated relationship with Lindsey.

Lindsey Praett (Liz) - Faerie con artist, wanted by a lot of people - not least of all the Golden Crown.  Brunette hair worn in a bob, blue eyes. Because of faerie biology she ages twice as fast as a human, so she’s 14 with the body and mind of a 28-year-old (feel free to ask me about the Seelie! I’d love to talk about my worldbuilding!). In a complicated relationship with Leland.

Eva Renfield-Blake (Eva Blake, Eva Stockton) - Helsing (vampire hunter) bloodline, raised by vampires, mostly Todd.  Married to Ren Blake, mother of triplet boys with a fourth on the way.  25 at beginning of the series, at the University with the intention of becoming a social services equivalent (that bit of worldbuilding is still under construction). Blonde hair worn in a wedge, green eyes, outgoing and headstrong.  Friendly personality.  Pat’s roommate at college.

Ren Blake (Renfield) - Eva’s husband, one of the few Renfields to have actually escaped from Dracula.  (for more Renfield information feel free to ask me, it’s a bit of building I’m really happy with).  Brown hair, brown eyes, quiet demeanor. Stays at home with the triplets while Eva finishes school; plans to be a stay-at-home dad when she’s finished, even though they haven’t quite decided yet.  

Leanne Sterling (Ash, Detective Sterling) - 22-year-old police commander in the New Pangaean Capital.  She’s clever, shrewd, and an excellent actress.  One of the few people who can meet Erik Dracula head-on in a battle of wits.  In “a simple relationship” with Doc.  Hair is somewhere between ash-blonde and mousy brown, long but usually worn in an updo so it’s out of the way; fair complexion; delicate features; grey eyes.  Can and will kick your ass.  You will thank her when she’s done. Best in her field and up for promotion soon, likely to be chosen as Head of New Pangaean Intelligence after completing officer’s training at the University.  Only competition is Luc.

Draeven Rafel Agon (Doc) - draconic veterinarian, laid-back personality.  Loves his job.  Dark hair, dark eyes.  Been friends with Ash since childhood, now in “a simple relationship” with her.

Marcus Benipe - 21-year-old Bouda (like a hyena werewolf, but it’s completely voluntary, transformation is complete, and it can be “cured”) prince with an attitude.  Dark hair, dark complexion, dark eyes.  Excellent warrior, smart but comes off as a class clown. Can’t seem to take anything seriously, least of all himself.  But is extremely loyal and a trusted friend of the Princes, especially Charles.

Lucian Bubioscandia (Luc) - 22-year-old military intelligence officer. Half-Fae. Calm, collected, serious.  A double-agent (triple-agent?) against the Golden Crown.  Very close to Prince Henry. Grey hair, green eyes.  Big grey wings.  Seems compliant most of the time but often out of loyalty to an individual rather than a cause.  Can be stubborn.  Is very smart.  Has done his job so well that he is one of the top choices for Head of New Pangaean Intelligence, his only real competition being Ash.

Heather Titian - Faerie of an influential (and highly criminal) family trying to escape that life, unlike her adopted sister, Abathy.  Fair complexion, hair colored light purple like her natural eye color.  Really just wants a simple life but the way events are going it’s unlikely.  Looks and acts 22-ish but is around 11 (like Lindsey and all faeries she ages twice as fast as humans).

Charles Werner - Second Prince of the New Pangaean Empire, and a complete dork.  Dark brunet hair and hazel eyes.  Is 20 at the beginning of the series but acts younger.  Not exactly leader material, nor does he want to be.  His brother is the heir, not him, he’s just a guy who happens to be a prince.  Second of three people to call Pat “Trish/Trisha”.

Henry Werner - Crown Prince of the New Pangaean Empire, anticipated heir to the throne.  Fair hair, brown eyes.  Is 25 at the beginning of the series but acts older.  Has most good leadership abilities and is very familiar with the cultures under the Empire’s banner and a few outside it.  Well-educated, well-liked.  A good kid really.

Ninko - daughter of Lord Tenko of the Kitsune.  Four-tails, most likely heir of the nine-tails title (feel free to ask about kitsunes, another proud monument of worldbuilding).  Another skilled warrior with proud heritage, but is also a talented healer and fast learner.  Typically kitsune red hair and dark eyes.

