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beingalive1 · 1 day ago

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𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐏𝐭. 𝟑

Rupert Campbell Black x oc (Lady Francesca Wellington)

Summary: Francesca Wellington was everything Rupert Campbell Black was and more. A successful show jumper with a title and an estate, she had it all. She was a constant reminder of the man he once was. He couldn't help but hate her for it and yet, he loved her for it just the same.

Part two: Here

Part Three: Blindsided by a rival

Author's note: This is a bit of a long one - I got carried away! Hope you all enjoy. Comment if you'd like to be added to this series's taglist x

Francesca only had twenty-four hours before she accepted her ill fate and allowed Freddie Jones to drag her, only mildly kicking and screaming, to Tony Baddingham's painful garden party. She knew her time spent socialising amongst Colchester's most frightfully posh and equally as annoying was inevitable and thus, decided to spend her last few moments of freedom riding across the delectable greens of her surrounding neighbourhood.

She really was growing to love Colchester.

In spite of her prying neighbours.

As part of her position within the English aristocracy, Francesca possessed land and a manor house in Norfolk. It had belonged to her family for centuries and dutifully acted as the backdrop to her adolescent years. It was a large manor house: with red brick walls and green lawns that stretched as far as the eye could see. As a child Francesca would spend her days running across the lawns as fast as her little legs could carry her. Her father would always be there to chase after her. A large smile spread across his kind face as his strong arms enveloped her from behind as she laughed in glee. Their bodies used to stretch in relaxation across the green grass. Even now she could still remember the pricks of the grass blades sending small inconceivable shivers across her skin. They would lie there for hours, only moving when Francesca's mother would coax them inside with dinner and a laugh.

It had been a very long time since she had played without care on a lawn and basked in the sun.

Francesca had been seven when she lost both of her parents to a car crash, her childish mind unaware of and unprepared for the burden that would be placed upon her small shoulders. She used to just be Frannie: a happy child who played on green lawns with her father and ate her mother's food with a smile. When they passed she became Lady Francesca Wellington and with the title came those who preyed upon a grieving girl for money and status. Her extended family, who had once been caring uncles and aunts, became predators who tried everything in their power to revoke Francesca of her home and her title. She was shipped off to boarding school at eight and was continuously told what to do every waking moment of her life until she turned eighteen.

The only thing that ever brought her comfort was her horses.

It was the only thing boarding school ever allowed her to have. A successful horse rider in their midst made the school look good. Her headmaster even accompanied Frank to her competitions; not that his presence ever provided any comfort or joy. The only part of her family that enjoyed horses were her parents. The rest never rode or competed in riding competitions. Riding was the only thing that solely belonged to her. It was the only thing that couldn't ever be taken from her.

It was hers and only hers.

When Francesca finally turned eighteen and assumed her position as Lady of the Manor, she happily accepted the title of the black sheep of the family. She ceased all contact with her extended family, left school early, and turned all of her focus towards her goal of becoming an olympic show jumper. She would rather be an outcast and spend the rest of her days with horses than with those who felt it fit to send away a grieving child. It was then she hired Marty as her coach and riding instructor. He was a portly man with a mildly balding head and a large black beard but he was also the only man who looked at her as a person instead of a means to an end. He reminded her of Freddie in that way: their inexplicable kindness.

She moved out of the manor pretty soon after her eighteenth birthday.

She briefly lived with Marty, his wife and their five children. Their small farm just outside of Colchester was much more cosier and full of life than the manor would ever be without her parents. It was here that she continued to prepare for the Los Angeles Olympics; winning her gold medal at eighteen. The first woman and youngest person to ever achieve gold for individual show jumping.

Francesca finally moved out after winning the gold medal. She felt as if she had overstayed her welcome and created a permanent dent in Marty's living room couch.

She moved into an old rundown manor in Penscombe. She had purchased it when she was nineteen and spent the last few years refurbishing it. Unlike most her age, Francesca did not spend her twenty-first birthday drinking or celebrating with friends. She spent it hanging pictures of her dogs and horses all along the manor's walls. The new manor, a stately house with a warm feel, was just left of the Vereker's Lake House and adjacent to a thick luscious wood where she often rode. It had clearly been decorated by a twenty-year old: its walls were splashed with wild colours and its rooms were furnished with outlandish furniture that would only be purchased by a young woman with too much money and absolutely no care for interior design. However, the manor felt like home and was free of the painful memories of a child forced to grow up too soon.

Presently, at the ripe age of twenty-two, Francesca found herself cantering through her woods at a brisk pace. Bruno, short for Brutus Maximus, her friesian and favourite dressage horse wound his way through the beaten path of the woods with dexterity. His breath escaped into the woodland air in gleeful snorts as they enjoyed their afternoon together. Bruno, true to his breed, had a nasty habit of being scared of everything that moved. His large black body was seen normally as a small spot in the distance as he galloped away in fear; most likely taking Francesca along with him as an unwilling passenger. After one too many times spent galloping powerlessly around Colchester, Francesca had made taking him out for a ride through the woods once a week a habit in order to expose him to the horrors of the English countryside. She learnt he rather enjoyed the woods in favour of their usual routine of time spent practicing dressage in the manor's arena.

She couldn't blame him, the woods were euphoric at this time of year.

They carried on, slowing down to a trot as they passed Penscombe Court. Francesca had heard from her staff that a retired horse rider lived in the large house that sat regally on top of green grass. She had yet to meet them. Her schedule continuously filled with time spent traveling the world with her horses; each championship tournament strangely coinciding with the few and far between weeks her mysterious neighbour was home.

Her and Bruno had just turned the corner when they were assaulted by the shocking sight of a young woman running at them at full speed with her dog not far behind.

Bruno, like any rational horse who had been consistently trained to deal with the unexpected, immediately reared up onto his hind legs and knocked the poor woman flat on her back in fright. Francesca held on, her feet still in the stirrups with the ease of an experienced rider. She rode Bruno back down onto all four of his feet and calmly petted his neck as she slipped off his side and walked over to the poor girl he had nearly scared to death. "You alright?" Frank asked.

"I'm so sorry." The woman exclaimed as she pulled herself to her feet. "I wasn't looking where I was going and-"

"It's no problem." Francesca cut her off, her hands still grasping Bruno's reins as the horse began to calmly munch on some grass next to his owner as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. "He's just quite melodramatic really," Francesca said, her eyes glancing briefly at Bruno before rolling back into her head with a smile, "we've been working on dealing with his frights for quite a while now. Clearly not working hard enough. I'm Francesca."

The woman looked at her with wide eyes. She had red hair, its tresses a slight wave in comparison to Francesca's wild curl. "I-I-I'm Taggie." She uttered out, her voice chipped with exertion. "Agatha."

Francesca smiled, "It's nice to meet you Taggie, you can call me Frank if you'd like." Taggie smiled back, she found Frank's smile bright and infectious. Frank was the first person she had met that was not over the age of forty or under the age of sixteen. Frank was also the first person who had acknowledged Taggie as a singular entity rather than a small part of the O'hara pack. Taggie hoped they could be friends, she was so delighted she nearly forgot about the fire.

Oh yes. The fire.

Taggie's eyes widened further, her face whipping towards Penscombe court. "There's a fire!"

It was only then that Frank even noticed the smoke billowing from behind the large house of Penscombe court, it did make a rather alarming sight. It's grey clouds instantly polluting the once blue sky. Frank knew the fire was only part of the harvest process and couldn't help but grin at Taggie's alarmed face. "It's a controlled fire," Frank began slowly, her tone the same octave she used to calm her horses when they were frightened. Taggie did vaguely resemble Frank's chestnut appaloosa Quickstep in this very moment. "It's for the harvest."

Though Frank thought it was impossible, in some inconceivable way Taggie's eyes widened even further. "But what about the animals that live in the fields? The rabbits, the foxes, they all just die?"

Frank looked at Taggie, her hazel eyes gazing at Tag's blue ones in wonder. It was the first time she had ever met someone who was as sensitive as her when it came to the lives of animals. Most of the people in Colchester didn't care one bit for the wellbeing of the small creatures who lived within the fields. Taggie was a welcomed change in pace. Frank thought her and Taggie would make brilliant friends. "I know," Frank began with a small shake to her head, "it's absolute bollocks but it's not my property. Can't tell them what to do with their own land."

Taggie didn't even bat an eyelid at Frank's use of language. Frank liked her even more now. "Oh no." Tag sighed out, her hand moving to rest against her forehead as she closed her eyes in despair. "I called the fire brigade."

Frank couldn't help herself, a large bellowing laugh escaping her chest as she gazed at Taggie's exasperated face. "You didn't!" Frank exclaimed.

"I did." Tag stated, unable to contain the small giggle that escaped her chest. Like her smile, Frank's laugh was also infectious.

"Well we must go tell the person who lives there." Frank said, her head nodding towards Penscombe Court.

"Yeah....we must." Tag stated in reluctant agreement, embarrassment flowing through her veins.

The two women made their way through the fields towards Penscombe court, Bruno and Taggie's dog Gertrude trailing behind them. They began talking. Frank learning that Taggie was part of the O'hara family who had just moved into the Priory. Tag learned that Frank lived alone yet had multiple horses and spent most of her days riding. They bonded over their similar ages and the lack of young people in Colchester. Taggie silently wondered how her new friend could afford a luscious Manor House in Colchester at the age of twenty-two. Frank never mentioned her profession or her fame.

They quickly made their way to Penscombe Court.

In the same moment, Rupert served a cheeky shot towards Sarah Stratton. He watched her with a sly smile, gazing at her breasts as she bounced across the court. They bantered as they played: talking about Rupert's scandalous reputation and Sarah's even more scandalous rise to fame as Paul Stratton's wife.

Sarah attempted to hit a shot back, the green ball flying wildly above the court and landing in a bush about three metres away from the boundary fence. They laughed.

