#i also started a helena list. need to get back to that too. and yet

[misspickman]

^guy who cannot finish comics

[eventinelysplayground]

This is one of my very late posts for @candied-boys and @queengiuliettafirstlady Ikemen Advent event. It's for the day 19 prompt wish list and also has the working on Christmas prompt from @writingwhimsey naughty or nice event. Sorry for the terrible lateness but hope you enjoy all the same. A letter to Santa is filled with a simple yet complicated wish for what a little princess wants to receive for Christmas. WC approx 785.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I hope that you and Mrs.Claus have been doing well this year, and all the elves and animals too!

I have tried very hard to be very good this year. I helped my Mommy out with my new little sister, I attended most of my lessons, I tried very hard to not make my clothes too dirty so as not to give Nanny extra work, I played tea a lot with Helena. Oh most importantly I tried very very hard not to fight with my brothers but well, you see how they act Santa I know you do. You can't really be mad at me for getting rough, they're always rough with me even though Mommy is always telling them to be gentle with their little sisters. I think that's more for Helena and especially Vittoria’s sake though because they're so little, plus I can beat Antonio any day! Soon I'll probably be able to beat Sergio too, not Leonardo though he's still too big for me.

Oh ummm, never mind about all that Santa, like I said I've been a very good girl this year and tried really hard even when I wasn't! I know I don't normally ask for much from you but this year I have something really really big to ask okay and I'll do whatever I need to to get it so all you have to do is ask. This year if it isn't too much trouble could you please bring my Daddy home for Christmas?

I know he's busy and that his work is important but I really miss him, my brother's and sister miss him too. He's been gone for more than four months now. Sometimes I cry at bedtime because I miss him so much. Mommy cries at night too because he's not here but she tries to hide it so don't tell her I know or it'll make her more sad!

That's all I want for Christmas this year Santa, just my Daddy. I hope I've been good enough this year…

“Are you finished with your letter Silvia?”

Silvia's head snapped up and she turned towards her closed bedroom door while whipping furiously at her little face.

“Almost Uncle Rio!”

“Do you need any help or-”

The door handle started to turn and Silvia shouted.

“No!”

Silvia quickly covered her mouth and the door handle stopped moving. She let out a tiny opps to herself before straightening up and taking a deep breath.

“I mean no thank you Uncle Rio. I'm almost done with my letter, I just have to sign and seal it.”

“Okay…how about I go get your brother's letters then and I'll come back for yours in a little bit.”

“That's fine.”

“Alright I'll see you in a little bit then. If you need help with the wax seal just wait until I get back.”

“Alright.”

Silivia listened to her uncle's quickly fading footsteps then quickly turned back to her letter.

I have to go now Santa , my Uncle will be back soon to get this. Say Hi to Mrs.Claus for me and thank you for reading my letter Santa.

Love,

Silvia Ricci

First Princess of Benitoite.

Rio folded the letter in half and tossed it on his desk letting out a sigh.

“Did Silvia ask for something difficult to get?”

Rio looked across the desk at Emma just in time to see her reaching for the letter. He quickly moved forward and grabbed it away from her, making her tilt her head.

“Rio?”

“Why don't you leave Silvia's request with me this year. You have your hands full with everyone else's anyways.”

“Alright, if you're sure.”

“Of course I'm sure.”

Emma had sounded uncertain still so Rio flashed her one of his sunny smiles and he saw the tension in her shoulders fade.

“Well good luck then I guess.”

Emma stood to leave, taking her long shopping list with her. As soon as the door shut behind her Rio ran a hand down his face.

“Carlo.”

“Yes, your Highness?"

Rio turned sideways in his chair to face him.

“It looks like you're going on a trip.”

Carlo let out a defeated sigh.

“I’ll tell them to quickly prepare the fastest ship then go and pack. If I'm lucky King Silvio will already be most of the way home.”

Rio smiled faintly and held out Silvias letter for Carlo.

“In case my brother asks what the hell you're doing out there.”

Carlo took the letter and placed it into his jacket pocket before rolling his eyes and sending out a silent wish of his own to Santa that his Majesty would be calm long enough to actually listen to him.

[totallyuseless-ugh]

Sticky Note on the Dashboard

Wild West AU idea

A good half hour ride away from town stands the Old Ashton Ranch. It’s been passed down through generations and known for the excellent steed being raised and trained on the estate. But after a long drought, the family was forced to prematurely sell half of their horses and let go of all ranch hands in order to keep the rest. Cristoff also had to take on a job as cowboy to get money in hopes of getting the ranch back to its former glory.

The unfortunate events left Joane to take over with the help of her mother and three children, Henry, Aaron, and CJ (Cristoff Junior). Helena took care most of the house chores as best she could at her age, and Joane tended to the horses’ needs. Aaron and Henry also tried to help out as much they could after school. But the biggest role that Cristoff had left open was taken over by his oldest son.

From sunrise to sundown, they would be out training the younger horses and taking them to neighbouring farms and towns to accustom them to the presence of other animals, noise and crowds of people. CJ always looked up to their father and aspired to take over the ranch some day, but only now had they come to fully understand the amount of labour it took to run everything. So whenever possible, they would ride into town and go into a few shops to buy anything the family asked for, but also taking their time to chat with the shopkeepers (“to get the horses used to waiting outside”).

Their favourite place to stop at was “Hodge’s Crafts”, a large shop known for the wide variety of products they offered. Anything related to clothing, fabrics, yarns, leather or wood work could be found or commissioned here. And it was visible in every piece sold how much love the family had for the craft. If the Ashtons ever needed something, this was the first place they would go looking.

On a particularly tiring day, CJ rode off to the shop for a much needed break. Just the way into town was already enough to keep up their grumpy mood. Jackvill, the young horse CJ had been training for a few months, would not stop bucking his hind legs out at every other step, nor would he go any slower than a trot. All they could hope for was at least a few minutes of peace in the store, once Jackvill was tied to the pole.

Darnell's head perked up at the sound of the bell hanging over the door. Finally, a customer had come in. It was starting to get boring to the point of him starting to sort all the bills in the register to face all the same way. "Welcome to Hodge's Crafts. I'm Darnell, let me know if you need anything."

CJ already knew the standard greeting here. They would usually just nod their head, say a 'hello' back and then disappear somewhere in the store to get the things they needed. But after this horrible ride, they really needed some company to get their mood back up. "A bunch of things, actually."

"Oh," Darnell was surprised, yet relieved. He would not have to stand behind the counter awkwardly and pretend he was not peeking around the aisles to see what the customer was up to. "Well, what can I help you with?"

CJ put a creased piece of paper down in front of him. It was a rather short list, but the horrible handwriting made it a riddle to decipher any words. At least CJ mostly remembered the contents of the list anyway, thus making it easier to find everything.

On their way back to the till, they both passed the storefront windows. Darnell noticed the horse tied to the pole. One, because of the beautiful pattern of its coat. But mostly because Jackvill had his ears turned back flush to his neck and would not stand still for even a second.

CJ sighed at the sight, "Sorry 'bout him. Jax is still pretty green 'n stubborn.."

"I dunno, he seems a bit.. too uncomfortable for that," Darnell muttered. "Would you mind if I took a closer look at him?"

"Not at all. Though I dunno how much you might be able to find."

The two drop off the items by the till and headed outside to where Jackvill stood, or rather danced around. Darnell watched him for a while, how the horse rolled up his neck as far as possible to straighten out his back.

"Could you maybe give me the saddle for a sec?" Darnell asked after a moment. CJ shrugged. They were not entirely sure what the other was up to. But at this point, they were willing to try anything to have Jackvill be less of a nuisance. And just a couple of seconds after removing the saddle stood Jackvill more relaxed and let his head hang, ears twitching from side to side.

Upon closer inspection back inside, Darnell found the source of all the trouble. "This saddle is utterly worn. Must be the core that's got Jax in pain."

"Well I'll be damned," CJ cursed under their breath. "I s'pose I need a new one then?"

"Perhaps. But maybe it's possible to just change the core and readjust the saddle to fit Jax."

"Just what I needed.."

Darnell saw the dull look on CJ's face. It took no expert to see this surprise cost would not be easy for them to pay for. But that was the moment he got a brilliant idea.

"Okay, how 'bout a deal."

"What kind?.." CJ gave him a cautious look.

"I'll get the saddle repaired at no charge. But in return, you get our new carriage horses ready for their new job."

CJ still seemed suspicious of the offer, glancing at Darnell for a moment as if to figure out his intentions. Regardless, they eventually extended their hand to shake his. "It's a deal."

That day, Jackvill had to be walked back to the ranch as is back was loaded with no saddle or bags, but still had to carry the new things CJ had bought for their family. But they were happy nonetheless. About the deal, as well as the opportunity to leave the ranch more often and yet be in good company with one of the Hodges.

[lavendelhummel]

6, 8, 30 for the fic writing ask? :)

Hi! Thanks for the questions! I am late! But I always am, so okay! I said I would get back to writing the day I reblogged that ask meme and that was… more than a week ago. I didn’t write in between because I accidentally got addicted to knitting, what can I do (socks). Now, seriously I already told you privately, but let me tell the world as well: trying to rest and recover healthily is actually not as easy? I am chilling all day but that doesn’t feel good after a short while? I want to do things but things are tiresome and I want to do nothing but I have time! I can do things! But I don’t feel like I can! I don’t even know what things are! What do I even like! Writing! Rationally I know that I like writing and that I usually felt better after I took time to do so! But now everything is weird! But I want to, but it doesn’t always work because it reminds me too much of actual work but I am trying right now so after this elaborate introduction you will now get answers to these writing questions:

They were from this ask meme. (And I‘m still open to more questions -- maybe even quicker this time)

6) the word that appears the most in your current draft: which draft…?

I have one untitled AU that has 3% „Myka“ and „one“, 2% „Captain" and „could“ and if I say the 1%s as well that would give everything away. But it is from Myka’s POV.

There is the one titled *Cacao*, which is from Helena’s POV, but also has Myka on top, with a 5%, next up are the 2%s which are „When“, „one“, „never“, „sometimes“ and „hair“. 1% have „even“, „all“, „just“, and „time“. Time… an interesting one (no it isn’t traveled through here).

The next chapter of *Jump* is finished just needs some more looking through and posting… but I’ll get to that when I get to it. It also has 5% „Myka“, the others are boring, except maybe for 2% „water“.

One for another fandom, it’s called *Springball*, and the fandom will be obvious in a second. But you know this one already, Lilo! (thank you for the beta read! Hopefully I’ll find a moment for this fic soon!). We have 6% of Nerys. Yes, it’s a Kira POV! 4% Jadzia, yes that’s the second character in this little story. 2% „liked“, because *Nerys liked Jadzia*. This is what that is about.

Oh I found more! How about a 2% "Nyneave“? A Nyn POV? Who’d have thought? Not me! We also have 2% „just“, „little“, „poke“ and 1% „Semirhage“ Yessss my ultimate evil blorbo! Sorry for the name-spoiler, this is where I’ll stop associating words to it ;) (the other 1%s are boring either way)

And 5% Moiraine; 2% „about“, „just“, „seal“; 1% „waves“, „all“, „Damodred“, „head“, „still“ and „eyes“… this one sounds like a fun guessing game...

Oh wow I found even more, how many WiPs are there? I thought I didn’t start most of my ideas for fear of not finishing them. O-kay then. I’ll just list the interesting words: Myka, Pete, Books, Worried, Read, First. (Yes, it’s about books)

It starts to make sense now that my muscle memory always types „Myka“ when I try to say „Maybe“, I do seem to like her name. Anyway, next question!

8) A sequel! To a fic of mine, let’s see! I said I wanted to write spin-offs to Laundry Day when I finished it, one about going to the botanical gardens and Helena talking about algae and kelp (but I didn’t read the book I got on those yet) and one about Shelley, the Jelly — I forgot the plot of that one unfortunately and if I am honest I’m not sure how serious that ever was.

In a way I would always want to finish Yellow, because I ended that one in chapter 8 when I had notes and scenes, a life for them, until chapter 15 with a time jump, with things coming full circle. But I will not any time soon and that is good that way, the ending works imo and working on that story would not be good for me at this point.

There is also Fly Me To The Moon which would be fun to do the smutty sequel to but since I can’t/won’t write smut I will not. But it is one that would be fun and that would very fitting to have one!

30) share a fic you’re especially proud of:

I think Laundry Day as well. In a way it was one of the easiest to write because it was so *fun*. Obviously most fics I write are fun or I wouldn‘t write them, but this one flew, no swam from my brain and I rode the wave. I also wrote it during an interesting time of my life, both more bound and more free than in a long time, kind of fitting for the fic. I still love the idea, I like how I did the outline, and how I followed it, improving it and seeing it through. It has obvious flaws, in sentence structure for example, but, and that I haven‘t gotten done as much in others, was mostly on purpose.

I think it‘s also easier to mention a younger fic here because my writing is a constant work in progress and improving. Though my newest WiP I feel is not up to the standards I had in the beginning of last year. I don‘t know, in a way I am the kind of person who will criticize her own work to death on the other hand I had fun with most of them and am proud of the vibes I created, when that worked (Pretty Picture, Dreaming of waves) and that I did write them at all, how much of a world or dynamic I created (Yellow).

Thank you for the questions! And for answering some in return as well! Talking about fic is fun!

[bastillewolf]

Hello idk if the requests are still going but if not then its okay ignore this and if they are please don't over work yourself and you don't need to do my request if you don't want to just stay healthy and eat well and drink lots of water we all live your work (and are simps for corpse-)

The ask : could I ask for a corpse husband x reader where they used to get shipped together before they even meet each other and when they meet each other corpse goes soft for reader and they play two rounds In among us together where they are imposters together and corpse is an imposter alone in the other round

Reader info : reader has a very soft voice and is a softie and the pronounce is she/her or they/them ( as you wish)

Again you don't gotta do it if you don't want to

Thanks so much for the ask, An. I was feeling like shit and this was a lot of fun to write. I’m sorry though, I completely read over the part where the reader was supposed to have a soft voice. I’ll see if I can make another one with this specification sometime. Also, I wrote this rather quickly because I’m watching Twilight for the first time and now my feelings are hurt.