Yako - two-tails, one of the few kitsune with black hair.  He’s a bit of a self-made outcast, he prefers his own company or that of the Kappa outside the village to that of other Kitsune.  He doesn’t know much about Southern culture but is more than willing to learn.

Todderick Howards (Todd, Howards, Millennium) - Unseelie who’s put himself into a neutral position, not an easy thing to do but considering he’s one of the oldest vampires alive (second only to the Golden Crowns) there aren’t many who are willing to mess with him.  After the death of his maker, Sarge Garrett, he adopted Eva Stockton.  He looks to be in his 20s - maybe early 30s - with black hair and green eyes.  He’s also very tall, more than six feet.

Vlad Dracula (Drake) - Younger Golden Crown Brother and apparent villain until you get to know him.  He’s the scary one: in your face, fangs bared, apparently a sadistic asshole.  But in reality? He’s a big softie.  He gets easily attached to people.  He admires Ash Sterling and would consider himself friends with Pat (“Trish/Trisha”), though whether that feeling is mutual varies between points in the story.  Also tall, dark hair and dark eyes that, like all Unseelies’, reflect red in the light.  

Erik Dracula - Older Golden Crown Brother, and at first glance, the tame one. Seems introverted, quiet, polite.  But he’s the manipulative one, the brains, the leader.  He lacks empathy.  His only loyalty lies with family: his brother, his wife, and his son.

Abathy Titian-Dracula (Abby) - Faerie changeling (human adopted by the Seelie and imbued with magic), adopted sister to Heather and wife of Erik.  To put it crudely, a crazy bitch. She’s sadistic, strong, and smart, with a few glosses of charm if she needs them. She loves her husband, but the only person she would be willing to sacrifice herself completely for is her young son, Agravein.  Seelie magic and proximity to Unseelie has made her aging a bit weird but biologically she’s in her early 30s.

Agravein Dracula (Aggie) - 1-year-old son of Erik and Abathy, making him half-Unseelie, half-human, with Seelie attributes.  There isn’t much to say about him in Prism as he’s a baby through most of the main series but he’ll be the star player in the sequel series.

That’s it for now! It’s a lot but there are other characters who might be mentioned - they’re either minor or dead.  Depends on the character.  

[quantumrpg]

NAME: Nicolette “Nic” Bordeaux  AGE: 28/188 SPECIES: Vampire OCCUPATION: Owner of Hell Above YEAR OF ARRIVAL: 1863 RESIDENT FOR… fifty years. FACECLAIM: Crystal Reed

t i m e  i s  a n  i l l u s i o n,  b u t  n o t  o u r  s t o r i e s…

Trigger warning(s): child abuse, domestic violence, mention of attempted rape, child abduction, attempted suicide, violence, murder.

Following three days of fighting, protests and demonstrations, a period in French history that would forever be known as the French Revolution of 1830, Charles X abdicated the monarchy and the upper bourgeoisie successfully managed to place Louis-Philippe I as his successor. The fact the upper middle class was able to secure both a political and social ascendancy saw the birth of the July Monarchy, and although they had been displeased with their new king, save from a few reforms, the people continued to grow discontented with the monarchy. While the liberals and revolutionaries revolted, an innocent baby girl was born into the political atrocity of France but instead of the welcoming arms and loving smile of her mother, the first sight Nicolette Eliana Bordeaux witnessed was the weeping of her father. It wasn’t long until his tears eventually turned into angry fists and hatred shining in dark eyes. This was the only form of her father Nicolette knew, the only element of him she could recall. From the instant she was old enough to figure it out, Nicolette knew her father despised her, just as she knew her mother had died giving birth to her. With Nicolette’s elder sister Adeline being already 6 when she was born, the eldest of the Bordeaux daughters were old enough to begin detesting her little sister due to their father’s belief that it was indeed Nicolette’s fault his wife was dead.

Andre Bordeaux was a renowned alchemist and estate owner; an inherently wealthy nobleman among the aristocracy of France, and with no sons, Adeline became the heiress of her father’s fortune. Nicolette and Adeline grew up during the Victorian Era; the Bordeaux’s an upper-class family, living in Marseille among the poor. With their wealth came a life of luxury; living in a house so large it would be impossible not to find yourself lost among its array of rooms, numerous maids, and servants at their every becking call. Adeline was showered with gifts from her father, always adorning the finest pearls and wearing the most elegant dresses. Their father’s suits were tailored, equally as expensive as his eldest daughter’s dresses. Despite leading an obscenely lavish and excessive lifestyle, Nicolette was a lonely child, starved of love from her father or even companionship from her sister. She was never bought gifts or dresses, instead, Adeline’s cast-offs were always sufficed enough. If it wasn’t for the fact she had to be seen to blend in with the other upper-class girls, Nicolette was certain such a garment would never have been on her back in the first place. As a result of her father and sister’s hatred toward her, she spent her days alone; roaming around the vast house, occupying her childish mind with simple games of hide and seek, except she knew no one would ever seek her. Nicolette was an outcast in her own family and often wished she had died in place of her mother.