"So," Rupert began, bending down towards another ball sat upon the surface of the court. He could feel Sarah's eyes upon his backside and smirked wickedly as he served the next shot. "do you know who moved into the old manor near the Verekers?" Rupert had heard someone young and famous had completely refurbished the old home and its grounds. He had yet to meet them but secretly hoped it would be a woman. Preferably beautiful and without too many morals.

Sarah failed to return this ball as well. They laughed once more.

He bent down to pick up another one. "Some famous horse rider, Paul was talking about her non-stop last night at dinner." Sarah began. Rupert served once more. "Francis Williams or something."

Sarah missed the ball again. She was the only one to laugh this time.

"Francesca Wellington?" Rupert asked stoically, all of his former thoughts and movements grinding to a halt.

Sarah nodded, completely unaware of her tennis partner's sudden seriousness. "Yes that's it! Paul told me she is preparing for some championship in Spain soon. I wasn't listening."

It was the European show jumping championships. They happened every year. This time they were in Mallorca, Spain. A small town with a world class riding centre. Rupert had been trying to avoid thinking about it much. He was failing miserably. It was all he had thought about in the last few days. The wish to ride in that championship again felt like an itch under his skin that he would never be able to scratch. He had won the championship seven times by the time he had retired. Francesca had already won it four times and had only entered the professional riding circuit officially six years ago. She won it the first time she competed in the championship, age sixteen, accompanied by her school headmaster to the prize giving ceremony. He couldn't believe she was less than two kilometres away from him at this very moment.

A ball rolled past his foot. He didn't notice.

Francesca Wellington was similar to him in many ways: a member of the English aristocracy, a winner of an olympic gold medal for individual show jumping and now a member of the Colchester community.

But she was also everything he was not.

She was still a rider. She kept her life very private and was hardly ever seen by the press or present in the papers. Her sexual exploits were never painted across The Scorpion and unlike him, she was never known to drink heavily at garden parties. Unlike him, she had no need to fill a void in her chest caused by retiring from riding with women and drinks. Unlike him, there was no void in her chest. She was still a rider. She still competed.

She had it all.

Compared to Francesca Wellington he had nothing.

"Rupert!" Sarah called out from the other side of the court, a second ball rolling past his foot as he shook himself out of his stupor. "Wake Up! I can't hit a bloody thing I need help!"

Rupert grinned, willing his mind away from Francesca Wellington and back to Sarah Stratton's tan skin as he finally returned a shot. He would just have to avoid Francesca Wellington; avoid her and all the memories of his past that she represented. His estate was massive. Wellington's home was far from his own. It couldn't be too difficult.

Every single delusion Rupert Campbell Black had just formed within his mind to sway his thoughts from Francesca Wellington were promptly destroyed by an auburn haired woman running onto the court.

Frank had told Taggie to go ahead of her as she tied Bruno's rains to Penscombe Court's boundary picket fence. The red head had immediately disappeared into the confines of the large estate. Frank's new friend marched through the garden of Penscombe Court with the enthusiasm of a military general, Taggie was vaguely terrifying. Frank patted Bruno on his neck, his nose buried halfway into one of the garden's bushes. "Be back in a moment boy," She said, walking in the same direction as to where Taggie disappeared. "Do try not to miss me too much." Bruno didn't even acknowledge her departure.

Frank calmly meandered through Penscombe Court's gardens, her eyes admiring the beauty of the grounds. She paused every few moments to smell a particular fragrant rose or to gaze at a voluptuous daffodil. She assumed Taggie was more than able to speak to the owner of the house alone. Her eyes caught the sight of some luscious Hydrangeas. Her mind immediately thought back to her own garden where the same plant had been reduced to a shrivelled mess. She had to speak to her gardener Dennis about new potting soil, it was a dire situation.

A naked woman ran through the garden at the speed of light.

Frank glanced up at her in shock, her eyes blinking multiple times to ensure she was not hallucinating. Sure enough, a blonde woman with tan skin was hightailing it out of the estate's garden with merely a green towel held to her chest. Frank figured it was only proper to investigate where the woman came from.

She entered a tennis court.

Francesca found Taggie, situated on the other side of the court, shouting at a similarly naked man to whom she assumed was the owner of the estate. She surveyed the situation, the tennis balls strung around the court and the man standing proudly with only a towel covering his nether regions. It felt vaguely as if Frank and Taggie had stumbled across the set of an old sports themed pornography.

"Sorry for the delay," Frank began, Taggie and the man seizing their argument as they turned to stare at her. "I stopped to the smell the roses."

Rupert felt his breath seize within his chest. His lips parting as he gazed at her.

Francesca recognised him as Rupert Campbell Black. The nudity somehow now felt less alarming. She vaguely remembered him from her medal ceremony at the Olympics but her mind back then was too focussed on the shiny hardware within his hand to really notice him. She did occasionally watch the telly though, and thus was aware of his many sexual exploits.

Never in a million years would she had thought Rupert to be her neighbour: he seemed too restless to live in Colchester. And yet here he was, stark naked on a tennis court.

Taggie shook her head at Rupert, her face full of fury as she stomped towards Francesca and exited the tennis courts. Rupert continued to gaze at Frank in a stupor.

Frank smiled awkwardly. "Mr Campbell Black." She said, acknowledging him with a slight nod to her head. "Sorry to spoil your tennis." She turned and began to exit after Taggie, her steps halting as she glanced back at the man for a moment. He still had yet to move. "lovely gardens by the way."

He watched her go. His plan to avoid her at all costs immediately thrown out of the window.

So much for his delusions.

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whinlatter · 1 year ago

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author's note | chapter 8: bones 🦴

thank you for reading chapter eight of Beasts! this week, it's hotting up politically - ginny meets with the minster of magic, enjoys a hot beverage with all of her ex boyfriends, finds out about the clinton impeachment and rides the east coast mainline from edinburgh to london for free with no cancellations or delays a week before christmas. now that really is magic.

got a bumper author's note this week (and some metas to follow), plus a sneak peek of chapter nine (oh the cameos we've got coming! i've got flashback fever). i am also accepting any and all guesses for who the gang will go as for the grimmauld muggle-themed NYE party. we know anthony's going as tony blair, terry boot's deciding between a terry's chocolate orange or the golden boot, but what will the rest of the DA go as? answers on a postcard/in the askbox pls. ok let's discuss this wet and wintery chapter that i wrote at the beach during a heatwave in august, for some reason

✨ spoilers for this chapter below the cut ✨

writing things and headcanons:

the hogwarts inquiry and graves on the ministry: the chapter opens with graves (himself an ex ministry employee, though we don’t know the circumstances of his exit yet) poking holes in the wizengamot’s approach to justice thus far in the post-war period, suggesting holding individuals accountable - especially someone like thicknesse who was imperiused - misses how the entire wizarding state is implicated in wartime crimes against muggleborns and other persecuted groups. also disillusioned by the way post-war trials are going, kingsley wants to take a different course of action to get to the bottom of what happened at hogwarts during the war. a lot of post-war fics do an amazing job doing post-war justice through criminal trials, and i wanted to do something a bit different for this fic that is explicitly interested in places and institutions and the cultures they foster (hogwarts and the ministry itself, but grimmauld place and, soon, the burrow, home to different kinds of institutions, including families). like a lot of people who grew up in the uk in the early 00s public inquiries - like the leveson inquiry into media culture and phone hacking, or the chilcott inquiry into the iraq war - really left a big impression on me (though i’m sure this is also true in lots of political cultures, not least in the US in things like senate hearings etc). i also really love seeing inquiries and hearings rendered in fiction (in tv, jesse armstrong shows like the thick of it and succession), so knew i wanted to have a go writing these into this fic. there are actually quite a few inquiries of varying scale that happen in the canon series (though none are public), so we know this is a mechanism the ministry has previously used to investigate various breaches of law or accepted norms (in CoS, arthur faces one over the car; over buckbeak in PoA; into percy over crouch; dumbledore asks for one after the dementor attack on harry, which fudge rejects; into bode’s murder at st mungo’s, and into the miscarriage of justice that saw sirius jailed for the potters’ murders). i’m literally just going to quote from taylor_fannon074’s gorgeous comment on this because it’s so well put:

‘The Wizarding World knows that their children have been forcibly put at the center of a war they didn’t know existed for most of it. Children are the first line of attack when it comes to implementing fascist ideologies. People areso sensitive about children and it’s a perfect weapon to utilize against anything that you want. It’s why Dumbledore became headmaster when he could’ve been Minister of Magic. It’s why the Malfoys are Voldemort’s greatest allies. If it were just about the Carrows they’d carry all the blame, now the defendants are the Ministry. Kingsley is using this tactic to direct the people’s anger towards the Ministry’s systemic oppression. He’s giving the kids a platform to talk about how a werewolf was the greatest teacher they ever had and several ministry officials tortured them. It calls the ministry’s competency into question, planting the seeds of doubt. I don’t think Kingsley aiming for a full scale revolution but trying to open the curtains and get wizards more active in their community. He’s going after that statute of secrecy next, I can feel it in my bones!!!!’