#CorpseBride - Oneshot

Pairings: Corpse / Reader

Twitter wasn’t really your forte, but you knew how to get around. It’s just that you never really had the time to check it, let alone to see what’s on the trending page every single day. At the very least, you were capable of replying to your friends’ stuff and letting your viewers know when you were streaming or when a new video would be up. Again, you weren’t a pro, but you got by.

Until you didn’t.

“Hey, everyone,” you greeted, and immediately went to change your Among Us figure to its usual colour and outfit before someone else took it.

Everyone welcomed you, while it seemed Toast was still busy trying to get a last person to join.

“Whaddup, baby,” Corpse’s shot out from the rest of them. It was pure teasing, something he’d grown quite comfortable with ever since people had blatantly started simping for his voice. “Nothing much, honey. How’ve you been?” You cheekily replied. “Pretty good. Streaming still makes me nervous, though.” “You greeted me with ‘Whaddup, baby’ and then proceed to tell me you’re nervous? Don’t get upset when I say that I don’t believe you.” He chuckled at that.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

Impostor

“Ha!” you called out, “I doubt this will soothe your nerves, Corpse. You’re teamed up with me now.” You sneaked in a glance at chat. “We are not an old married couple! If anything, he can be my bitch for this round. I’m just not gonna murder anyone.”

And that’s basically how it went. He managed to kill three people and still wasn’t being sussed. “Alright, I think I’ve tortured him enough,” you laughed, “I’ll even spare Sykkuno for the man.”

You managed to corner Toast and killed him in a corner where the water wheels were, before heading out into admin. You vented until you found Corpse in Labs and jumped out. It was right when Sykkuno walked in.

“Oh, god no. Please, Sykkuno.”

Your kill count still wasn’t down yet and he was obviously planning to run straight out the door to hit the emergency button, but he was stopped. Corpse had murdered him in an instant.

Your mouth was hanging open. “Did… Did he just kill Sykkuno for me?” Chat was going absolutely wild. “What the fuck just happened?” You decided to report the body anyway.

“I can’t fucking believe it,” Corpse growled, “Not my best friend, Sykkuno.”

You had to mute yourself to keep the laughter at bay. Corpse evidently vouched for you, saying you’d walked in on the body together. Felix was sussed and voted out.

“Corpse, you killed me!” Sykkuno cried out.

“I’m so sorry, Sykkuno! I wanted to spare you but you walked in at the wrong time!” You pleaded.

“Sacrifices had to be made,” Corpse merely responded.

“Wait, what happened?” Sean asked.

“I walked in on one of them venting and then Corpse killed me!”

“Collateral damage. You watched me get killed one time, too.”

“Blame me, Sykkuno. It was my fault,” but you were laughing as you said it.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard such regret coming from an imposter,” Sean laughed along, “Also, why the fuck were you two being so slow? Three meetings in and you’d only killed three people.”

“Corpse was simping for me,” you replied.

“I was not.”

“Yes, you were. Otherwise you would’ve asked me what the hell I’d been doing that entire time.”

“Fuck off,” he laughed.

“Corpse is an UWU-boy!”

“Oh my god, you guys are already trending.”

“Wait, what?”

Your phone was being blasted off to space, getting tons of messages with the hashtag #CorpseBride. It was number 1 trending on Twitter.

“So… whaddup, baby?”

“Oh no, you better buy me a drink first.”

“Sure.”

 You hadn’t thought he’d been serious in that moment, until he’d asked you to meet up after the game had ended. You hesitantly agreed, but reminded him that he absolutely did not have to participate in this just for the meme. “I’m not doing this for the meme,” he’d said, “I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a while, I just never knew how. It seemed like the perfect timing.”

You met him at his apartment, knowing how he was about going out in public, and feeling extremely nervous. You’d brought takeout, and because you hadn’t been sure what he wanted you’d ordered way too much. Upon opening the door, he looked at you, down at the bag, and said, “Shit, you got food?” Not really knowing what else to say, you simply replied, “Uh, yeah.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have lots of leftovers, then.”

He smiled, gave you a hug that ended way too fast and left you paralyzed for a minute, and then invited you in. It turned out he’d already ordered food, too. “Plenty to choose from,” he laughed awkwardly. “Uh… You got any neighbours who might want some?” you asked.

“I-I don’t really talk to anyone outside of my friend group.”

“Oh, of course. I could go around, if you’d like.”

“You’d do that for me?”

You furrowed your brows. “Of course I would. Why not?”

“Alright, but let me at least come with you. You just do the talking.”

Three knocks at three different doors later, and someone accepted the offer and took over some of the food. “Hang on a minute,” the elderly man said, clad in only his pyjamas and a bathrobe, managing to make the situation even more uncomfortable, “Aren’t you my neighbour? You always scurry off before I get the chance to talk to you!”

You looked at Corpse, and he back at you, and you turned back to the elderly man. “He, uh… He’s very people shy. He has anxiety. I’m trying to help him cope. Also, his vocal chords are damaged.” Nothing you’d said so far had been a lie, technically, but the man still remained sceptical. “Then why didn’t you just leave a note or something?”

“Uh…” you jumped at the small voice appearing from behind you. It’s just that his ‘small voice’ is still nothing close to small. “I know, I’m terribly sorry, sir. I also just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anything, I’m just a few doors away.”

This seemed to please the man enough.

“I can’t believe you made me do that.”

“I made you?!” You gasped, “I didn’t make you do anything, you filthy liar! You’re just as bad in real life as in Among Us, when you’re the impostor and I’m the innocent crewmate.”

“No comment.”

“I didn’t even ask you a question.”

“No comment.”

“Deadass?”

“Deadass.”

You both laughed. Corpse hesitated for just a moment, but decided to ask anyway, “Were you nervous when I opened the door?”

You chuckled awkwardly, admitting, “Yeah, I was. I always get anxious meeting people. Well, we’d met before, of course. But just, you know, in real life.”

“I get it.”

You stood there in silence for a moment, until you noticed the rest of the takeout in your hands was getting cold. “Come on, wife,” he joked, linking his pinkie finger with yours, “Let me get you that drink.”

If he hadn’t dragged you along then and there, you could’ve sworn your knees would’ve given out.

TAG LIST CLOSED

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[unseelie-kaye]

Come Away To the Water. Book V

(read book I here) (book II here) (book III here) (book IV here) (book VI here)

Come away little light, come away to the darkness To the ones appointed to see it through In the shade of the night we'll come looking for you Come away little lamb come away to the water Come away little lamb come away to the slaughter Give yourself so we might live anew

fandom: midnight mass pairing: Father Paul x 2nd person OFC (Helena Belleforest) summary: "That's my job. To know the people in my community." "You mean the sheep in your flock." "Especially the little black ones that like to wander off." His voice is so tender. You wonder if Jesus spoke with this same tenderness. You think, if he did, you would've defied Rome for him too.

(playlist) a/n: shout outs @testsubject24601 for inspiring the slow dancing scene with this post - also if anyone would like to be added to the tag list please just drop a comment! Thanks ^.^ taglist: @shannon-posts @seraphiiii @witchy--owl

Rome is burning.

The whole city folding in on itself as smoke chokes you like a lover.

The screams float up into the sky like prayers.

And then they’re not screams at all… then they’re canine howls, cries of laughter, the sounds of retching after overindulging in wine, moans of pleasure echoing down stone halls that stretch so far to the west and east, you've yet to find their end. And the fires are safely in their torches.

Your sheets are folding in on you, your lover choking you like smoke.

And you’ve always been weak for foreign born legionnaires. For wealthy senators and their spoiled sons. You’ve always taken your pleasure wherever you could pluck it. Always worn your golden curls loose and adorned your skin in gold finery. You practice your grandmother's religion, following the gods she brought with her from Greece as proudly as you carry her name.

So why are you thinking about the bishop from Neocaesarea? The bishop who’s taken over the temple of Sol Invictus you loved so dearly and covered all the bronze statues with white sheets? The bishop who worships the god of the Semites and speaks in riddles of a man who returned from the dead. Who condemns women for their curiosity and says that pride is a sin. Who is trying to convince the Emperor, your father, to change all the calendars to rotate around some meaningless prophet your own soldiers had to round up in Judea. It’s a joke. The Christians are disorganized, forever arguing over what their religion even is. They never clean the hair from their bodies and they dress in rags tinged brown from the desert.

You know your father only gave them a seat at the table to quell their riots. To disable their narrative of being victimized. To ensure their reputation for rebellion didn’t look so fashionable.

Still, you hope this fad dies soon. You hope they leave your city and turn the temples back over to the rightful gods.

You hope you never have to hear the softness of Paul’s voice or feel his kind brown eyes watching you ever again.

With a start, you wake to the low, loud note of the Belle sounding her horn. A deep yawn tugs open your mouth and you realize, you must've fallen asleep on your way back from Montauk. Gathering the groceries you'd picked up on the mainland, you pull your curls up into a pony tail and secure your Yankees cap back in place.

You'll need to hurry home, having promised Paul you'd cook dinner for him tonight at the rectory and having only an hour or so in between to get ready. As the cobwebs of sleep clear, you try to get your head on straight. What was it you'd been dreaming about? Rome again? You can still feel cool stone under your feet. You remember the flicker of torchlight and echoes of laughter down the hallways. The rest has evaporated into the ocean breeze.

As you step onto the dock in your sundress and boots, you swear you can smell smoke burning. But as your eyes search the houses around you, all you see is a beautiful sunny day. Everyone on Crockett Island is perfectly safe.

~~~~

“I can’t remember the last time I sat down to a home cooked meal like that. Everything was excellent, thank you so much.” Dropping a kiss to your head, Paul takes his plate and yours as he gets up from the table. Without prompting, he moves to the sink, apparently intent on doing the cleaning up since you cooked. Eyes lingering on him for a moment, you try to think of a time when any boy your age has been so polite. So thoughtful. Unsurprisingly, you’re drawing a blank.

“I’m shocked to learn Beverly doesn’t come over to cook all your meals.” You drawl playfully, flashing him a smirk as you push yourself up. Red wine glass in hand, you wander over to a box under the Crosley in the corner. It’s similar to your grandfather’s. As is the record collection sat next to it. Hmm. That seems odd. You’d been expecting something slightly more modern given his age. Neil Diamond. Paul Simon. James Taylor. Art Garfunkel.

Instead, you’re breezing through Bobby Darin, Etta James, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald. Did he inherit these from his father? Maybe this is one of those glass shards you’d been preaching about. A clue to a past life. Either way, you can dance to these as easily as anything else. Your grandfather loved to play music too.

“I can cook well enough for myself, thank you.” He eyes you right back, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“Hmm. Perks of being a bachelor?” You finish off your wine as you wander back to him. Dragging one hand up his spine, you set your glass down and look up at him through your eyelashes. “The dishes can wait. And I would like to dance with you. Please?”

Drying off his dish soap covered hands, Paul’s eyes stay fixed to yours as he takes your outstretched hand. You set the needle down on Nat King Cole’s ‘Unforgettable’ record, then lead him over to the open space by the woodstove. His hand finds the small of your back, tugging you closer and you rest your own on his shoulder. Slowly, you sway in time with the sleepy guitar strums of the song, his body falling into rhythm with yours effortlessly.

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, men have named you You're so like the lady with the mystic smile Is it only 'cause you're lonely they have blamed you? For that Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile?

“If I remember right, this isn’t a very romantic song.” His head tips, nudging your forehead with his nose. His words are half mumbled into your hair.

“Who said anything about romance?” You tease him, squeezing his hand gently. Though a moment later, a shrug rolls your shoulders. “I don’t know...I think sad songs are the most romantic. Don’t you?”

Do you smile to tempt a lover, Mona Lisa? Or is this your way to hide a broken heart? Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep They just lie there and they die there

“Tell me how that works again?” He looks at you quizzically, trying to figure you out. Though you can see a hint of amusement in his eyes. Like he never tires of the puzzle of you.

“They’re more honest.” You explain, stepping out into a small spin before you’re tugged back against him. With a soft giggle, you let your body’s weight lean into his frame a bit more this time. You’d thought dancing like this had sort of died out with your grandfather’s generation. But Paul is a very good lead.

“So… no romantic dates, then? Only sad, honest dates? Hmm. Noted.”

“Oh, this isn’t a date, Father.” If he wants to play, you’re more than happy to give chase.

“No? What is it you were going for?” He plays along easily, voice as low as the crackling fire beside you.

Head tipping back, your lungs expand around a deep breath. Your eyes squint up at the ceiling in mock contemplation.

“Mm… Mary Magdalene, come to repent and kiss your feet? This is just the warm up. My alabaster jar is outside on the porch.”

A chuckle rumbles through his chest, the irony of the story’s parallel to the relationship you two share not at all lost on him.

“When Jesus arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table, a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him, weeping, and her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment.” As Paul recounts the story, he seems to find a new fondness for the words. As if he’s hearing them for the first time. And honestly, it feels the same for you. Much of the bible is written as if the Poetic Eddas and Shakespeare had a child. It’s a magnificent mythology in its own right. But you’ve never heard it like this. Like every word is his own creation and you’re his muse. Gods, you could listen to him talk all night.

“When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is that is touching him and what a bad name she has’.” You reply, tipping your head enough to find his eyes. You feel as if you’re on stage in some ancient Roman amphitheater, bringing one of Aeschylus’s plays to life.

“Then Jesus took him up and said, ‘There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. As both were unable to pay, both were pardoned. But which of them will love him more?’”

“The one who was pardoned more, I suppose.” You don’t miss a beat, imitating Simon, the Pharisee. A smirk twitches over your mouth. Whether for your own smugness at being able to keep up with him or the fact that this could be a word-for-word conversation between Paul and Beverly about yourself, you’re not sure. Likely both.

“And Jesus said, ‘For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love. It is the man who is forgiven little who shows little love.’”

For a long while, you sway with him. Just quiet. Just listening to Nat King Cole’s achingly beautiful ‘Smile’. You don’t want to break this moment. You don’t want to undo all of the tenderness he wrapped you in with that parable. But the dishonesty of smiling over the God granting you forgiveness feels like poison in your gut. Sighing softly, you shake your head.

“You know, if I get an audience after I die… it better be God on his knees begging my forgiveness.” Your voice is a bit softer and you pull back from his chest to look him in the eyes so he knows just how much you mean that.

Swallowing hard at the resentment that undercuts your tone, Paul studies your eyes for a long moment. One warm hand brushes up to cradle your jawline. Slowly, the pad of his thumb traces the cupid’s bow shape of your mouth.

“Pride before the fall, little girl.” Clearly your words remind him of someone else. And your eyes light up at the comparison.

“Better to stand in hell than kneel in heaven.” You tilt your chin defiantly. “You think I don’t identify with Samael the most out of anyone in the bible?”

Why does it feel as if you've had this argument before?

“You are not anyone's adversary.” He murmurs softly, brows knit together, the comparison lost on him.

“Your God says I am. Proud. Defiant. Curious. Jealous. Are these not the crimes your holy book’s villains committed? Am I not all of these?”

“You are.” Sighing deeply, his swaying stops. Gently, Paul swipes his thumb back and forth across your cheek. "But..."

“Then condemn me. Like Lilith and Eve and Cain before me. Why is it so hard for you to admit I'm just like them?”

“You see yourself in those who have been cast out by God…” You should see his Christ-like compassion coming by now, but it still hits you like a freight train. “Helena, do you feel you have been cast out? I can promise you, you haven’t. No matter how hard you push him away or how much anger you feel… you’re not standing on the other side of a battle line. Not even one you drew yourself. You’re no one’s enemy. At least, not here.”

The words knock you off your feet. You’ve been so angry at God for so long. At the Catholic church and all its coverups. At the Vatican. Angry at the nerve of the church to demand tithes while claiming a tax exempt status themselves. Angry over ‘witches’ burned alive without a fair trial. Angry at the replacement of spiritual matriarchy with a papal boys' club. Angry over pagan goddesses defiled and ancient rites that were stolen from your ancestors. Stolen from you. Angry for the lost temples, destroyed to hang up wooden crosses in their stead. Angry all the way back to god damn Emperor Constantine for ever giving the Christians the Nicene Creed and a seat at the table in the first place.

It had never occurred to you that all that anger was one sided. That God had never actually waged a war against you. And it didn’t discredit the bullshit that humans had put each other through across all of history. But was that really about God?

Why are you carrying around resentment over things that happened thousands of years ago? Is it really yours to carry today?

You feel as if a festering splinter in the muscle of your heartstrings has finally been pulled free. It doesn’t make you a Christian. Or even a believer at all. But it feels good to set the dead weight of burning rage down for the first time in a decade.

Leaning up on your toes, you pull Paul down to meet you in a warm kiss. And the record player keeps crooning as his hand brushes up your spine, kissing you back deeper.

