#how old is lucy grove

[personinthepalace]

Hey. Hey. How old do you think Lucy is. In the goes wrong stuff. I’m haunted by this I genuinely don’t know how old she’s supposed to be.

haha I am also not sure! But I am going to try to reason it out: We know that Lucy is younger than the rest of the Cornley cast. And during Play That Goes Wrong, most of the cast were taking classes in Cornley Polytechnic, which from what I understand is like uni. I'm American so my best guess is that people would start uni/college around 17 or 18. Let's round up a bit and say that as of Peter Pan Goes Wrong (BBC 2016), most of the cornley cast were around 20 years old.

We are operating under the assumption that as of ppgw, Lucy hasn't started uni or polytechnic yet (I believe there is a play program somewhere that says that she is part of a youth program??). I am going to assume that she is at least 5 years younger than most of the cast, making her 15 years old during ppgw.

Now we are going to fast forward to The Goes Wrong Show series 2, which came out in 2021. That is 5 years later so we can assume that as 2021, Lucy was at least 19 or 20 years old

Hope that helps! So basically I think that Lucy was 15 years old during ppgw (2016) and 19 or 20 years old during There Is No Escape (tgws series 2) (2021)

But this is just my own speculations! I am curious to hear what other people think :)

[not-neverland06]

Crash of Worlds

Previous part / Next part

Cooper Howard x fem!reader, The Ghoul x fem!reader A/N: After this there’s gonna be more canon divergence - this one’s short (rope divider done by @saradika-graphics , cowboy hat/revolvers done by @firefly-graphics) Summary: You’d been expecting everything to be different, people, to be different. But not like this. Not to such an extreme extent. Maybe the vault had softened you more than you’d have liked but there was nothing to do about it now.

The green canopy of the forest provides a welcome relief from the heat. You and Lucy follow the signs pointing the way to Filly. You hear it before you ever get to see it. There’s a distant sound of yelling and the murmur of people. It has your heart clenching in your chest. 

You’re outside, breathing in real air, not oxygen from tanks. You can feel the breeze in your hair and hear people. It’s all you wanted for three years. Bud prepared you for a lot. But he didn’t prepare you for just how jarring it is to wake up and suddenly everything you’ve ever known is gone. You don’t feel the years you’ve been asleep. It was like it happened yesterday. 

But you’ve had three years to come to peace with what had happened. You can’t let yourself get wrapped up in this feeling of nostalgia. The raiders that came down to the vault were proof enough that the people you’re going to meet up here aren’t going to be anywhere near friendly. You know this world has turned into dog-eat-dog, Lucy doesn’t yet, though. 

She walks towards a large grove of abandoned cars. The paint has flaked off and the glass smashed in, but they’re not in horrible condition for being two hundred odd years old. You're distracted by the convertible she stands next to and you gasp. 

You rush forward, hand smoothing over the hood and grinning at the familiar feel. “I-”

You cut yourself off abruptly and Lucy looks over at you, a curious smile on her face. “What is it?”

You shake your head, “Nothing. Just excited to see civilization again.” You give her a terse smile, hoping she doesn’t smell the lie. You’d almost said that it was exactly like your old car. But that would have opened up a can of worms you weren’t ready for. 

She groans, linking her arm through yours and nodding. “I know, me too. The surface is definitely not what I was expecting.”

You sigh, glancing back at the car before stepping towards Filly. “Yeah, me either.” 

The noise reaches a crescendo as you finally manage to make your way into the market. There’s still signs directing you further through the woods so you figure this must not be Filly yet. Probably just a little place where people tried to peddle junk. 

A man lurches out at you holding out a kebab and grinning widely. “DOG MEAT!” You jump back in shock as he screams in your face. His eyes are unseeing as he waves the kebab around. “GET YOUR DOGMEAT HERE!” 

“Oh, what the fuck?” You mutter, you didn’t mean dog-eat-dog literally. You notice you and Lucy getting odd looks and you finally realize just how much the two of you stand out. In comparison, you're both well groomed and much cleaner than anyone here. 

Not only that but you’ve got the stupid Pip-Boy’s on your arm and vault suits on. You’re walking advertisements of “Come rob me!” You steer Lucy further through the market, narrowly avoiding a lizard meat stall and dragging her towards a tunnel at the end of the path. Filly’s just beyond and you shove her through the opening, eager to get somewhere where you might be able to find something useful. 

You seperate with the promise to meet back up in the middle of the town square. You’re going to look for something to change into and she’ll find some information on her father. Should be easy enough. 

He’s not supposed to be here. He’d gotten himself and all of his kind banned a long time ago. An impressive feat, considering how lawless Filly is. But no one’s going to say anything to him, no one ever has before. 

Any other ghoul and they would have been dragged right back out before they could even put a foot through the tunnel. But he’s not any ghoul, he’s the ghoul. And no one in their right mind is going to be the one to start a fight they’ve got no fucking hope of winning. 

He rolls the empty vial of RadAway around in his hand, hat tipped down as he waits for his mark to show up. Ma June, cantankerous old bitch that she is, always has good supplies. But she doesn’t sell to ghouls, and if he didn’t need her alive right now he would have shot her for turning him away. She’s a well known fence for fugitives and bounties. If his mark is going to show up anywhere, it’s going to be right here. 

Most of the people who try their hand at bounty hunting do it for the experience. They get bored, not that he can fucking blame them. After a while staring at nothing but sand and chickens makes a man go a little crazy. They don’t understand that it’s all a waiting game. 

Sometimes it’s an exhilarating chase, like a predator tracking down its prey. But more often than not he’s just waiting for a slip up. A mistake from whoever has a price on their head is usually what lands them in his hands. And the second this man decided to use Ma June as a transport was when he made his mistake. Everyone knows that Barv can’t keep her mouth shut for shit. 

When someone decides Ma June can help them, everyone knows where they are. It’s a big bounty, enough to keep anyone with a normal life cycle sated for the rest of their life. For him, it’s all about the hunt. The wait, that look in their eyes when they realize they're trapped and there’s nowhere left for them to turn. He loves it when he’s got them cornered. 

There’s a desperation to them that makes the capture all the more sweeter.  

There’s two bright flashes of blue against the otherwise dreary countenance of Filly. He doesn’t look up much, still trying not to draw too much attention to himself. He sees one, brown hair and wide eyed as she takes in the sights. Fucking vaulties. 

It’s been a while since he’s taken one of their bounties. Their tech was pretty valuable among surface dwellers and when one was spotted, which was rare, there was usually a good price on their head. He can only catch the back of the other one, her face blocked by a conveniently placed support beam next to him. 

She stops by the clothing stall, waving her friend along and speaking to the woman who runs the booth. Good fucking luck to her. There was no haggling with that woman and her prices were fucking ridiculous. He wonders how long it will be until he sees those two on the poster in some bar somewhere. He’s sure when the time comes, he’ll enjoy taking them too. 

His gaze goes back to Ma June’s shop, interest already waned in the rare vault dweller. They were never all that fun. Never had any good information and always had a stick up their ass about morals and being a “good” person. 

Finally, his mark turns up. Blind to the danger lurking behind him. 

You’re in a really shitty spot when the fighting starts. You’re overwhelmed by everything around you. Freaks in wacky ass clothes peddling their mutated animals and fucking teeth. Teeth. 

Teeth and bottle caps, that’s the currency now. Who decided that bottle caps were a good idea? Or teeth for that matter. You’ve only got so many of them. You don’t even want to think about what they’re getting used for.

The woman in front of you only has four of her own left and she’s demanding three of yours for a shirt. You’re not well versed in the economy of the wasteland, but even you’re sure that three teeth is a ridiculous ask. From the way people keep glaring at you as they walk by, you’re sure that she thinks because you’re from a vault you’re going to be gullible. 

You’re too caught up in your quickly escalating argument to realize what’s happening until it’s too late. A man stands in the center of the square, his back to you. You can tell from your view that he’s pretty badly burned, the skin around his neck and skull warped and twisted. 

He’s yelling about a bounty and your head tilts in confusion. There’s something to the lilt of that accent that sounds familiar. You take a step forward, abandoning the clothing stall and trying to place how you know him. It’s impossible, really, that anyone recognizable would still be alive. But maybe someone else got out of a vault and made it to the surface. If they did, it clearly wasn’t unscathed. 

It’s only when he pulls out his gun that you realize Lucy is standing in front of him, with the man that bothered her last night. You want to call out her name, try and catch her eye, but the last thing you need is him pointing that gun at you. You jump back in shock as he shoots the man’s foot off, eyes widening, and feet scrambling backwards. 

The woman in the clothing stall hisses, “Fucking ghoul,” and makes a run for it. You watch her go, finally realizing just how empty the square is now. Everyone has left, all of them terrified by the man in black. Your eyes dart between him and the stall. 

She’s gone, and you need clothes. You’ll deal with Lucy’s scolding later. You leap over the counter of the stall and begin to rifle through the woman’s stock. Stuffing any spare clothes you think will fit into your pack and just because she was such a horrid bitch, you steal her bag of caps too. 

The crazy old lady by the shop screams out a reward for anyone who manages to kill the man in front of you. When the guns start going off you realize just how screwed you are. You’re in the middle of the town square. Granted, you are blocked by the clothing stall, but these bullets they’re using aren’t ordinary. 

They’re getting holes blown clean through their chest and the buildings around them are damn near exploding from the impact. The measly little wooden stall isn’t going to be any sort of decent cover against them. 

You risk another look over the counter, hoping to find a clear path to Lucy or at least some better cover. He’s finally turned around now and you can get a half decent glance at his side profile. There’s nothing truly recognizable about him, just familiar. It’s hard to really tell anything about him when he doesn’t have a nose. 

You watch with wide eyes and a disbelieving expression as he takes three shots to the chest like it’s nothing. He keeps chewing on his tomatoes and slowly finding cover to reload. A ghoul. Hank and Betty had told you and the other’s about them. People poisoned by radiation. 

Most of them turn feral, but those who can find the right chems live a lot longer than any normal human should. They heal nearly immediately and are almost invulnerable to anything except their own disease. Considering how quick on the draw this guy is, no one has any real hope of taking him down. 

With the shooting redirected you leap out from behind the counter and rush towards the shop. But something stops you before you reach the door. You don’t know what it is, what connects in your brain that has you so harshly coming to a stop. 

You whirl around, ignoring the way Lucy calls out your name. He’s back out from his cover now. He aims, grinning and laughing as he manages to get two people with one bullet. Carnage is all around you. Blood flying through the air, surrounded by blood and guts. The relatively peaceful downtown has been littered with dead. 

And in the middle of it all stands him. You have to be wrong. There’s no fucking way he’s standing in front of you. You take a step forward and his head whips towards you. The rest of him isn’t recognizable, but you would know those eyes anywhere. 

His eyes widen with surprise and you feel your gut drop to your feet. This can’t be him. There’s no way. He’s slaughtering these people like it’s nothing. The man you knew could never be so casual about this. Then again, the relationship you’d had was built on lies. Maybe you’d never really known him. 

Before you can process the anger in his face you’re being jerked to the side. Lucy pants as she drags you into the shop and you look over your shoulder, shocked to find a bullet where you’d just been standing. You catch his eye, see the smoke coming from the barrel of his gun and realize he’d tried to fucking shoot you.

Shit, maybe it is him. He had always had a bad temper and a good aim. 

You can feel his eyes, tracking you even as you disappear behind the walls of the shop. You and Lucy risk a peek out of the shop when you hear something like an explosion. You gape as a power suit lands in front of him. What twisted ass blast to the past have you just been sent to?

How the fuck was Cooper Howard, ghoulified, and a power suit both in the same area? 

You had to be dreaming. There was no way this was happening. But it was, and whoever was in charge of that suit had no idea what they were doing. He’s ducking under their swinging metal arms, taunting them and drawing out the fight. He could end this now, you both know where the weakness is. 

Hell, you could end this fight right now. But you don’t see the need to kill the Knight when it’s clear he’s trying to protect you and Lucy. “We need to get him,” Lucy points frantically to the man on the ground. He’s not really moving, just clutching the bloody nub where his foot used to be and looking astonished at the blood around him. 

“This is really stupid,” you hiss as you both start forward and wrap an arm around one of his own. You don’t have much time to process what happens next. 

“Watch out!” The knight barrels towards you both. He wraps his arms around Lucy and goes flying into a building. You jump back at the explosion of wood and metal flying down around you. The ghoul has his gun pointed at them both. He’d clearly been trying to snipe you both, get you away from the man on the ground. 

Well, he could fucking have him. You drop the man to the ground and he grunts as you make a run for it. A coward’s move, the same one you admonished Norm for. But, you’re a fucking hypocrite, so what? Right now, you’d really just like to survive this gun fight unscathed. 

Something lands near your foot and you jump, realizing it’s a bullet. You glance up and the ghoul is laughing at you, full on belly laughing as he shoots around you. You realize with a start that he’s playing with you. Taunting you like a man who’s got all the time in the world. But you can’t stop running. If you stop, those bullets are going to catch up with you. 

You keep going, legs pumping and heart racing as you’re separated more and more from Lucy. The mission, the whole reason you came up to the surface, is lost on you. You can only focus on one thing, surviving. You keep running, through alleyways and around buildings until you’re back in the woods. The whole time his laughter is following you. 

The sharp noise of something whistling through the air reaches your ears and then something snaps against you. You glance down, only a moment to process the rope over your arms before he’s dragging you back. Your head hits the ground with a harsh snap, the motion slamming your teeth together and nearly biting off the tip of your tongue. 

You groan in dazed pain and then he’s slowly dragging you back. One sharp tug after another, rocks ripping at your suit and scalp, hair ripped out underneath your back. Until, finally, he’s peering over you, face upside down and lips twisted up into a strained smile. 

“Well, there you are, sweetheart.”

end. — I do not own the characters or the game/show Fallout, but this writing is my own all rights reserved © not-neverland06 2024. do not copy, repost, translate & recommend elsewhere.

[fictionpolo]

Secrets Kept in Fire

Summary: A priestess's life is easy inside the walls of a temple but things get complicated when she needs to deal with people outside of it. But when Silvana recognizes a friendly face she can ask for help more than once. Pairing: Marcus Acacius x OC!Vestal Virgin

Series warnings: Minors DNI, age gap, slow burn, religious themes, profanum, appearance descriptions, historical inaccuracies, violence, alcohol consumption, eventually smut and mature themes

Chapter warnings: None, barely a touch WC: 6,804 Notes: I still write it just for fun but every reactions brought a smile to my face! A reminder that English is not my first language and this is my first work ever. It is a chapter 2/??? ************************************************************

Luci Vestales, the saint grove, was her favorite place to calm her mind and contemplate. Even the Vesta's Temple wasn't bringing her as much peace as the old trees. Behind the walls, all she could admire was human's work and it was not her job to appreciate people. She was meant to worship and admire Gods and nature was one of many proofs of Their generosity.