kingsley: there are so many really great reads on kingsley as minister after the war, particularly kingsley taking on the ruthless (and manipulative) instincts of a politician, and speculation about that might clash with harry’s worldview and longstanding resentment of ministers carrying about things like public image and making moral compromises to get things done. i don’t disagree with those reads at all, and think they have a ton of basis in canon. what i knew i wanted in beasts, though, was to see if you could write a different kingsley, someone who hasn’t abandoned his principles but instead is trying to centre them. i wanted to play with the idea that all politicians are the same’, asking how kingsley’s contradictions - an avowed progressive, a lifelong ministry insider with more links to the muggle world than most, a resistance fighter turned a minister of magic trusted and admired by the children of the order - would shape his approach to try to capture post-war momentum for rebuilding and make real change, whatever that might look like. i also wanted this dynamic of kingsley and ginny having some familiarity with each other that we don’t see from the canon series that might hint at some wartime interactions we haven’t seen yet. anyway i wrote this scene with kingsley and ginny ages ago and then i read the unfinished but excellent fic about ginny and post-war justice cited below and was crushed to see someone had already written a version of the same scene much better. what a blow! (read that fic)

ginny’s card-making: ginny weasley loves to decorate and she loves christmas. canon could not be clearer about this. if you think she wouldn’t spitefully refuse to wish minerva mcgonagall seasons’ greetings then i’m sorry i think you are wrong with a capital W. graves didn’t get a card but he did get an essay because she’s warming up to him a bit but cards are only for those who aren’t on ginny approval probation

writing on the wall: actually this is just me apologising to the anon who sent me this ask ages ago and i didn’t reply because i knew i had this scene in the bank and didn’t want to spoil it but yeah basically anon i could not agree with you more!!! i think it’s really a squandered opportunity in canon not to make more of this - in those old ootp planning notes jkr was going to have ginny write on the wall about umbridge in temper, but then removed it, so clearly was thinking of the DA wall daubing as a parallel with CoS but then… gave the line to neville lol. fuming. anyway! had to be done! thank u so much anon and so sorry again!

beasts, beings and patronuses: my favourite part of this chapter to write! (obviously that’s a lie it was the bit where harry and ginny shagged but second favourite for sure). graves goes all enlightenment subjectivity theory again smh, and then suggests what’s happened with the stag antlers might be something to do with a great disturbance to harry’s soul. @saintsenara think this is me steathily building up a tomarry endgame - other theories are circulating, all theories have me salivating

slughorn: hardcore hinny shipper, we have to stan. what’s he up to? also rina girl get back to school you're making ginny look conscientious

hermione: thank you to the extremely patient romione folks in my inbox - the trouble with this plot is that i have to keep all the romione bits off stage for now (and i have written some hermione and ron pov missing moment scenes that i might drop when this plot is fully developed and the mystery has ended) but for now i’m just sorry that so far in the published chapters the hermione plot is all unhealthy coping mechanisms and no answers!

muggle london: did i go rummaging on the freedom of information requests sent to transport for london to find out adult and child fares for central london weekend travel in 1998? yes i did. you never know when the transport pedants are going to flood your mentions !!! ‘are you a child’ ‘sort of’ could be summary of the entire fic really couldn’t it

the exes: i knew i wanted an unlikely character to speak a bit of truth to ginny, someone she wouldn’t be expecting to call her on her shit. the idea of using one of her exes to do it seemed satisfying for a couple of different reasons. i liked the idea of using a character who knows ginny well and who sees through her a bit, but also has nothing to lose throwing out some tough love to her face because they don’t really have any investment in being in her good books anymore. i also liked the idea of not taking ginny’s canonical descriptions of her relationships with her exes for granted, and using those relationships as an example of previous incidences where this character has kidded themselves, or at least come up with a retroactive narrative of something that has happened to them as a coping mechanism that actually masks a bigger, more complicated truth. (i have a longer meta on ginny and her exes i’ll post this week that isn’t expressly beasts-related where i’ll bang on about my read on what these relationships were to her, but for now suffice to say it seemed important in a fic that is at heart a coming of age ginny character study to draw in characters who were likely formative for her in her teenage years in some way). dean seemed a complicated choice, though (more about him below), so… michael corner it was.

michael corner (or: characterisation when the character has about five whole lines in the whole of canon):

this is michael corner this whole chapter:

i had a ball trying to figure out how to write michael corner, as the discord girlies can attest. michael is a very minor character in the series, with only a handful of scenes/appearances, and he spends most of them being a little dickhead lmao. the man never stops interrupting people to call them out/correct them. in his first scene in canon in ootp, at the hog’s head, michael sasses hermione on her motivations to set up the DA (‘“You want to pass your DADA O.W.L. too though, I bet?”’ - that earns him a snippy clapback) and then interrupts harry when harry’s being modest to both praise him but also correct him lol (‘“Not with the dragon, you didn’t,” said Michael Corner at once. “That was a seriously cool bit of flying...”’.) in DH, he yells at harry for planning to nip in and nip out of hogwarts when all the DA are living in hiding (‘“You’re going to leave us in this mess?” demanded Michael Corner’), and then gets annoyed at luna for being dumb about the diadem (‘“Yeah, but the lost diadem,” said Michael Corner, rolling his eyes, “is lost, Luna. That’s sort of the point.”’) when it comes to ginny, she calls him a ‘fool’ when he almost gives the game away about the DA in the hall, and when they’re paired up at the DA and she’s killin it hexing him he’s “either very bad or unwilling to jinx her”. given his interest in his academics - and that he’s a ravenclaw - i think we can suspect it’s the latter, a display of chivalric concern that was never going to go down well with gin. they then break up after ginny decides he’s too ‘sulky’ about ravenclaw’s loss at quidditch, after which michael immediately goes off to get with cho (michael and harry bonding over their shared type fic when). but. michael’s also someone ginny (someone who does not suffer fools!) went out with for an entire year, so can’t be a total dickhead, clearly knows right from wrong and has moments of real bravery - joining the DA in the first place, but also enduring torture that neville describes as particularly horrific for trying to rescue a chained up first-year during the DH, which would almost certainly make him deserving of ginny’s respect after the war. being in the DA under the carrows must have been an intense bonding experience for all involved, and actually would have forced ginny and michael back into each other’s lives in a way that forced them to develop some kind of working relationship. all this then added up to the decisions i made to write him as he is in beasts: someone who is grouchy, sassy, contrarian, too competitive, a bit jealous of others’ abilities (the sore loser), and fond of calling people out/correcting people, but also someone who speaks his mind and whose heart is, ultimately, in the right place, a bit of an arse but not a baddie. and i think that makes sense as a character ginny weasley would be attracted to, at least initially, and who she can get behind as someone whose opinion she will listen to, with a pinch of salt.

bonus michael headcanons: other characterisation bits that are more headcanons than anything else: michael, terry and anthony’s band. ginny is canonically a fan of the weird sisters, with a poster up in her room. the weird sisters play at the yule ball. michael and ginny meet at the yule ball. like literally nine billion other teenage relationships, wouldn’t be fun if michael and ginny first met/got to chatting because they both liked the same band? then that became: well, dean was artistic - what if ginny’s into creatives? wouldn’t it be a laugh if michael, terry and anthony, this three piece gang of boy besties, were in a band? so that became me imagining them all in a promising but bit-too-clever-for-their-own-good indie band, alt-j or vampire weekend of the 90s, very into the smiths. (the album cover ginny recognises in their flat ‘of a white turreted castle, lush woodland by a sunlit lake’ is blur’s country house - partly because the castle in that album art looks a bit like hogwarts, but also because country house was the single that, as british readers might remember, was in a very famous race for number 1 with oasis in the battle of britpop in august 1995, which became about the middle-class southern band (blur) vs the northern working class equivalent (oasis). in my mind the ravenclaw boys would have been team blur and the gryffindor boys are team oasis lol. 90s lore!) the ravenclaw boys being low key into hallucinogenic potions is literally because michael has a throwaway line in hbp where he asks slughorn about felix felicis lol (‘“Have you ever taken it, sir?” asked Michael Corner with great interest.”). so yeah that was enough to get me imagining michael and the boys as low key stoners but also into experimenting with different psychedelic substances and writing bangin’ tunes. they’re boarding school teenage boys, after all!

dean: ah dean 🥺 one day i’ll finish that damn dean fic. the dean we see here is who i imagine dean would be after the war - more lost and alone than literally any of the other main characters, properly unhappy. unlike the golden trio, or the silver trio, dean spends his deeply traumatic war alone, and i think that would fuck him up. he has to go on the run and leave his muggle family behind, a family he’s lied to about the severity of the war (“My parents are Muggles, mate,” said Dean, shrugging. “They don’t know nothing about no deaths at Hogwarts, because I’m not stupid enough to tell them.”’). he must have struggled, as the trio did, with accessing food and finding places of safety, but also had far fewer protections than the trio (no perkins tent, no invisibility cloak, none of hermione’s abilities). he’d also have had to deal with the fact that he’s a young black boy on the run in majority white racist nineties britain, where he would be hyper visible and vulnerable to the suspicions of muggles as well as the wizarding ministry and snatchers (the police/suspicious members of the public are never going to have treated a black teenage boy who seems homeless well). he briefly has the company of ted tonks, surrogate dad figure, dirk cresswell and the goblins, but then watches all but griphook get murdered. then he’s snatched, rescued, and goes to live at shell cottage with his ex’s brother lol. he would have none of the wartime bonding and sense of group solidarity that the wartime DA seem to have built, and while it seems likely he too would join the aurors if invited to punish the people who persecuted him, i think he would feel intensely isolated and lonely as well as challenged by the demands of that job, one he never really seems to crave in canon. got our first few deamus hints here but yeah basically if michael’s going thru one kind of trauma, dean’s going through another, one that he’s never going to open up to the ex who hurt him about. he doesn’t hate ginny - in DH, when he hears about the sword theft, he shows clearly still wants her to be safe and well - but he’s had none of michael’s time to build a post-relationship working friendship with her, and the emotional trust isn’t there anymore. wow bummed myself out writing that out jesus. he could have offered her a cup of tea, though. that’s just basic brit etiquette

baby’s first almost smut: look. what was i supposed to do. these two haven't shared a bed since august. if you think they’re not fucking immediately on sight i simply do not know what to tell you

(gif courtesy of @uncontainedhybrid)

reading list:

postwar justice (and kingsley as MoM):

The Weight of the After by PaperyInk Castles by @pebblysand

the ravenclaw boys:

these three brilliant fics by chaserzachsmith (crikey) Notes from the Ravenclaw Bulletin Board by lost_robin

grimmauld place:

haunted house by @bronzeagepizzeria Grimmauld Place: Azkaban by a Different Name by @artemisia-black

beasts and beings:

this meta by @myrskytuuli on harry potter as colonial fantasy

on the politics of childhood in 20c european politics, especially post-war (not hp fanfiction but historical non-fiction lmao):

the lost children and kidnapped souls, both by tara zahra

songs from the playlist for this chapter:

la jeune fille en feu by para one and arthur simonini | i horó 's na hug òro eile by duncan chisholm | blue ridge mountains by fleet foxes | lull by vraell and rosie h sullivan | if we make it through december by phoebe bridgers | please, please, please let me get what i want by the smiths | wading in waist-high water (solstice version) by fleet foxes | feels like a dream by alice boman and perfume genius

and a sneak peek of chapter 9 because now we're at grimmauld and you know what that means... 🐕‍🦺🐾

‘Wow. What a shithole.’ ‘Fred!’ ‘Don’t lie, Mum, you think it’s a shithole, too, I can see it on your face.’ ‘Well, yes, but don’t be rude, this is someone’s house.' ‘Be as rude as you like,’ says a bored voice. They all jump, turn to see a man standing at the foot of the stairs: tall, gaunt, long hair like curtains framing a ten-thousand galleon face. ‘I assure you,’ says Sirius Black, ‘this house is an insult to shitholes everywhere.’