~~~

New York is burning. The whole skyline on fire. Smoke clouding the stars. Screams strangling the air in every direction.

The boroughs go dark, one grid at a time.

But you’re not afraid. You’re flying. Far above the fire and the smoke and the screams.

And you’re the most dangerous thing in this darkness.

With a gasp, you sit up in bed. Covered in a cold sweat, you feel as if you’re breaking the surface of the ocean after kicking towards it all night. Despite the lungfuls of oxygen you’re dragging in, a pounding drives behind your eyes like you’re on the receiving end of a nail being hammered.

Slowly, you push yourself up. It takes a moment for the room around you to stop tilting as if you’re at sea. As everything slowly comes into focus, it hits you that this isn’t home.

Your knees are trembling as badly as your hands as you stand. Gripping the door frame that leads to the rest of the house, you shiver at the cool night air that rustles the nearby curtains.

It’s then that you realize this is the rectory. Only Paul isn’t anywhere in your line of sight. And the front door is wide open.

“Mmm…Paul?” You call out softly, moving towards the door. You must’ve fallen asleep after supper. The memory swims back to you with effort, murky and muddled. Dinner and dancing and debating. Kissing until you were too drunk on one another to stay awake. But where is he now?

Slowly, your eyes adjust to the darkness outside. Standing on the front porch of the rectory, you search the tree line and the road and…

Suddenly, Paul is stumbling up onto the porch beside you. Something black, no...red is dripping at one corner of his mouth. It looks an awful lot like blood.

“What happened?” Still half asleep, you’re ready to rip apart whatever hurt him with your bare hands.

“Helena, you need to go inside.” He slurs, trying to turn you around despite his own lack of balance. “I need you to go inside. Right now.”

But you’re frozen in place, gaze locked with a glowing pair of eyes across the yard. You feel your pulse hitch, fight or flight instincts kicking in hard. Whatever it is, it’s tall. Taller than Paul, even. And judging from the way its gaze tracks your movements, it’s either very hungry or it really doesn’t like you.

“Helena, please…”

As you stand your ground, it sheds the coat hanging around its shoulders. Wings the span of twin mattresses unfurl and loom around the creature, drawing its height up. Like a wolf raising its hairs and showing its teeth.

“Okay...Okay. I’m going to need you to recite the Lord’s prayer. I know you know it.” There’s a tremble in Paul’s voice that you’ve never heard before. But his suggestion makes everything click. He knows how to deal with this thing. Which means he’s familiar with it. Or it’s familiar with him. Either way, this must be what he’s been hiding from you. How it connects to Leeza or his weird highs and lows of energy, you’re not sure. You just know, this is the burden he’s been bearing.

“No.” You refuse to beg for a God you openly defy to swoop in and save you now. Stepping slowly off the porch, you walk towards the creature. It looks like a demon. And demons are supposed to be on your side. Not his. So why had he asked you to recite the Lord’s prayer?

“Helena. This isn’t a joke. Say it with me. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti...” Behind you, Paul crumples to his knees on the porch. “Forgive her Father, she knows not what she does…”

Defiantly, your eyes stay fixed to the gargoyle looking creature in front of you. Without averting your gaze, you reach back and slip off the oversized cardigan you always wear over your sundresses. As the material falls onto the grass, the Nordic algiz runes inked onto your forearms in black start to glow with a golden light. You’ve never seen them behave like that before. But, you know what it means. Instinctually, it just makes sense. Because the runes are protective wards linked to the magic of your name: Helena, which means bright light. And they must be working.

Across the lawn, the creature growls at you, hissing loudly as if the sunlight from your runes is a hot poker. Its eyes glow with a fiery anger. You can see its fangs from here and the animal part of your brain is screaming, begging you to turn tail and run. But you know that running from a wolf will only make it give chase.

Clasping his hands in prayer, you can hear Paul’s whispers as he pleads with God. “Protect us, Lord, under the shadow of your wings. Keep us this night without sin. Visit, we ask you, O Lord, this home, and repel from it all the snares of the enemy. Let your holy angels dwell herein to preserve us in peace; and may your blessing be upon us for ever, through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

But you have your own prayers and these aren’t whispered. Inching closer, you call upon every light spirit you can think of.

“I call upon the power of Sol Invictus, center of our sky to protect me here and now. I call upon Helios, keeper of the sun to shine in splendor here and now. I call upon Freyr, lord of the day to banish darkness here and now. I call upon Lugh, the shining one, to light my way here and now. I call upon Lucifer, the morning star to rise in glory once again”-

Without warning, the creature gives one great flap of its wings and as suddenly as it had arrived, it’s vanished into the night.

Swinging around to face Paul, you rush towards him. Or try. Two steps in, vertigo grips you hard and your body falls to the grass like a rowboat capsizing under a tidal wave. Sharp pinpricks of pain shoot through every nerve ending in your body, similar to when your leg falls asleep, but so much worse.

You’ve never used magic this way before. You didn’t even know you could. And you’re thankful that it worked. But you had no idea the aftershocks would hit you so hard.

Groaning softly, you roll over on the grass. Paul swims into your blurry vision and grasps your small, cold hand in his. Every cell in your body feels like television static, splashing around violently against the walls of your viscera, like atoms trying desperately to combust.

“It’s alright...You’re gonna be alright.” Hands shaking, he pulls a flask from his pocket and struggles to unscrew the metal cap. “You’re so brave, hmm? I’ve never seen anyone so brave before. Can you open your mouth for me, brave girl? Good… That’s good.”

As he cradles your head in his lap, you can feel yourself almost slipping out of yourself. Darkness creeps in at the edges of your vision. The night seems to consume you like a wolf swallowing its dinner whole. As you drift further and further away from him, the bitter taste of red wine melts in your mouth like a hundred copper pennies melted down.

[marleneoftheopera]

1400 Followers Audio Gifts!

To thank you all for following me, being so wonderful, and just surviving a pandemic, here are some gifts from me!

I know I originally said I was going to do 10, but I got a good amount of requests and wanted to add in a few extra favorite audios of mine too. So you get 20! Sorry if I did not post your request; there were many!

If any need to be taken down, do let me know!

Here is the link to all of the audios, cast info is below!

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/a3xda9hu7mu3u/Gifts

The Phantom of the Opera

Michael Crawford, Rebecca Caine, Steve Barton October 10, 1987; London Listed as being Michael Crawford and Steve Barton's last before heading to New York to start rehearsals for Broadway. Beautiful soundboard audio. This is the complete version; there has previously been an incomplete one traded out. 

Eiji Akutagawa, Kyoko Suzuki, Kanji Ishimaru September 22, 1991; Osaka Always here for Japanese love.

Hans Peter Janssens, Susanne Duwe, Michael Shawn Lewis, An Lauwreins, William Lynn Dixon, Marc Meersman, Arnst van Looy, Stephanie Tscheppe June 2, 2000; Antwerp, Belgium Final show in Belgium. Very nice cast all around.

Hugh Panaro, Adrienne McEwan, John Cudia, Patricia Phillips, Jeff Keller, George Lee Andrews, Marilyn Caskey, Larry Wayne Morbitt, Heather McFadden June 16, 2003; Broadway Hugh in his second Broadway run. Adrienne has become a favorite of mine and I think she never gets the credit she deserves, especially having been in the show for so long.

Hugh Panaro, Susan Owen (u/s), Kyle Barisich February 20, 2012; Broadway A lovely audio. Susan has such a sweet, light quality to her voice.

Hugh Panaro, Samantha Hill, Kyle Barisich, Michele McConnell, Greg Mills (u/s), Tim Jerome, Nathan Patrick Morgan (u/s), Carly Blake Sebouhian (u/s) April 6, 2013; Broadway More Hugh. You can never have enough Hugh.

Peter Joback, Emmi Christensson, Anton Zetterholm, Karolina Andresson, Glenn Kjellberg, Rolf Lydhal, Sindre Postholm, Sanna Martin, Tehilla Blad, David Ingham, Samuel Jarrick, Martin Kagemark, John Martin Bengtsson February 1, 2017; Stockholm I loved this production so much.

Ben Forster, Celinde Schoenmaker, Nadim Naaman, Charlotte Vaughan (u/s, last Carlotta show), Sion Lloyd, Mark Oxtoby, Paul Ettore Tabone, Joanna Strand (u/s, last Madame Giry show), Daisy Hulbert August 31, 2017; London A few days before cast change. One of my favorite audios as of late.

Fred Johanson, Hanna Liina Vosa, John Martin Bengtsson, Hanna Leena Haapamaki, Dardan Bakraqi, David Lundqvist, Anders Wangdhal, Lana Zuzic, Gisela Sjostedt, Lars Hijertner, Marco Stella, Tobja Halsell, Peter Loguin January 26, 2018; Gotheborg From the non-replica production. With John as Raoul this time!

Scott Davies, Kelly Mathieson, Jeremy Taylor, Lara Martins, Sean Lloyd, Mark Oxtoby, Jacinta Mulcahy May 31, 2018; London This is labeled as having Ben Lewis, but if you listen it’s really Scott.

Tomas Ambt Kofod, Sibylle Glosted, Christian Lund, Martin Loft (u/s), Monsieur André, Anna Vaupel (u/s), Rasmus Jupin, Elisabeth Halling, Imogen-Lily Ash, Jesper Paasch, Kim Hammelsvang, Paul Frederiksen, Paul Frederiksen (u/s), Mia Karlsson (u/s) February 13, 2019; Copenhagen Compared to other audios, you can tell that Sibylle has really settled in the role and improved wonderfully. She sounds absolutely divine. An absolutely gorgeous cast.

Jonathan Roxmouth, Meghan Picerno, Matt Leisy September 3, 2019; Tel Aviv One of Meghan's last shows on the World Tour before she joined the Broadway company. Jonathan and Meghan sound particularly stunning on here, they keep getting better which is insane because they are already so good.

Tim Howar, Amy Manford (alt), Jeremy Taylor, Ross Dawes, Alan Vicary, Kimberly Blake, Paul Ettore Tabone, Jacinta Mulcahy, Georgia Ware September 7, 2019; London Amy Manford's last show, the last matinee for the 2018/19 cast. Just to be clear, this audio is different from the other that is NFT. Pretty nice quality too!

Love Never Dies

Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Joseph Millson, Liz Robertson, Summer Strallen, Niahm Perry, Adam Pearce, Jami Reid-Quarrell June 2, 2010; London A gift for all my Rierra/LND London fans out there.

Tomas Ambt Kofod, Louise Fribo, Christian Berg, Oscar Diez January 18, 2013; Copenhagen, Denmark This is an overlooked and gorgeous production. Also, after 'Love Never Dies' someone in the audience shouts "wow" and I think that captures it perfectly.

Evita

Emma Kingston (Eva), Ramin Karimloo (Che), Robert Finlayson (Peron), Anton Luiting (Magaldi), Isabella Jane (Mistress) July 4, 2018; Tokyo Emma as Eva and Ramin as Che. Some great casting there.

Anastasia

Annakathrin Naderer (u/s Anya), Thomas Hohler (Dimitry), Thorsten Tinney (Vlad), Mark Roy Luykx (u/s Gleb), Theresa Holter (Young Anastasia), Patricia Nessy (Lily Malevsky-Malevitch), Masha Karrell (Dowager Empress Maria), Katja Hentschel (u/s Tsarina Alexandra), Kirill Zolygin (Tsar Nicholas II/Count Ipolitov), Helena Thordal Christenson (Olga Romanov), Alexandra Yoana-Alexandrovna (u/s Tatiana Romanov/Dunya), Laura Robinson (u/s Maria Romanov/Marfa), Mariana Hidemi (Anastasia, age 17/Paulina) August 10, 2019; Stuttgart I have yet to listen to this one yet, but I always love spreading love for foreign productions of shows.