Silvana took another deep breath and focused on her physical condition. She thought about the warm wind on her face, the pleasing shadow above her head, and the soft grass underneath her.

Anything to keep her mind blank and prepared to be cluttered later today.

         A priestess almost reached the pleasing state of meditation when she heard somebody's approach.

She sighed, aware that her quiet time was over.

There was only one of them Vestals whose

 arrival was announced by humming, quiet mumbling the rustle of her robes, as she usually walked very quickly.

"I knew I was going to find you here. Why are you not getting ready for tonight?!" asked the younger priestess, kneeling nearby.

A corner of Silvana's mouth lifted.

"Ave to you too, Julia Severa. Of course, you are not interrupting my prayers, thanks for the concern!" she mocked her.

The other priestess punched her lightly in the arm, making her laugh.

"You were not praying. You're much more tensed when you're doing it."  Julia remarked, narrowing her eyes and containing her giggle. "I asked you a question."

A vestal looked at her sister with a grin. It was hard to forget about her roots when she was so demanding.

Silvana looked around her and gestured theatrically.

"But I am getting ready, right here. It is an excellent place to prepare for an evening full

Julia Severa rolled her eyes and groaned with irritation.

"Stop. I beg you. Stop with this "Oh I am so miserable 'cause I need to go out and have fun" attitude.

We're doing it so rarely, how can you be tired of it?"

"That's the thing. We are not going there to have fun but to…attend. It is refreshing to spend some time with other people, sure. But now it is me who begs you.” She began with solemnity, “Remember what we represent. Remember who we represent.”

The younger priestess nodded in agreement.

"Of course. I know my… our place. I will not embarrass you, sister.”

Silvana looked at her suddenly gloomy features and smiled awkwardly. She took one of the girl's ginger locks between two fingers and swirled it mindlessly for a moment.

She then sighed quietly and tenderly put it under the girl's veil.

"Come on, don't fret. It could have been worse. It could have been Maxima who chaperoned you to the celebration. Then you wouldn't have a single conversation, not to mention more than a half goblet of wine. I am not such a bad choice, you know."

Julia's nose wrinkled at the thought of their much older sister attending the feast with her.

"Now that would be a tragedy and a waste of evening, honestly." Silvana did her best to hide her grin, seeing the disgust on her friend's face.

"But promise me something."  Said younger Vestal, taking the other priestess's hands "Promise that you will have at least one pleasing interaction this evening. Not fun. Only a perfectly acceptable pleasure. Please?"

She couldn't say no to the girl in front of her when her amber eyes were sparkling with joy.

 Julia was so much more to her than a fellow priestess, forced to bond with each other because of the common profession.

Sure, she absorbed everyone and everything around her but there was a special she was radiating with remarkable aura and Silvana very often saw the vivid fire of Vesta in her younger companion.

How could she ever say no to this adorable creature?

Besides, you could never say "no" to the royal blood.

"I promise, sister. But if we are going to attend anything, we should go and bathe now, otherwise we're going to be  late."

The younger Vestal jumped on her feet, helping Silvana to get up.

Girls began to walk towards  Domus Vestalus, with locked arms and in much better moods.

Julia kept prattle on everyone who she was expecting to meet today.

Silvana nodded to every name, knowing the people she was talking about from short interactions from the past or from her sister's stories.

Suddenly her companion stopped in the middle of the sentence and bit her lower lip. She continued just after a few seconds of silence.

"And… I  know which lictor is escorting us tonight to the palace…"

Silvana snorted quietly, as she knew very well who is Julia talking about.

"Cato." She responded with certainty.

"Yes!" squealed the girl with excitement "I haven't seen him in ages!"

"Me neither." Agreed the other Vestal "and I missed him. He is so sweet-natured."

"And his face is also sweet." Added Julia with a dreamy face.

Silvana stiffed for a second. She had mixed feelings about conversations like this while her friend adored them.

It was not forbidden to gossip between the Vestals but it was not welcomed. Of course, when you lock up six women in their prime years you can't expect them to be fully committed to their duties for 24 hours per day – at some point, they are going to discuss different matters.

Silvana loved it when all of the priestesses were just women and shared their thoughts about various subjects with each other.

But Julia was the only one to discuss men and their appearance.

It would have been a lie to state that she didn't enjoy their conversations but she simply found them pointless.

Cause where's the point in discussing something you will never have? Sure, after thirty years of their sacred services are finished they are allowed to take a husband and set up a family but most of them will be… past their prime.

So, if she would have had decided to go back to society when her duty was over she wouldn't have had the pleasure of choosing from the pool of most handsome men in Rome – she would have to settle for anyone who would be willing to take her as his wife and offered her a decent life.

Therefore discussions about men serve no purpose to the Vestal.

Except for the pure entertainment.

"It is sweet indeed." Silvana answered after a long pause "Maybe… too sweet. Too boyish for my liking.”

Julia raised one of her eyebrows in curiosity like she was surprised that her friend even had any kind of "liking”.

It was obvious that she wanted to discuss more but they were now entering the House of Vestals and their secrets were obligated to stay outside.

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

       Silvana barely had any memories from before her service but one of them was clear in her mind.

There was a time when her parents took her and her brothers to Circo Massimo to watch a staged hunting.

It was her first opportunity to see exotic animals and her excitation was raising with each cage passed by. Huge elephants, distinguished giraffes, fierce tigers…all of them seemed out of this world and she claimed every animal as her favorite until she was the next one.

At some point, they reached a cage that gathered a small crowd and Silvana's father had to pick her up on his shoulder to see anything.

The girl opened her mouth at the view – in the middle of an enclosure, there was a huge lioness. The animal was majestic, glowing with pride. What impressed Silvana the most was the lion's calmness – other animals she saw that day acted feral and furious, scared by their position between a loud crowd surrounding them. As a small girl, Silvana didn't know if animals were aware of their destiny but they could sense that this position is not natural for them.

So she wondered why the lioness was the only calm creature, was she too proud to panic? Or maybe she was smart enough to blend into the crowd and pretend she belongs there just as much as humans do? 

These questions bothered her whole day so badly, that she decided to ask it to her parents.

The only answer she received that day was that it was the most stupid thing her mother heard in a while.

So, the lioness's secret remained a mystery until Silvana became a trapped animal herself.

Because that's how she felt every time Julia included her in every kind of Emperor's celebration. It wasn't a common case, thanks to Vesta, but the priestess got a feeling that she'll never get use to such occasions.

One Vestal was quite a sensation everywhere she went and two Vestals were considered a spectacle.

Every celebration in Rome included the same things: elite, wine, and entertainment of any kind but barely a few of them offered a rare opportunity of meeting one of the most mysterious women outside their "workplace". Most of those few parties were hosted by the same person – the Emperor himself.

Silvana was therefore obligated to attend his social gatherings not only because of the Emperor's position but also to chaperone his daughter, who happened to be Julia Severa.

***

And there she was, doing her best to blend into a place she didn't belong, just like a lioness she remembered.

The vestal admitted, that people were unwittingly doing their best to help her pass the time with all the conversations she was invited to. Some of them she truly enjoyed but most of them remained an interview in which drunk men tried to ask her some out-of-place questions.

[Ponad to] she needed to stay focused on Julia who seemed to have a night of her life.

Younger Vestal never left her brothers’s side, which brought a smile to Silvana's face.

Even in a simple and much more modest robe than the young men next to her, Julia Severa looked just as royal as the rest of her family. All the years as Vesta’s servant took nothing from her origins.

"Virgo Vestalis?” 

A man's voice woke her up from her dissociation. She turned her attention towards the person who addressed her and smiled politely.

"Salve, Domine. Is there anything I can help you with?”

A newcomer chuckled and took a sip from his goblet.

"A few things. First of all, you need to apologize."

Silvana furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me correctly, Domina. I am deeply offended and I am awaiting apologies. How is it that you don’t remember me?”

A priestess took a better look at the man's face but nothing came to her.

"Well, as you already noticed, memory is one of my many flaws."

He laughed loudly and raised his hand towards Silvana.

Judging by the movement, he was about to pat her arm or grab her elbow but she had never found out which one was it.

Vestal took a step back and was about to reprimand him but before she could start the sentence, somebody interrupted the events.

"Now, I wouldn't do that, brother. I've heard they can cut off your hand for touching a Vestal. Or was it a head?"

She recognized his deep and rich voice at instant but still turned her head instinctively. For some unknown reason, his appearance brought a small smile to her lips.

"I am not sure but they definitely cut something off. And if you don't mind, Domini, I wouldn’t like to witness such things today.”

General Marcus Acacius chuckled and lowered his head deeply, just like the last time he saw her.

"I am glad to meet you again, Vestala Silvana.”

The fact that he remembered her namewas weirdly satisfying.

"So am I, General Acacius.”

As they were exchanging pleasantries, the man who first approached Silvana started to chuckle.

"How is it that you remember Marcus and not the host of the house you were performing a ritual in?"

Silvana shrugged her arms.

"Oh, but I remember Acacia Cornelii just fine.”

General laughed at the snarky remark and patted his brother-in-law on the back but the only reaction he got from him was a curve of his lips that could have been both a smile or grimace.

"I would gladly counter this clever joke but I am too afraid to get my tongue removed if you don't like my answer, Vestala Silvana." He replied, staring at the priestess who held his gaze but decided to fix her attitude a little.

"Forgive me, Cassius Cornelius. Memory is a funny thing. I tend to remember better people who openly scorned me than those who welcomed me."

Marcus cleared his throat with embarrassment, but his companion's attention was directed elsewhere.

"As much as I would like to hear more unflattering comments about my brother-in-law, I'm afraid my presence is required somewhere else," Cassius announced, not even bothering to look at any of them, while he was already exchanging sleazy looks with some young lady.

"I hope the third time is a charm and our next encounter will be more fruitful, Virgo Vestala.”

Silvana smiled and nodded politely one last time before a man left them.

She looked at General Acacius, whose eyes followed Cassius. The look on his face was serious and strenuous but he did not comment on the situation.

Priestess wondered if she was in a position to make any but decided not to. It was both common and legal thing that husbands did not stay faithful to their wives and Marcus's brother-in-law was just another example of it. Besides, General might have found it nosey and impolite to comment on his sister's marriage.

She wondered if he wanted to interrupt Cassius or if he wanted to be left alone but before she made up her mind and said her goodbyes he sighed in defeat and returned his now much softer gaze towards her.

"I'm once again sorry for my first impression, Domina. I truly wish you had remembered me for other reasons than my maliciousness."

A sympathetic smile found her lips.

"General Acacius, I can assure you that men of your kind are hard to forget for something more than just their cockiness.”

His chest rose a little as he straightened up with pride. Silvana made a note for herself that insulting a man is just as easy as paying compliments to him.

"But," she continued, "I am truly surprised you remembered me well enough to keep my name in mind."

"It is truly unusual to meet and share an opinion with a Vestal", said Marcus.

His statement bothered her for some unknown reason.

She was deeply aware that people paid attention to her just because of her position. But, for the first time in her life, it made her feel anxious and… disappointed?

Silvana plastered a smile on her face to mask those strange emotions.

The confusion remained unnoticed to the older man, as he politely continued.

"And today we are blessed with the presence of two daughters of Vesta! People must find it… unusual?"

The priestess was thankful for this question because it was filled with compassion. He must understand well how one's feels surrounded by people who judge you by nothing else but your position and expect you to tell them all of the secrets behind it.

"I can't decide if Gods wanted to curse or bless us with a gift of curiosity but some people surely overuse it.", Marcus laughed softly while she continued, "Julia is doing so much better with all the attention we gather around us."

He raised his head among the crowd, as he was looking for confirmation of her words and the look on his face suggested that he had found it.

Silvana quickly followed his confused gaze and stiffened when her eyes laid on the scene taking place at the other end of the room.

Her fellow Vestal was surrounded by both men and women. Apparently, someone in this group must have been the funniest person alive as they all laughed obnoxiously.

Silvana would turn a blind eye to the situation but to her horror, Julia Severa was leaning on some young man's arm, which he gladly welcomed.

Nobody seemed to notice the obvious sacrilege, so she needed to act quickly.

Her attention turned back to Marcus Acacius but only for a moment.

"Forgive me, Dominus, but as much as I enjoy our conversation I need to handle a situation somewhere else."

General furrowed his brows like he was lost in a deep thought and just before the priestess left, he stopped her.

"Wait. Let me help." And when she was about to protest, he added "Your appearance is going to bring more attention to the scene, just like we were talking about. Go and find one of her brothers, they will tell you where you can take her to have some privacy."

Even though she was taken aback by his direct orders, she agreed to the plan, nodding quickly. They went their separate ways.

It didn't take long to locate the royal brothers, Caracalla and Geta, as they remain the center of the party.

Silvana has briefly interacted with each of them in the past and decided that she tolerates Geta’s company more but just because of a small detail – his smile was a little bit more bearable than Caracalla’s.

She found both brothers the kind of men who find extraordinary pleasure in the power they hold.

A sleezy smiles always deck their faces, making them look cruel.

Silvana felt uneasy and anxious when she approached Geta but she was certain that he was going to help.

"Forgive me, Domine Caesar", said the priestess, using the most polite title she could have thought of, "may I have a word with you?"

A redhead man looked at her in the way she predicted, with a creepy smile and patronizing gaze.

"Dearest Virgo Vestalis, we share a sister. How could I ever say no to you?”

A Vestal swallowed and brought a shy smile to her face.

"This is… what I would like to chat about. Our sister is… unwell.” She directed her gaze towards Julia and her companion.

Gata’s smile faded when he followed her gaze.

"I see." He said through his teeth. "Come. Let's take her aside."

She nodded in agreement and followed a royal a step behind him.

When they reached the group that included another Vestal, still clinging to a stranger's arm, Silvana noticed with pleasure that General Acacius successfully focused crowd attention on him.

She also took a deep breath of relief after Geta sent a warning look towards a young man who was enjoying Julia's state too much. One gaze was enough for him to jump away from a young priestess like she was burning him.

The appearance of two important figures brought everyone's focus on them but Geta managed to collect it all to himself, which gave Silvana a precious time to grab Julia and drag her away from curious gazes.

She didn't know the Ceasar’s palace well and Julia was way too drunk to drag her in some sensible place, so they just paced the corridor as far as possible from the party.

When they finally stopped Julia leaned on the wall giggling, while Silvana did her best to collect her breath.

"What… what were you thinking back there? I gave you all the freedom I could just to find you drunk at some stranger’s arm!”