#beasts #author's note #AN #yes the author's note is as long as the chapter #did someone say... padfoot #hinny #ginny weasley #sirius black #michael corner #meta #ministry of magic #wizarding politics #post-DH #dean thomas #deamus

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jaspermorgan · 5 months ago

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Jasper William Morgan (born 12 June 1970) is a British-American hotelier, businessman, and former actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Liam in the 1997 film Dark Skies, of Sebastian Harewood in the 1995 television miniseries The Outcast, and of Daniel Austin in the critically acclaimed 2009 detective noir film A Conflict of Shadows, for which he earned an Academy Award. He also received a Tony for his role in The Lights of Love (2003).

▲ Early Life and Family

Morgan was born in Mayfair, London to parents Alexander Morgan, the UK's financial secretary to the treasury, and Jillian Morgan (née Spencer), who was the Dean of the University of Central London. He is an only child.

Morgan's paternal grandfather, Sir Ambrose Collins Morgan, was a decorated Royal Navy Admiral, and his great-grandfather, Professor Nathaniel Morgan, was an acclaimed neurosurgeon and neurosurgery researcher who taught at Oxford University. His maternal grandfather, Phillip Spencer, was an investment banker and his wife, Augusta Spencer (née Clairmont), was an oil painter and sculptor.

He spent the majority of his childhood in the care of his maternal grandparents and it was his grandfather, who Morgan cites as being a major influence in pursuing acting as a career as they often watched classics together. His favourite films growing up were The General (1926), Casablanca (1942), and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). His parents wanted him to follow their footsteps into government or education or even to become a doctor, but Morgan was always adamant about wanting to be an actor. Eventually he was allowed to enrol in a local drama club where he built up his confidence and started to gain some experience in amateur dramatics.

His education was spent in private London schools, which Morgan doesn't credit as having any significant impact on him at all. He has said that there was always more of a focus on mathematics, science, and competitive sports rather than any of the arts and often felt very much an outsider from the rest of his classmates. However, he managed to encourage his secondary school headmaster to put on a rendition of Macbeth for pupils and parents, which was met with praise.

At the age of 18, Morgan attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His parents helped to pay for the majority of his tuition, but only agreed to do so if Morgan got himself a part-time job to pay for the rest. He ended up at the at the Mornington Hotel near Regent's Park where he first worked the reception nightshift before transferring to waiting tables and later becoming the restaurant manager. He gave up the job once he signed on to The Outcast.

▲ Career

After appearing as an extra in several British television shows throughout 1993, Morgan portrayed Sam Woodbury in the short-lived London West End play One More Night, and then as the younger version of Eric Radcliffe Reid’s character Wilson in the short film Whirlwind, Morgan landed his breakthrough role in the 1995 miniseries The Outcast, playing the lead character Sebastian Harewood: a young upper class gentleman who is disowned by his wealthy father and is forced to make his own way in the world. The show’s director Kathryn Liu states that she ‘took a risk when casting Morgan, not knowing if an inexperienced actor would be able to handle a complicated filming schedule’, but later admitted that "he was perfect for the role and absolutely smashed it’ and ‘his inexperience as an actor even benefited him greatly in that his naivety transferred well into Sebastian’s own". Morgan and Liu later went on to work together on the 2013 action film Highwire.

Morgan was then quickly cast in the 1997 psychological thriller Dark Skies, which was filmed in his hometown of London. His role as the protagonist Liam, a recluse with a vendetta against the world who is also trying to maintain an equilibrium within the relationship he has with his overbearing girlfriend, gained him international recognition. Variety praised Morgan’s performance, writing: “it’s hard to tell that he has very little professional acting experience when watching him portray Liam. Morgan perfectly encapsulates his character’s life of hatred and from his very first moment on screen you’re simultaneously sympathetic and agitated, wanting him to improve his situation and yet also completely understanding why he is the way he is”. He was nominated for a BAFTA for this role and was the catalyst to his career.

When the filming of Dark Skies concluded, Morgan went to work in New York City after landing an off-Broadway role in Impolite Society (1998), which ran between 15 January and 12 March. Whilst his role was small, he was popular with audiences and it gave him the confidence to continue pursuing his career on the stage. Morgan told the American Theatre Magazine: "Theatre was always the most formidable area of acting for me. Doing a play at school was immensely different to doing one on a stage in front of almost 500 people in New York City. Whilst my first show in London played to more people than Impolite Society did, it felt far more daunting this time, strangely enough, and to be performing in front of an American audience was certainly surreal and incredibly special. I'd dreamed of that as a young boy and to have that dream come true is a huge ego boost". It was following this success that Morgan permanently moved to Manhattan.

Between 1999 and 2004, Morgan played Dr Reginald 'Reggie' Keller, a paediatrician and the younger brother of Dr Carolyn Keller (Erin Hardy) in the long-running medical drama series Heartlines, filming the majority of his later episodes in blocks so he could star in other projects (namely the 2002 film Unity and the 2003 theatre production The Lights of Love). During an interview for The Hollywood Reporter in 2012, Morgan said: "this period of my career was easily the most challenging I had done up to that point. Simultaneously acting in 27 episodes of a TV show and a film whilst also preparing to take on a Broadway role wasn't the smartest decision I had ever made, but it was one that allowed me to push myself to my limits and see what I could do under such immense pressure. My hard work certainly paid off; the honour of receiving a Tony award at the end of it all came as a wonderful surprise. However, I wouldn't recommend that kind of schedule for any actor, no matter their age or prowess."

In 2006, Morgan took on his only voice role in animated adventure Nightwalker, alongside Ricky Santos and Florence Martin-May, in which he played a crow named Merrick. He stated that he “wished to have taken on more voice acting in [his] career, but it was, unfortunately, never meant to be”. Directors Julia McGregor and Imaan Bashar had bronze statues made of the animal characters to give to their respective voice actors once filming commenced and Morgan is known to keep his in the office of his hotel.

Morgan spent most of 2007 on hiatus. He spent time out from acting in London as well as in Scotland, Tuscany, Munich, and Hawaii. During his time in London, he returned to his alma mater to give talks and acting classes to drama students; he was almost persuaded into becoming an acting coach, but turned it down to the fact he didn't believe he "had enough viable experience" at the time. It was in August 2007 that Morgan began to partake in philanthropic work, which he said he wished he could have began sooner, and was introduced to the Brave Youth Theatre Charity by friend and fellow actor Cecilia Crane, of which he is still a patron.

In 2008, he took a small role in the miniseries Small Mercies, appearing in three of the five episodes, in which he played Louis Graves, the father of the main character Serena Graves (Lily Richardson-Gill). Filming took place in Seattle, Washington, between April and September, with the show airing on New Years Day 2009. A second series had been proposed, but was ultimately scrapped.

His next appearance was in A Conflict of Shadows (2009), noted internationally for being his greatest performance. Morgan portrayed Daniel Austin- a corrupt police detective working for the NYPD in 1917- who slowly loses his sanity over the course of the film. On his role, Morgan commented: "Playing Daniel was like playing several different people. Each scene he was in was slightly different in terms of his speech and body language and to maintain those distinctions consistently was tough, but he was an incredibly entertaining character to play. I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to play him again if a sequel ever came into fruition." Audiences and critics raved about the film as a whole and of Morgan's performance, Edward Quartermain wrote: "he can express so much by one simple glance and it can be such a powerful gesture, especially to reflect the torment and gradual change in Daniel's internal world as he actively shuts out reality. The range that Morgan presents, from subtle finger switches to full-blown fiery rage, proves he is a formidable actor and one that will continue to both impress and surprise audiences around the world". The film eventually earned more than $1 billion worldwide and went on to win five Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Costume Design) as well as numerous other awards (see here) and several other nominations (see here).

Morgan appeared in his fourth and final stage production, Heart of Steel, in 2011, in which he played Charlie Steel: a down-on-his-luck English man in New York City whose cold heart slowly starts to melt when he inadvertently befriends a lost, yet perpetually optimistic 12 year old boy named Ben (Samuel DeWitt). He was highly praised, with critic Laura Pryce saying: “his performance is captivating and deeply moving, a real intriguing insight into how a troubled man's life is a constant battle and can be suddenly transformed into a different kind of battle with something now worth fighting for. His chemistry with DeWitt is also exceptionally joyful to watch- a real bond was formed between both characters and actors”.