Nicolette was 8 when her father purchased a beautiful chestnut brown Clydesdale. Immediately, the young girl fell in love with the creature and with her father out for the majority of the days, she kept herself busy by attending to the horse and caring for it. There was a fragment of the girl’s mind that told her she had to keep her involvement with her father’s horse a secret, otherwise, he would become angry with her. The affection she showed the horse was often the only solace the girl sought; it became the driving force behind her temporary happiness. Her sneaking outside to tend to the creature lasted an entirety of three years, however, the solace did not. In a tragic turn of events, Nicolette’s beloved horse had broken one of its hind legs. The day she discovered this was also the day her sister happened upon her attempting to aid the horse. Of course, the girl pleaded with her sister not to tell their father although the biggest fraction of her brain told her it was futile; her sister hated her as much as their father did and wouldn’t spare her his abuse at learning this fact. Indeed, her father was informed of this and late that night, he stormed into Nicolette’s room, dragged the girl from her bed barefoot and out to the stable where he scolded his daughter. As her eyes stung with tears, the welt of her father’s belt already taking formation upon her delicate skin, the young girl cried not for her father’s abuse, something she’d know all her life, but for the horse. At the tender age of eleven, perhaps in an opportune moment to punish his youngest daughter for taking his wife from him, Andre Bordeaux had Nicolette kill her precious horse; an event which remains to haunt her and will do for the rest of eternity. That night, she lay among the haystacks in the stable next to the Clydesdale and wept enough tears she thought she might never shed a single one ever again.

For the next three years, the Bordeaux family grew more and more sinister toward each other and on Nicolette’s fourteenth birthday, Adeline, at the age of 20, informed her little sister and their father she was to be married to a noble banker and leave their ornate mansion promptly after her nuptials. Despite the abuse and torment Nicolette had faced from her sister, there remained a shred of decency, a glimmer of hope inside the teenager’s heart. She had spent her entire life aiming to please both her father and her sister. She could play various instruments, speak several languages fluently, recite every Victor Hugo poem word for word. Yet, still, she went unnoticed and neglected by her family. Even after all of that, even after the trauma of her beloved horse killed by her own hands, Nicolette clung to the faith that one day, maybe her own sister’s heart would soften for her. It was a childish and hopeless thought to waste her energy considering that in a time of happiness and love such as marriage, the same sentiments would be expressed toward her. The girl’s excitement at the prospect of her elder sister getting married, and possibly allowed attendance of it, was ripped to shreds when the eldest Bordeaux forbid her sister from attending the wedding or even setting foot near the ceremony. While the entire village, their father, noblemen and noblewomen attended Adeline’s wedding, Nicolette sat alone at home. It was that very day a deep-rooted hatred and resentment for her sister and father bubbled up deep inside her following years upon years of unfair treatment.

As she stated, Adeline left her enormous childhood home the instant her vows had been exchanged, leaving Nicolette and their father alone for the first time since the young brunette had been born into the world. With his beloved eldest daughter married and living elsewhere, Andre seemed to take this out on Nicolette; his abuse and taunting worse than before. It took a few months but the instant the young woman found the strength within herself to attempt retaliation against the cruelty of her father, was the moment Nicolette transformed from a desperate and vulnerable girl unloved by her father into a headstrong and defiant woman who displayed as little respect for her father as possible. Of course, her disrespect and defiance were always rewarded with further outrage and violence but this did little to ebb her resistance. Desirous to rid himself of his youngest daughter for once and for all, Andre Bordeaux attempted encouraging Nicolette to find herself a potential suitor. Naturally, she declined his suggestions each and every time they arose. And naturally, each and every time she declined, her father’s contempt for her grew and grew. This brief exchange of words between the pair stretched years, every time ending with her father’s hand wrapped around her neck in an endeavor to frighten her into agreeing, but Nicolette swore to herself the night of her sister’s wedding she would never allow her father to intimidate her into doing his bidding. Instead, the brunette would parade around the town, clothed in the most expensive and beautiful gowns courtesy of her father as a prompt to change her mind about marrying. It was when her father ventured to provide her with the wealth and decadence he once refused to yet gave mindlessly to her sister, that Nicolette would consider how fickle a man would become in the face of desperation; how numb he would become regards trying to persuade a woman to bend to his will. It was this realization alone that led the young woman into her life of promiscuity; running around the village with various men of various ranks, spending her time in the taverns after dark. It wasn’t long until word of her behavior spread across the village like wildfire, tracing its way back to her father who became further infuriated at his daughter for tarnishing his name and dishonoring his reputation.