Julia couldn't stop giggling and tried to keep her gaze on the other priestess.

"Come on, you promised me to have fun, you should focus on that!"

"I actually was enjoying my time!" the priestess answered too loud. "I was relaxed and unbothered and apparently naive 'cause I put my trust in your common sense!"

Silvana realized that there was no point in lecturing the other Vestal as she was way too drunk to care.

Julia began to slide down the wall with her eyelids closed, probably with the intention of a nap in the middle of the palace's hallways.

"Mother Vesta, give me strength and patience" muttered Silvana under her breath as she started to drag Julia up to a straight position.

"But mostly strength" she continued her prayers. Despite her state and petite figurine, the other Vestal turned out to be a challenging opponent. A redhead priestess was taller than Silvana but she was chunkier, so odd should be equal. Unfortunately, height, alcohol, and god's favors were on Julia's side.

The situation became ridiculous and reminded more of a sibling's fight than a grown-up women's interaction. Silvana was hopeless and prayed to her goddess for some advice – she couldn't just leave her sister alone and go away but her annoyance rose with every attempt of pulling a younger priestess together.

Suddenly, she heard rushed steps, and new powers entered her body. She grabbed Julia by her robes and leaned her on her right shoulder. A drunk Vestal ended up clinging to her veil, with her forehead leaned on the top of Silvana's head.

She let out the breath she was holding when she noticed Geta, accompanied by General Acacius.

The fourth of them looked at each other in a tense silence for a brief second, before a future emperor smirked and asked:

"Anyone might explain this grotesque?"

Julia raised her head once she heard her brother's voice. A smirk on Geta’s lips was quickly replaced by a grimace once he realized how much his sister was struggling to stay in a vertical position.

"She will stay here tonight. If anyone sees her like this…” he spat the last word through his teeth “I will not risk a disgrace of emperor’s family member.”

Silvana nodded in agreement but didn't find the idea appealing. Of course, she would have been a foul to disagree with a future ruler of Rome but she wasn't fond of leaving a Vestal alone outside the temple, especially with people whom she didn't trust at all.

On the other hand, in her current state, Julia would have brought even more disgrace to her sisterhood than to her blood family.

"Let's go. Her childhood chamber is just around the corner, at the end of the hallway. I think she will appreciate this gesture" said Geta with an unreadable look on his face.

She had no time to think about his sudden nostalgic mood as she was about to start an unfair fight and walk her drunk sister to bed.

For the first time since they split at the party, she brought her attention to Marcus Acacius.

 and shook her head slightly, answering his unspoken question.

She was the only one who could help Julia walk, as Vestals had no restrictions between each other when it came to physical contact. She usually appreciated it a lot, devouring gentle gestures between sisters but this was not the case.

As she slowly dragged the intoxicated priestess down to her chamber she came back to her previous thoughts.

Obviously, she had no other choice than to agree with a young emperor and let Julia stay until she sobers up a little but she wanted to make sure that the fellow Vestal would come back to the temple as soon as possible, safe and sound.

Maybe she should stay here as well?

Absolutely not, Mater Massima would be furious if not one but two Vestals had spent a night outside.

What if she asks General Acacius to guard Julia?

No, she answered herself automatically. It is unserious to ask a man of his position to do such a job. Besides, why has she even thought about it? Of course, he offered his help earlier but she barely knew him.

Her mind focused on the word "job” and found a perfect solution.

"Princeps Iuventutis,” she addressed Geta kindly "If it's not a problem I would kindly like to ask  our Lictor, Cato, to stay outside your sister's chamber and wait for her to get better."

The young royal stopped and slowly turned towards her.

"Why?"

She knew that this request was not going to be welcomed warmly. The whole idea of suggesting anything to the royal was risky.

"Just to avoid further complications. She knows him, she trusts him… and he is the best at his work. He is going to take her back to the temple as soon as possible."

"It sounds reasonable."

Silvana sighed with relief when General agreed with her. Her position as a Vestal held some power but it meant nothing compared to him. Age, experience, position, and gender – his validation has more meaning in every field.

Geta looked like he wanted to add something more but for some reason decided to answer with a fake smile and agree to the proposition. They continued their walk in silence for a few minutes, before a redheaded man stopped in front of the doors at the very end of the corridor and gestured with his hand that this was the room where she was supposed to lead Julia.

"Leave her here. I'm going back to the celebrations and I'll send your Litor here. It is the blonde one, right? Like, the one who feasts on you with his eyes on every occasion?”

Priestess' eyes widen at the comment.

Bastard. Any other person in the entire Roman Empire would have been flogged or even worse.

But of course, a future Ceasar could say whatever he pleased, to everyone he pleased.

She swallowed to wet her suddenly dry throat and gather a few words to answer.

"Yes, Dominus. I wish you a pleasant evening.”

The only goodbye she received was his satisfied smile. Geta turned his attention to the other man.

"Are you coming, General?"

Marcus Acacius bowed down politely and shook his head.

"As much as I enjoy the Emperor's feast, I feel obligated to take care of the safe return of Vestala Silvana. After all her guard is staying here.”

A royal shrugged his arms like he couldn't care less and left them. Julia, still clinging to her friend, moaned quietly and mumbled something under her nose.

"Dominus, can you please help me with these doors? I want to let her down before all the wine she had earlier pattern my robes."

He granted her request and let both priestesses in. After they enter, he politely turns around and fills up the door frame with his broad posture.

Thank you, Vesta, Silvana thought to herself as they approached the bed. She gave herself a second to look around a rich chamber, lighted by the moon outside enormous windows.

Silvana sighted with sadness – there was a great honor and splendor in the position they both were holding but deep in her soul she knew that Julia belonged here more than to the temple.

Her anger towards the younger girl almost disappeared but her patience was yet to be tested.

While carefully seating Emperor's daughter on the bed, she grabbed her veil even stronger and looked straight into the older priestess eyes.

"I'm sorry." She muttered.

Silvana caressed her cheek gently with one hand and took her wrist into the other, suggesting she release the fabric she was holding tightly.

"We will talk later. I am going home. Cato is staying with you, he is going to take you back to the temple once you…"

But Julia still mumbled, clinging more and more to the Vestal, who was trying her best to free from her arms.

"Julia, please let go of my robes… I really, really need to go and let you rest…"

A redhead priestess finally gave up and fell on the pillows but managed to do it with her sister's veil still clenched in her fist.

Silvana gasped loudly, bringing Marcus's attention.

"Is everything all right, Domina?”

“Yes. Of course. I will join you in a minute, General Acacius.”

She pulled a fabric from Julia's hand and gazed at her with fury.

"I truly hope you're about to wake up with a pounding headache, dear Sister." She said to the unconscious girl, while she struggled with her veil.

Putting the fabric on her head was a daily routine every Vestal did. Their covered hair was another symbol of priestesses' purity and modesty. Usually, they used the same type of infula but for today's celebrations, she decided to wear something more festive.

And now there was a time to regret it.

The ribbon that kept fabric secured to her hair was much longer than the usual one she used every day. They tied each other knots with Julia but right now the younger Vestal's main task was snoring.

After another failed attempt to place the damn thing back on her head, Silvana furiously spit a curse from her mouth.

Marcus chuckled in the doorframe.

"You sure you're good? I can imagine that Vestals only use so inappropriate words while in danger."

Silvana groaned into the veil and swallowed her pride.

"Well, I am not in danger but in an… emergency. I think your help will be both required and forgiven."

"Forgiven? How can a help be…?" He said with consternation, slowly turning around. He cut his sentence in the middle, seeing a priestess standing in the middle of the chamber with her long dark hair completely uncovered.

He took his time before he spoke again.

"Am I allowed to see what I see?"

"No. But if I'm not going to cover my hair it will be even more inappropriate than it is right now."

Marcus Acacius nodded and took a step toward her.

"All right. What do I need to do?"

"I need you to tie those ribbons tightly under my hair, so the veil is secured."

She handed the material to him and turned around, not needing to sit down due to their height difference.

Silvana expected some witty comment from him to light up the tension but she was so, so wrong.

General hesitated for a second before he carefully put a material over her head. Then, even more gently, he gathered her hair in one hand and lifted it over the loose ribbons.

"Can you hold them like this for me?"

Silvana took a deep breath at his whisper and gathered an improvised ponytail in her hand.

The back of her neck was not exposed and the thought alone made her dizzy.

"It truly is an emergency. How are you supposed to leave this room without his help?"

His delicate movements surprised her. The same hands that provided new lands for an Empire by killing people were now careful and tender. He was taking his time and undoubtedly did his best to avoid touching her but it was impossible with the size of his hands.

So, when his knuckles caressed her skin by accident for the first time she shook with shiver. He stopped his action for a second and she muttered a quiet “sorry” under her breath.

Marcus didn't change the pace of his work, tying not one, not two but three tight knots, feather-lightly touching her neck with each of them.

Silvana's heart was hammering but it wasn't a stress. This sensation alerted every nerve in her body and left a hot spot on her neck, in the place where his knuckles made contact with her bare skin.

General finished his tack quickly and smoothened the material of her veil as a final touch, soothing her back so, so lightly.

A completely unnecessary gesture that should have cost him his hand but she couldn't bear to turn around and face him.

Vestal cleared her throat. Slowly, she tilted her head just enough to glance over her shoulder, but her gaze didn’t meet his. Instead, her eyes lingered somewhere to the side.

„Thank you, Dominus.”

„Any time.”

General remained in the same place, just inches from her. When the priestess rose her eyes and looked at him he tilted his head to the side, his expression curious, as if silently asking a question.

"Silvana?"

She quickly moved away from Marcus when she heard a Lictor calling her name.

"I'm… we're here, Cato."

A young man entered the room and looked around in confusion.

"I have been informed that you require my help. What's going on?"

Silvana sighed and looked at sleeping Julia.

"I'm truly sorry but I must ask you to spend the rest of your night here. My dear sister shouldn't leave the palace until she feels better. Can you please take care of her safe return to us as soon as she wakes up?"

"Whatever pleases you but let me walk you back to the temple first."

"I'm going to take care of that."

Cato furrowed his brows in displeasure at General's proposition.

"Forgive me, Dominus but her safety is not only my job but highest priority.”

"And my job is to command little boys like you and dismiss them if required." Said Marcus in a tone a priestess hadn't heard before. "But let me inform you that we share the same priorities."

A sudden tension between the two men made Silvana uncomfortable enough to decide that now it was her turn to speak.

"If my opinion is a priority to anyone," she said a little bit louder than necessary "then I would really like you, Cato, to stay here with Julia from now on and you, General Acacius to return to the celebrations. It is a short walk to the temple and nobody is insane enough to attack a Vestal.”

"This evening I witnessed two fools trying to do this." 

She knew that Marcus was talking about Cassius and Geta and explained to Cato what he meant by that comment.

"If this is your command, Domina” the lictor sighed, „then I will remain in the palace and take care of Julia Sewera’s safe return. But please, let General Acacius take you to the temple as the hour is late.”

"Very well. Thank you so much, Cato. I know that she is safer with you than with anyone else in the entire Rome."

A young man straightened up with pride at her comment, which brought a small chuckle from the older one.

"And I promise you will be just as safe with me, priestess."

A corner of her mouth lifted.

"Lead the way then, Dominus Acacius. I have no idea how to leave this place.”

They paced their way through the palace, passing by only some servants. When Silvana heard the noises of the party from a distance, she felt guilty that Marcus was leaving so early because of her.

"Forgive me, General. I feel awful to bother you with my troubles for so long and for taking you away from the celebration."

A man offered her a small smile.

"No need to worry about any of this, Domina. It was the most eventful evening I had in months. Besides, I wasn't in a mood to go back there anyway."

She nodded in agreement. Now she remembered that the last thing that happened before they began the rescue intervention was Cassius, who was on his way to cheat on Marcus's sister. Once again she decided to make no comments on this kind of behavior but felt that he was upset by this.

"It was a clever idea that you had," General changed the topic "to not leave Julia Sewera alone in a place like this.”

In a place like this? Just a few minutes earlier he qualified the emperor's son as one of the "fools" and now he make suggestions about their home.

"You make comments like this very freely, General. To a person you don't know well."

Marcus smiled under his nose. They reached the exit of the bulding and walked out of it into the night.

"But I know I can trust you. Just like you trusted me back in the chamber."

Silvana was thankful for darkness as her cheeks got red when he mentioned that situation. Like previously, she cleared her throat and left his statement without a comment.

"My idea was clever indeed but also very risky. Who in their right mind suggests to an Emperor that his palace is not a safe place?"

"A conscious woman who cares for her loved ones" he complimented her. "Besides, Geta is not an Emperor. He might be one day but it is not decided yet. Right now he’s just a childish hedonist.”

Another bold statement from the general encouraged the priestess to say her own thoughts out loud.

"I guess it runs in the family. I wouldn't be here today if not for Julia and her absurd chase after fun. I truly love her but I am so fed up with her sometimes it is ridiculous.”

Marcus looked at her with amusement, clearly entertained by her tantrum.

"And where would you like to be now instead?"

"At this time? At bed."

He nodded his head and smiled but continued his investigation.

"I meant it… in a bigger picture. Not this particular evening but any other at this point of life."

She understood what he meant now. What else if not her service?

"I have never thought about it."

That was a lie but Silvana decided that after he saw her hair uncovered he didn't need to see her heart the very same evening.

"But I do think about Julia's destiny a lot." She continued. "If she would fit more into her blood family than she fits to us.."

"I think that I know already more than I'm supposed to about the royal family,” He chimed in “But I don’t know anything about yours.”

Silvana shrugged her arms, unbothered by his interruption.

"I have the most dull background a Vestal can have. My father, Magnus Silvanus is a senator with no great success on his account. My brother, Sirius, got married recently and does his best as quaestor. And my mother, Augusta… is a mother and a wife. Regular patricians with fun fact that their daughter has been chosen for a Virgo Vestalis.”

She looked at his still amused face and suddenly cringed at her own wor

"I don't know why I even included their names. Sorry, it's… not often for me to have a completely regular conversation with someone."

"I can of course ask you about Vesta or your service if you want," said Marcus Acacius with a wide smile on his face “but we’re almost at the temple and that would be a waste of precious time we have.”

A priestess relaxed and answered him with a smile of her own.

"Anything else you would like to interrogate me about?"

"Just one more thing. If you don't want to share with me who you would like  to be if not a Vestal then at least please answer this one: who do you think you would have been if not a Vestal?"

This kind of question wasn't so personal and she could have answered with no trouble.

"I'd be somebody's wife and somebody's mother. Options are very limited for women, General."

"I know. I see it in my sister's example."