In 2012, Morgan starred as the lead in the critically acclaimed miniseries Snowfall. He played Archer Ellison- the mayor of a small Alaskan town that, blanketed by the perpetual darkness of winter, is being haunted by a supernatural force that brought despair and destruction to the residents. Talking to Variety, he said: "Snowfall was one of my more interesting and fun projects, even with the harsh filming conditions when on location. From the moment I read the script I knew I had to be a part of the show. The only disappointing thing for me was that it was only six episodes!" Morgan was also a producer for the show, the opportunity coming from the fact that original producers couldn't afford the full desired funding and Morgan offered to pay the remainder out of his own pocket. "They had a crystal clear vision for what they wanted out of the story," Morgan added, "and without the extra funding the show would have had to have been filmed on a soundstage in hot Los Angeles instead of in Alaska itself. The aesthetic of the setting is paramount to Snowfall; it wouldn't have had anywhere near the kind of chilling impact on audiences if they could clearly see the snow and backdrops were fake and digitally added in. Nobody can fully immerse themselves in a story when the details aren't all there. I was passionate about the story and knew that audiences would be just as enthusiastic as the creators were, so being able to help in adding to the budget was the least I could do. It was a high honour to be starring in the show, let alone being able to produce it".

In 2013, Morgan starred in Highwire, alongside Nina Fischer, who he previously worked with in Unity. The film was almost never made, however. Writers Dashiell McCormack and Kyle Draper wanted Kathryn Liu to direct after the first director, Jeri Schulz, dropped out last minute for personal reasons, but she initially turned down the opportunity. Despite the producers pushing to begin filming, McCormack and Draper refused to go ahead without Liu. It was Morgan, who was in the final stages of negotiations to star in the film and is a close friend of Liu's, that persuaded her to direct. After almost 8 months of filming, Highwire was released on became a success, both commercially and with audiences, earning more than $130 million worldwide, making it the biggest success of Liu's career. After the success of the opening weekend, Fischer claimed that Morgan had the rejection letter that Liu sent to McCormack and Draper framed and gifted it back to her. Liu herself later confirmed this and stated that along with the letter Morgan included a handwritten note that read: 'Dear Kat, I'm glad you took a chance on yourself and the film, like you did with me in 1995. Be brave and never doubt yourself. Love, J'.

Morgan’s final film role was in the 2015 fantasy epic Tyrant, in which he played the eponymous tyrannical ruler Lord Reynard. Filming began in early 2014 and was split between Scotland, Ireland, and Canada. He has cited that the film was his ‘most taxing’ and that ‘the villains are always the most entertaining to portray and wished I had the chance to take on that role more’. Tyrant's director Simon Leyland has often been cited to be difficult to work with due to his perfectionist directing style and long shooting periods and in an interview Morgan told The Hollywood Reporter that: "Even though Simon was determined to make a perfect fantasy film- and, in my opinion, he came rather close- the filming schedule and conditions were harsh and his criticisms only made things worse. I had a few squabbles with him on set, nothing more than minor creative differences that were eventually resolved, but sometimes had to play mediator between him and some of the crew members and actors. I was surprised I wasn't fired and replaced". He then went on to add: "Despite everything, the concept of the film was fun to play along with and being an unhinged ruler of a kingdom, shouting orders and laughing maniacally, was quite cathartic. It's an experience I'll never forget and I'm glad my acting career could end on a high". Morgan's performance also earned him a Critics’ Choice Award.

▲ Personal Life

Morgan is a trained pianist and has been playing for 45 years. It was his mother's idea to enlist him for lessons and did so from the age of 7. Morgan’s skills can be seen in the films Unity, A Conflict of Shadows, and Highwire. He has also played the piano at many charity galas, mainly focusing on charities that helped children and young adults with their literacy and that encouraged them to join in with the youth theatre. He was known for playing classical pieces as well as popular songs from film and television. Despite no longer attending these events, having stopped in 2016, just after he retired, Morgan still donates to the same charities.

Morgan is also talented in close-up magic, a skill that was introduced to him by RADA classmate Marcus Creaghan, and he would later perform these tricks for interviewers at award shows and at charity galas he attended. Morgan is also a self-professed impressionist, having learned by repeatedly watching specific film scenes and mimicking tone and inflections from a young age. He is known to do uncanny impressions of actors such as Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, James Stewart, Liam Neeson, and Christopher Walken, amongst many others, having shown them off on the first season of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Graham Norton Show.

From January to July 1997, Morgan was in a relationship with actress Natalia Sinclair. Their relationship was initially private for the first two months as they began to film Dark Skies together, but soon became public after they were seen together outside of filming in Hyde Park. Although Morgan has always refused to talk about the subject, several reports were made that their time together was ‘heated, passionate at first’ but then ‘rapidly developed into something toxic’. He has also refused to comment on Sinclair's untimely death, too, only stating in an Instagram post in April 2024: “…I still respect her greatly, as a person and as an actor, and that she deserved better, both from her short life and from myself”.

After selling his home in London, he moved to an apartment in Manhattan, New York City, which he bought from an undisclosed NBL player in 1998 and stayed there until his retirement. It is a well known fact that Morgan loves parties and over the years, his apartment has been the setting of many personal social events and charity events, even hosting an array of celebrities, including Lillian Grace Bower, David Solis, and Ethel Ajibola.

In 2004, Morgan officially became an American citizen whilst also retaining his British nationality. He has stated that ‘even though I have lived in the United States longer than I have lived in London, I will always consider myself British first and foremost’.

He has never married, but dated English actress Hattie Radford-Lowell between 2001 and 2004, American actress and singer Twyla Blake between 2006 and 2010, and briefly dated American author Summer Aston during 2013. He also dated English actress Arabella Woods whilst they were both studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He remains friends with Blake and is also close friends with A Conflict of Shadows director Colton Hensley, whose youngest son Morgan is godfather to.

Just weeks after the release of Morgan's final film, Tyrant, he hosted the 87th Academy Awards where he announced his retirement from acting. The announcement was met with a mixture of high praise of a prosperous career and disappointment from both fans and critics, many noting that they had been looking forward to seeing more of Morgan in theatre productions and speculating that he would even progress onto directing. In July 2015, he moved to Aurora Bay, California, where Of Fire and Stars was partly filmed and where he bought the Seascape Hotel from a local resident. He spent almost 2 years renovating and restoring it, with the funds coming from his own pocket, before reopening it as a luxury hotel that draws in guests from all over the world. Morgan still performs acting and music often on the stage of the hotel’s lounge & bar and takes a very active role in the day-to-day running of the Seascape.

▲ Filmography

► Film

• Whirlwind (1994) as young Wilson (short film)

• Dark Skies (1997) as Liam

• Of Fire and Stars (1998) as Ashford Roy

• Unity (2002) as Dr Quentin Horrocks

• Nightwalker (2006) as Merrick (voice role)

• A Conflict of Shadows (2009) as Daniel Austin

• Highwire (2013) as Ethan Maythorn

• Tyrant (2015) as Lord Reynard

► Television

• The Outcast (1995) as Sebastian Harewood (8 episodes)

• Heartlines (1999-2004) as Dr Reginald 'Reggie' Keller (27 episodes)

• Small Mercies (2008) as Louis Graves (3 episodes)

• The Graham Norton Show (2009) as Himself/Guest

• 82nd Academy Awards (2010) as Himself/Host

• Snowfall (2012) as Archer Ellison (6 episodes) ; also producer

• The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Himself/Guest

• 87th Academy Awards (2015) as Himself/Host

► Theatre

• One More Night (1994) as Sam Woodbury (Ambassadors Theatre)

• Impolite Society (1998) as Nik (Astor Place Theatre)

• The Lights of Love (2003) as Elliott Bird (Broadway Theatre)

• Heart of Steel (2011) as Charlie Steel (Gershwin Theatre)

▲ List of Awards and Nominations received by Jasper Morgan

• British Academy Television Award for Best Actor: Sebastian Harewood in The Outcast (1995) – won

• British Academy Television Award for Best Actor: Liam in Dark Skies (1997) – nominated

• Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor: Dr Quentin Horrocks in Unity (2002) – nominated

• Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play: Elliott Bird in The Lights of Love (2003) – won

• Academy Award for Best Actor: Daniel Austin in A Conflict of Shadows (2009) – won

• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture: Daniel Austin in A Conflict of Shadows (2009) – won

• Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor: Archer Ellison in Snowfall (2012) – nominated

• Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play: Charlie Steel in Heart of Steel (2011) – nominated

• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture: Ethan Maythorn in Highwire (2013) – nominated

• Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actor: Lord Reynard in Tyrant (2015) – won

#( disclaimer: all names of films and people except the actors mentioned in the part about jasper’s impression skills are totally made up! )#❝ 𝙟. 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣 ❞ ╱ other #❝ 𝙟. 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣 ❞ ╱ bio #aurorabay.intro

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nitrateglow · 1 year ago

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Halloween 2023 marathon: 12-15

Rope (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1948)

Brandon and Philip do everything together: share aesthetic philosophies, go on road trips, and commit thrill kills in their living room. After strangling a classmate, they hide the body in a chest. They also happen to be throwing a dinner party that night. The thrill of possibly being caught excites Brandon, but Philip is on the verge of a breakdown all night. And when their old prep school headmaster Rupert shows up and starts to notice their combined strange behavior, matters grow potentially deadly.

I watched this one with my grandmother, who had never even heard of it before. She ended up really liking it, which made me happy because I think Rope is Hitchcock's most underrated film. Hitchcock himself dismissed the movie as a failed experiment. The central gimmick is that the film appears to be shot in a single take, lending the story the sense that it's all unfolding in real time. It's not a seamless illusion, but it is effective, so sorry Hitchcock, you're wrong.

Rope is a great companion piece to Dial M for Murder. Both are based on plays and both feature debonair, egomaniacal killers who seem more excited about the plotting of their crimes than any material benefit they could get from them. (Someone please write a crossover where Tony and Brandon compete to commit the best perfect crime ever. Like that is the fanfic content I want!)