Les Miserables

Kyle Jean-Baptiste (u/s Valjean), Earl Carpenter (Javert), Erika Henningsen (Fantine), Chris McCarrell (Marius), Samantha Hill (Cosette), Brennyn Lark (Eponine), Max Quinlan (u/s Enjolras), Gavin Lee (Monsieur Thenardier), and Rachel Izen (Madame Thenardier) August 13, 2015; Broadway A really great cast and Kyle deserves to be heard. He was brilliant and it is such a shame he passed so early on in his life.

John Owen-Jones (Jean Valjean), Michael Ball (Javert), Carrie Hope Fletcher (Fantine), Matt Lucas (Thenardier), Katy Secombe (Thenardier), Bradley Jaden (Enjolras), Craig Mather (Marius u/s), Shan Ako (Eponine), Lily Kerhoas (Cosette) Earl Carpenter (Bishop/Bamatabois) October 16, 2019; Staged Concert, Gielguld Theatre Gorgeous.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Sheridan Smith (Narrator), Jason Donovan (Pharaoh), Jac Yarrow (Joseph), Femi Akinfolarin (Brother), Casey  Al-Shaqsy (Wife), J.R. Ballantyne (Brother), Thalia Burt (Wife), Richard Carson (Reuben), Michael Cortez (Guard), Vanessa Fisher (Wife), Matt Krzan (Guard), Kelsie-Rae Marshall (Wife), Emily Ann Potter (Wife), Georgina Parkinson (Wife), Michael Pickering (Simeon), Harriet Samuel-Gray (Wife), Carl Spencer (Brother), Joshua Steel (Brother), Jack Wilcox (Brother), Blythe Jandoo (s/w Wife), Hannah Taylor (s/w Wife) July 17, 2019; London Jason coming back to the show as Pharaoh this time!

[writey-unicorn]

(Possibly unnecessary) Spoiler warning for most of the first season of Arrow.

So I'm rewatching Arrow after only semi-watching it the first time and I realized something.

Oliver is a sympathetic anti-hero who kills too many people and is far too self-destructive and angsty to be a hero but does too much good to be a villain.

Everyone else is a villain. Let me explain.

So Oliver has spent the last 5 years going through hell on an island with the singular goal of getting off the island and fulfilling his father's last wish of curing his city. He starts exacting his plan and gets caught by Diggle who, after a bit of back and forth and a premature breakup, joins Oliver in his quest. After Diggle joins him his quest changes to deal with some of the symptoms as well as the problem and he focuses even more on the symptoms when Felicity joins. This is all while trying to protect his friends and family and maintaining his public image which is for everyone except the people who know who he is which is (I think) at four and of course dealing with his own issues on the side.

And no one in the show gives Oliver the time or the patience he needs to deal with any of this.

His mother and sister are happy to see him for exactly 30 seconds and then are like, "Why aren't you exactly the way you used to be? Why are you always gone? Why aren't you perfect?" As far as they knew, he had been the sole survivor of an accident and alone for 5 years. He would need more than 30 seconds to get used to society again. Sure, he didn't help them realize this, but you could use your brain and realize that he's going to need more than 30 seconds to get used to people caring about him again.

Laural is also bad but has far more reason to be. That doesn't really excuse her or her unrealistic expectations for him but at least she waited for Oliver to come to her before telling him how disappointed she was in him.

Then you have the people who know.

Felicity probably comes off the lightest mostly from not knowing him very much. She mostly just adds on to other people's disappointment in Oliver. Tommy also isn't that bad but he knows that Oliver has been missing for 5 years, came back completely changed, and is a vigilante. He knows something horrific happened to him and is nowhere near as patient with Oliver as Oliver needs even after Oliver saved his life twice and his father's life once. And yes, Oliver had a hand in the friendship breakup but the man has a laundry list of issues, and, canonically, I doubt he's been home for more than 8 months yet. If he's been gone for 5 years then he deserves at least a year to recover before everyone starts yelling at him for not being good enough.

And then you have Diggle.

Oliver's and Diggle's relationship has always been rocky from the beginning. They've been in the same chapter, but never quite the same page. and yet, Oliver, Oliver "bullheaded, can't apologize to save his life" Queen, more often than not, is the one who changes what he's doing and how he's doing it for Diggle. Also, of the two, Oliver has apologized and reached out to make things right more. For one of the recent episodes, Oliver helped Diggle track down this guy he wanted to kill which Argus was already helping with. Oliver, probably expecting the highly trained Argus agents to not pick the least-defensible meeting spot possible (which they did and yes I'm angry about it) and to be able to deal with one person on their own, had gone after a man who was going to kill a child instead of helping there and Diggle threw a fit for that. And instead of Diggle realizing that he had overreacted and that Oliver had made the choice that he thought was right at the time Oliver apologized and promised to do better. Yeah, I'm mad about that too.

No one in the show holds anyone but Oliver responsible for any relationship he's in. No wonder Oliver ran into the arms of the first person who saw him for everything he was and didn't immediately berate him for not being exactly what she wanted and yes I'm talking about crazy ex-girlfriend, Helena.

[snowdice]

Big Bang (Sort of) Editing Story [Day 67]

I started writing this fic while editing my Big Bang story, but am going to continue doing it for other things now that Kill Dear is out. I will write and publish 100 words of the story every time I finish doing whatever task I’m doing. If you’d like to block these proceedings, please feel free to block the tag proofread stories. I will reblog this post with the parts of the story I do today. Edited chapters are linked; everything else I’ve done so far is under the cut.

My Master Post Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30

Got many things to do today, though I do have a meeting in a bit over an hours, so there will be a break.

Chapter 31

Logan waited for a while after Patton left to check on Virgil, but the two never resurfaced. It was odd, Patton would usually remember to come back and get Logan or at least tell them where they were. With a sigh, Logan climbed to his feet to go find them. It took him a while to weave his way through the maze of bushes to them especially because they were suspiciously quiet (Well, suspicious for Patton. Virgil was often unnervingly quiet when alone.) Luckily, he knew the bushes enough after all of these years not to get lost and managed to find the two after a few minutes.

“Ah,” he said, immediately identifying the reason for Patton disappearing.

 “Logan!” Patton said, his voice excited, but also quieter than normal. “We found a kitty!”

“I can see that,” Logan responded, taking a step closer. The cat hissed at him in response. The hissing was so intense and wild that he’d suspect the thing was feral if it wasn’t happily on Virgil’s lap having had it’s head in Patton’s lap before Logan had approached.

“No,” Virgil told the animal as though it could understand words. “That’s Logan. Be nice.”

The cat still glared at him and swished it’s tail back and forth threateningly. Virgil pet the top of it’s head and it broke eye contact with Logan to purr.

 Patton seemed delighted by the purring, reaching to stroke under the thing’s chin carefully. “We should give her a name!” Patton said.

Virgil frowned. “I thought her name was Ghost Kitty.”

“That is ‘Ghost Kitty’?” Logan asked skeptically. From what Patton had said about that cat, it was terrified of people and no one could ever get near it, even him. Now it was in Virgil’s lap?

“But that was a temporary name,” Patton said, “for before we officially met her. Now we have to give her a real name.”

“Do not give it a name,” Logan said. “You will get attached.”

 “How do you name a cat?” Virgil asked.

“Do not name it,” Logan said.

“You give them names based on their personalities, how they look, or even just because it’s a cute name,” Patton explained. “Like, remember Mittens? I named her Mittens because she has white fur and black paws!”

Virgil looked at the cat. “She’s completely black,” he said.

Patton hummed. “So, we could give her a name based on that like Midnight or Shadow.”

“Those are fine,” Virgil said.

“No, no,” Patton said. “I’m just giving you examples. You get to name her yourself.”

“This is a bad idea,” Logan said.

 “Just throw out some names,” Patton said. “Anything you can think of.”

“Uh,” Virgil said. “Knife.”

“…Just Knife?” Patton asked.

“Nightmare.” Virgil seemed to think about it. “No, that’s mean.”

“How about things you like?” Patton suggested.

“Alfredo?”

Oh no, Logan thought, he was worse than Patton at cat naming.

“Good start,” Patton said. “Logan, do you have any suggestions.”

“Cat,” Logan said.

“Real suggestions,” Patton scolded.

Logan sighed and thought for a moment. “Aphrodite.”

“Catphrodite!”

Logan glared at him. “Helena.”

“Helenpaw.”

“Claudia.”

“Clawdia.”

“Persephone.”

Patton smiled at him, cheerfully.

“…Damnit!”

Patton turned to Virgil again. “Like that! They don’t even have to be serious. Like, uh, you could name her Madam Fluffywuffykins the Great!”

“Do not name her that,” Logan said, scrunching up his nose.

 Logan sat on the ground, the cat eyeing him, but no longer hissing. Logan gently guided them towards more sensible names despite Patton trying his hardest to drag them into stupidity.

Virgil still didn’t quite get it. He mostly tried to name it after foodstuff, and often not even appropriate foodstuff such as “Corn” and “Acorn Squash” and “Sandwich” and occasionally would drop in semi violent ones such as “Razor,” “Nightshade” and “Void.” Patton suggested names like “Fluffers,” “Bobette” and “Darling” as well as some that were puns. Logan tried to direct them towards more sensible ones like “Salem” and even went so low as to suggest the contrary “Snowball.”

 It quickly seemed to become less about actually naming the cat and more of a game. Patton had taught Virgil about playing with cats and had even gotten out a ball of yarn he cared around for his crafts. Both Virgil and the cat seemed to find endless entertainment with that. Logan hoped Patton had another ball of yarn that color because, he was never going to get that ball back.

The barrage of names fizzled out into naming things around them like “Leaf” and “Bush” until they stopped suggesting names altogether. Patton and Logan sat back and watched Virgil play with the cat.

 Logan watched as they stopped playing suddenly and Virgil and the cat squinted at each other. “Marisol,” Virgil said, pulling the name out of nowhere. “That’s her name.” He said it with a certainty that was surprising considering how he’d treated the naming process with confusion and caution earlier. If Logan did not know better, his tone of voice would indicate that the cat, or Marisol he guessed, had gotten bored of them coming up with stupid names and decided to tell him her actual name herself.

The cat made a sound and batted at Virgil’s face without claws to grab back his attention.

 He turned back to it and bopped its face with a finger in kind. It attacked his finger, but in a clearly playful matter as it still did not extend it’s claws and its teeth did not draw blood.

“That’s a great name, Virgil,” Patton said.

“Much more pleasant than any that Patton suggested all afternoon,” Logan said. He received an elbow to the side for his quip.

“A pretty name for a pretty kitty,” Patton said, scooting over to where Virgil was sat and attempting to pet Marisol’s head. Marisol, however, was too keyed up and batted at the hand.

 “I love you too!” Patton said.

Logan rolled his eyes, but he had long since resigned himself to watching the two of them play with and coo over the cat for the rest of the day.

Eventually, though, it started to get darker. Even after Logan pointed this out, it still took over an hour for them to relent and leave the bush maze to go to the door. The problem was of course, that the cat had managed to grow very attached to Virgil in the last few hours and she followed them all the way to the door with manipulatively heart breaking mews.

 “You’ve got to stay out here,” Virgil said, when they got to the castle door. He pet her ear softly and she shoved her head into his hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t have anywhere to put you.” He sounded horribly sad about that fact and Logan felt himself shift uncomfortably. “I basically live in a closet and Logan doesn’t like cats in his room anyway.”

Logan immediately felt unreasonably guilty, probably more so because Logan did not think Virgil was trying to make him feel guilty. “…Bring the dammed thing inside.”

Virgil blinked up at him. “What?”

“It will get cold soon anyway,” Logan said.

He frowned at Logan from where he was crouched. “But you don’t like fur in your room…”

“I will have to find a potion that works,” he said with a sigh, “and we’ll have to say it’s mine to the guards and Father since it will be staying in my room, but it is yours in every other way. That means you are going to feed it, clean it, and clean up after it.”

Virgil nodded immediately and swooped Marisol up in his arms. The cat went without complaint. “Thank you!” he said. “I love her.”

“I know you do,” Logan said, already regretting it already. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to even consider recanting the offer considering how happy Virgil seemed to be. They had a cat now, he guessed.

  Chapter 32

“What are you doing?” Helen asked a few minutes after her son walked into the kitchen and started looking around as though he were trying to find something. It was a few hours into the afternoon, and she and a few workers were already prepping for dinner.

“Uh,” Patton said. “Have you seen Virgil?”

“No,” Helen said. “Why.”

“Er… Logan and I sorta, lost him,” Patton said. He was wringing his hands anxiously. Helen put down the knife in her hand.

“What do you mean you lost him?” she asked.

“Well, see, we were trying to teach him how to play hide and seek, um, but then we didn’t think to tell him that he eventually had to come out if we didn’t find him, and now we haven’t seen him since breakfast.”

 “He didn’t know what tag is?” she asked. That was just one more thing to add to the list of why Helen worried about Virgil and where he came from. Every morsel of information she’d managed to wring from Patton despite his evasions made her lists of concerns grow larger, even little things like him not knowing about simple childhood games. Actually, thinking of concerning things having to do with Virgil. “Wait, so he hasn’t eaten lunch.”

“Um, we don’t know that,” Patton’s mouth said while his eyes said ‘no.’

“He needs to be on a consistent diet, especially when he’s still taking the malnutrition potion,” she scolded.

 “I know, Mama, I know,” Patton said. “I’m trying to find him. I’d kinda hoped he’d gotten hungry and snuck down here. He probably wouldn’t want to risk being caught stealing food though.”

Helen grimaced. Yet another concerning thing.

“Wait! I have an idea, I’ll be right back.” Patton turned and ran out of the room. Helen frowned at the space he’d been and finished chopping the carrot on the cutting board in front of her. If it had been any other person in the castle missing, Helen wouldn’t have worried, but she had literally never seen Virgil without Patton and/or Logan by his side. Even when he’d gone to help Jeff can some fruit, Logan had reportedly hung around to read a book.