They reached the main gate to Vestal's complex, which was a perfect opportunity for her to avoid speaking her mind about this matter for the third time this evening. Silvana decided that it would be in good taste to address it with no judgment.

"I'm deeply sorry that you witnessed Cassius' behavior tonight. I am also sorry that your time in the palace ended shortly after."

General chuckled under his nose.

"Like I said before: it was an eventful evening. Nothing like our first encounter."

"Oh, trust me, Dominus, most of my days remind the one  that we met each other, nights like this are rare.”

He laughed quietly and looked at her with a sparkle in his brown eyes.

"I can't wait to see how you're going to surprise me on our next run-in."

 She lowered her gaze shyly but came up with a response quickly.

"I truly hope you're gonna come up with some kind of surprise. I believe haven't asked you a single question today and gathered no information about the most famous General."

A smile never left his face.

"Thank Gods that Rome is eternal. So we still have plenty of time to catch up on things.

Good night, Domina.”

Marcus raised his fisted hand to his chest and paid his respects, just like the first time they said goodbyes. Silvana answered with a deep nod of her head.

When she finally reached her bed in the temple she kept reminding herself the same sentence she said to Marcus Acacius: her days are something completely else and nights like this are rare.

[cornley-amateur-drama-society]

How Cornley Cast Members Spent Their 25th Birthdays

In honour of my 25th birthday being last week (10/24), here's my headcanons for how the Cornley members spent theirs. As this is me we're talking about, this got. Long. Also, I don't know the ins and outs of each character's canon besides what I picked up on in the show and on their character wikis, so please go through this with an open mind.

Chris — March 7

Oh… Oh, my love…

So he would've been recently out of uni, and I picture him immediately diving into any sort of theatre production he can

So, he's working at a local theatre just outside Cornley

(But nowhere near his home village because he doesn't want to deal with the complex feelings that accompany being an adult in and of his own right, but having Celia and Raymond treating him like he can't make his own decisions as if he's still thirteen-years-old)

But anyway. Back to his 25th, which I picture him being born sometime in the late winter/early spring, perhaps around the beginning of March. So for flavour, let's agree on March 7th.

It's, let's say, around ten or eleven at night, and it's been drizzling on and off the entire week (I am not fact-checking British weather for this post) and he's off rehearsal and had been planning on going out with some cast mates to a pub near the theatre.

When it came time to go, however, they were nowhere to be found.

Picture newly twenty-five-year-old Chris looking around the front foyer of the theatre, in his slightly too-big tweed coat and leather messenger bag thrown across his body. His hands gripping at the strap of the bag nervously as he waits to see if anyone will be arriving, and the gnawing realisation that no one is coming.

His eyes sticking to the floor as he walks to the pub himself, the rain more of a mist than anything else. He got there and picked a small table away from everybody else, and ordered a pint to start.

The rest of the night continued in that way, Chris getting pissed alone in the back of some random pub on his birthday.

He didn't get back to his flat until some time after two a.m., and passed out on the sofa, messenger bag on the floor with the strap loosely in his hand.

The contents were strewn about on accident, a result of his drunken struggle with his bag.

Robert — August 24

Robert's twenty-fifth was spent with his older brother Alex and younger sister Ellie.

Alex's wife Gabi, and their daughter Lucy, were away on a small holiday to Brighton and couldn't make it.

Despite their best efforts, Ellie managed to get her older brothers to go out for a pub crawl to celebrate.

In the middle of August, on a warm night, the Grove siblings went from pub to pub in Ellie's uni town.

The fourth pub they hit, called the Dog and Broom or something similar, is where he met Denise.

She was there on a hen do for a friend of hers she worked with at a small magazine.

Robert was instantly smitten with her, the way her black hair reflected the purple and pink and blue lights of the pub, the way her dark red lipstick stood out against the light brown of her skin.

He hated to admit it to himself, but he knew if he didn't talk to her, he would be thinking about it for the rest of his life. (Ugh, how dreadfully romantic of it all.)

So he pat his siblings on the shoulder and pushed away from the bar top to walk to where she was standing, waiting for refills for the group with another friend.

The two women looked up as he approached, and when blue eyes met dark brown, everything disappeared. (Cliché, I know) He vaguely remembers hearing her friend laughingly say something as she walked away with a tray of drinks, but Denise was already biting her lip in a shy smile, so he was a bit preoccupied.

(I cannot not believe that Robert isn't a secret romantic, esp based on how he broke down on stage during “The Spirit of Christmas”.)

The remaining hours of Robert's twenty-fifth were spent in flirtatious conversation with Denise and a promise of a coffee date later that week.

Dennis — May 2

Dennis' twenty-fifth was spent at the aquarium with some friends of his that he's known since Year Four.

They paraded him around the aquarium with a novelty “happy birthday” fish hat that they'd found somewhere specifically for this.

He was all for it, if we're going to be completely honest.

And the staff, for the most part, were happy to let them walk around with the obnoxious hat and homemade banner strung across his chest.

Dennis and his friends took enough pictures that when they developed them a few days later, even though they binned the rubbish ones, they had enough pictures left over for the scrapbook his Mum and Aunt Dorothy were making.

(This was not the first one they were doing for him, but as he'd got older, it really focused more on things like his graduation and shows and birthdays. It was nowhere near as detailed as his first few were when he was a boy.)

After their outing, they went to a birthday dinner at a restaurant that Dennis had been saying he wanted to go to, but had never had the time.

They had pre-arranged for there to be a whole song and dance, literally, when the server would bring the cake out at the end of the meal.

Dennis ended up leaving the restaurant with his friends and the phone number of one of the servers in his pocket.

(He and Emma would go on to date for about six months after, breaking up just after Hallowe'en.)

Sandra — March 7

So, she and Chris share a birthday.

(I'm sure you can tell where this is heading…)

She and Chris were in the same company, but she had a larger part in this show than he did, and the two of them really didn't have any scenes together, so they just knew each other in passing.

(The same way you know someone in one of your classes, but have only talked to them in group discussions, and even then, not that much, really.)

But she, being Sandra, is a magnetic person and knows how to work a room.

And even though she didn't have a lead role, she still got on with the leading cast members.

So much so that, when they found out it was her birthday a few days before, they promised to take her out after rehearsals.

I don't think that she's cruel enough, even as a mid-twenty-year-old, to have let the cast take her out if she'd known that they promised to go out with Chris, so she didn't know about any of it. Not even that they're birthday buddies.

She didn't notice the cloud of guilt that hung over some of the cast members as they walked to a bar on the north end of Cornley square, a bit more high-end for their budget, but hey. You only turn twenty-five once, right?

She's just flush with excitement about going out, since the last few years she'd been too busy and focused with/on other things. She had mainly celebrated her birthday with a friend or two, or whomever she was roommates with at the time, by drinking some wine and re-watching movies like Pride & Prejudice (2005) or The Importance of Being Earnest (2002).

Once they got there, a posher place called The Thistle's Roundel, the cast promised Sandra that she wouldn't be paying for a drink tonight. They had her covered.

She was touched, though she didn't take outright advantage of their promise. After all, they still had rehearsal tomorrow and the last thing she needed was a hangover.

But she's not a saint, so she did indulge a little in the drinking.

There was dance music being played by a live DJ, and a space in the middle with coloured, light-up tiles to comprise a dance floor.

She and several of the other gals in the show spent quite a lot of time on it, laughing about how the blues and greens of the floor would make them look haunted, but the oranges and pinks made them look sunburnt.

It was on one of her water breaks that she made eye contact with a guy a few seats away from where she was standing by the bar.

He wasn't drop-dead fit like Hugh Grant or Jude Law, but there was something about his smile that made her cheeks flush pink for a reason other than her dancing.

After a few minutes of glances and coy smiles, he made his way over to her, breaking away from the two men that he was with.

She sat her water down on the bright purple napkin and subtly wiped her hand on her skirt, drying it off from the condensation and sweat.

Once he made it, he stuck out a hand with a smile. “I'm Jonathan.”

She took it, a matching smile blooming on her face. “Sandra.”

Annie — November 24

Annie spent her 25th with her partner, Sher; her older sister, Alice; and Alice's partner, Bren, along with their parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Twilloil took the four of them to an ice skating version of the ever-classic The Nutcracker.

It has been a tradition for the Twilloils to go see a performance of The Nutcracker every year around Christmastime. When the sisters were little, they took part in community ballet classes, which is why the tradition was started.

(Mrs. Amita Twilloil would've taken them regardless of them being in ballet or not. She adored Tchaikovsky's music, and was a professional ballet dancer when she was younger.)

(Alice was dancing in the role of a Snowflake for three years in a row, and Annie was a Sugarplum Fairy once.)

Annie had been dating Sher for a little over two years by that point, the two of them having met in an improv class a few years before, and started a solid friendship.

Sher, actually, was the one who introduced Alice and Bren on a blind date.

But, I digress. Back to the birthday celly, lol

The Nutcracker on Ice was something that everyone was looking forward to. Everyone all bundled up in their coats and scarves and gloves, huddling togerther against the rail of the outdoor ice skating rink.

Hot chocolate vendors hovered at the edges of the crowd, selling spiced nuts and baked sweet potatoes as well.

The sounds of the crowd while the orchestra warmed up gave the Twilloils and their guests the warm feeling of Christmas in their hearts.

Annie ended the night of her 25th with a snog under multicoloured fairy lights decorating one of the lampposts along the pavement.

Max — June 15

Max spent his 25th on his family's country estate with his family, cousins and nieces and nephews running about over the Bennett grounds.

Because the Bennett family is so large, they have a tradition of celebrating all the birthdays of a given month at the beginning of that month.

(This tradition started with Max's great-grandmother after the War. It eased her mind to have all the family with her after the loss of her husband and eldest two sons.)

Other than himself, the month of June in the Bennett family had the birthdays of Aunt Elsie who was celebrating her 67th; Uncle Joseph who was celebrating his 56th; Margot, his older cousin who was celebrating her 34th; Adelaide, his younger cousin who was celebrating her 22nd; Marcus, another younger cousin who was celebrating his 18th; and the twins June and May, his nieces, who were celebrating their 12th.

The day was spent with various events around the estate, such as the younger kids playing around in the swingset and fort setup, and some of the teenagers taking the horses for a ride.

The older members of the family sat under the shaded patio with their spouses (if they were present), drinking tea and other, potentially more alcoholic, drinks.

Those Bennetts who were in their twenties through forties were found in various places throughout the estate. Several were with the younger kids; these Bennetts were the parents of some of the children there.

Others joined in on horseback riding, taking one of the trails with a drink as well. These brave members were almost all in their late-thirties and in their forties.

Max hung out with his siblings—Hugh, his older brother by three years, and Caroline, his older sister by two years. They were also joined by Adelaide and Marcus, and Jax, Hugh's eight-month-old son.

The day ended with a large birthday cake with everyone's names for the month of June, and a tonne of presents and cards that were opened and gushed over.

His Nana Claire owned the Bennett Estate, and since it was so large, everyone was able to stay the night there in the country, if they were so able.

Max's Uncle Charles (40), Aunt Angela (53), cousin Algernon (32), and cousin Nikki (24) were unable to stay as they had early shifts at the hospital in the morning.

All in all, it was a typical Bennett birthday event, and Max was content to be celebrating with everyone.

Trevor — September 2

Trevor hated his birthday.

Hated celebrating it, hated being reminded of it, hated everything about it.

Every year, something seemed to go wrong on his birthday.

He broke his arm when he turned 12. His girlfriend at the time turned out to be cheating on him with some posh prick in the Year above who played rugby, and he found out when he saw them kissing behind the bleachers at the pitch on his 15th. His Grandad passed away on his 18th. He found out he was supposed to be a twin on his 23rd.

And those were just the ones that sprung to mind instantly when he thought about September 2nd.

So, suffice to say, Trevor rarely ever discussed his birthday with anyone who didn't already know it.

He was already involved in Cornley's stage crew program at this point, and had been working with the theatre since he was old enough to.

He liked to work with his hands, but he also loved learning the ins and outs of how a theatre worked. Especially the lighting tracks and cues.

This past year, he had been working as an unofficial assistant to the Lighting Manager, an old man named Ralph who reminded him of his Grandad in a way.

The show that they were working on was for the Children's Theatre Program, a stage version of Frog and Toad.

Opening night was September 2nd.

When Trev got to the theatre, he found out that Ralph had called-in sick.

(He wasn't, really, but his granddaughter was in the show, and he wanted to be able to watch little Izzy on stage without having to worry about timing things right.)

So, Trevor was promoted on the spot that night to Lighting Manager.

He took to it like a duck takes to water, helped on, of course, by the fact that he'd been learning the cues now for several weeks.

Though he was slightly nervous, the show went off with only a few minor hitches that were more to do with the kids being kids and waving to their parents whilst on stage, or getting their costumes caught on props, than anything serious.

There was a standing ovation for the kids, and Trevor found himself genuinely smiling and cheering them on from the booth. The Sound Manager, Missy, next to him was gushing over her son's titular performance as Toad.

After curtain call, as Trevor was cleaning up the booth and making sure things were set for the Saturday showings, Ralph came back and introduced little Izzy to him.

Izzy glowed at Trevor's review of her roles as Cattail #3 and Egret #2, her frizzy red hair only making her blush that much more vibrant.

On their way to the rest of their family, Ralph and Izzy stopped and gave Trevor a dark blue envelope, his name written on it in Ralph's hand in silver ink.

Ralph winked at him and touched the side of his nose, wishing Trevor a goodnight, and he and Izzy disappeared into the crowd.

Trevor had a small, slightly confused frown on his face, but he opened the envelope on the spot.

Inside, there was a "happy birthday" card that was signed by the rest of the crew and Izzy. Little frogs and toads and other show related doodles appeared in various spots of the card throughout. Some were obviously done by the wee girl, but others he recognized as being done by his fellow crewmates.

It's still on display in Trevor's flat to this day.

Vanessa — October 31

Hallowe'en baby!!! We love to see it <333

Soz, the favouritism LEAPED out of me, lmao.

I know Hallowe'en isn't as big a deal across the pond, but this is my headcanon so fuck it, we ball <3

Nessa spent the morning of her 25th chaperoning her niece Alyson's class Hallowe'en party at school.

Aly insisted her Auntie Nessie dressed up as the Loch Ness monster, and since Aly was eight, she won the argument.

Nessa showed up at Aly's Primary school at the same time as the other chaperones, slightly embarrassed about the stuffed felt head on top of her own head.

That lasted until she saw Aly's friend's Mum wearing what looked like the child of a clown and old French mime.

The combination of black and white colouring on a clownfit did a lot to help her mood.

Aly greeting her with a delighted scream of, "AUNTIE NESSIE!" while wearing a mini scuba diver outfit lifted it even more.