Jeopardy (dir. John Sturges, 1953)

Doug and Helen are an ordinary American couple vacationing in Mexico with their young son Bobby. They go to a remote fishing spot to picnic. The pro of this spot is its nostalgic quality for Doug. The con is that its remoteness is inconvenient when you get trapped under heavy ass timber just as the tide's coming in... which happens to Doug. With only four hours to save him from drowning, Helen drives off to find help. Instead she gets kidnapped by Lawson, an escaped criminal who isn't shy about murdering people. He's uninterested in helping Doug, so Helen has to find a way to either escape her captivity or manipulate Lawson into helping her before it's too late.

What an underrated thriller! I mainly watched it for Barbara Stanwyck, but Jeopardy is a great suspense film with a fiendishly simple set-up. It's the perfect example of writing advice I once received about how to deal with writer's block: just keeping making your main character's life worse. Got a husband about to drown? How about being kidnapped by an escaped criminal while you're trying to get help?

It runs at just 69 minutes and not a second of that runtime is dull. I had planned on only watching half of the movie before going to bed because it was very late, but I was so wrapped up in it that I said "Screw it" to getting a good night's sleep.

Stanwyck is of course amazing. Her character Helen is written as a terrified housewife susceptible to "hysteria" (hello casual 1950s sexism), but she's actually pretty crafty. Stanwyck plays her as a fighter and even when her captor gets the upperhand, you can see in her eyes that she's scrambling for the next potential escape plan.

The best scenes are between Helen and Lawson. There's both an antagonism and undeniable sexual tension between them from the start. When she seduces him in a shack, she starts lounging about and puffing at her cigarette like her character Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity, which is both funny and awesome. In addition, it's ambiguous how into Lawson Helen exactly is. You could say she seriously considers running away with him once he helps her husband out, but the opposite might be true as well.

In this kind of story, it would be easy to make the husband a wet rag in comparison to the attractive villain, but Doug is super likable, keeping a cheerful face on his increasingly hopeless situation, and his attempts to keep his son calm and optimistic are truly touching. And that just adds to the suspense-- you don't want to see that guy drown, even if Lawson is also charming and charismatic.

And hot. Cannot deny, Ralph Meeker is super hot in this, like holy shit. He's got some definite Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire vibes going on.

Also this promotional image of Stanwyck and her two male co-stars cracks me up. It's the polar opposite of the film's actual tone.

The Sealed Room (dir. DW Griffith, 1909)

In an unspecified century in an unspecified country, an unspecified king finds out his mistress is having an affair with the court minstrel. What's worse, they have their trysts in a hidden room the king likes using as his love cave. He decides to brick the two up alive, just as a gotcha.

The Sealed Room is one of my favorite nickelodeon era movies. It's got a great Poe-themed story, enjoyably hammy acting (the king makes so many reaction image worthy faces and poses, I just CAN'T--), and a pretty sophisticated use of composition and space that emphasizes the claustrophobic terror inherent in the premise.

This movie also features a great example of what I often call "silent movie logic." It's those scenes where something happens that would technically make a hell of a lot of noise but other characters don't notice and most of the time, I don't notice unless I think about it too hard. But in this case, it's hard to miss-- the king's servants start bricking up the exit to the hidden room while the mistress and the minstrel are like five feet away. Those servants are either very good at their job or the lovers are too horny to pay attention to anything else.

It Follows (dir. David Robert Mitchell, 2014)

When high school girl Jay loses her virginity at the end of a date, she expects her life to change. And it does-- but not in the way she expects. Her date tells her he's just passed on a curse to her-- a mysterious figure will follow her around until it gruesomely kills her and the only way to get it off her trail is to transmit the curse to someone else via sex. Terrified and hurt, Jay and her friends try to find a way to stop the monster permanently.

It Follows had so much hype around it back in 2014. It was the horror movie du jour, with everyone praising the hell out of its old-school vibe and intriguing premise.

I'm sad to say I was underwhelmed. The premise IS cool, as well as a fun meta commentary on the traditional sexual politics of the slasher genre, and the lead actress Maika Monroe is very good as the soulful young Jay. I was never really scared though-- and if you're a regular of this blog, then you know it's not because I don't like slow-burn horror. I love it, especially when there's a bare minimum of crappy jump scares. This one just felt meandering, slow for the sake of resembling artsier classics of cinematic horror, and I lost interest halfway through. Even the monster ceased to creep me out by the end.

And that makes me sad, because I loved the score and the atmosphere of the film. There's a weird out of time quality to it-- the score is very 80s synth, characters watch old horror movies on the TV (Jay and her date even go to see Charade at a movie theater), and there isn't much in the way of teens staring at their phones (though one of Jay's friends has a cool clam-shaped e-reader). However, I just could not get into the story. It just lacked that extra something to make me love it. Or maybe I just wasn't in the proper mood.

I don't know. It could very well be a "me" problem.

#halloween 2023 marathon #thoughts #jeopardy 1953 #rope 1948 #the sealed room #it follows

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the-forest-library · 2 years ago

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March 2023 Reads

The Neighbor Favor - Kristina Forest

The Love Wager - Lynn Painter

Witcha Gonna Do? - Avery Flynn

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon - Sarah Hawley

The Librarian of Crooked Lane - C.J. Archer

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen - K.J. Charles

Of Manners and Murder - Anastasia Hastings

To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis

The Lives of Christopher Chant - Diana Wynne Jones

Royal Blood - Aimee Carter

Missing Clarissa - Ripley Jones

Kill Joy - Holly Jackson

Home Field Advantage - Dahlia Adler

Begin Again - Emma Lord

Free Radicals - Lila Riesen

The Headmaster’s List - Melissa de la Cruz

The Magic Fish - Trung Le Nguyen

She-Hulk, Vol 1: Jen, Again: Rainbow Rowell

Enchantment - Katherine May

What Looks Like Bravery - Laurel Braitman

Forager - Michelle Dowd

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? - Julie Smith

Glow in the F*cking Dark - Tara Schuster

Dear Dolly - Dolly Alderton

We Should Not Be Friends - Will Schwalbe

It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism - Bernie Sanders

Con/Artist - Tony Tetro

The Polyvagal Theory - Stephen W. Porges

The Way Out - Alan Gordon, Alon Ziv

Financial Femist - Tori Dunlap

Peak Mind - Amish P. Jha

Sex Talks - Vanessa Marin

Come as You Are - Emily Nagasaki

What’s Eating Us - Cole Kazdin

Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy - Toni Okamoto

Dinner in One - Melissa Clark

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts:

A really solid month, especially for non-fiction reads.

Goodreads Goal: 103/400

2022 Reads | 2023 Reads

#2023 reads #book reviews #book recommendations #books #booklr #bookish #reading #bibliophile

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oh-no-another-idea · 7 months ago

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7 Snippets, 7 People IX

Tagged ages ago by @druidx -- thank you!! Here's some Invisible Girl:

Lewis Huen held up a hand. “Why are you on this train?”

“Just because she’s invisible doesn’t mean she doesn’t have places to be,” Antonio said heatedly. Then a stricken look flashed across his face. “I mean…I think so.”

“If nobody knows of her existence, how can they expect her anywhere?” Lewis argued.

“Please stop talking about me as if I’m not here,” Velia said. “In less than ten short minutes, I’ll be gone and you can gossip to your hearts content.”

“Do you usually steal food?” Antonio asked interestedly instead of giving her a straight answer.

“Yes,” Velia said truthfully. “And I’ll admit freely that the waitstaff they’ve got in the dining car have put a slight damper on that plan.”

She had Antonio West to thank for supplying her vigil; without him and his sandwiches there was no way Velia could’ve remained for so long. Waiters bustled to and fro with trays piled high. Soup tureens and roasted potatoes, warm bread and butter, roasted chicken and the occasional steak. As late afternoon gave way to early evening, the car filled slowly for suppertime.

When she next looked back, she was horrified to see the man in the fedora gaining on her. There was nowhere to go. Jumping over the side would almost surely mean a broken leg, and she’d be totally vulnerable if the man followed her. But she couldn’t keep running down the length of the train; she’d reach the end before too long. If she made it that far.

Velia made another jump and tripped, falling to her knees, a steel bolt digging into her leg.

“I swear I wasn’t trying to get you killed when I invited you in here,” Antonio said, drawing [Paris]’s attention back. “It really was to show you the music piece.”

“No,” [Paris] conceded. “Is there a spare bit of platform here?”

Velia didn’t move as he sat beside her, seemingly uncaring of soiling his fine suit, legs folding up like those of a grasshopper. His shoes were scuffed on one side, the laces tied tight. In the dimness of night, he was almost as invisible as she, pressed up against the rear of the train.

Well, I mind,” Lewis said, hands on his hips. “Leeching away at others’ hard work like that. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Your school won’t pay your travel fee?” Antonio asked, eyes large and commiserating. “What tightwad headmaster—”

Fynn shook his head, curls dancing. “There is no school, Tony.”

“Antonio,” he corrected. “What on earth do you mean?”

Fynn’s gray eyes darkened. “I lied,” he said. “Ms. Greene isn’t the only one taking advantage of Lewis’ time and efforts.”

Tags for @k--havok @lavender-laney @talesofsorrowandofruin @sleepyowlwrites @writingmaidenwarrior and anyone else who'd like to join 🍧

#for context in case anyone is confused: velia is invisible to anyone who doesn't care about her >:)#tag games #7 snippets tag #wip: invisible girl

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deathbecomesnerds · 2 years ago

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“Bark Like A God” | Chapter 33 | Astrid x Raymond

A03 Link

London - 2009

It was the school’s field trip to the British Museum and while Astrid was sort of giddy, Tony was absolutely horrified. After watching Astrid disappear within the sea of children, Tony approached the front office staff to try and make an agreement to let himself or Edmund chaperone with the student body.

“Mr. Keane, I understand your concern, but if we let Astrid’s bodyguard join, then we’d need to let everyone’s bodyguards in too, and unfortunately, we do not have the space!” the headmaster explained, “Please trust us that we can protect your daughter from any and all dangers…you’re not the only one whose child can be a target.”