At the age of 26, three years following the preferred age of marriage among young women at the time, Nicolette was now a more cold and callous woman who consistently rebelled against her father’s wishes of her to marry and leave his life for once and for all. Refusing to do so in order to spite her father, Nicolette continued to engage in shunned upon relationships with men of a low social status across the village in which she lived. However, this rebellious lifestyle resulted in her own ultimate downfall when her father announced if she was to keep refusing his propositions, he would have her married off to an appropriate man he had found himself. Entirely against his proposal yet with no choice, the brunette found herself accompanying her father one day on a business venture where she was to come face to face with the man her father would later sell her to. The little she knew about alchemy was that it was an ancient practice shrouded in mystery and secrecy; its practitioners mainly sought to turn lead into gold. The little she knew about her father’s business that day was his working alongside fellow aristocrats and kings men in order to obtain this so far unattainable goal. That day she had learned her father desired to marry her off to a man of high esteem, a man who was willing to marry her despite her impurity, a man who would pay dearly for her; after all, her reputation around the village cost her father and his business a great deal. It was also this day the woman discovered the blacksmith in which her father hired to aid in the turning of lead to gold was a man she found herself intrigued by.

After their initial encounter, it became evident the blacksmith reciprocated Nicolette’s interest. Soon, the upper-class lady began paying the lower-class man innocent visits and although he’d warned her against doing so, claiming it was a risk for them to be seen together so regularly, she decided remaining away would be fruitless considering she’d already earned herself a reputation prior to her entanglement with the local blacksmith. In the midst of this, she was married off to Wyatt Rousseau despite still carrying a torch for the blacksmith, Pierre Mercier. It came as no surprise to Nicolette that her newfound husband treated her as badly as her father had; reminding her daily she was nothing more than a simple harlot and that he’d only agreed to marry her so that he might one day inherit her father’s riches. Similar to her rebellion against her own father, Nicolette revolted against her husband which always resulted in the most recent welts and bruises that decorated her skin. Rousseau treated his wife as if she were nothing more than a slave for him to whip and mistreat, when, in fact, she was actually an upper-class noblewoman born into prosperity and entitled to respect from any and every man she came into contact with. However, the fundamental fact remained, her disgraced reputation among the wealthy men of France and the lack of respect showed to her by her very own father, aided in the abuse and violation she endured from other men. Yet, the fire within the brunette burned brighter with each smack across her face and every grip on her neck by the hands of her husband. She refused to bow to him, to lay with him, to respect him. She refused to be threatened or owned by any man ever again.

In the middle of her turbulent marriage, Nicolette continued passing by the blacksmith, continued visiting Pierre in the open; refusing to care whether or not her husband would discover her pastime. Each time she’d visit, Pierre would tell her to cease doing so for fear of angering her husband and when she’d state she wasn’t afraid of him, he would tell her she should be and that any harm caused to her would be caused to him also due to the affection he felt toward her. The blacksmith’s divulgence of the nature of his feelings toward her only served to spur Nicolette on which, in turn, further fueled her husband’s anger. Upon Rousseau’s discovery of his wife paying regular visits to the blacksmith, he confronted Nicolette, enraged beyond belief by her supposed deceit and disrespect. Naturally, she assumed his revelation of such a thing, although it was never kept secret in the first place, would end in his fist meeting her face as always. What she didn’t expect, what she didn’t prepare herself for was the sudden horrid attempt her husband made to rape her. How he grabbed her, manhandled her, screamed at her about her dalliances with a blacksmith yet her refusal to lie with her own husband. In a blind panic, she lifted the closest object to hand and with all of her strength, took a swing at her husband’s head; knocking the man to the floor beneath her feet. The next thing Nicolette could recall was running as fast as she could until she wound up seeking refuge in the local tavern; a place she was well acquainted with by now, a place where people were well acquainted with her by now also.