 Considering that Logan had never exactly been clingy even with Patton, she imagined that either Virgil asked, or Logan thought he should stay with him for his comfort. So, she was surprised that he was apparently hidden away somewhere in the castle where neither of the other kids could find him.

Still thinking about this, she walked over to the entrance to the cellar below the kitchen where they stored most of the vegetables, planning to grab some more carrots. She was confused for a moment when she heard movement from deeper in the pantry. She reached over and touched the panel near the door that controlled the magic lights.

 The newly illuminated figure startled as the lights came on, whipping around to stare at her with wide eyes.

“Virgil?” she asked.

“Sorry,” he said immediately, taking a step back.

“It’s fine,” she said immediately, “but what are you doing here?”

He considered her for a long moment, but apparently, she passed some sort of mental test, because he relaxed, at least as much as he’d ever relaxed in her presence. “Where are we?” he asked.

Her brow knit together. “The cellar under the kitchen,” she said, “You don’t know that?”

He shook his head.

“The only entrance is from the kitchen.” Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen him go through the kitchen at any point.

 “No, it’s not,” Virgil said. “There’s a tunnel.”

“A-a tunnel?” she asked. Actually, taking a closer look at him, he seemed a bit grimy. He had dust all over his front and dirt on his nose. She thought he might even have a couple of cobwebs in his hair.

“Yep,” he said.

“Where’s the tunnel?” she asked.

“It’s right over here,” he said. He took a couple of steps and pointed to the ground. There was an open square hole there that clearly had been made a long time ago but which she had never noticed in all of her time working here.

 “How did you find this?” she asked.

“We were playing hide and seek,” Virgil explained. “Logan said I could hide anywhere inside the castle. I hid on top of a dresser upstairs in some unused sitting room. There was a hole in the wall above it, so I climbed into it. Then, I crawled a little bit and it let out into a hidden passage in the walls. I wandered around in it until I found another hole in one of the walls. I thought it was a way out, so I squeezed into it, but it took me to a different hallway where I found an old room. There was a different hole in that room that had probably been covered by something because it was in the floor but whatever it was had rotted away. I crawled though it into a tunnel and came out here.”

 She couldn’t help but laugh a bit at his explanation. “Well, it sounds like you went on an adventure,” she said, “but Patton and Logan have been trying to find you. You missed lunch.”

He tilted his head at her. “I know. I was supposed to hide.”

“Yes,” she explained, “but you are supposed to come out at some point if they can’t find you for things like food.”

“Oh,” he said.

“They probably should have explained,” she said. “For now, why don’t we get you something to eat? You must be hungry.”

Virgil frowned. “But I missed lunch.”

“You can still eat even though it’s not in normal hours,” she said. “You could even if you had made it to lunch.”

 “Really?” he asked, he looked tragically confused by this offer.

“Of course, sweetie,” she said. “In fact, I insist you get something good to eat right now. How about I made you a grilled ham and cheese sandwich? Maybe some cookies too!”

Virgil titled his head. “You are Patton’s mother,” he stated.

Helen laughed softly. “He gets its all from me,” she said. “We should probably go find him and tell him you’re okay. He was worried.”

“I didn’t mean to worry him,” Virgil said with a frown.

“I know,” Helen said. “It’s okay. He’ll probably laugh when he figures out where you’ve been, and Logan will interrogate you all about the secret passageways.” He seemed happy about the prospect of seeing his friends. “Come on, let’s go upstairs for a bit,” she said.

  Chapter 33

Patton’s mom had already made Virgil sit down at the small table in the corner of the kitchen and had handed him a sandwich by the time Patton barreled into the kitchen, Logan coming after him at a more sedate pace.

“Virgil!” he said, sounding surprised and relieved.

“Patton,” Patton’s mom scolded. “No cats in the kitchen.” Patton had brought Marisol in with him and had let her go as soon as he’d seen Virgil. She immediately plodded over to him and hoped onto the table to sniff at his face in greeting.

“But she’s the princess!” Patton argued.

“No,” Logan said.

 “Yes, she is!” Patton said.

“The stupid cat is not a princess.”

“Don’t be mean to your little sister, Logan.”

“I regret every life decision that has led me to this point.”

While Logan and Patton were distracted squabbling and Patton’s mom was distracted watching them squabble, Virgil tore off a bit of the ham in his sandwich and offered it to Marisol. Marisol gracefully took it from his grip and ate it.

“So, this is Logan’s new cat I’ve been hearing about?” Patton’s mom asked.

“Indeed,” Logan said, his lips thinned. He and Marisol were mostly amicable when alone with just them and Virgil, but Patton had a habit of cooing over the kitten and needling Logan into being irritated.

 “Mmm, yeah,” Patton’s mom said. She glanced over at Virgil right as Marisol basically slammed her face into his chin in a bid to get pets. “Your cat.” She shook her head. “But Princess Kitten or not, I do not want fur in dinner,” she said.

“Sorry,” Patton said, honestly not sounding sorry at all. Virgil was always a bit surprised when the insolent shrug garnered nothing more that a scowl that did not reach Patton’s mom’s eyes. “I thought she could help me find Virgil, but you already found him.” He turned to Virgil. “Where have you been all day?”

 “Found a tunnel,” Virgil said. He had to use one hand to hold Marisol back from his sandwich as he took another bite, but then gave her a bite of cheese.

“You found what?” Logan asked.

“There’s a tunnel under the cellar,” Virgil said. “It goes to an old closed up room and also to a set of secret passageways.” It was a bit of a security risk honestly, though clearly no one had used it in years by how dirty it was. He did plan to go back into it and make sure the sprawling tunnels didn’t go to anywhere more dangerous like the royal wing.

 “A closed-up room?” Logan said. He could see a bit of curiosity already building in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Virgil said. “Where the door used to be seemed like it had been bricked over.”

“Really? Can you show me.”

“Sure,” Virgil answered.

“Ah, perhaps we should be a bit more cautious about climbing through random tunnels we don’t know the stability of,” Patton’s mom said.

Logan’s frown edged on a pout.

“Talk to your father,” she said. “I’m sure he can get someone who understands these things so you can safely investigate.”

“It was safe enough for Virgil,” Logan pointed out.

 “No, Logan.”

He sighed but seemed to concede. That was another strange thing about living here. By all rights Logan didn’t have to obey anyone except the king, but he often listened to those around him, not just the adults but Patton as well. It was interesting though it sometimes made the hierarchy hard to figure out. Virgil did sometimes stress out about the hypothetical situation where he got conflicting orders from two people, and he wouldn’t know which one to obey. So far it hadn’t been a problem luckily. They always seemed to work it out amongst themselves in some give and take social interaction that was a bit too complex for him to understand.

 Patton walked over to where Virgil was sitting. “I’m glad your safe,” he said. “We should probably put a time limit on hide and seek in the future, so you know when to come out.”

“Did I win?” Virgil asked. He’d honestly forgotten they’d been playing a game until Patton’s mom had asked how he’d found his way into the cellar.

Patton laughed. “I’d say so, yeah,” he replied. He leaned over to kiss Virgil’s forehead, but drew back immediately with a pinched expression. “You are… very dirty,” he said, rubbing his mouth.

Virgil nodded. “Your mom made me sit on a tablecloth,” he said gesturing to the fabric she’d laid over the chair.

 Patton snorted out a laugh. “We’ll get you into the bath when you’re done eating and you can tell us all about your little adventure.”

“I would also like to hear about your discoveries,” Logan said. “Though you are not allowed to sit on the bed until you do not have spider webs in your hair.”

Patton’s eyes widened and he jumped away from Virgil, startling both Virgil and Marisol. The latter hopped from the table onto Virgil’s lap. “Spiders?!”

Virgil tilted his head at him in confusion.

“He isn’t a fan of spiders,” Logan informed him, his voice amused at Patton’s reaction.

 Apparently deciding that she was no longer startled, but more confused by the noises Patton had just made, Marisol jumped out of Virgil’s lap to investigate, wrapping her way around Patton’s legs. He bent down to pat her back, though he still looked a bit startled.

“Your cat, huh?” Patton’s mom asked Logan once again. Virgil studied her. She had apparently missed Logan mentioning that he allowed Virgil on the bed. Or perhaps Logan was correct in his insistence that it wasn’t actually that big of a deal here. Virgil would rather not test that assumption, however, so was glad that it had been distracted from by Patton’s outburst.

 “Creepy, crawly death dealers,” Patton mumbled into Marisol’s fur, having picked her back up. Virgil made a note to not inform Patton of all of the different types of spiders he’d seen skittering around in the castle walls today. Maybe he’d talk about them with Logan once Patton left. He’d probably be interested. Virgil had seen some he’d never seen before! Logan probably could even help him figure out what their names were. “You’ll protect me, won’t you kitty?” Patton asked Marisol.

She made a little ‘burrrr’ sound in response, which Patton seemed to take a confirmation.

“Aw thank you, baby! Such a good baby.”

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Virgil popped the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. Patton’s mom turned away and grabbed a plate stacked with cookies. She handed it to Logan. “Take these, and please get the health hazards out of my kitchen,” she requested.

Logan took them without complaint. “Come on, Virgil,” he said. “Let’s go get you clean.”

“We’re going to need so much soap,” Patton said.

Virgil looked down at himself. “I can go outside and get most of it off if you get me a bucket of water,” he offered.

“Virgil, it’s below freezing,” Logan said as though that had a baring on what he’d just said. Logan sighed. “No. Bathtub.” Virgil shrugged. “Honestly,” Logan said. He turned with the plate of cookies in his hand, clearly expecting to be followed. “You’re not going to catch your death pouring a bucket of water over yourself in the cold when there are literally over a hundred perfectly good bathtubs in this castle. For goodness sakes.” And well, Virgil wasn’t going to complain.

  Chapter 34

Patton, to be completely honest, was not all that interested in the room that Virgil had found. Beyond just the fact that it would definitely have creepy crawly death dealers in it, he really did not understand the intrigue. If it had just been him, he probably would have just let a castle worker deal with it, but it was not just him. Logan was ecstatic with the prospect of investigating a secret in the castle. People who didn’t know him well may not believe it considering he spent most of his time with his nose in a book, but he was an adventurer at heart.

 Thomas had been easily swayed into finding someone to help tear down part of the wall into the secret tunnel near the room (so no one would have to crawl through the kitchen cellar like Virgil). It had taken a few days, however, and Logan was practically bouncing off the walls waiting. Virgil, despite having already seen the room before, also seemed excited, though if that was because of his own curiosity or because he was just excited that Logan seemed so exited remained to be seen.

“They are silly, aren’t they,” Patton asked Princess Marisol. He was laying on his stomach on Logan’s bed and Princess Marisol had just put her little paw on his nose.

 “Yes, I agree,” he said. “Don’t they know that we’re literally going to be 2 feet away from the normal hallway?”

“It is not silly,” Logan defended himself. “Any number of things could go wrong.” He sounded far too excited about the prospect of something going terribly wrong. “The tunnels could cave in and block off the exit or there could be some unknown pathogen in the air.”

Patton did not ruin his fun by mentioning that Logan’s dad had definitely basically baby proofed the tunnels for them ahead of time. Instead, he just said, “Don’t let Virgil hear you say that sort of thing. It will just stress him out.”

 “Yes, yes, of course,” he said, waving off Patton’s concerns as he mulled over two different weird green planty things (potion ingredients, Patton assumed) before setting one aside and sticking the other in his bag.

“So silly,” Patton cooed at the cat. Logan let out a huff but did not choose to say anything about it this time.

Speaking of silly, Virgil came back from Logan’s bathroom then, and Patton tried not to giggle. “Is this right?” Virgil asked, sounding and looking confused. Logan, in his overexcitement about adventure had commissioned Virgil an outfit that actually fit. Said outfit, however, very much made it look more like Virgil was going on a safari instead of a two-foot detour from the normal castle hallway.

 “Almost,” Logan said, “Here, let me.” Logan started straightening everything out and flattening the collar, reminding Patton of an overbearing parent on picture day. Virgil accepted the fussing without protest. It was adorable. Well, the outfit was ridiculous, but still, adorable. “There,” Logan said. “I think we’re ready to go now.”

It was about time. Patton was sure people were already waiting for them downstairs. Patton got up and patted Princess Marisol on the head. She looked up at them with interest.

“You can stay here, sweetie,” Patton told here. She seemed to consider it and then hopped down from the bed to go rub up against Virgil.

 Patton guessed she was coming. It didn’t matter too much since Logan had given her a magical collar that allowed her to open most doors in the castle and everyone knew she was the royal cat now, so if she decided she wanted to come back to the room and nap, she could. (She was very aware of the power she held.)

She pranced happily by Virgil’s side all the way down the steps to the first floor of the castle. She was such a good kitty.

Well, she did hiss angrily at everyone who came too close to them, but still, a very good kitty.

 Patton did lean down and pick her up so they could actually talk to the man waiting for them at the large hole in the wall. Logan went to talk to the castle worker while Virgil half hid behind Patton. He was clearly listening very intently to the conversation however, at least more intently than Patton was. Patton was busy shaking his head fondly.

“Yes, yes, Princess,” he said to the cat. “I know we do not trust the strangers, but I promise this stranger is perfectly safe.”

“How do you know?” Virgil asked.

“His name is Chester and I’ve known him since I was 9.”

 This seemed to slightly alleviate Virgil’s suspicion, but Princess Marisol still seemed antsy. Patton really needed to start slowly introducing the both of them to more people.

Logan finished talking with Chester after a few moments and it was time to climb through the hole in the wall. He wished he saw in the tunnel whatever Logan with his excited eyes and bounce to his step obviously saw. Or even that was more comfortable in the dark closed in space as Virgil obviously was. As it was, Patton’s nose scrunched up at the thought off all of the spiders that could be living everywhere in the secret tunnel, but he pushed through.

 The entrance to the tunnel had been made only a little bit from the room Virgil had mentioned and Chester had led them through it after only a couple of seconds. As Patton had suspected, the room was already lit up and probably cleaned a little bit by the people who had cut into the wall, not that he was complaining.

Virgil was still clinging a bit to Patton’s shirt, though it seemed to be less out of anxiety at this point and more out of a desire to stick close. He was peering around curiously at the lit-up space. He probably hadn’t seen much of it in the dark when he’d been here before.