#the gentlemen #charlie hunnam #raymond smith #victoria pedretti #astrid x raymond

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whatever-letmebe · 11 months ago

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Listen, I don't have time to write that multi chapter Pit Babe x LitA boarding school AU so can you just write it for me, please? And do it in the exact way I imagined?

Charlie was in a car accident and now has a difficult relationship with his body (but he'll get there). Tony is the headmaster and uses his son, Kenta, to keep an eye on all the students, which leads to the students disliking and shunning Kenta. (But they'll learn to love and appreciate him.) Sky is a scholarship student who tries hard to be cool and makes the wrong friends, even though Rain is right there. (But he'll figure it out eventually.) Rain has self-esteem problems because everybody keeps calling him dumb. (But he'll make friends with Sky and Jeff, who assure him that he's in fact an awesome person and help him with school.) Way and Babe grew up together after Babe's father ran off and Way's parents took him in. Their friendship is not healthy. (But Babe will realize it and Way will learn to be better.) I also know which characters share rooms, I made a chart. And Chay from KinnPorsche is there, too. And there are illegal street races of course.

I really need this in my life. It's so unfair that I have to write it myself.

#pit babe the series #fanfiction #fanfic writing

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daddysfangirls-marvel · 2 years ago

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Scars (6)

Chapter 6: Show me, Please

Alice was shy, sneaky, quiet, and hard to get to. Natasha had been trying to get to her or corner her, but she rarely, if ever, left her room. The girl was just gone.

"I can't get to her," Natasha said, flopping next to Clint on the couch. "She's like a ghost. She's gone with the wind, invisible, was never here, she's a spy and doesn't know it, she's-"

"You could just leave her alone," Clint said. "Did you not hear what she said the other night? She is a child who has been isolated for the majority of her life, just now being reintroduced to society at 17 years old. She's not well, and you chasing her isn't helping. Just leave her alone she'll come whenever she's ready. You need to stop bombarding her with questions. Remember, the only one she knows is Tony. " he continued casually to flip through the tv channels while glancing at the ceiling occasionally.

Natasha knew that Clint was right. Running around stalking the girl wasn't going to get her to talk. She was usually more collected than this, but having something or someone so close and not knowing a thing about them was something Natasha didn't like. Especially when everyone else was so nonchalant about it; she was a spy, for crying out loud.

On Christmas, she gave everyone scrapbooks filled with blackmail, yet she couldn't find anything about this girl. Natasha had literally gone through every database possible to man, even databases people weren't supposed to know about. She couldn't find anything on Alice Stark. She even called Professor X, The well-known telepath and Headmaster of a Mutant/gifted only School, to help; he did find out who she was; he confessed to knowing and keeping tabs on her for a very long time but wouldn't tell Natasha anything else, but he did say something along the lines of "The child was put in a bubble for a reason Ms. Romanoff please ..... don't pop it " now Natasha was even more interested in the girl.

Why am I the only one wondering, Natasha thought to herself

"Because you're always used to knowing everything or pretending to know everything. And this one time, you know nothing, and everyone knows you know nothing, and you don't like it." Clint answered casually as if she actually spoke out loud to him. He knew she wasn't. And she knew he knew she wasn't. "Plus, I went through Tony's stuff and found out that the first rule on her long list of rules to stay here was not to use her abilities. She isn't going to tell you if it risks her getting sent back. This is her first taste of freedom, her only taste of freedom.

"Shit," Natasha cursed, finally realizing the effect she was having on the poor girl.

"you just lost your cool for a moment. Next time you see her, apologize," Clint said, then picked a bowl off the coffee table. "I've given you advice and knowledge. Please make me more popcorn". Natasha rolled her eyes, but never the less made the man popcorn.

Alice had a new hobby/habit, people-watching. Or, more accurately, watching people through surveillance cameras. She'd often watch the team do mundane things such as training, eating, cleaning, playing games, and just being domestic. It made her feel much better than actually sitting in the room with them and made her less anxious.

Due to this habit, Alice accidentally caught part of Clint and Natasha's conversation. She listened to Clint defend her as she realized how desperate Natasha was to find her secrets. She was really working herself, trying to find out her abilities.

Would it really be bad if she showed them? They were the Avengers, after all. It's not like they would tell anyone else. And she didn't want them to not like her. She had really been putting Natasha through the wringer.

These were the only people she knew the only people communicated with she couldn't lose them over the trust or a petty rule, right?

Her Father wasn't home, he had gone to a company meeting with Pepper he was in California and they were in New York. He'd never know, right?

Alice paced the gym floor heavily she had finally given into Natasha and decided to show her what she was asking, for now, she was waiting. Too busy pacing, Alice didn't notice Natasha and the rest of the team.

"Alice" Finally, she noticed the team that had gathered for her. "You wanted to show up something?" Steve said

She nods, taking a few steps back " I- I...powers?"

"Uh yeah, no shit- I mean, yes, we'd like to see "An elbow from Natasha set Clint straight.

"Dad....don't-" Everyone nodded before she could finish completely understanding.

"Listen, Alice, if you don't want to tell us, that's okay. We're okay with that. We don't want you to get in trouble or anything -"

"Shut up, Rogers." Sam scolded Steve.

Taking a deep breath stepping forward to a punching bag, she bites down on her index finger until she bleeds, "she's hurting herself" Clint made the obvious observation, letting the blood drip from her finger blood spill on to the floor taking another breath shaky breath she flicked the blood off her finger into the direction of the punching bag. The team didn't know what they expected but what happened surely wasn't it. As soon as the blood drop hit the punching bag it ripped off the chain bursting open, hitting the back wall and leaving a massive dent.

"That was... AWESOME," Clint said, running up to Alice before remembering boundaries. Everyone bombards her with questions. Alice didn't really answer any questions, more or less just stood there and smiled.

They liked her,

"Tony, are you paying ?" Pepper asked, frustrated she had been talking to air for the last 20 minutes. "No, sorry. Watching Alice," Tony said as he watched the footage of his daughter breaking the #1 rule he said not to. "she's in trouble"

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@lovely-lollipops-blog @totallyweirdsam @sexysamsungl @lilylovelyxo @iamwarrenspeace @geeksareunique @that-random-emu @supreme-leader-jazlo-ren @stone2576 @lil-dino-trash @metal-armed-dino @dylanobrienmoviekid @theshortegg @dontevenblink-badwolf-tardis @mandylove1000 @isnotashtonstan @broitsmydick @onceaballeralwaysaballer1213 @mypage-myfandoms @jordynhartley2001 @midnightdream83 @cookies186 @i-am-marvel-trash-forever @marvels-queen-bee @aebeessun @gabriels-gumdrop @the-best-alchemist @smile-my-bean @valeriae2903 @cassiopeia-barrow @uberduber-loulou @spideyboiiiiiii @lookinsidemyhead @actors-hot @lokilvrr @5aftermidnightdaily-blog @captainamerica-is-bae

@avada-kedavra-bitch-187

MCU

@acupofhotlatte @actors-hot @drakesfiance @sambucky8

@purplekitten30 @goneghost123 @quietgeekygirl

#avengers fanfiction #avengers #fanfiction #tony stark daughter #tony stark's daughter #Alice Stark #scars #scars series #fanfic #Scars6

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themculibrary · 1 year ago

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40k Masterlist

academy babylon (ao3) - wiigs gilgamesh/thena N/R, 42k

Summary: welcome to academy babylon where everything is very alternate universe, but essentially ajak is headmaster, all the eternals are professors/teachers, and thena has ptsd but gilgamesh is there for her.

All Those Little Pieces (ao3) - Ellessey steve/bucky M, 40k

Summary: Bucky blinks at him. "You’re sure your brain wasn’t damaged?"

"Yes," Steve sputters. "Why do you keep asking that?"

"I almost killed you," Bucky says, still with almost no emotion in his voice. It’s unclear if he’s questioning Steve because he can’t seem to string a sentence together, or because it’s crazy to tell Bucky he’s still a hero after almost being murdered by him, but it doesn’t matter.

"You didn’t, though," Steve says firmly. "And you’re… here."

Steve has never forgotten Bucky Barnes. Not their childhood together, not the horror of the moment Bucky fell too far for him to reach, and not the way he's loved him all the while.

Bucky has forgotten everything about Steve, at least at first. But there's still a feeling there, warm in his chest—and maybe now that he's found his way back to Steve Rogers and his sunny apartment, there's a chance it might turn into something more.

Demobilization (ao3) - 743ish steve/bucky E, 41k

Summary: When the Statue of Liberty slides into view, the whole ship roars. It’s deafening. Bucky throws his fist in the air and yells along with everyone else. His heart is in his throat. The Statue of goddamn Liberty. Bucky wants to climb up her robe and kiss her sour green face.

------

In 1945, Bucky comes home from the war.

Fourth Floor (ao3) - dirtybinary, mithborien, picoalloe steve/bucky T, 41k

Summary: Steve has his life in order, okay. He goes to wizard college, even if he can't technically do magic. He has his own apartment, even though it's small and dinky and kind of gross, and forgets to exist sometimes, and might also be alive? Plus, he has a crush on the hot cyborg in unit 404 who cooks fiendishly good breakfast foods, and may or may not have some kind of weird connection to the sentient building they live in. He's not sure.

He's dealing, all right, his life is in tip-top condition, or it was until an eldritch monstrosity called the Hydra started posing as a real estate company to try and buy over his new home.

He's really pissed about that.

(The one where Steve is an angry millennial wizard, Sam is a Disney prince, Natasha is a shapeshifter, and Bucky is a spoiler.)

fuck you (please?) (ao3) - definitelynotahunter sam/bucky M, 48k

Summary: SPOILERS FOR TFATWS

Bucky hates Sam. He hates his shitty jokes, his stupid smug smile, and the fact that he can't even look Sam in the eye without revealing how desperately in love he is.

ghosts that we knew (ao3) - wilsonsnest sam/bucky T, 46k

Summary: Sam (reluctantly) agrees to do a commission for Steve's rich but extremely reclusive friend, James Barnes.