That night, she found herself being carried out of the tavern by the blacksmith; her body numb from both shock and alcohol consumption. That night she refused to go home, cried in the arms of the man she wished she’d been married to instead. That night, she exposed herself and what had led her to her current state to the one man she truly loved. That night she told that same man she could no longer see him because the price to pay had become too severe. That night, she slept in a barn; almost a homage to the last night in her life she’d spent crying herself to sleep in a barn. The following morning, Nicolette done as she always did, picked herself back up, put on her armor and faced the world with the bravest face she could paint on. She had no choice but to return to her home and although deep inside she was petrified of what she would face, she forced her feet to carry her through the village and back to the house she fled the previous night. To her astonishment, her husband awaited her arrival in the foyer and where he hadn’t brought the authorities to her given her attack on him, he hadn’t apologized for his tried attack on her either. Instead, he simply declared if the notion of him laying a hand on her disgusted her to such an extent, he wouldn’t; alternatively, he would seek his pleasures elsewhere as she relentlessly strived to with any man who wasn’t him. This was a prayer answered for the brunette. And so this setup continued for weeks on end, her father unmissably absent from her life and her husband gone for days on end, assumably with various women who would provide him with what Nicolette refused to; neglecting her as her father once had. It was during this time she paid Pierre a visit for the first since the night she exposed her emotions to him. That evening she had merely intended to express her gratitude toward the man for his aid in her drunken state, however, not according to plan, the two wound up spending a night of passion and sincerity together. The next morning, Nicolette woke alone in the barn she’d woke also alone a few weeks before, and she went home to her violent, loveless husband, deciding to cherish the last memory of the blacksmith she’d ever have.

The following months appeared to go by as usual for Nicolette, her father absent from her life altogether and her husband always gone, yet something remained unseen by her until it became too obvious not to recognize. She was pregnant and she knew her husband would be as aware as her, this baby was not his. As she anticipated, Rousseau was enraged by this and immediately informed Nicolette’s father of the bastard child his wife had conceived. What Nicolette had failed to anticipate was how her husband and father would implore to discover the identity of the man responsible. Similar to her shame of sleeping with men out of wedlock, the investigation became a public affair until the day the blacksmith was found guilty of the crime. Some element of the female decided that even if he hadn’t been the perpetrator they deemed him to be, somehow, they would have reached the same conclusion due to constant reports of the two together in public. Try as she did to spare his life, every endeavor was futile for her father and husband refused to listen as they decided upon the punishment they saw fit until they settled on the invention of rape. The ruling itself was impossibly offensive to Nicolette who snarled at her husband, a man that had no so long ago attempted to carry out the crime he had fabricated about Pierre. The more the brunette verbally abused them, the more her father and husband relished in the fact they were able to take her precious blacksmith from her. With their attention focused elsewhere, Nicolette seized her opportunity to sneak into the prison cells where she begged with Pierre to forgive her for seeking him out against his warnings, she confessed her love for him and for their unborn child. It came as no surprise to her he forgave her; comforting her in her anguish as he assured her his love for her was as infinite as it was for their child. There she sat until sunrise, wishing the day away so the inevitable would never come, but it did. As soon as the clock struck midday, the love of her life was yanked from his confines, an impossible weight chained to his wrists where he was then flung into the water; left to drown, branded a lower-class citizen who took advantage of an upper-class woman. And when the deed was done, her husband prohibited her time to mourn his death, whisking her away and locking her in the confines of her home so she may not leave without permission or his company. Where Nicolette once would have bit back, she had no fight left in her; the bright fire inside her was now just a smoldering flame. She’d lost it all. That night was the third night Nicolette cried herself to sleep, mourning the loss of a man she loved. She had no choice but to have the baby, which was the only consolation to her; to bear the child of the man she loved and to have that love encapsulated within the life their love would bring into the world.