 Yet, his curiosity was nothing compared to how excited Logan seemed to be. Now Patton may have not been interested in the room itself, but he was entertained by how interested Logan was and was happy to encourage that.

“What do you think this place is?” he asked Logan.

Logan hummed contemplatively, eyes looking around. “Well,” he said. “It’s a bedroom clearly, and old. Considering the location it is in in the castle, the size, the decorations, and it’s likely age, I’d imagine it was a bedroom of a royal family member. This used to be the royal wing three royal lines ago.”

 “Bearing that in mind, there are a couple of likely possibilities for the origin of the room as well as the reason it was sealed up, but we will need to investigate more in order to come to an actual conclusion.” He had already placed the bag he’d brought on the ground and was going through it, pulling out things that Patton did not recognize. He also got a piece of paper and sat on the floor to start to sketch.

“What are you doing?” Virgil asked.

“I’m sketching the floorplan of the room,” Logan said. “I will then put a grid on it so we can investigate while being sure that we aren’t missing anything.”

 Virgil seemed uninterested in this part of the adventure, instead electing to go poking around by himself. Princess Marisol squirmed out of Patton’s arms to go follow him. Patton swore that he only looked away from those two for 5 seconds, but the next thing he knew he heard metal clicking against metal.

“Oh,” Patton said, eyes wide when he saw what Virgil was fiddling with. “Honey, you probably shouldn’t touch…”

The old but fancy looking chest that had been at the end of the remains of the bed creaked open. Virgil sneezed as a cloud of dust puffed out of it. “Huh,” he said studying the contents. “There’s a skull in here.”

 “Oh, I don’t like this adventure anymore,” Patton commented.

Logan was on his feet within moments. “Let me see,” he said eagerly.

“What if it’s cursed?” Patton pointed out.

“Then I’ll just break the curse,” Logan waved him off. “Oh, it’s just a horse skull,” Logan said, sounding disappointed. “And also what seemed to be potion ingredients. Though they seem very fresh considering the state of the room.”

“Maybe we should get someone else to…”

Logan already had both arms inside the chest and was pulling things out of it. “This chest must have some sort of stasis effect to it.”

 He started pulling things out to look at them before setting them on the floor with no caution. “Well,” he said, “that answers the question of what this room is.”

“It does?” Patton asked.

“Ah, yes, between the horse skull and the potion ingredients, this is obviously the bedroom of Princess Marianne Elicia. She was the third child of King Simon IV and was quite the fan of horses.”

“…So she kept a horse skull in a stasis chest in her bedroom?” Patton asked.

“Of course,” Logan said. “Back when her family was in power, magic was outlawed and had quite the stigma against it, but she ended up learning magic and become quite proficient.”

 “It’s debated what exactly happened when her father found out about her activities. Some sources say that she was executed silently by her father, but others say she managed to escape with the head of the stables but not before putting a curse on the country of Prijaznia. That is until she or one of her bloodline sits on the throne, every royal line will end in madness and blood by the 5th seated monarch before an heir is born.”

“Isn’t that something you should be worried about?” Virgil asked.

Logan shrugged. “It’s just a myth,” he said. “Besides I’m 6th in the line, so there really isn’t any concern.”

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“There are a lot of interesting things in here,” Logan said, still focused on the chest. “Not to mention the books. We’ll have to be careful with those though since they don’t appear to be in stasis.”

Logan pulled the horse skull out and set it on the floor making Patton wince.

“Marisol no!” he said as Princess Marisol immediately went to go sniff at it. He swooped her up in his arms. “How long are we staying in this creepy room?” Patton asked.

“Patton, we just got here,” Logan said.

“We just got here and already found a skull!”

“Yes! Exactly!”

Patton groaned into Princess Marisol’s fur even as she tried wiggle away to go back and investigate the skull. This was going to be a long day.

  Chapter 35

Logan was surprised when he woke up alone in bed. He’d grown to anticipate waking to a smaller body unrelentingly clinging to his in the past couple of weeks. Confused he sat up and peered around his bedroom. He wouldn’t have seen Virgil with the way he melted into the darkness if it he hadn’t heard the sound of purring coming from near the window. He could just barely make out a dark blob shifting up and down at the cat kneaded at a different blob sitting mostly hidden behind the thick curtain.

“Virgil?” Logan questioned. “What are you doing?”

 “It’s snowing,” was the answer.

“That is not an answer,” Logan grumbled at the ceiling. With a sigh, he pulled himself out of bed. It was a bit chilly in here, he thought. The temperature must have dipped suddenly and intensely enough that the runes keeping the castle at a warm enough temperature hadn’t caught up yet. He pulled one of the blankets off of the top of his bed to wrap around his shoulders as he approached the window. There wasn’t much light outside, the stars and moon covered by clouds, but there were some lanterns lit for the night guard who patrolled the outside. “Oh,” he said in surprise. “It’s really snowing.”

 It had been colder but not quite cold enough for snow to stick the day before, so it came as a surprise when he saw snow was piling up quite high to the point where familiar paths outside his window had disappeared.

“I don’t like it,” Virgil informed him.

“Why not?” Logan asked.

“It’s cold,” Virgil answered. It was clear in his tone that in Virgil’s opinion ‘cold’ was a horrible insult to the concept of snow. Logan quirked a half smile and his attention was drawn to the fact that it was quite cold right here close to the window.

 Frowning, he pulled at the blanket around his shoulder so he could wrap it and his arm around the lump that was Virgil. He brushed the boy’s hand when he did so and found it was like ice.

“You’re freezing!” Logan said. “How long have you been by the window?”

“I dunno,” he replied.

Logan was already tugging at him. “You need to get back in bed,” he said.

Virgil obeyed the pulling at his arms even as he frowned. “I’ve been colder than this before,” he said.

“That actually doesn’t make me feel better,” Logan replied dryly as he shooed him towards the bed.

 He took the thicker blanket that usually stayed folded at the end of the bed and pulled it up over Virgil before climbing into bed beside him.

“There,” Logan said, rubbing Virgil’s arms through the fabric of the sweater he wore to bed. He was glad he wasn’t wearing a t-shirt at least. “The runes for heating the castle should catch up within a few hours, but until then this should do. Assuming we don’t sit by the freezing window for an undetermined amount of time.”

“I don’t like the cold,” Virgil told him.

Logan sighed. “Then why did you sit by the window?”

 Virgil shrugged and ducked his head a bit. Logan reached out to grab his hands to help him warm more but was surprised when one of the hands was much warmer than the other. He found his fingers were clutching a crescent shaped stone: the protection charm they’d made. Logan knew that he kept it in his pocket most of the time, but he didn’t normally see him holding it like this. It was warm to the touch, of course, indicating the safety of the room around them.

Logan looked over his face. “Are you…” he said. “Scared of the snow?”

 “I don’t like the cold,” he said once again.

“You’re scared of the winter,” Logan concluded. He looked at Virgil who was far too small for his age and seemed surprised at every casual act of kindness. It was clear that his basic needs were far from being met before he came here. Logan had to wonder what winter usually meant for him. His experiences were doubtlessly very different from Logan’s own. “That makes sense,” he acknowledged, “but you don’t need to be scared of it here. The castle is always perfectly warm and safe in the winter and Mr. Deknis and Ms. Heart work hard during the other seasons to make sure we have plenty of food. There is nothing to fear here.”

 He did not seem convinced.

“You don’t even have to go outside if you don’t want to,” Logan promised. “The castle is plenty big if you’d like to stay inside all winter long. It was made for the winter even without the magic devices that keep it warm. We have fireplaces and well insulated rooms even if those that ends up failing.” Logan pulled open the hand that had the protection charm just to transfer it to his other hand to warm it. “Though, while no one would force you to go outside, the snow isn’t always bad.”

“Yes it is,” Virgil said, his voice sure.

 “Not all the time,” Logan insisted. “Some people love the snow.”

“They’re stupid.”

Logan laughed. “It can be fun for a while with the right equipment if you have someplace to get warm again afterwards. Royal duties slow down during the winter and Patton tends to come up with all sorts of games for both the inside and the outside to pass the time. He’s particularly proficient at snowball fights, at least against me.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Play fighting,” Logan answered. “Like pillow fights, but snow.”

“I’ll stick with the pillows,” he replied.

“And then there’s a hill to sled down on the western side of the castle, and people like to build snowmen along the path.”

“What are snowmen?” Virgil asked.

 They’re temporary statues made out of packed snow,” Logan explained. “Typically, they’re made of three different sized balls of snow: the largest being the base and the smallest the ‘head’ though there are some variations. After building them one typically decorates them with different articles of clothing and objects found lying around. It’s usually sticks and rocks for the face and then things like extra hats and scarfs for decoration.” He smiled softly. “When my Pa was alive, we used to steal my Dad’s crown and fanciest robes. Sometimes Pa would steal it right off of Dad’s head and we’d run away. We’d find a secluded area of the castle yards and build the biggest snowman we could as quickly as we could before we got caught. He’d usually end up letting us keep the robes, but we’d have to give the crown back since some of the metals in it would rust when wet.”

 “That sounds…” Virgil’s nose twitched. “fun if you take away the touching snow part.”

Logan laughed. “It is fun,” he said. “Even with the touching snow part. Though, I admit that some of the ability for it to be entertaining does come from the fact that we could warm up afterwards with ease. You’ll enjoy Patton’s mother’s constant offering of hot chocolate during the season even if you never go outside, I’m sure.”

“Hot chocolate?” Virgil asked intrigued. His dark eyes shone brightly in the little light coming through the window. It was clear he could guess something about the drink just by the name and enjoyed the implications.

 Logan smiled fondly. “It is a hot drink,” he explained. “It’s a warm drink made out of milk and chocolate. I can get you some to try in the morning.”

Virgil nodded, eyes still wide with interest.

“For now, we should sleep though,” Logan said. “Are you warm enough? I can get more blankets.”

“I’m fine,” he said.

“Good,” Logan said, reaching up and adjusting the blanket over them once more, tucking it around Virgil a little bit for good measure. “Goodnight Virgil,” he said.

“Goodnight,” he replied softly. Logan reached under the blankets to grab the hand that was still slightly chilly from the window between his own. Virgil’s eyes slipped closed after a moment as he nuzzle his face into the pillow. At some point they both drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 36

Thomas had already been well aware that winter was on the way, but he and the rest of the castle occupants had been surprised at how intensely and suddenly it had come on. Most things were ready for the winter, but not all of them had been initiated. The fireplaces that took some pressure off the castle heating runes were cleaned out and ready, but they hadn’t been started yet. The stables for different animals on the grounds had been checked over and staff assignments had been made, but most were still in far out fields. Staff that went home for the winter months had been dismissed, but there were a few stragglers that would have to be helped home before things got worse.

 He’d gone out to the main stable to talk to the three workers that were the heads of different areas of animal husbandry to make sure a plan to get everything to where it needed to be soon was in place. It took a while to figure out considering that they’d expected a little more time before the first major snowfall. Thomas also asked them to make sure all of the workers’ homes were in good enough condition for the weather. Ranch hands typically had homes on castle grounds but not in the castle themselves since they needed to be close to the animals. Thomas knew at least half a dozen of those who spent most of their times out in the fields were the type to forgot to maintain their homes because they preferred camping amongst the animals in the summer months and then would be in for a bad time when snow began to fall.

 There should be enough extra rooms in the castle if they needed a place to stay until repairs could be done.

Those conversations took a good couple of hours, before Thomas was satisfied. Before trudging back to the castle through the still falling snow, he made a point to stop at one specific horse stall in the main stable. The horse turned his head to see Thomas when he stopped in front of his stall and puffed out a rather disaffected snort before sticking his head over the gate so Thomas could pat his nose. “Hello, Mr. Apples,” Thomas said.

 The horse seemed to conclude he’d tolerated Thomas’s petting enough and ducked his head to nudge at his torso. Thomas rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes,” he said. “I brought you an apple. Some things never change.” He reached into his pocket to grab the red apple he’d brought the white Arabian. “At least you don’t bite me anymore.” He paused, apple slice in hand and eyed the horse’s nose suspiciously. “Do not bite me,” he said even though he hadn’t felt the animal’s teeth in a decade. It would be just like Mr. Apples to wait until his guard was down.

 After a bit of scrutiny, he offered an apple slice. It was snatched out of his hand and there was a loud crunch as it was bit into.

“It’s snowing out,” he told the horse. The horse seemed to roll his eyes at the statement of the obvious. “I’ll remind again that if you run out in a snowstorm, I’m not running after you, so you’d be out of luck.”

Mr. Apples snorted.

“You’re old now. You’d probably not survive long enough for people to find you. Besides, you blend in with that white fur of yours. They’d probably walk right past you a few times.”

 He went back to nosing for treats as soon as he finished his first and Thomas sighed, pulling out another apple slice. “What are they not feeding you enough?” The gusto with which the horse snatched the apple slice was a very clear answer. “Well, we both know that’s not true.” Thomas fed the horse a third slice of apple when he was done with his second. “I have to get back to the castle now. Don’t be a devil horse.”

Mr. Apples threw his head a bit, splattering apple smelling foamy spittle all over Thomas’s front.

“Understood. Have a nice afternoon.”

 He left Mr. Apples in his stall then, knowing he’d be well cared for no matter how ill-tempered he could be at times. He’d been a king’s horse once, after all, no matter that said king had been dead for more than a decade now.

Winters were hard.

Winters were the times when things always slowed down at the castle, where royal duties were often thin. There were a lot of memories in winter.

The trip back to the castle was not particularly long, but it was also not particularly pleasant. The snow had not been cleared away considering it was still snowing which meant his feet and legs were wet and cold by the time he made it to the nearest castle door.

 He wasn’t sure if, when he entered, the castle heating runes had started to work in earnest or if he’d just been so cold that any measure of warmth was appreciated, but he was relieved to be out of the snow either way.

He decided to check up on the progress of the castle staff lighting the fireplaces. With any luck, they’d be lit already, and he could warm up even more. That in mind, he headed towards the main foyer where the largest fireplace in the castle sat to take off the chill brought in by the large front doors.