Sam just stared at the other man, the feeling of being watched suddenly overcoming him. God, what kind of weirdo didn’t even come to greet their guests? It was one thing to be a rich recluse, but another thing to just completely ignore people wandering around your house.

“Steve, this is really weird.” Sam stressed. “This isn’t weird to you?”

I just met you (and this is crazy) (ao3) - littlesystems steve/bucky E, 41k

Summary: After Steve gets outed by a grainy cell phone picture, it takes the media less than 24 hours to discover Captain America’s secret relationship with James Barnes: classical musician, teen heartthrob, and son of a former president.

The only problem? Steve has never met James Barnes in his life.

Iron Man: Unavailable, Tony Stark: In Trouble (ao3) - navaan steve/tony T, 40k

Summary: After what happened in New York the Avengers with the help of Tony Stark are trying to become more independent. The team has grown together and for Steve Iron Man is a big part of that, although he has some trouble getting along with his employer. Then Steve faces a bit of a mystery when Tony Stark gets kidnapped – and Iron Man, who is supposed to be the man's bodyguard when he's not an Avenger, is nowhere to be found.

Love Is An Anomaly (Not Science Nor Art) (ao3) - morphia steve/tony E, 44k

Summary: "I see you've met our History of Art teacher Steve Rogers," Bruce said, pointedly eyeing Tony, who was still holding onto Steve's hand. "And Steve…" He turned to him with a smile that was a touch too pleasant. "…this is my seventeen year old assistant, Tony Stark."

One Hell of a Show (ao3) - MillyVeil pepper/tony E, 44k

Summary: Tony gets kidnapped for ransom and Clint gets nabbed with him. It’s rough for them both.

Semaphore (ao3) - DevilDoll steve/tony, pepper/tony, steve/bucky, peggy/steve E, 40k

Summary: "I’m trying to like you, Tony. You’re just making it very hard." Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Take It From Me (ao3) - castiowl steve/bucky E, 41k

Summary: After a disastrous break up with Brock, Steve is looking to drown his feelings at a bar. Instead, he finds a rakish stranger and decides to take him home. It’s a no-strings-attached, one-night stand, a way to forget all the shitty things Brock made him feel. The stranger is leaving the country anyway, so Steve may as well take advantage of the opportunity for anonymous rebound sex. Steve’ll never see him again, right?

A lot can change in three years.

Teach Me To Love (ao3) - iamjustabird gilgamesh/thena, phastos/ben G, 49k

Summary: Thena has just moved next door to her old friend Phastos with her young son Druig in tow. She's worried about how he's going to adjust to the move and to his new school, but Phastos assures her that his friend and neighbour Gilgamesh is the best teacher a kid could ask for. She'll see about that.

The Last Love Song of Anthony E. Stark (ao3) - jibrailis steve/tony M, 42k

Summary: After contracting an Asgardian virus, Tony starts forgetting things. And people. And Steve.

Things Unseen (That Are Captured on Film) (ao3) - scifigrl47 steve/tony, clint/phil M, 41k

Summary: In which the Avengers discover the video footage of Tony testing the Iron Man armor, and that goes about as well as it could be expected. Steve Rogers attempts to make peace with his lover's rather cavalier attitude to his health and safety, and starts learning more about Tony's family along the way, both the one he was born into, and the one he's chosen. And, of course, the one that's chosen him.

Subtitled: It's all Clint's fault. No one is surprised.

Thirty-Eight Days and Counting (ao3) - thecommodore_squid (orphan_account) steve/bucky M, 40k

Summary: It didn’t escape him that Steve shared his assumed last name. “Are you gonna be my cousin?” Bucky asked dully.

Steve frowned. “Husband, actually,” he said easily, holding up his left hand to show a typical golden band.

Bucky scowled and closed the door.

AKA An AU in which Bucky is put in the witness protection program and Steve is the agent hired to protect him/pretend to be his husband.

To Liars and Saving the World (ao3) - magicasen steve/tony E, 45k

Summary: When Tony's life is in danger, Steve does the only thing he can do to save his teammate: he makes an honest man out of him. Steve and Tony's sham marriage is only supposed to be a blip in their history that no one has to know about. But when they're outed to the press, and with ghosts from his past coming to haunt him, Steve must come to terms with the idea that his own feelings for Tony might not be a lie.

Toy Soldiers (ao3) - copperbadge steve/tony, background sam/bucky E, 44k

Summary: When Steve Rogers, five foot four and a hundred and ten pounds, met Tony Stark in a bar, he didn't expect it to lead to a relationship. Or that Tony would find out he's not an art student during a SHIELD rescue mission in Afghanistan.

#themculibrary #masterlists #marvel #mcu #40k #40k masterlist

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monsterintheballroom · 2 years ago

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Interview under the cut :-)

Penelope Wilton: ‘I was never a starlet – I wasn’t cast because of a pretty face’

Ahead of her stint in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Penelope Winton speaks to Fiona Sturges about her 55-year career in the industry

In a career spanning nearly 55 years, Penelope Wilton has cornered the market in quiet disappointment. As Anne Bryce in the popular 80s sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles, her eyeballs were permanently rotating at the childish antics of her on-screen husband Martin, played by Richard Briers, while in the film Clockwise she was the long-suffering spouse of John Cleese’s calamity-prone headmaster. In Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads series, she played a housewife who couldn’t bring herself to tell her husband she didn’t want to move to Marbella.

In her new film, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, she plays another wife bottling up her feelings. Wilton is retiree Maureen, whose husband, Harold (Jim Broadbent), receives a letter from an ex-colleague informing him that she is dying. Overcome with unexplained guilt, Harold pledges to travel on foot from his home in south Devon to Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland (500 miles, give or take), where his friend is in a hospice, leaving Maureen alone at home.

“First of all, she thinks he’s mad, and then gets very angry, and then very anxious and upset,” says Wilton. “But slowly she starts to recognise how much her marriage means to her, which she hasn’t in the immediate past because this sadness has thrown them apart.” The sadness relates to their late son, David (Earl Cave), who struggled with drug abuse and who, we learn through flashbacks, died years earlier from suicide. Unlike Harold, Wilton’s Maureen isn’t given the catharsis of an epic journey. Instead, her devastation is conveyed through intense bouts of vacuuming and in clipped phone exchanges with Harold. “You never walk,” she tells him, indignantly. “The only time you walk is to the car.”

Wilton and I are talking on the phone: she doesn’t do Zoom and rarely does in-person interviews nowadays. Though she is never less than polite, I sense that, if she had her way, she wouldn’t do interviews at all.

Nonetheless, at 76, she is showing little sign of slowing down, and isstill averaging a movie a year: last year she reprised her role as Isobel Crawley, mother-in-law of Lady Mary, in the second Downton Abbey spin-off film, A New Era, while in 2021 she appeared in Operation Mincemeat as Hester Leggett, formidable head of the MI5 secretarial unit. She still does bits and pieces of TV, most recently appearing in Netflix’s After Life, where she played a widow sharing a graveyard bench with Ricky Gervais’s grief-stricken Tony. Add to that her distinguished career in theatre and it is no wonder that, in 2016, Wilton was made a dame for services to drama.

When I mention her ability to convey deep disappointment with the subtlest of expressions, Wilton bats away the compliment. “If I get a part that requires me to do that, then I’ll do that,” she says. “But it’s also the case that people don’t go around bursting into tears. Most of the time we try to stop the tears coming and we tend to apologise when emotion overtakes us. It’s an English trait. I have to say I don’t have that trait as a person, but a lot of people have grown up learning to hold their emotions in.” She adds that she is pleased to see younger generations being more vocal about their feelings. “It’s great that they’re not holding it all in, as I think that is unhealthy. This silent world that Harold and Maureen live in, it’s very sad.”

Wilton is known for keeping her private life private, often delivering a stock reply to prying interviewers about it being better if audiences don’t know “my inside leg measurement”. What is known is that she has been married twice: first to actor Daniel Massey, with whom she had a daughter before they divorced in 1984 (he went on to marry Wilton’s sister, Linda), and then to Ian Holm, her co-star on The Borrowers, whom she divorced in 2001.

Wilton says she became an actor “because I wasn’t very good at anything else, and I liked stories and storytelling”. Her father, a businessman, had no interest in the performing arts, but her mother, Alice Travers, had been an actor and dancer. Wilton began going to the theatre at 15 and quickly realised she would “prefer to be on the stage than in the audience”.

But it was Ever Decreasing Circles, one of the biggest sitcoms of its era, that made her famous and which, she says, “I enjoyed more than I can say. People still have a soft spot for it, and so do I. Ricky Gervais loved that series and that’s why he cast me in After Life and why he called my character Anne, as a homage.”Ever Decreasing Circles was at its height in the 80s, when industry sexism meant actresses were often faded out after reaching middle age, but Wilton endured. Was that through tenacity on her part, or luck? “It was probably a bit of both,” she replies. “By the time I began doing film and television, I was already [in my thirties]. But before that I was doing theatre, and the parts for women in the theatre were plentiful. But also, I wasn’t ever a starlet. I played real people. I wasn’t cast because of a pretty face.”

Wilton also attributes her longevity to her ability to get on with people (“I can count on one hand the people I’ve really disliked”), and to play close attention to scripts and go “not for the big parts but the smaller and often more interesting ones that might have one or two really good scenes. It’s a good thing to learn, not to think about the size of the role. A smaller role can change a career.” She once told the theatre critic Michael Billington that, when giving masterclasses, she would tell students to do less acting. Watch any number of Wilton’s performances, and it is clear what she means. “I’m not a fan of big acting,” she reflects now. “I have always found you can achieve just as much by showing less and being real.”

#i know she hates it but I love it that she has to make some much promo for harold fry :-D #penelope wilton #the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry #downton abbey

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