The next few months of her pregnancy carried on as expected until late one night, she broke out in a high fever, writhing and crying out in pain, bedridden for what felt like hours until her baby entered the world with a loud cry; the sound rang sharply like music to the woman’s ears. Automatically, she’d begged to see her baby, to hold him in her arms, gaze into his eyes and see those of her lovers staring back. However, the instant her son was brought into the world, he was taken from her and her husband carried him off into the night. Nicolette tried with all her might to resist and fight, but she was restrained to the bed she lay in, left in the dark both physically and mentally with no knowledge of where her baby was being brought. The night that was supposed to be one of the happiest she’d ever experienced, was the night her heart broke all over again. She’d lost the man she loved and now, she’d lost their baby. Days passed and Nicolette remained shackled to the bed frame, wearing the same gown she’d wore when she’d gave birth; only visited by the servants and maids to wash and feed her. She’d requested to be let out of her chains in order to change but was always denied to do so by the order of her husband. Eventually, her request was granted and upon her release from her restraints, Nicolette fought her way out of her home and she ran, barefoot, for as long as she could until her feet bled and she knew she’d long outrun the village she’d been born and raised in. Now alone and broken down as much as she thought humanly possible, Nicolette resorted to the only solution she thought viable at the time. That night, the agony of her entire 28 years of life overwhelmed the woman to the point she found the courage to plunge a knife into her own chest in an attempt to end her suffering.

She believed she had died until she woke, a searing pain in her head, the vibrancy of daylight causing her to squint. With no recollection of actually ingesting the blood smeared across her cool cheek, Nicolette struggled to gain control of her senses, of her emotions and of her memories. It was then she realized she had attempted to kill herself only the night before and as she lay there, drawing in her last breaths, she had a vague picture of a cloaked figure hovering over her limp body before she succumbed to what felt like an endless sleep. After crawling her way out of the earth and dirt covering every inch of her weak body, Nicolette waited for sundown where she then stumbled across the village; her weak legs carrying her directly to the root cause of her pain. Upon arriving at her childhood home, her father confronted her about her running away from her husband. With all of her senses heightened tenfold and an impossible thirst, it wasn’t long before Nicolette saw red; her father’s constant ridicule of her from the second she was born boiling up deep inside her. With an overwhelming power and a remarkable lust for blood, Nicolette lunged at her father and before she could stop, blood decorated every inch of her and she dumped her father’s lifeless body on the floor of her childhood home. Despite her hatred for her father, her actions shook her to her very core and in a heated panic, she fled the house she grew up in, now a fully fledged vampire. Nicolette was no stranger to running in the dark of night, only this time her heart swole with wrath, with confusion, with grief.

With no idea how she was still alive and with no clue as to what she was, Nicolette wandered the streets late at night, searching for the answer she never got. She was a disoriented and chaotic woman on the run, hiding from the daylight and feeding in the dead of night. She supposed her father’s body had been found, that her sister had inherited their family wealth, that her husband had little regard for her whereabouts. She thought to herself what a tragedy it was to be running with no destination; her lover murdered before her very eyes, their child’s location and mortality unknown. All that she loved was gone, her life had been shattered beyond possibility, and all she had in life was an unquenchable thirst and immortality. For the longest time, she was in the dark and afraid of who she had become until she finally realized she was a creature of the night; a vampire. As she led a life lurking in the shadows, fury, and pain simmering beneath the surface, she realized it had only been her humanity keeping her from exacting her revenge. Now that she was no longer human, she decided it was time to let her ferocity take control. It was from that moment onward that a switch flipped inside Nicolette and she metamorphized into a callous, cold-hearted bitch. She felt as though she had been reborn. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, she adopted a hardened heart and set out to destroy those who destroyed her. Starting with her husband. And this was only the beginning of the damage Nicolette brought to her hometown.

Following years of wrecking havoc and bloodshed in small villages, Nicolette decided her visitation to her elder sister was long overdue and as she expected, Adeline had indeed inherited their father’s estate. After fifty-five years of her sister’s marriage and departure of her life, Nicolette came face to face with a graying, frail woman lying on her deathbed. Stunned and confused by her younger sister’s ageless face, Adeline couldn’t believe her eyes. Leaning into her elder sister’s ear, Nicolette informed her dear sister how she had killed their father and if she hadn’t been dying, she would finish the job herself. Leaving her sister utterly shell-shocked and distraught, Nicolette strode off into the night feeling powerful and weightless for once in her life; continuing to seek out those who had wronged her, taking their life with her bare hands. When she was finished and her hands dripped with the ichor of those she’d murdered, she realized her vengeance had gotten her nowhere. She was still an immortal monster, Pierre was still dead, and her baby was still out there somewhere without his mother. It was upon this realization reality kicked in for the vampire and she recognized herself as the one being she had grown to loathe the most. She had spent years of her life trying to gain the love she deserved from her father, from her sister, from everyone in the village, and maybe even from herself, only to wind up hating the person she had become. It was this fact that was difficult to overcome but Nicolette had the rest of forever to try.