 The main foyer was bustling with activity when he snuck in along the sides, giving the guards stationed around nods as he passed. The main fire in the room was burning brightly, though only one of the two smaller ones near the side exits from the room was lit. The other one was still being set up with safety mechanisms. It was good progress and assuming other areas of the castle were being set up as efficiently, he assumed they’d all be set up by nightfall.

He’d need to go check around to be sure, but for now, he walked up to the main fireplace to warm his hands.

 He’d gotten into the habit when he was younger to every so often glance upwards. There had been a certain stable boy who had a propensity for climbing trees. These days, he usually found nothing when he did so, often not even consciously noticing that he’d turned his gaze momentarily skywards. Yet, today, he was startled out of his own idleness by dark brown eyes looking back at him from a small ledge in the shadows high above him.

He froze as he met the young boy’s gaze. Virgil seemed as surprised to be caught as Thomas was to have caught him.

 Slowly Thomas raised one hand and waved to the boy. He slunk back into the shadows at the acknowledgment. If Thomas peered hard enough, he could see a shadow stretch up towards the third-floor balcony in the darkness and disappear over the railing.

Interesting boy.

Thomas found himself smiling despite the oddity. They still had not found out much about Virgil. He would speak to Jeffers about many things apparently, but often could not be redirected to invasive topics and he was still a bit skittish around Helen. He hadn’t willingly existed in a room with Thomas. Thomas hoped that changed at some point. There was something about him that made Thomas like him.

  Chapter 37

Virgil had not spent a lot of time out of Logan’s room. What little time he had spent outside of it was either with Patton and/or Logan or tucked away in secret corridors he found in the walls where no one would stumble upon him. Yet, here he was willingly in a, well, not public by any means place, but one that was still more exposed than he was used to being in. Somehow, he was managing to not care at all.

It was helped by the fact that both Logan and Patton had been in the room at the start, but they had gone off to go… somewhere. Food sounded like it might have been the reason.

 He liked food, and usually he would have been all for going to get some, but between them promising to bring him back some and the fact that he was never going to move ever again, he’d decided to stay.

Princess Marisol seemed to be the only other rational being in the whole castle because she had also not moved since discovering the contents of this room. She was currently laying on his chest purring happily.

The fireplace was a wonderful invention. Now, Virgil had, of course, warmed up by a fire before when it was cold, but this was much different. There was a grate that blocked off the fire a bit keeping it from burning the person in front of it and there was a plush rug right by it, perfect for laying down on. Someone had known what they were doing when designing this room.

 He didn’t even care that the king had access to this sitting room as well as Logan.

…

Okay, so he did care a little bit, but he was ignoring that. He was probably busy this time of day anyway, right?

…

He really didn’t want to run into him after being caught watching the castle workers set up the bigger fireplaces. Kings probably didn’t like people sneaking around watching things from the shadows even when they didn’t know that the person sneaking around was literally sent to kill them.

Princess Marisol must have had a sixth sense for his anxieties (or he’d just started breathing faster and disturbed her) because she stirred a bit.

[jobrookekarev]

23 & 29

23) Who thinks they are not good enough for the others love? and who’s more afraid of loosing the other? Who thinks they keep messing up, only for the other to tell them they don’t need to worry?

In the beginning, Jo worries that she is not good enough. She mainly worries that things between her and Alex will fizzle out or they'll break up and she'll be left without a place to stay. She really loves Alex, more than she's ever loved anyone else. For the first time in her life, she has a good healthy relationship and she doesn't want to lose him. Sometimes when they fight she'll tiptoe around him or try and stop the fight by giving in to him. After he realizes what she's doing he’ll make sure to communicate with her. He tells her that just because they fight doesn't mean that he doesn't love her or that they're going to break up. After a few months, Jo becomes more secure in a relationship. Soon they're able to even playfully fight knowing full well that at the end of the day they’ll fall asleep in each other's arms knowing that they love each other.

Like Alex can't even sleep on the couch for the whole night when they fight. If she banishes him to the couch or if he gets mad and goes there himself, they’ll tossed and turned for about 20 minutes. Then Jo will ask him if he wants to come back to bed with her and he'll jump up and crawl back into bed with her. Yet, as he cuddles up to her she'll remind him that their fight isn't over. Still they fall asleep wrapped in each other's arms and by morning they aren't fighting anymore.

Alex on the other hand is definitely worried that he's going to mess it all up. All of his past relationships have been messed up or not as serious as this and his divorce with Izzie is still something that lingers in his mind. He worries that he's going to be too much for Jo and that she will get tired of him and leave. For example, he first time she get’s sick she insists on going to work and it reminds Alex of when Izzie went back to work after she recovered from her cancer. She pushed him away when he tried to care for her and he doesn't want to make that same mistake. So he doesn't hover over her and lets her go to work. Halfway through the day, Jo comes up to him and asked to be put on his service. She thought that he say yes and would cover for her and let her nap in an on-call room. However, when he refuses to, she's confused and goes back to where she was working in the ER. At the end of the day the little cold that she had is now full blown illness and she's pretty much dead on her feet. Alex come to pick her up and take her home, but he’s still distant. Once they gets home Jo changes into pajamas and comes downstairs where he’s sitting on the couch. She stands in front of him blocking his you to the TV and asks why he's been so distant today and if he's really that afraid of her germs?

Alex: “It's not that. It's just that I assumed you wanted to tough it out. I’m not your parent and I’m not going to take care of you.”

Jo: “What if I wanted you to take care of me?’

Which surprises him and he gets that dumbfounded look on his face.

Alex: “You wanted me to take care of you?”

Jo throws her hands up in frustration: “Yes!”

Alex: “Oh.”

Jo: “Look you don't have to necessarily hover over me, but I wanted you to put me on your service because I knew that you would let me take it easy. I thought that maybe you let me sneak away to an on-call room and take a nap. I wanted you to take care of me a little bit, because no one's ever done that for me before. When I was a kid none of my foster parents cared about whether I was sick or not. I thought that you might at least care enough to notice that I was having a hard time, but I guess it's silly. I’ve been taking care of myself for years and I don't need someone to take care of me.”

Then she turns to walk away and Alex immediately gets up and wraps his arms around her and he picks her up. Jo's a little surprised and asks what he's doing and he says that he's going to take care of her starting with putting her to bed. So Alex takes her upstairs and tucks her into bed, before he goes and he gets cold medicine, tea, her favorite soup, and puts a cold washcloth on her head. The next day he insist that they both stay home from work and he takes care of her.

And Alex loves taking care of her. It makes me feel needed and useful. He can do something for her while she’s sick, rather than just watching it happen like when Izzie was sick or when his mom had a menial break or when his dad drank. And Jo loves being taken care of. The next week when Alex has inevitably caught her cold, Jo takes care of him and doesn't protest no matter how much of a baby he is.

Okay I might actually write this.

29) Who does some crazy stunt to try and impress the other and who ends up driving them to the emergency room after it backfires?

I know it's fall but I have a Christmas idea, so it's Christmas 2020 they're very first Christmas with both of their girls. Although Luna is still in the hospital and Helena is only 10 days old. They both want to make their first Christmas with their daughters special. Jo's 10 days postpartum and on Christmas day she'll only be a month postpartum. Most days she barely has time to take a shower, much less plan a big Christmas or anything. What Jo wants to do for Christmas is just get fried chicken, go to the hospital with Alex and Helena and spend a couple of hours with Luna, let the girls open presents or in Helena’s case dangle and new hanging toy above her head, take a family Christmas photo, and be in bed by 9:00pm.

Alex on the other hand is trying to plan the biggest Christmas event he can. He's already got a long list of Christmas gifts for the girls and for Jo and he's planning to coordinate with Meredith for a big family Christmas dinner. On top of that he wants to completely decorate the house and put up lights. He’s also trying to support Jo and care of Helena, so he hasn’t showered since.. well since Helena come home from the hospital. He’ also doing all of the cooking, while neither of them are doing any cleaning or laundry. Lucky Meredith and Link come over twice a week to help them.

So the first weekend of December, after Meredith comes over to help Jo and the baby he goes to the store and picks out millions of lights and a couple of blow-up Christmas displays, some candy canes for the walk way, and a thing to sync the lights to music. After he spends why to much money he home. After Meredith leaves and Jo and Helena take a nap he goes outside to put up the lights. Jo of course, knows nothing about all this. She thinks that he got ONE single blow up snowman this for the lawn.

So bare in mind that the only Christmas lights that Alex has ever put up, is a string of lights across the wall on the nurse’s station at the hospital. So there he is on their roof for the first time putting up Christmas lights and of course he underestimates how hard it is. He reaches a little too far and ends up teetering off the ladder and falls.

Jo here's the crash and runs outside to see Alex in the bushes with a ladder. She absolutely freaks out thinking that her idiot husband killed himself. So she quickly helps Alex up and figures out that he's fine except that he most likely broke his arm. Then she screams at him that he could have killed himself and what was she supposed to do if he died? And that if he ever scares her like that again she would divorce him?! Then of course she wraps her arms around him and kisses him because she's so glad that he's alive. 

So they get Helena in the car seat and drive to the hospital where Alex gets a green and red cast. While Link is lecturing him, Jo and Helena go up to visit Luna to tell her about how much of an idiot her Daddy is, but how he was so excited for her first Christmas. From then on Jo insist that Alex pay professions to put up the lights each year. 

However that doesn't stop Alex from completely going overboard and planning elaborate Christmas light displays and soon their house is one of the best in the whole neighborhood and is even featured on TV as one of the best Christmas lights house displays in Seattle. And every year Luna and Helena, and later Edith and Quin, get told the tale of how their father fell off the roof as a cautionary tale to never use the ladder without supervision.

Okay I am definitely going to try and write this for Christmas.

[365days365movies]

Western August I: Stagecoach (1939) - Recap and Review

Let’s start at the beginning...almost,

The Western arguably was born with the 1903 film, The Great Train Robbery. This 12-minute short film is a classic, and one of the earliest achievements in film-making. It’s also, unsurprisingly, a Western, and based on an actual train robbery. At the time it was made, the Wild West had only really ended a few years prior, with its heyday being about 40 years past. Which, yeah, is CRAZY. People who remembered the Wild West lived into the 1950s and ‘60s. It seems like so long ago, and it was, but it was still relatively recent from a historical standpoint.

From then, the Western remained a staple of cinema, and would be so for over half a century. And then, enter John Ford. Born in 1894, the Irish American director began his career in 1914 as an assistant and handyman, often working with his older brother Francis. Eventually, John took his place as a director, starting with silent films, especially westerns. Starting with the very successful film The Iron Horse in 1924, he quickly rose to stardom. He transitioned from silent films to talkies pretty effortlessly, and continued his streak. All the while, he was also one of the first directors to have a roster of actors in his company. You know how Tim Burton always uses Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter? Or how the Coen Brothers always use Frances McDormand and John Goodman? Or Wes Andersen with Bill Murray and Owen Wilson? Yeah, that started with John Ford and...ugh...

Before I start...fuck John Wayne.

Dude was a racist homophobic asshole, and absolutely a dick. Look it up, or don’t if you’d rather not have one of cinemas most iconic faces completely ruined for you. But OK, outside of that one time that he said that the Native Americans were “selfishly trying to keep the land for themselves”, or that he believed in white supremacy over uneducated blacks...yeah, he’s a DICK...

Marion Robert Morrison was born in Iowa in 1907, and began his film career after becoming injured while surfing without a surfboard and ending his football career. Yes, really. His football coach was a friend of a film director named John Ford, who hired Morrison as a favor to him. Said football coach was also friends with an actual remnant of the Old West: WYATT FUCKING EARP. YEAH.

For years, Morrison was a bit player until starring in the film The Big Trail in 1930, a Western directed by Raoul Walsh. And he wasn’t exactly famous after this, but it was with this film that he took up a screen name: John Wayne, after a Revolutionary War general, Anthony Wayne, and...well, the name John. Anthony sounded too Italian. Yes, really. After this movie, Wayne continued to star in more Westerns, and even became one of the first film cowboys to sing on camera. 

And then, 1939 came along, and John Ford came to him with a new film project. Being a classic Western, the film was about a group of settlers riding on a stagecoach together through the West. Strangers to each other, they find themselves attacked by a group of Native Americans belonging to the Apache tribes. This film, an adaptation of a 1939 short story, would come to be known as Stagecoach. And it would launch Ford, Wayne, and the Western genre into a Golden Age. So no more navel-gazing, let’s get started!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

I get reminded that I haven’t watched a Criterion Collection film in a while, and the film begins with a rousing Western theme, courtesy of...holy shit, this movie has SEVEN COMPOSERS? Well, OK, courtesy of somebody in that list of seven. From there, we cut to a camp somewhere in the Arizona Territory in 1880. Which, again, is only 60 years prior to this film’s release date. There, a group of men discuss the danger imposed on them by the Apache, stirred up by the legendary warrior Geronimo. 

And from there, we go to the town of Tonto, where stagecoach driver Buck (Andy Devine) lets a group of passengers out. One of these passengers is Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt), there to catch another shuttle to meet her husband in Dry Fork, New Mexico. However, the stagecoach gains an extra passenger in the form of the Marshal, Curley Wilcox (George Bancroft), who goes to find an outlaw also in Lordsburg.

The passenger list builds with the addition of Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell) and Dallas (Claire Trevor), a drunk and a prostitute both driven out of town by the Law and Order League of Women, due to social stigma affecting them both. In a bar getting a farewell drink, Doc meets yet one more passenger, Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek), a whiskey salesman that Doc is glad to meet. Meanwhile, banker Henry Gatewood (Berton Churchill) also boards the vehicle, under mysterious circumstances.

Friends of Lucy are worried with her travelling a drunk and a prostitute (the ABSOLUTE SCANDAL), but she needs to visit her husband in Dry Fork. As she leaves, she meets eyes with the dangerous but enigmatic gambler Hatfield (John Carradine). And before they’re able to leave altogether, the carriage is stopped by the army, who warn them of the Apache and Geronimo. All of the passengers refuse to get off, and YET TWO MORE passengers board to protect the carriage: the Marshal and Hatfield. And finally, they’re off! But as they head out, they’re stopped when they encounter a recently escaped outlaw.