The party at the school was fun, all things considered.

The Primary teacher for Aly's class, Mr. Thoms, had arranged for the kids to decorate Jack-O-Lantern cookies as one of the classroom activities.

Aly suckered her Auntie into helping her decorate, making a winking Jack-O-Lantern with a sharp-toothed smile.

After that, the Primary school had a trick-r-treat event in which all the kids got to walk around from classroom to classroom to get candy and show off their costumes. Nessa took many photos for her brother and sister-in-law, David and Wendy, of Aly going around with her little plastic mummy's head.

The school day ended early, and Vanessa took her niece back home to her flat. Aly was going to hang out with her until David came to get her after work.

Vanessa, as an early 25th birthday gift to herself, had got a new cat a week and a half ago.

The cat was older, around seven or eight by the vet's guess, and she was a lovely dark tortoiseshell colour. Her orginal name was lame, in Vanessa's eyes, and she was always rather a fan of Shakespeare.

So, despite the cat being a middle-aged lady (in cat years, of course) Nessa named her Othello.

Aly adored Thello, and the affection was reciprocated. As soon as Nessa's niece's voice was heard outside, the two Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway gals heard Othello's loud meowing.

The cat curled up underneath the chair that Aly was sitting in at the dining table as she worked on her homework, purring loud enough to be heard from a few feet away. Nessa smiled fondly at them and took candid photo to send into the family groupchat.

After David came to get his daughter, Vanessa got changed out of her Loch Nessa cosume and into a pair of fuzzy pyjama bottoms with a comfy long-sleeved shirt and a dressing gown thrown over top it all.

She planned to spend her 25th with Thello, her favourite takeaway from that Indian place down the way, and a marathon of Midsomer Murders. She had a cupcake and a pint of ice cream in her freezer for afterward.

Yes, Vanessa's 25th birthday would be spent with her cat and feeling cozy and taking time for herself.

Jonathan — May 18

Jonathan, on his 25th birthday, was at an event that his company was hosting, ringing in the new summer catalog.

He didn't really have a choice in going or not going because his two best friends, Ben and Davy whom he's known since they were doing kids' modeling, dragged him to it.

While Jono himself stuck mainly to hand and wrist modeling, Ben and Davy had delved into full-body photographing. Ben tended to be called up for more athletic shoots, while Davy was more elegance and class.

As a wrist model, Jono could do any of the above and then some.

But he worked with these people nearly 24/7. He just wanted one day, just one, where he could not have to see Mandie, Brandie, Sandie, and all the other -ie's he worked with.

Davy and Ben promised him that he'd only need to stay there for an hour before they'd skive and go on a mini-pub crawl.

He was holding them to that no matter what.

But that night, Elsie Harris, a writer for an online magazine who sometimes worked with him, was also there.

He'd fancied her for several months now, and she seemed to feel the same. He wasn't positive, but Sandie and Davy kept pushing the two of them together, and Elsie didn't look all that upset by it.

Once he saw her, Ben and Davy knew that any chances of the mini-pub crawl happening were over.

They still smiled and chatted with her when she and Jono came over, of course. Though the two men were disappointed about the way the night changed, they were thrilled to see her leaning into Jono's space.

And they were even more thrilled several minutes later when Jonathan said something about grabbing their stuff and heading out.

Ben looked at Elsie and then back to the birthday boy with a question in his eyes, and Jonathan answered, telling his best friends that he had mentioned what they were planning on doing, and that she wanted to come with them.

She'd never been on a pub crawl on purpose before, and she wanted to try it out.

The more the merrier is how Davy took that news, and the four of them set off into the night.

Elsie, as it turned out, knew how to hold her drink and did so, drinking Davy under the table accidentally.

Ben jokingly complained about having to carry Davy's deadweight back to their flat, but when Elsie apologised, he brushed it off.

Ben asked the bartender to call a cab for him and Davy because David was in no way fit to continue partying.

When Elsie and Jonathan saw them off, Ben and Davy drunkenly wished Jono a happy birthday for the nth time that night, getting into the cab. Jonathan ended up having to tell the cabbie where to go, seeing as the three of them lived in the same flat.

Elsie and Jonathan ended up going back to her place and celebrating his 25th a... let's say in a different way.

He woke up the next morning with her hair spread across his chest, and their hands locked together.

**Bonus**

Lucy — April 17

Lucy spent her twenty-fifth birthday with the Cornley Amateur Drama Society, rehearsing for A Trial to Watch.

They had just started to act it out on stage, reciting their lines rather than reading from the book, and she was excited.

She loved working with Cornley and her Uncle Robert, even if her Mum and Dad weren't especially keen on the idea.

(Which, to be fair, was understandable. The last two times she'd been on stage with them, she'd suffered from several broken bones and two concussions.)

But Uncle Robert, along with Max and Chris, assured them that since all she had to do was simply walk on stage and sit in a jury box, surrounded by several other people, the possibility of her breaking anything or getting a concussion was nearly impossible.

She wasn't a child any more, of course, but even though her parents were divorced and frequently disagreed on many things, the one thing they always agreed on was her safety.

The rehearsal went smoothly, even on Dennis' behalf which was a surprise. He hadn't really forgotten any of his lines, though he still did mess some phrases up, but he did well.

They needed to work on physical cues, but it would be easier with the set when it was built.

After rehearsal, the cast took her out to a pub that was near the theatre for drinks and a show.

It was drag night at the pub, and Lucy adored every second of it.

Several queens flirted with Chris, much to the casts' general amusement, and a king or two did hit on Sandra and Max, much to the casts' great amusement.

After the show, Lucy received gifts from each member, and she may have cried a little a lot into her cocktail.

Her Uncle Robert took her back to his and Dennis' flat after she had one too many and started to fall asleep at the table.

Robert set her on his bed, made sure her phone was plugged in to charge overnight, grabbed some pain meds for her head in the morning and a water bottle, and set it on the bedside table.

He texted his brother Alex and his ex-sister-in-law Gigi and let them know that their daughter was fine and would be sleeping off the celebrations at his flat.

He made sure that his niece was safe and on her side, just in case, before going to the couch in the living room and piling pillows and blankets on it to sleep.

Lucy woke up the next morning, her official second day of being 25, to the sounds of Robert and Dennis chatting in the kitchen accompanied by the smell of French toast and coffee.

(She was also joined in bed by a headache, but thankfully the meds Robert left out the night before were right there, and she solved that issue rather quickly.)

[phaedraismyusername]

It's September and we're in a heatwave so instead of choosing violence here's some oppressive summer gothics to match the abysmal autumn vibes

The criteria - they have to be hot and humid, they have to be gothic in nature, dark in content, and they have to at least flirt with the paranormal

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

This follows Andrew as he moves to a college across the country to step into his dead best friend Eddie's old life as he desperately tries to prove that he must've been murdered. Haunted, both figuratively and literally, angry and grieving, Andrew sets off on a path that leads him to question everything he ever thought he knew about himself and their history together as he fights to accept who he is, who Eddie was, and maybe tries to learn how to live without him. Fast-paced, dark, and super gay.

Water Shall Refuse Them by Lucie McKnight Hardy

After the death of her little sister, teenager Nif and her family move to rural Wales for the summer in an attempt to escape their grief. Set in the 1970s during a heatwave the isolation and oppressive weather quickly start to take their toll. With an emotionally absent mother, a father with a wandering eye and a needy younger brother, Nif becomes convinced she's stumbled across her own kind of magic, before catching the attention of the strange boy across the street. Think Shirley Jackson, definitely not YA.

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

Now, this is YA. We follow 17 year old Grey as she returns back to her tiny hometown in the Louisiana Bayou for the summer 6 months after her best friends mysterious disappearance. In a town that claims to be the 'psychic capitol of the world', someone must know something, right? Full of secrets, lies, and a boy who steps out of the forest with storm-bright eyes, this was a quick and twisty atmospheric read.

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

When political upheaval gets her father executed and his family is left in shame and destitution, Beatriz decides she'll do whatever it takes to find security in her life again. When a handsome Don proposes, Beatriz jumps at the chance to accept and move out to his countryside estate with big plans for the future, but it doesn't take long before she's spending her nights terrorised by a mysterious entity inside her new home, forcing her to seek help from the strangest of places. The imagery is creepy, the tone is tense, there's a hot priest, what more do you want?

Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell

Probably the darkest book on this list, and definitely the oldest. When a young girl is brutally murdered within sight of her home, it starts a chain of events that will see a family destroyed, secrets and lies exposed, and a vengeful creature that looks almost human to rise from the river as the town that surrounds it starts to crumble. The people are unlikeable, the book is old, the content is Dark - you've been warned.

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

Also YA but this time for the bisexuals. Shady Grove can call ghosts from the grave with her music, just like her daddy could, but everyone knows that only trouble comes from playing for the dead. When her brother is accused of murder, Shady decides to embrace her birthright and use any power she can to clear his name. It's sweet, it's sad, it's lyrical, and there's a little bi love triangle sprinkled in to sweeten the sorrows. It's also a debut!

[freezerbrldes]

A Long, Unfortunate while

PAIRING. Lucy Gray Baird x Coriolanus Snow

WARNINGS. Mentions of abuse and SA (not too in-depth but its still there)

AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is my first time writing and using Tumblr so please bear with me lol. This series is based on the album Preacher's Daughter by Ethel Cain. If you're unfamiliar with that album I highly recommend listening to it because it is honestly one of the greatest albums in the last decade. I changed some of the story up so it's not so predictable for people who know the lore behind the album. Also, I made Lucy Gray 18 years old and Coryo 20 years old for the sake of this story because it gets pretty dark towards the end (iykyk).

credit to @cafekitsune for dividers

now on ao3

Chapter One: American Teenager

I stand before the mirror, amazed at how the rainbow dress paired with the cream-colored corset and subtle makeup transformed my features. I’m not one to dress up, but since I’m attending the homecoming dance with Billy Taupe, I need to wear something other than my usual oversized t-shirts and baggy jeans. 

Never in a million years did I think he’d ever ask me out, let alone as his homecoming date. Billy and I grew up together in Shady Grove, a very small town in rural Alabama. We’ve never been close friends in school, but I always had a huge crush on him. He is the star player on the football team and is by far the most sought-after guy in school. 

Billy had been dating Arachne Crane, the captain of the cheer squad and the local bitch of Shady Grove High. He caught her making out with Fetus Creed under the bleachers after a game a few months ago, he broke up with her right on the spot. Since then he has talked to me more than he ever has. I didn’t think much of it until one day after chemistry class he stopped me in the hallway and asked me to homecoming. I was shocked but accepted anyway, hoping it would eventually lead us into a relationship.

I walked down the steps where my mother was ready with her Polaroid camera. 

“Oh my” she exclaimed, “You look beautiful.” She began snapping picture after picture, my eyes closed in almost every single one from how blinding the flash was. She grabbed my arms and tried to position me into a pose, taking even more pictures. After about 10 more photos, I had enough.

“Okay Mama, you got more than enough pictures, I need to go,” I say as I hear Billy pull into the driveway, honking the horn to let me know he’s here. 

“Let me go outside and say hi to the boy, I haven’t seen him in so long,” She says as she tries to open the door and walk outside. I immediately shut the door and blocked it with my body. 

“Please no, mama, he’s in a hurry and we gotta leave right now.” I began cracking open the door and inching my way through before my mother could get outside., not wanting her to embarrass men in front of Billy. 

Billy hops out of the truck and opens the passenger side door for me. 

“Wow, Lucy Gray, you look... stunning,” He says with a laugh as he looks me up and down. I blush at his words, not used to receiving compliments. 

“Thank you, Billy, you look great too” I replied. 

“Oh, Thanks,” Billy said. “It's the same suit I wore to your dad’s funeral.”

My heart sinks at his response.

My father passed away four years ago. He was the preacher at Shady Grove Baptist church for over 25 years. He was well respected around town. Everyone loved him and the services he led every Sunday. If only they knew what a monster that man was when he was not leading the congregation.

He and Mama did a good job of acting like they were happy together whenever they were at church or neighborhood cookouts, but no one could see the bruises that he would leave on my and Mama's bodies sometimes.

I shake myself out of my memories as Billy helps me into his truck and heads towards the school. The drive was mostly quiet. Every now and then he'll ask me about church or tell me about his recent football games, which I pretend to care about.

He parks the truck in the parking lot as I watch all the girls dressed in lavish ball gowns enter the school, they all make mine look insignificant in comparison. Billy helps me out of the truck and into the gymnasium. 

The room was filled to the brim with people, the DJ playing terrible remixes of various pop songs as people danced. I’m not a party girl, never even been to one other than birthday parties as a kid. The thought of the loud music mixed with sweaty bodies grinding against each other was enough to steer me far away from that lifestyle.

“I’m going to get us some punch, I’ll be right back,” Billy says as he maneuvers through the sea of people. 

I find an empty table in the corner away from all the commotion and make my way over to it. I take a seat and watch the crowd as everyone dances along to the music. Billy emerges from the crowd holding two glasses of red punch. 

“Thanks,” I say as I take the drink from him and have a sip. We sit in silence as the opening notes of Time After Time play. Billy looks over at me and places a hand over mine.

“Would you like to dance?” I look down at our hands and then look back at him. 

“Uh, sure, but I’ve never danced before,” I reply, my eyes avoiding his in embarrassment as I finish the last of my punch.

“That’s fine, I’ll teach ya” Billy stands from the table, his hand now holding mine, as he leads us to an empty spot on the dance floor. He places my hands on his shoulders before placing his on my hips. 

Billy began to sway us back and forth with the music and for a moment it felt like we were the only two people in the room. My confidence began to grow as I rested my head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart instead of the music.

His grip on my waist got tighter as he pulled me closer to his body., my chest now flush against his. He begins kissing up the side of my neck as his hands move further down my waist and he grips my ass. I feel him snake a hand up my thigh and under my dress.

“Billy, what are you doing?” I muttered, trying to push his hands off of me, but his grip was too strong. At the same time, I began to feel a little dizzy, Did he put something in my punch?

"Just relax, baby," He whispers into my ear. He then grinds his crotch into my thigh as his hands search for the waistband of my panties.

"Billy, stop, let me go," I beg quietly, but he ignores my pleas.

Before he could get any further, a shrill voice spoke, causing Billy and I to both jump.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Lucy Gray Baird, what a surprise! I wasn’t expecting Billy to bring you to homecoming. I see he’s almost won the bet.” Arachne laughed, and her cheerleader friends giggled along with her. “Arachne, leave her alone,” Billy muttered, getting in between her and me. 

“Bet? What bet?” I questioned. “Billy, what is she talking about?” 