In an attempt to better her endless life, Nicolette bought a daylight ring and quickly adjusted to her heightened senses, learning to control her bloodlust until she was able to do the one thing she hadn’t in the midst of her vendetta; visit Pierre’s grave. As she stood at the foot of the settled soil, starting at the makeshift cross plunged into the earth, for the first time in the longest time, the brunette felt a sense of ease wash over her; she felt at peace. She had ended the lives of those who had hurt her and though she may never find her son, though she may never find another man to love, though she may never find happiness, this was her now. She considered burning her childhood home to the ground but in the end, she refused to give any more of her energy to her family for they never gave theirs to her, perhaps if they had her story would have ended entirely different. Instead, Nicolette left the village in which she grew up and never looked back. Throughout the centuries she endured, the vampire built herself back up again as she always had. During her travels across the world, every person she encountered, each city she refused to stay in for too long, she kept the memory of her son and of the man she loved in her heart; hoping they were at peace even if she may never be. Although she continued to bear the scars and welts of whippings and beatings she suffered from her past, she refused to write herself off. Nicolette allowed herself to admire people, history, art but never to fall in love because, despite her callous demeanor and stone cold heart, she wasn’t sure if she could handle the injury of another heartbreak.

Years had passed until the inevitable finally occurred and Nicolette’s past eventually caught up with her. Finding herself face to face with a man who informed her he was there to finally kill the monster who murdered his family, the fearless, feisty vampire refused to back down and let him witness her fear. However, her tenacious behavior almost cost her her life for once and for all, never again to return, when the hunter held a diamond blade against her chest, prepared to carve her heart from the cage of her ribs. Squeezing her eyes shut, ready to submit to him, Nicolette waited for her impending doom until it never came. Slowly, her eyes opened and to her surprise, she was no longer cornered with a blade pressed against her chest. Instead, her surroundings had entirely changed and she knew she was no longer stood in the same place she had been mere seconds beforehand. Disorientated and alone, Nicolette soon recognized her new surroundings as New York City, a place in which she knew of but had never stepped foot on. Evading final death, her initial puzzling question was “how in the hell did I get here?” It took a month or two for the ageless creature to adapt to her new surroundings and get her bearings, but eventually, Nicolette became well acquainted with her environment and never wished to go back to where she came from. Where she was now is exactly where she wanted to be. And maybe this is exactly what she needed to fully emerge from the ashes of her haunting past.

t e l l  m e,  a r e  w e  a  p r o d u c t  o f  w h o  w e  u s e d  t o  b e?

The semblance of Nicolette Bordeaux can only be accurately encapsulated by ribbed turtlenecks and skin-tight jeans with red-bottomed heels; fingertips smudged black from ink bleeding off paper and rose gold highlighter shimmering along the height of prominent cheekbones. The air of her seemingly callous persona epitomized by the ease of narcissism and offhand sardonic quips accompanied by a playful grin. Nicolette is the perfect balance of an elegant, self-assured woman and an intelligent, artful creature; effortlessly displaying only a rare sum of her persona, the elements of her she wishes others to see while concealing all other elements of herself she deems less than favorable. One’s initial opinion of Nicolette might be that she appears cold, the kind of person who wouldn’t blink while grasping any opportunity to cut you down only to build herself up. Presently centuries old, Nicolette couldn’t be farther removed from her childhood self. Everything has changed in her world, altered for the worst; each aspect of her persona reconstructed to fit the mould this cruel universe has provided for her. Every inch, every last detail of the once bright-eyed young girl has been broken down and reshaped into the icy-glared creature who lives today. The shy version of her childish former self utterly gone, leaving behind the confident and hard-hearted edition she is now. Life strengthened her, shaped her into a careless adaption of who she once was; a woman who stands her ground and speaks up for herself and what she believes in, never fearing the consequences of her actions or the reaction to her words. If her younger self could see who she turned out to be, she probably wouldn’t be pleased considering she’s going against absolutely everything her younger self-wanted. She’s lost things, people, ideas, dreams her younger self-believed she’d always have.