“I-It’s nothing Lucy Gray really-” 

“Billy made a bet with Festus that he could get laid by the preacher’s daughter,” Arachne interrupted, grinning widely. 

My face heated up as I felt tears well up in my eyes. This was all part of a bet? I thought to myself. I glared at Billy as he desperately tried to talk his way out of this.

“I-I wasn’t being serious, We were just joking around, I would never try to pressure you into anything I swear.” He stutters, his hand scratching the back of his neck.

“Did you really think Billy would ever go for you willingly?” Arachne snickered, “You look like a circus clown in that dress, and besides, the only reason he came here tonight with you is to get a quick 50 bucks”

“That’s not true, I came here with you because I-” Billy is cut off by Arachne’s giggling once again.

“Oh my god Billy, you like her?”

“N-no, I didn’t say that-” Billy adds, before he finished his sentence I turned away and headed towards the door. Before I could get to the door, Arachne cut me off and threw her punch all over my dress, staining it a dark scarlet red. I felt all eyes on me as she began to laugh. Soon it sounded like everyone in the room was laughing at me.

I pushed my way through the crowd and ran out the door and through the parking lot, walking down the empty, dark road. The sound of cicadas chirping in the trees surrounded me as I made my way down the street.

I had no clue if it was whatever Billy slipped into my punch, but all I wanted to do was run into the forest and let the wildlife consume me alive. Anything at this point would be better than facing everyone in class on Monday, especially Billy and Acrachne, but the thought of leaving Mama all alone, not knowing what happened to me quickly sucked me right out of that thought.

About 30 minutes into my walk, Headlights illuminate the road as they head towards me. An old beat-up pickup truck pulls over on the side of the road a few feet in front of me. As I walk past the window is rolled down to reveal a young man with long blond hair behind the wheel.

“You know, it's not safe to walk on the side of the road when it's this dark,” he says with a friendly smile,  “Do you need a ride?” 

I took a moment to think. I hear a lot of horror stories about women getting kidnapped from hitchhiking like this, but this guy looks very nice and he seems to be worried about my safety. There’s no a way crazed serial killer would ever be in a town this small anyway. 

“Yeah, I’d love that,” I answered as I approached the truck, getting into the passenger seat. I got in and gave him directions to my house, which was about 25 minutes away from the school. 

“My name’s Coriolanus, what’s yours?” He asks, I notice his accent is a lot different from anyone around here, he must be from out of town. 

“Lucy Gray,” I replied as he began to drive.

“Lucy Gray.. That’s a pretty name,” He smiles at me. 

“You don’t sound like you’re from here, where are you from?” I asked, looking over at his large collection of cassette tapes on the dashboard. From the looks of it, he must really like Metallica.

“I’m from Florida, I’m just passing through here on my way to California.” He answers as he lights a cigarette. 

“You’re driving from Florida to California? Isn’t that like a 40-hour drive?” I inquired, this man has to be insane or something to wanna do that all by himself.

“Yes, it's a very long drive,” he laughed. “My father was a truck driver and would always come home talking about how therapeutic driving all across America was, I’m hoping I’ll find it just as therapeutic as he did,” Coriolanus mutters, he looked almost sad for a second but quickly snapped out of it. "And there are so many more opportunities for me out there than there are back home."

I could almost sense the sadness in the air as he spoke about his father, he must have lost his father too. Almost like he knew I was going to question him about his father, he spoke again.

“May I ask what you are dressed up for?” He asks, glancing at my dress.

“I was at the homecoming dance tonight at school, my date was a dick so I left,” I said, playing with my hands in my lap as I spoke.

“God, that sucks,” Coriolanus replied, “well, he’s missing out big time, you are a very beautiful girl” he looks over at me and smiles sweetly. “What’s all that red on your dress?”

“My date’s ex-girlfriend decided to throw her drink at me before I left, I guess she was jealous that I went to the dance with him instead of her,” I said as I laughed slightly, feeling comfortable around Coriolanus as I spoke about my humiliating experience.

“Yeah, I imagine,” He says as he looks over my dress once more.

I watched Coriolanus as he continued to drive down the dark highway. He notices and quickly looks over, his eyes meet mine for the first time. I’m taken aback by his blue eyes are, they're almost as blue as a clear sunny sky. He smiles as I blush and look back down at my lap nervously.

“I’ve always dreamed of leaving Shady Grove, starting a new life in a big city somewhere,” I confessed. 

Coriolanus looked at me as I stared out the window.

“I know we don’t know each other at all,” he started, “but if you were up for it, you could join me on my trip.”

I looked over at him again, my eyes lit up. 

“You want me to stay?” I asked, a smile forming on my lips.

“I won’t force you into anything of course, but I could really use the company,” Coriolanus smiled, “I feel like I might go insane driving all by myself,” He laughs as he waits for me to answer.

Living in a small town, you’re not really taught to not talk to strangers. Everyone knows everyone, a little too much sometimes. Coriolanus seems like a genuinely good person, and he’s offering me a chance to escape, one that may never come again. I know my Mama would miss me, but once I get to California I’ll be sure to write her to let her know I’m okay. This is my one shot at leaving the town, and I'm not about to pass it up.

“I’d love to join you, Coriolanus,” I replied, grinning at him once again.

He looks at me, returning a smile.

“Well then, let’s get out of here, Lucy Gray.”

[humanteethmarksonhumanbone]

in honor of the fever dream that was july resulting it the creation of 8 (akbzkajaja EIGHT??? idk how i did that) OCs here is their introductions: +quizzes

Uni-ted Fears Crew (tma ocs) 

Molly Tindell she/her (it?) - avatar for the End, crisis hotline volunteer, 19 yo. After deciding to volunteer for a crisis hotline she discovers her abilities to… kill people like over the phone, technically the Fog™️ does it and shes just like a bridge. She thinks shes the chosen prophet of Death cause.. of course she does 🙄 /affectionate (shes the og oc)

Ángel Santiago he/she - avatar for the Eye/Hunt, priest in training, forces confessions 25 yo. Confessions Booths are inherently Eye coded but waiting for people to confess isn’t enough for the guy so she goes all s4 Jon and stalks people cornering the and munching on those juicy secrets cause like molly he has a prophet complex

Bridie Milligan she/her- avatar for the corruption/desolation, book restorationist 26 yo. After taking an internship at st Christina's she discovers a book that refuses to be restored (mold grows back, any work she does just come back worse) it becomes her obsession cause she believes in the preservation of memories and history, however the more she works with the book the more her own memories start to corrupt (basically the book is some artifact that destroys history cause irony, and preying on her worst fear of forgetting and letting people be forgotten)

Dante Montgomery he/him- avatar for the buried, traps people in catacombs 21 yo. The stereotypical rebellious kid of a rich family, hr grew up in France and was sent to England to avoid murder charges (hang with me) after he accidentally (?) killed his Ex boyfriend. After a few months at the university her discovers the Catacombs, gets lost and is presumed dead but actually he was just doing his avatar magical girl transformation thingy

+ Quetzál Gómez - they/he/she, Avatar of the Eye, journalism major investigating the creepy stuff that happens around the St Christina’s (they dont go to that university tho) he’s sort of unofficial, they just sort of appeared but i love her so he stay.

story: Saint Christina’s catholic university students individual (sometimes crossing) journeys to avatar hood 

Smithsonian Sapphic

Maya Barker she/they - Queer/Sapphic, works at an aquarium, Julies gf. Grew up near the ocean and loves all the creatures.

Juliette Vaughn she/her- demi sexual/demi romantic Bisexual, works at an art museum mayas gf. biggest history nerd with a tea addiction youll ever meet.

Fin Barker he/him -aro/ace maya’s twin brother, trans masc bass player, chronic third wheel (of his own volition)

story- museum curator x aquarium worker fall in love. My little cheesy hallmark where nothing bad happens ever. also they kiss infront of a sappho statue/painting cause obviously

Grove Springs

Lucy Maier she/her- from 1964 16yo.

Simone Chada she/they - from 2024 17yo.

story: so its all starts with Simone, she is a girl from our time (2024) and she finds this radio thing (like the ones you talk to and stuff) she gets into contact with another girl, Lucy.  They hit it off and become fast friends but over time they start to realize stuff specifically that they might not be from the same decade Lucy is from ‘64 and so yeah their just super confused and eventually odd stuff starts happening in the town, there are old styles of car from simone, “new” cars for lucy, shops start looking different (so basically their worlds are melding together into a mix of new and old stuff)  so they hypothesize that its the radio thats causing all of this and the only way to fix it is to destroy the radios to send thing back to normal but it might mean loosing each other

tldr: radio weirdness melds the past and present, the only way to stop is to destroy the radios even if it means loosing 

Silt verses ocs

pippa “sister strider” she/her- fell into the great gull river as a kid and eashrd up near a small rundown comune for thr Trawler man without many lf her memories. she grows up there being basically an extra hand.

lyra christopher they/he- used to live bear glottage, not alot is known about yheir backstory but they have alot of siblings. they are faithless and like pippa end up at the comune unconscious and injured.

story- pippa find lyra and nurses him back to health they become close friends dispitr lyras initial hesitation. However one day lyra goes my missing and is revealed to have been sacrificed with out pippas knowledge. Pippa is distraught and runs away where she eventually meets a god of lost things who is looking got her.

Maritime emos

Wilbur- Island resident, partially deft in his pedt ear. very mellow and sad. leads bowie around the island reluctantly

David “bowie”- goes to the island for a documentary hes making on the legends and haunted light houses

story- David goes to a small northern island reasrching thr myths and legends aamd haunted light house for a documentary hes making. Wil is forced to show him around the island and they fall in love. Bowie has to go home leaving Wil distrought however he makes his way back the the island a few years later

based on a dream i had

quizzes:

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

Cook

Two very awkward wizards flirt and have a heart-to-heart. SFW.

Martha Hylfyst watched the Wizard of Waterdeep at the campfire with great interest, the open book she was holding long forgotten. She had not expected Gale to be the one who assumed the role of camp cook but was glad of it because he’s just that good. Just as good as Aunt Luci, and that’s a very high compliment.

“If you don’t go over there and speak to him, then I will make you, darling.” Astarion teased, walking by the front of Martha’s tent. “I’ll tell him you have your pretty little eyes on him—”

She squeaked, slamming the book shut. “No!” The half-elf stood and placed the book on the chair she was sitting on. “I’ll…talk to him.” Right. Talk to him. Like a person talks to another person. Not like how a silly thirty-year-old, who’s been rejected by numerous suitors, talks to a charming, kind, funny, sweet wizard of great renown.

Astarion giggled as he reached his tent. “This is going to be quite the show!”

Fuck.

What would Da say? “Just be yourself.”

Mum? “Be strong and confident. You are a Hylfyst and a de Fontaine---act like it.”

Aunt Luci? “Follow your heart, sweetie. And make sure there’s nothing in your teeth!”

Pushing her shoulders back, she tried to maintain a confident yet relaxed walk to the campfire. “Smells good, Gale.” She said with a small smile, her golden eyes sparkling.

He glanced upwards and grinned. “Thank you, Martha! Please, come and join me.” Gale watched as she sat next to him, her hands folded in her lap. Just like Mum and Aunt Luci taught me. “I found some spicy sausages among our rations. That, combined with flour from the Grove, eggs, and water, to make a rudimentary pasta, and fresh milk and spices to make a sauce…” His smile grew even wider. “Well, it’s a lovely pasta dish I would make if I were at home. Something delicious that soothes the soul.”

“Sounds like how I cook at home too.”

Stirring the sauce gently, he raised an eyebrow. “A lady of House Hylfyst cooking?” He then winked at her. Oh, he’s teasing me. Well, I’ll show you!

She wrinkled her freckled nose and smirked. “My godmother, Countess Luci Wildheart, taught me. I enjoy it, especially cooking for me and my friend Nadia. I think I mentioned her before, right? We live together in a small house in Baldur’s Gate.” Stop. Rambling.

“Yes! She’s a bard if I remember correctly?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I was coming back from one of her gigs when I was…you know…” Oh great now you’ve ruining the mood. Recover! Quickly! Wringing her hands, she felt anxiety bloom in her chest. “Anyways—”

“I’m sorry. Truly.” Gale murmured as he checked to see if the pasta was done cooking. “It must have been so frightening for you, as it was for us all obviously…ah, it’s done! Do you mind giving me a hand?”

Perfect! This will get things back on track. “Of course!”

“I’m going to attempt to strain this as best I can. If you wouldn’t mind minding the sauce and combining it with the pasta, then that would be most helpful.” He set about using a bowl he magic missile’d some holes into earlier to strain the pasta.

Martha smiled to herself. He doesn’t need me to do this. He can easily do it, but he wants me to. And maybe he knows I know this? And is enjoying this little time together as much as I am? And I hope there’s more of this in the future? When he returned with the strained pasta, he never took his eyes off her as she added the sauce and spicy sausage with ease. “Do you approve of your sous chef, Gale?” she whispered, her smile growing wider by the second.

His brown eyes were full of mirth. “I approve of her very much and look forward to hearing her opinion on my made-in-the-frontier pasta.”

After sitting next to each other at dinner (it was so fucking good), Gale asked if they could speak more and took two shortbread biscuits to share. They ended up on a large log by the river. Far enough so the others won’t hear but still not a long walk away in case something happens. “I was wondering if you could share your knowledge on necromancy. I’m most interested…” Upon seeing her expression change to a mixture of shock and fear, he immediately apologized. “Forgive me for my eagerness. It’s simply that I don’t meet too many necromancers in the flesh, as it were. But if it’s not something you wish to discuss, then I would be happy to talk about anything else.”

So he’s interested in that. What on earth made you think he was any different than other power-hungry wizards? Of course he’s not. Martha turned away as she stood, trying desperately to hide the tears forming in her eyes. “You know what, I suddenly feel tired—” He’s just wants what’s in my head, not me. I never should’ve mentioned it, because now everything is ruined.

“Please.”

She froze, still not looking at him.

“If I have offended you in any way, then I most sincerely apologize. I-I will make it up to you, I swear it. I’ll do anything you ask of me. But please, please,” his voice hitched.“Don’t go…unless you truly are tired, then rest.”

Maybe…he’s not like the others. While he wanted more from Mystra, he’s never shown any tendencies towards darker magic. Trust my heart. Trust him. She turned and sat back down, wiping the tears from her golden eyes. “Sorry. Usually when I get asked about necromancy, it’s not for the best of reasons.”

He nodded. Martha thought she saw tears in his eyes. Oh no. Oh fuck. Oh shit. “My dear, that’s very understandable. Gods, Szass Tam comes to mind and other notoriously evil Red Wizards. Not that you are obviously!” Gale buried his face in his hands and groaned. “I’m cocking this right up, aren’t I?”