Growing up, Nicolette was extremely intrigued by everything and her desire to learn knew no bounds. She was always a curious child who yearned to obtain an understanding of everything in life, who yearned to gain extensive knowledge on every subject possible. Her passions have always been books and animals, and this has never changed. To all who encounter her, Nicolette can appear on the surface an extremely shallow and reckless woman with a huge tendency to adopt a sardonic tongue during almost all occasions. Given her demeanor and attitude, it would be fair to assess all the brunette is is a satirical mouthpiece, a superficial beauty with a permanent simper corroded into the corner of her lips. Upon initial glance upon her, Nicolette seems a carbon copy of every cold-hearted, artificial bitch; consistently adorning fashionable attire and always using her sharp wit as a weapon. Despite this all, the shell of the creature does obtain much more substance. Regardless of her blase attitude and flirtatious tendencies, the little girl who was once a human, abused by those in power, let down by life, who cherished her Clydesdale, remains deep within the high walls of Nicolette’s persona. It’s almost safe to say the facade Nicolette paints over herself every day is nothing more than a basic ruse; a temporary fixture to aid in slowly permanently fixing the broken fractions of her mind.

It goes without saying Nicolette is constantly shrouded in mystery, concealing her true emotions and feigning any feelings whatsoever. Despite her unstable persona, there are extremely rare occasions in which Nicolette will express sentiment and actually possesses the capability of caring for someone other than herself. However rare this segment of Nicolette may be, it does exist and it is a part of herself she prefers to keep under lock and key. If there’s one thing Nicolette despises most the idea of, it is exposing her underlying vulnerabilities as she believes it would then be easy for others to obtain the upper hand against her; she refuses to allow anyone else to exploit her Achilles heel. No matter how much she cares for someone, the instant this is discovered, she is likely to throw you under the bus as a safety measure for herself. She’d tell you it’s a coping mechanism but really, it’s because of her past experiences that she desperately fears being hurt by anybody else that she builds and builds solid walls around herself that it is impossible for most people to break down. It isn’t personal, it’s simply a means to an end, a way of protecting herself indefinitely. Although this sensitive, vulnerable aspect of Nicolette’s persona remains, it seldom prevails against her impulsive, sarcastic, intelligent nature. The problem with being intelligent is already knowing the things others try so desperately to hide from you. Nicolette knows how others view her, she sees how they run and take cover when she passes by, she hears the hushed murmurs shared between them. Everybody thinks she’s cold as ice, assume she’s too difficult to reason with, believe she’s even tougher to understand. It is this that enables her to flirt with danger, use her words as a weapon and also a bargaining chip. It is this that gives her an overwhelming sense of adrenaline, swimming through her veins and fuelling the fire within her.

Of course, Nicolette is beyond confident in herself and her abilities, able to manipulate people with a simple smile, having people hang on her every word with each syllable that escapes her crimson mouth; each sentence a masterpiece of fine art, each word arranged in a symphony, making it difficult for others to say no. However, it is when Nicolette finds herself truly alone that the glamor of her deceit and her impeccable charm slips away, leaving her face to face with the ghosts of her past, demons with the faces of those who hurt her. The ordeals in which Nicolette endured all throughout her childhood and into adulthood slowly but inevitably hardened her heart, transforming her into a cold-hearted woman, to put it plainly. Initially, she comes across as a vain and arrogant person who is both self-centered and self-assured. However, underneath her strong armor lies a deep sensitivity which is extremely rarely displayed to anyone except herself. She finds it difficult to trust anyone but herself due to her past and finds it equally as difficult to build solid connections with people. Her entire life she only had herself, she knows how it feels to be both lonely and alone, she has never needed a hand to hold and definitely never will. Although she has mellowed in rage and hatred over her long years of immortal life, she remains at times, intolerable due to her oozing confidence. Nicolette is a mixture of sarcasm and bluntness mingled with cockiness and promiscuity and a whole lot of hot-headedness. She is the epitome of beauty and grace but she will never hesitate to punch you in the face. She knows how to handle herself and will take you down while maintaining her manicure, kicking butt in stilettos. Despite her many flaws and irritating qualities, buried deep down inside is the potential for warmth and empathy toward those she could ever develop feelings for. She is both loyal and protective of those she cares about. She is strong-willed and firm in all of her beliefs.