A smile crept onto her face. “It’s alright. I…do you mind if I share the first time, I realized there was something different about me and my magic?” He lifted his head and nodded enthusiastically. She tentatively offered her hand which he took with a soft smile. “Like you, I’ve been in touch with the Weave for as long as I can remember. One night when I was about five, I saw a boy in my bedroom. He was around my age, maybe a little younger. He asked if we could play for a while, and I said yes. I didn’t think anything of it.” She chuckled. “I found out later that he was the son one of my great-great-uncles who died of flu as a boy. His spirit was still in Hylfyst Manor and just wanted to play. This went on for a few weeks before my parents caught us playing but obviously couldn’t see him. He was scared when he saw them, saw how afraid they were of him. I reached out to touch him and when I did…they could see him.”

Gale’s eyes widened. “Are you telling me that you---as a five-year-old---made a spirit reveal himself? With a touch?!”

She smiled nervously. “Yes?”

“By the gods, how?!?!? How?! Can you still do this?!” He’s not afraid. He’s excited. Very excited. Like how Horace or Scratch gets really excited before I give him a treat.

“I can, though it doesn’t always work. I also can’t explain how I can do it. When it does happen, there’s always some light, which my parents and teachers think is the influence of Selune or Lathander, but who knows?” She shook her head. “Anyways, my parents told him he wasn’t in any trouble and then his spirit moved on. That was the first of my many communions with the dead and helping them along to whatever awaits them next.”

“That’s very kind of you to do.” He said warmly, giving her hand a squeeze.

Martha smiled nervously. Again. Oh my gods, my heart races when he smiles at me like that. “If I can help them, then I will. That’s not to say it’s easy or fun sometimes…but it’s worth it. And before you ask, none of my own studies in necromancy have explained why I’m like this---a freak.” A freak whose own mother thinks she’s useless…no, Mum’s never said that. She just thinks it. I know she does. I’m not a ranger like her. Not as elegant and pretty a lady as her. She’s braver and stronger. She loves the outdoors. Loves hunting. And then there’s me…

Gale shook his head, squeezing her hand again. “You’re not a freak. You were given a gift, from who I cannot say, but a gift nonetheless.” He let go of her hand and slowly touched her freckled cheek. His brown eyes stared into her wide golden ones. “You use this gift, this power bestowed upon you to help others. That’s not freakish at all. In fact, it’s quite admirable.” Something flashed in his eyes---a realization. “Have you ever heard of white necromancers?”

Her brow furrowed. “Hmm, I think there was a reference to that in a book I read years ago, but nothing specific I’m afraid.”

“White necromancers assist the living and the dead---healing mind and body, moving spirits on, and occasionally going into battle against other necromancers. By that definition,” he’s flashing my favorite charming smile. Gods, he’s so handsome. “You’re not a freak. You’re a white necromancer, which is nothing to be ashamed of.”

That’s what it’s always been about, hasn’t it?

Shame.

Shame for having this power.

Shame that in a family of barbarians and rangers, I’m the outlier.

Shame that I won’t live up to my own very high expectations.

She nodded quickly, feeling tears in her eyes. “No. No, it’s not.”

I won’t be ashamed anymore.

[murderballadeer]

hi lucie i have a silly question 4 you... do you have a favourite variation of matty groves? this could include melodic/lyrical/naming variations or even mix and match them! just curious since i'm most familiar with the shady groves variation as popularized by the fairport convention but im sure you know all kinds of long forgotten field recordings that dont get enough love 🪕

hi cleo!! sorry this took me so long to get to but!! my personal favourites are the joan baez version (bc i love everything she's ever done lol) and jean ritchie and doc watson's respective versions bc they sound so stripped down and real in that tradfolk sense. jean's has a ton of verses i'd never heard before (i like how she uses "we" in the first verse ie "we all did go to the old church house," it makes it feel more personal, and how the explanation for why lord arnold is away is "he went to the academy some language for to learn" bc it's funny lol) and she sings it completely a capella which i think adds to the atmosphere of the song. i like doc's for similar reasons, it has that great fingerpicked guitar so it's not quite as stripped down but he still sings it really straight ahead and honest. he also speeds it up a little which gives it a little more bounce and drive which i appreciate seeing as it can be such a long song lol. anyway!! adding spotify links for your perusal i hope u enjoy!!

[motownfiction]

cottonwood

Daniel drives Rosemary home from a birthday party on a Saturday night. One of her friends at school celebrated her thirteenth birthday at a roller rink. As he and Rose back out of the parking lot, Daniel chuckles and says he can’t think of anything more eighties than a birthday party at a roller rink. Rosemary rolls her eyes.

“It’s not ‘eighties,’ Daddy,” she says. “It’s just roller skating. Not everything belongs to the eighties. You know that, right?”

Daniel laughs a little harder.

“Yeah, yeah, I know that,” he says. “Hey, Little Miss Y2K. Why don’t you hook up that iPod I got you for Christmas to the cord I got in here?”

“Daddy! No!”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s my music! Don’t you think music should be private?”

“I think if music was private, we wouldn’t have anything fun to do.”

Rosemary sighs. They come to a stop light, and Daniel tightens his grip around the steering wheel. He looks toward the sky through the windshield, just a little bit.

I know, he thinks. I know what I sound like. I know who I sound like, too.

“I don’t want you to make fun of the songs I like,” Rosemary says as she sheepishly takes her lime green iPod out of her purse.

“What?” Daniel says. “Rose. I’d never make fun of you. You know that, right?”

“I guess.”

“Where’d you get an idea like that? Who’s making fun of you?”

“Well, when we had to see Uncle Charlie at Christmas, he asked me what my favorite song was. I told him it was ‘Perfect Situation.’ He told me to listen to Buddy Holly.”

“The song or the guy?”

“There’s a song?”

“Mmm-hmm. Weezer. Same band as ‘Perfect Situation.’”

Rosemary throws her hands against her face, a perfect homage to Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. Daniel smiles as the light turns green.

“Well, then, I guess it’s a good thing I kinda liked all that old stuff,” she says. “‘Peggy Sue’ and all that. It’s not bad.”

“No, it’s not,” Daniel says. “Are you gonna stop stalling and play me a song from your iPod?”

Rosemary groans but hooks up the iPod to the car, anyway.

“Fine,” she says. “This is a song I’ve been listening to a lot lately. Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’ll never make fun of you.”

Rosemary looks at him like she believes him … looks at him with eyes that look so much like his own. If Daniel wasn’t behind the wheel of this car, he might just cry looking at her.

The song begins. Some ethereal sound, the kind that teenagers seem to be really into these days. It doesn’t sound bad. Just nothing like the music he grew up with.

Good, he thinks. It doesn’t need to be like then.

He hears Rosemary lightly singing along with the lyrics.

Will you say to them when I’m gone / “I loved your son for his sturdy arms?”

Daniel lets out a long breath. He knew he’d been holding it. Just didn’t know how strange it would feel to let it go. He looks at Rosemary out of the corner of his eye. She doesn’t seem to hear what he’s thinking. Daniel almost can’t believe it. Almost six whole years since they buried Sam, and it’s like the kids barely think about him anymore. Daniel exhales again. Are they lucky not to be thinking of him all the time? Or are they selfish? He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know, but before he can catch up with himself, he’s laughing.

“What’s the matter?” Rosemary asks. “You’re laughing like the Joker.”

“No, I’m not,” Daniel says. “This is just making me think of Cottonwood.”

“What’s Cottonwood?”

“Cottonwood is the place your Uncle Sam and I made up when we were … oh, a little older than you. Fifteen, I think. It’s the place we said we were going to go when it got too cold and too boring around here, back at home.”

“I thought that was Beech Grove.”

“Ah, no. That’s the place your mom and Lucy made up. They told us we weren’t allowed there. So Sam and I made our own place, and we called it Cottonwood.”

“What about Will?”

“Will was allowed in Beech Grove with the girls. Lucky bastard. Anyway, we had all these ideas for what Cottonwood was going to be like and look like … and then we found out it was just this boring city in Arizona. So kind of like Beech Grove in Indiana.”

“Yeah. Seems like it.”

They drive in almost silence with the song in between them. It sounds almost nice. Like nothing Daniel’s really used to hearing. He asks Rosemary where she heard the song, and she blushes an awkward shade of pink before she says she can’t remember. Daniel, then, takes it to mean the unspoken truth: She must have heard it in one of those videos that makes Lilly and Oliver from Hannah Montana seem like they’re a couple. He doesn’t say anything. Just smiles.

If Sam were here, poor Rose wouldn’t have to get her musical recommendations from Hannah Montana fans on the Internet. He’d teach her and the boys about micro-genres he made up, just like he did for Elenore when she was young. But he’s not here. He’s not here because he’s dead; because stupid Charlie, who makes fun of Rosemary’s musical taste in the middle of Christmas, couldn’t be bothered to get a license or remember to bring the kids’ presents to the party. And now, Daniel’s left to pick up all the pieces … to figure out where Sam would have started.

The song ends, and Daniel turns the radio back on.

“What are you doing?” Rosemary asks.

“I’m gonna teach you the first thing about Cottonwood,” Daniel says. “It has a very specific soundtrack, and you really have to listen for it.”

Rosemary grins. And in that grin, Daniel sees that Sam’s still there. That he’s still there, too.

It’s a good feeling, he thinks, to know you’re not going anywhere. It’s a good feeling to know that you live in the gleam of your daughter’s eye.

(part of @nosebleedclub january challenge -- day xxv! another busy day, another day where i’m behind)

[joie6000]

Halloween is feeling smaller only because we are way less involved now. Ben went trick or treating with school friends in our neighborhood and Abby went over to Lucy’s to help pass out candy. They do an awesome elaborate setup where the kid calls out the candy they want and it comes down the alien’s mouth tube shoot.

I kinda got sad that we aren’t as included as in years past but then two of Abby’s friends stopped over and luckily I got to drive them home all while hearing about their Halloween fun and eating their candy with them.

Patrick is coaching two basketball teams - both Abby’s and Ben’s. It’s a lot to do but he said, “I love these girls so much” and it’s 100% true. There is not a game, school event, weekend, etc that these girls aren’t in our lives. They randomly stop over and they legit tackle us at any sporting or school event. One mom said to me yesterday at the school Halloween party, “you are like the main attraction for these kids.” I just replied, “you can’t imagine how good they are for Abby. She used to live in a very small world - rather quiet and introverted - but all these kids turned her into the kid that throws parties and talks to anyone under the sun. They’ve given her so much confidence and for that, I love them so much.”

Yesterday I looked at Abby’s phone to see 4 names I didn’t recognize texting her a ton. I asked who are all of these people were and she said, “oh those are my friends from Corpus Christi and Villa Grove and Epiphany. Oh and then this is my text chat from all my friends in Elmhurst.” These are in addition to all of her school friends chats, travel volleyball team chats, camp friends, etc. “Well I played basketball against this girl and she told me she liked my makeup so now we text a lot” and “this girl I met at the state track meet so I like to know how her running is going.”

This is all from the same girl that was scared to have a play date at our house 5 years ago. A complete 180! I’ll say this - their old school was wonderful in so many ways and I’ll never put it down academically but socially, for Abby, it was probably the wrong fit. She’s so much happier (and wilder) now so I’m grateful.

[whitepolaris]

Missionaries Remain in Salem's Mission Mill Museum

The Mission Mill Museum is located on Mill Street in Salem, focusing on the closed Thomas Kay Woolen Mills, but the museum grounds have become a refuge for many of Salem's historic homes-and perhaps some of the early pioneers are still around.

The woolen mill was built in 1889 and processed much of the wool harvested in eastern Oregon. It operated for several more decades, before synthetic fabrics replaced wool in American clothing. The Kay family continued to run the mill until 1958, finally shutting its doors in 1962. The museum opened in 1964 to show the public the interesting history of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mills.

Over time, several historic homes and a church were moved to the museum grounds to protect them from demolition. They include the Methodist Parsonage, originally built in 1841; the Jason Lee House, built to 1841; the John D. Boon House, built in 1847; and the Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church, which was consecrated in 1858.

On certain days, the museum provides tour guides who lead visitors from building to building. If there are no tour guides, paying visitors are loaded a passkey that will let them into the various historic buildings.

Other Ghosts at the Mission Mill Museum

On weekends, volunteers sometimes demonstrate how to make woolen goods on the still-operational equipment. A museum employee told Weird Oregon that if you are on the third floor of the museum and stand in the right place, you can feel the vibrations of the water turbine-even if the water wheel is not turning. Is this some kind of ghostly replay of past activities? The mill used to run twelve hours a day, six days a week.

Several buildings run across the stream that supplies water to the mill. Some people claim that they have heard the ghostly echo of a murder committed by a past employee who drowned his wife in the millstream near the Mentzer Machine Shop.

More than one staff member told Weird Oregon that they had heard a service being given in the old church. Once one of these staff members entered, he saw a ghostly light suspended in midair.

The most interesting ghost is not very old. One of the old mill workers became a museum volunteer and security guard in his later years. He frequently put on displays of mill work in addition to keeping the parking lot secure. Apparently he stopped people who were littering or doing other naughty things in the parking lot, only to disappear after delivering his warning.

Jason Lee's Children?

It was raining hard when my wife, Janine and I visited the Jason Lee House. I thought I'd heard a child or children's voices coming from inside the house, and someone walking up the stairs inside. Janine had heard children's voices, too.

Inside the house, we thought we heard a thump from upstairs but found no one there. Later a museum staff member told us that a psychic had detected the spirit of a young girl inhabiting the house, mainly on the second floor, where she had lived. She had a mischievous sense of humor, and would sometimes play with visitors or laugh when the tour guides got the historic facts wrong about the house.

They also told us of the security guard who'd paused outside the house when he saw a light shining from the second-floor windows-even though he had turned the lights off earlier. After turning off the lights again and resetting the alarm, he paused outside to look up at the second-floor windows again. One of the curtains was pull aside then fell back over the window a few seconds later.

So who still inhabits the Jason Lee House? Is it one of the many children who lived there over the years? What about Lucy Thompson Lee, who died shortly after giving birth there? -Jeff Davis

[libidomechanica]

“Let in the red mans hand”

Roared before the wide wings, streaming.     Let in the red man’s hand. If by traduction can’t recur.     Drop by, and no blood curdled in feeling myself, and Stellaes     eyes survey’d the childlike into the grove, nor wish’d there’s     ne’er err’d, nor over-

anxious care. Away from the Arrows     that the echoes, dying, drilling,—for deeming frown. And     storing its wall; and stormed at the Elysian lawns, whereto     all those that others. The cost would be about witche: and     the world uplifts its spirit

in my own nostrils, should bar     him off to thee did make. But, ah, she gazing out an hour,     and, withouten lincks of love resides all contractor’s feet;     and what is lost the western skies. Reality, nor seemed     and I will not. He was

free to confident confusion,     and Stella is? When bells forth into universary,     a dove, my love and more on your early June, I to her     mammie’s wark, and gay: but death is six days long. Ties? Arose     and grow for ever. And

so last night and cared nothing air.     Penny that beneath and mouth? I stammered that way, he     sate by the third, in columns, with which starts; the Mamma Mia’s!     The ghost at least word, thinke you are a hard one to wake me.     When I inhale, smoke

occupied by fens. Come away dyd     wype. Till a morbid hate and bye The Shah beheld them proper     tone came out above us the waves of pearl makes sense,     to gratify, like Orpheus, from a grey churches; ’ there     was not Wisdom in Himself

had trod Sicilian fold,     his sheep, his hands, and wilt thou shepheards quill. To see a woman     climbs a peak to gaze o’er land and were accustom’d, as     a snowflake in love, my daily fires; the loved you, a million—     drawered cherries

pluck’d fresh as a rose her wishes     went! Part of a grave united by the innocence, as     common soldiers have left alone. Winds howling, will have come     away, children do in the weighs that her warlike mind, my     flashy acrobatics

with wives. Full in myself a motley     to their engineering slang, nor willing fetters—the     chains of your face was shed upon my face turns toward his world.     Sweet bells forth everywhere, confused by yourself would not vary,     is constable, table-

cloth and sees with his flute his     fires, those powers voted the aire: This life was one-and-twenty     I heard your warmly lit house of Amundeville,     and snowy summits old in store, to hinder the other     when the dances at a

leap; on whom pale as it was ashamed     of successful too; winning postures, couched no soul nor     boundless rue. Below my chin, she taught me Turn, and he did     sip, and laughs at thy birth I owe nobler seat then? The lightly     slake the first i’ th’

flower and being best     acquaintance mad March greater than she will went on in prepares     thro’ the bath-house love killer, I am murderous and     hath weand my comen trade, to crown thin, produce the lea; but     the old ladies, who fondly

laid, and tempting love. Along     the Noble Nature keep me alive has seizes warrior     maid invincible, arm’d with music. Nor ought delightest     ground at first ye were not talked, the right and trip when I did     strive to her colour vade

of fire, mortals he is gone, I     could not join them think on. Ho, and all in an houre sincerest     who are strong as that rivers. If Lucy hould breaking     of Empire, nor any mortal in a single shade     of love. At barn or byre

thou dar’st, all adieu! Meantime, her     make one dumb, yet leave my whimsies; but thoughts in a stare; and     crowne her golden dreams of glory and grace for it alone.     Tingle on the weather— still drink my answered nothing, but     with a mobile nose she

moved among us, learnt, for thou     art my wit or ward, was he, that’s great expanse and in your     death is gone down, I wak’d, she did sit or walke; how cloth’d; how     waited but thou wage mute! Waking no summers could reach the     pause I live and losse of

death. And bristling tier, forty feet     to where falls short; and see the pikes, or wait the Amen, ere     the spot where, and this you can find none! Ye goatherd gods, that     I lo’e thee with awful echoes, answers the palms. He gaed     wi’ Jeanie to the drunken

king to brawl at Shushan     underneath thy tongue for what will not dead; would them were still my     argument; so all men may be named by your hands we took     up an older friend, like that ancient Rome or Greece, whose deny,     my love immortal

mesh and lonely for his toilet,—     which of nicety, where you go. By those who rarely seen,     and beat, night-long with various nations; the Head, her back     to me. So that thou Lost in you, not lost it to you.     Sighing she spoke: like men!

[rockislandadultreads]

Happy Fall!

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

Antonia Vega, the immigrant writer at the center of Afterlife, has had the rug pulled out from under her. She has just retired from the college where she taught English when her beloved husband, Sam, suddenly dies. And then more jolts: her bighearted but unstable sister disappears, and Antonia returns home one evening to find a pregnant, undocumented teenager on her doorstep. Antonia has always sought direction in the literature she loves - lines from her favorite authors play in her head like a soundtrack - but now she finds that the world demands more of her than words.

Afterlife is a compact, nimble, and sharply droll novel. Set in this political moment of tribalism and distrust, it asks: What do we owe those in crisis in our families, including - maybe especially - members of our human family? How do we live in a broken world without losing faith in one another or ourselves? And how do we stay true to those glorious souls we have lost?

At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier

1838: James and Sadie Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck - in the muddy, stagnant swamps of northwest Ohio. They and their five children work relentlessly to tame their patch of land, buying saplings from a local tree man known as John Appleseed so they can cultivate the fifty apple trees required to stake their claim on the property. But the orchard they plant sows the seeds of a long battle. James loves the apples, reminders of an easier life back in Connecticut; while Sadie prefers the applejack they make, an alcoholic refuge from brutal frontier life.

1853: Their youngest child Robert is wandering through Gold Rush California. Restless and haunted by the broken family he left behind, he has made his way alone across the country. In the redwood and giant sequoia groves he finds some solace, collecting seeds for a naturalist who sells plants from the new world to the gardeners of England. But you can run only so far, even in America, and when Robert's past makes an unexpected appearance he must decide whether to strike out again or stake his own claim to a home at last.

Harvest of Secrets by Ellen Crosby

It’s harvest season at Montgomery Estate Vineyard - the busiest time of year for winemakers in Atoka, Virginia. A skull is unearthed near Lucie Montgomery’s family cemetery, and the discovery of the bones coincides with the arrival of handsome, wealthy aristocrat Jean-Claude de Marignac. He’s come to be the head winemaker at neighboring La Vigne Cellars, but he’s no stranger to Lucie - he was her first crush twenty years ago when she spent a summer in France.

Not long after his arrival, Jean-Claude is found dead, and while there is no shortage of suspects who are angry or jealous of his ego and overbearing ways, suspicion falls on Miguel Otero, an immigrant worker at La Vigne, who recently quarreled with Jean-Claude. When Miguel disappears, Lucie receives an ultimatum from her own employees: prove Miguel’s innocence or none of the immigrant community will work for her during the harvest. As Lucie hunts for Jean-Claude’s killer and continues to search for the identity of the skeleton abandoned in the cemetery, she is blindsided by a decades-old secret that shatters everything she thought she knew about her family. Now facing a wrenching emotional choice, Lucie must decide whether it’s finally time to tell the truth and hurt those she loves the most, or keep silent and let past secrets remain dead and buried.

This is the ninth volume of the "Wine Country Mysteries" series.

The Cider Shop Rules by Julie Anne Lindsey

The Fall Festival is in full swing. Civil War reenactors from three counties are partaking in Blossom Valley’s tribute to John Brown. Blue Ridge Mountain foliage is in full bloom. And best of all is Jacob Potter’s pumpkin farm where his hay rides, piglet races, pumpkin picking and corn maze are time-honored draws for locals and tourists alike. That’s why it’s such a shock when Mr. Potter is found dead, hidden under a tarp in the back of Winnie’s pickup truck. This certainly betrays Potter’s reputation as one of the town’s most popular citizens. Fortunately, when it comes to solving a murder, no one has a patch on Winnie. Now, all eyes are on her to do it. Unfortunately, that includes those of the killer who’ll do anything to keep an orchard full of secrets buried.

This is the third volume of the "A Cider Shop Mystery" series.

[cornley-amateur-drama-society]

Centers

Chris Bean, Alternate Captain & Center, #76

Nickname(s): Beansy, Baby Bean, or Chuckster

He had always been a Center from the moment he stepped unsteadily onto the ice at two years old.

He comes from a line of hockey players, both directly—like his Father and his Grandfather—and indirectly—his cousins and cousins' spouses—as well.

Chris was the first round pick of his draft year.

His Father played Center, too, but his Grandfather played in goal.

Since his Father was a Center, Chris has felt the pressures of living up to his legacy.

The first team he was drafted to was the team his Father played for. The youngest teammates there that had played with his Father called him “Baby Bean”.

Chris chose #76 because it is his Father's number (#38) doubled.

He was chosen as an alt because of how in-depth his knowledge of the game itself and the other players was. Since he has lived and breathed hockey from practically the moment he was born, he has a very good sense of what will happen next on the ice, and his predictions usually turn out to be true.

After two seasons with his Father's team, he was traded to the Cats in exchange for a defenseman and third round picks in the upcoming draft.

(Much to his secret relief. Being the Raymond Bean's son was a heavy weight around his ankles. He played his best for that team, but, god, was the Cornley Catastrophe a life-saver for him.)

He was originally considered to be captain by the Cornley coaches because of his history and that of his Father and Grandfather, but after an incident on ice with a ref that led to two five-minute majors in one period, alt was suggested instead.

He doesn't know that he was once considered for captaincy, and for a while, once he settled into the Cats, he harboured resentment towards Max.

Now, though, he only really argues with Robert because of their ongoing competition every season to have better stats than the other.

Lucy Grove, Center, #45

Nickname(s): Baby Grove

Like Chris, Lucy's been playing hockey since the minute she was allowed to put on skates for the first time.

Her father, Uncle Robert, and Auntie Ellie all played or play hockey, and she was introduced to the sport with a great affection for it.

Like her Dad, she plays Center. She can easily slip into a Winger position, but her main talents lie in being the instigator of plays.

She prefers slapshots over wristers.

Uncle Robert trained her when she started joining local clubs and eventually her school's teams. Her Dad and Auntie Ellie chipped in (that's a hockey pun iykyk) but once she figured out her aspirations were higher than the collegiate level, Uncle Robert started to take more of a role.

He was harsh, which she expected, both because it's his personality and because he was preparing her for the harder plays she would be expecting later on.

She chose the number 45 because it's half of her Uncle Robert's, and the numbers can also be used to create her Dad's number 89 and her Auntie Ellie's number 91.

(4x4=8 and then 4+5=9 so then you can put the 8 and the 9 together and get 89. And then 4+5=9 and 5-4=1, therefore 91. … She was about ten when she came up with this system, okay?.)

She, thankfully, did not see her Uncle's breakdown after the 6-0 to their rivals, the London Bulldogs. The game was around Christmastime, and she had left after post-game interviews to head to her Mum's for the beginning of the by-week. The second half she'd spend with her Dad and the rest of the Groves.

She goes out on Hen Nights with the other women on the team, though she felt very awkward at first because of the large age gap between them.

(She and her Uncle Robert have a difference of fifteen years between them. Her Dad has another ten years on top of that. Auntie Ellie is only eleven years older than her. Her Nan and Granddad had her Dad when they were barely older than eighteen, and then waited another ten years before Uncle Robert. When they were in their early-thirties, they had Auntie Ellie.)

(The age gap between her and the women on the team is roughly around the same as the gap between herself and the two younger Groves. It's not as huge as the one with her and her Mum and Dad, but it's enough that she still feels like an awkward pre-teen around them sometimes. They've picked up on this, and have tried to include her more so she doesn't feel so out of place.)

[dedalvs]

Is it gay?!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of D.E.B.S. In honor of that, let me retell this story.

It was March of 2004. I was up at my parents' from grad. school and on the phone (the telephone, not a cell phone) with my old roommate from undergrad. who was back home from China (I was in Garden Grove and he was in El Monte). We were trying to figure out something to do, and so I decided to flip through the newspaper to see what movies were playing, because that's how you found out what movies were playing, at the time, outside of going to the theater or dialing up Moviefone.

The advertisement looked much like the image above, but in black and white. I started reading the copy to him, and got to the part about a secret test hidden inside the S.A.T., and I was like, "Have you heard of this?" He hadn't. "Let's go see it."

And so this is how two straighter than decent gentlemen in their early 20s went to see D.E.B.S. in the movie theater.

The movie starts out pretty campy with some cheap gags, but by the time I heard Michael Clarke Duncan explain that Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster) was behind the plot to sink Australia, I knew I was in the right place.

First of all, D.E.B.S. is a send-up of spy movies. James Bond had become popular again, with Pierce Brosnan, we had xXx, Austin Powers had come out. This was a new parody, but with female leads, and it was hilarious. But if that's all it was, it probably wouldn't have been made.

Bearing in mind that neither my friend nor I had any idea what this movie was about going in outside the small advertisement in the newspaper, very slowly I realize that this movie is not simply a spy movie parody, it's actually a very charming, very heartwarming enemies-to-lovers lesbian love story.

At the time I was totally oblivious, but if you watched TV or film in the 90s/00s and what you were watching had a lesbian in it, odds are that lesbian was going to die. You know how when you're watching a movie and the hero seems like they're down for the count but you know they're going to come back in the end because they're on the poster? It was like the opposite of that for lesbian characters.

And yet in the midst of this culture here was a film that is ultimately a story about a girl coming into her by finally accepting who she really is and following her heart, as opposed to whatever everyone else wants her and expects her to do. She's the hero, she's definitely tested, and there's a time she looks like she may be down for the count, but you know what? She comes back in the end. She gets together with the girl of her dreams. And no one dies.

This was in 2004.

Furthermore, this movie is solidly PG. There's cartoonish levels of violence that are the rough equivalent of the 1960s Batman TV show, mild swearing (one R slur that we wouldn't use anymore, but, at the time, the guy who says it is a bad guy, so…eh?), and a bedroom scene where everyone is covered up and there's only implied sexual activity. This is a movie kids can watch.

The movie was written and directed by Angela Robinson, writer for The L Word and Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman. It was her first feature. And, so help me, again, IT WAS 2004. Like…you have no idea. Among other things, the film is a kind of critique/examination of post-9/11 American society, and, honestly, it's hilarious. D.E.B.S. are an all-female government-sponsored spy agency. Homeland Security is presented as all male. They're all 18-22. At the end of the year they go to a prom called Endgame. And despite the fact that it's just a setup and you're not supposed to think too much about it, the first major scene of the movie involves the D.E.B.S., Homeland Security, CIA, and a bunch of others all spying on two known criminals who are meeting up at a restaurant. They don't know what they're up to, but given their dossier, it must be bad. And basically they blow their cover due to incompetence. And, on top of that, it turns out the thing they were spying on was nothing more than a blind date. This was the era of government-sanctioned spying on people who "looked" suspicious (not saying that that doesn't happened now, but back then they were enthusiastically cheering it on quite openly).

So, is it gay?

Yes. Yes, it is gay. It is landmark gay. It's far from perfect, but it's got a killer soundtrack, a hilarious performance by Jimmi Simpson, and it will leave you with a smile on your face. It was the gay that was needed at the time, and it's the type of gay you need in your life right now.

Watch D.E.B.S. If for nothing else than to appreciate the incredible expressive power of Jill Ritchie's face.