This is The Ringo Kid (John Wayne), who just got out of prison. The Marshal sees him, and takes him into custody on the way to Lordsburg, where they plan to drop him off into jail. And yes, he’s put on the fucking stagecoach. In total, we have Buck, the Marshal, Lucy, Hatfield, Doc, Peacock, Gatewood, and the Ringo Kid. Jesus, that’s a crowded-ass carriage, even if two of them are outside of it. Hell, Ringo’s sitting on the fuckin’ floor!

Anyway, the group interacts and introduces themselves. We learn that Doc once patched up Ringo’s brother, and was discharged from the Union Army for drunkenness. We learn that Hatfield is a true southern gentleman, and a veteran of the Confederate army (much to Doc’s ire), and that Ringo’s brother was murdered under mysterious circumstances.

The group gets to Dry Forks, currently under occupation by the army. Said army had accompanied them (outside of the carriage, thank God) to Dry Forks, and are staying there to guard against the Apache. Meanwhile, Lucy’s dismayed to find that her husband isn’t in fact there. This leads to the debate of whether or not the party should go back to Tonto, or head onwards to Lordsburg. Buck wants to go back to Tonto, as does Peacock, while literally everybody else wants to go to Lordsburg. And so, they continue onwards.

Before heading onwards, the group sits for dinner, during which Ringo is the only one to show any form of kindness to Dallas, as everybody else looks down on her for prostitution. Shit, man, they won’t even sit near her at the table. Jesus. Unfortunately, Dallas is used to this cruel treatment, and it allows her to bond with Ringo in her loneliness. Once again, character interactions reveal things about our cast. Lucy is feeling quite ill, and Hatfield reveals that he served under her father in the Confederate Army. 

And from there, the coach continues on through the desert. Buck and the Marshal argue about letting Ringo free, as he aims to continue his feud with the outlaw Luke Plummer and his brothers, despite the fact that he’ll likely be killed by them. It’s for this reason that the Marshal wants to keep Ringo in his custody, as he was good friends with his father and doesn’t want to see him killed by the dangerous Plummers, whom Buck thinks should be taken down regardless.

Inside the coach, the banker reveals that he’s literally a Republican from 2016 (he rants about small government, and claims that a businessman should be President, holy shit), while people keep treating Dallas like shit, except for Ringo. They go through a cold mountain pass, which isn’t great for Lucy for some reason. It’s actually quite rough on everyone. Except for Doc Boone, who keeps drinking Peacock’s whiskey samples, which is hilarious.

Finally, the group makes it to the next stop, Apache Wells. There, Lucy discovers that her husband has been severely wounded in a battle with the Apache, and she falls faint. Despite being absolutely SMASHED, Doc sobers up to help her, with the help of Ringo and the Marshal. Meanwhile, Dallas watches over her, despite the rancor that Lucy’s tossed at her this whole time.

The group stays the night, attended to by Chris (Chris Pin-Martin) a Mexican man who’s married to Yakima (Elvira Rios), an Apache woman who...is played by a Mexican singer. Huh. I mean...it’s still technically redface, unfortunately. But then again, the attitude towards Native American actors at this time was...oh boy. And the portrayal of the Mexicans in the camp aren’t exactly great, as a group of them steal the group’s spare horses, meaning that they only have one set of horses to use from here on out.

But amongst the unpleasant is a pleasant surprise, and the reveal of the cause for Lucy’s mysterious condition: she’s pregnant. Or rather, she was, as the baby’s just been delivered, and is being held by Dallas. As the group celebrates, Chris warns Ringo to stay away from Lordsburg, as the Plummers will kill him. But Ringo has something else on his mind.

See, on seeing Dallas with the baby, he finds himself quite in love with her. He finds her outside, and tells her that his father and brothers were killed by the Plummers. In turn, she reveals that her family was massacred on the real-life Superstition Mountain. Their conversation ends in Ringo proposing to Dallas, which she protests to because of her mysterious past.

The next morning, Yakima’s left with Chris’ horse and rifle, and the group worry that she’s gone to tell the Apache. After Gatewood panics about his mysterious valise being possibly stolen, the group packs up and readies themselves to go. But Lucy is, of course, still ill from literally giving birth hours ago. Things are still tense between Lucy and Dallas, despite Dallas taking care of her the entire fucking night. Jesus, lady, that high horse is looking uncomfortable, you should get off it.

Dallas has something else to worry about, as she’s thinking on Ringo’s proposal. She consults with the doctor, who reminds her of her mysterious and checkered past being revealed if she goes. But she doesn’t seem to care, and she decides to accept the proposal. As for the rest, Gatewood’s freakin’ the fuck out. Because of Lucy’s condition, the doctor requests that they don’t leave until a day later. And Gatewood doesn’t give a single shit, as the Apache are close enough. Still, the party decides to stay, at Hatfield’s added insistence.

Ringo and Dallas talk, with Dallas both warning him of the Plummers, and also accepting his proposal. The men are all still arguing about whether or not they should leave, and they note that the Apache are likely between them and their destination. Ringo then takes the opportunity to escape and ride to Lordsburg for revenge on the Plummers. But he stops when he sees smoke signals on the hill. The Apache are coming.

No more waiting, it’s time to GO. Taking the still recovering lady and her newborn child Coyote into the stagecoach, they take off into the desert. Gatewood continues to run his loudmouth, to the ire of Hatfield and Ringo. And Peacock, to my delight, shows some kindness and “Christian charity” to Dallas, as she holds Coyote during the ride. And after all, they’re almost at the ferry!

Ah, shit, the ferry! Looks like the ferry, and the entire town of Lee’s Ferry have been burned. And if they ford the river, all of their supplies could be flooded, or the oxen could drown! Or worse, dysentery could set in! That’s what The Oregon Trail taught me! And yet, despite this, that’s actually EXACTLY what they do! And unlike me literally every time I’ve every tried to cross a river without a ferry, they make it through fine! Realistic educational games my ASS!

But it’s not entirely safe, as the group are being watched by none other than the Apache, who make their way down to intercept the group. In the carriage, meanwhile, the group is thankful that they’ve made their way from danger, and even Gatewood relaxes a little. Doc Boone makes a toast, and everyone seems to be getting along for once.

OH FUCK, PEACOCK GOT HIT!

The girlfriend IMMEDIATELY SAYS, “Now he really is Drew Peacock.” I leave and get boba to soothe my injured spirit from that well-timed joke. And then, the movie continues, and the chase is on! The Apache chase the stagecoach through the desert, and the groups trade gunshots and arrows, with Ringo shooting from the back. Gatewood panics so hard that Doc Boone punches him and IMMEDIATELY knocks him out, as he attends to Peacock’s injuries.

But despite their best efforts, the Apache group catches up to them, although many of them are killed by Ringo, the Marshal, Doc, and Hatfield. In the process, Buck is also shot, and Ringo literally jumps ON THE FUCKING HORSES, and commands them from the front like a goddamn badass. Things begin to get worse, as everybody in the stagecoach runs out of ammo, at the worst possible time. Hatfield only has one bullet remaining, and he considers using it...to kill Lucy! Holy fuck!

And just as he’s about to fire IN HER FUCKING FACE, the sounds of horns ring out as the cavalry arrives. And Hatfield, dick that he is, is shot. I think he was trying to spare her the indignity of being captured by the Apache, but Jesus, man! He collapses, and reveals that his father is a judge in Virginia before he...either passes out or dies, I’m not sure. The group finally gets to Lordsburg, where it turns out that Lucy’s husband is gonna be OK, and wasn’t severely injured. She tanks Dallas for everything that she’s done, and promises to help her should she ever need assistance. Good, finally, the lady needs a goddamn break.

The stagecoach rides through the busy town, and the arrival of the Ringo Kid gets the attention of Luke Plummer (Tom Tyler), who fetches his brothers Hank (Vester Pegg) and Ike (Joe Rickson). Time to get ready for a showdown, it seems. Dallas seems to know this, and goes to Ringo after the living Peacock (yay!) and the not-so-living Hatfield (oof) are brought in for medical help.

Buck’s also OK, but Gatewood isn’t. See, that valise he was carrying was actually full of money, and he had embezzled it from his own bank. He had counted on telegraph lines being down, so that he could escape with his ill-gotten gains, but has no such luck, and is led away in handcuffs! HA!

Ringo, meanwhile, is set to kill Luke Plummer and his brothers. The Marshal lets him escape, and promises to get Dallas safely down to a little ranch he owns in the South. Dallas and Ringo walk off together, and Dallas tries to get him to leave and say goodbye before he goes to his death, and before he finds out about her past (presumably as a prostitute). 

See, they’re actually walking up to a brothel, where Dallas is going to stay and work. Because, yeah, she’s a prostitute. Sucks that she’s been so maligned, because prostitution fuckin’ BUILT the Old West! I guess it’s easier to see that with historical context. As Ringo finds out the truth about Dallas (which he might’ve known all along), he still insists upon marrying her...and upon killing the Plummers.

Doc, meanwhile, goes to the bar where the Plummers are waiting. He tells them that he’ll get them arrested, and Luke swears to come back for him after their business with Ringo is concluded. The brothers head outside, ready for the final showdown. It’s 3 on one, Plummers against Ringo. Ringo fires! A few more shots...then silence. And Dallas mourns.

Except that Ringo wins the fight, and goes back to her! A happy ending! I’m sure that’ll be pretty goddamn rare this month. The Marshal arrives to take Ringo away, and Ringo goes as promised. She asks to ride with him a bit, and the Marshal agrees. He and Doc watch them get on, then cause the horses of the carriage to stampede away, letting Ringo and Dallas escape into the desert, together. And that’s the end!

Y’know...I liked it! I really liked it! 

This movie is often referred to as the greatest Western of all time, and the reason that the Western survived into the next several decades. And honestly, I get it! It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, and won for Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Mitchell, AKA Doc) and Best Original Score, both of which were quite deserved!

Review time!

Cast and Acting - 9/10: Sure, it’s a little hokey. But at the same time, it’s good classic Hollywood acting! Wayne, Trevor, Mitchell, Carradine, and Devine are standouts for me, all of which serving their roles well. Also, fun fact about Andy Devine: he’s the voice of Friar Tuck in Disney’s Robin Hood! KNEW I recognized that voice!

Plot and Writing - 10/10: Standard plot? Sure. Engaging as hell? Hell yeah! This is just a good story, plain and simple. No holes, no problems, no mistakes, and purely straightforward. Great writing by the original story author, Ernest Haycox, and great screenplay by Dudley Nichols!

Directing and Cinematography - 10/10: Great looking movie, too! All credit to John Ford, unsurprisingly. Cinematographer Bert Glennon also deserves credit for the beautiful landscape shots throughout. Gogeous film, even in black-and-white!

Production and Art Design - 8/10: This is pretty standard Western production design, so not a lot to write home about specifically. However, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. To the contrary, it’s quite good! Just does stand out to me quite as much as other movies. Might be a nitpick, but it’s still something against the film.

Music and Editing - 10/10: No complaints! Seven composers definitely make their presence known, and you can tell that this score heavily informed all Western scores after it. It’s iconic, and it’s perfect for the mood. As for the editing by Otho Lovering and Dorothy Spencer...it’s great! Perfect pacing, well-edited...no complaints whatsoever.

94%, and I had fun with this one!

I honestly did have quite a good time with this one. I can’t really call it a “fun” movie, but it definitely is a good one. Plus, it’s a John Ford/John Wayne film, which is basically a staple of the genre. So, what’s next?

Next: My Darling Clementine (1946), dir. John Ford

[that-random-citizen]

Writeblr Intro

Apparently I haven't done one of these yet so here we go

About me

Hey! I'm a person who writes and has too many projects unfinished. Let's be friends!

So, what can I say about me?

This is my side blog dedicated to writing. I go by L. and I'm 21 years old. I'm Portuguese and my pronouns are she/her. INTP?? Let's just get to it

You inspired me to write this intro. Yes, you. I really like reading about all of you and your stories, makes all my writing process less lonely because now I know there's a bunch of other people out there... who also struggle to write...

Let's struggle together, my friends!

I started writing stories a long time ago but only in 2019 I finished one completely. And after that, I started trying not to give up on my projects after only 3 chapters. It's been a challenge!

Although a lot of my WIPs feature romance, I have no idea why. I like a lot of stuff. So I tend to write a lot of stuff. This stuff that I'm talking about are the genres. Yes, I'm good with words. I love mystery, thriller, comedy, fantasy, I don't really remember much more but yeah, you got the idea...

I'm very character driven so I tend to focus a lot on my characters when writing. That's the reason why I excuse my excessive amount of daydreaming instead of putting my thoughts on paper. I'm just developing the idea! It needs to reach its final form... And so, I can't really move on if I don't know my characters like the back of my hand and that's why it's been 7 years on that one WIP (introduced a little down below)

I reblog a lot of memes and writing advice that I like. I also like reblogging your WIPs because they're all so good and you guys have amazing ideas and beautiful layouts. I wish I could read all your stories! I may try to up my game and add some mood boards when I introduce my characters. I don't usually write in English so I'm not sure about posting excerpts but I'll be keeping my WIPs updated in terms of how they are doing and character wise. I can also talk about random ideas and new WIPs that cross my mind. It's an infinite number of possibilities. And that's why I don't gamble.

I'm quite random and so I have a hard time focusing on one thing for to long. And that, my dudes, brings us to a very high number of unfinished WIPs that I can't keep track of. Here's the list:

WIPs

I have to many to count (27). These are the ones I'm trying to focus on right now:

The 4 Elements

It's been 7 years!

Basically I came up with this story because my brother asked me to write it and I was trying to make him more interested in reading books so I decided I was going to write something he wanted to read. Uh, that's a long and confusing sentence... if only I had editing skills!

Anyways, then it became this big conversation topic between us and I developed it a lot over that summer. And in the past years. It also has some clichés that I see a lot on TV that I'm not that fond of and so I decided to give them a little twist with this book

It's a superhero story!? And is my longest running project (I guess)

It's a series of 4 books from which I have a good grasp of what I want to write but one of the main characters is still a mystery to me so... I'm struggling!

Like, what is her motivation? I can't really find her voice, she's the "leader" and the only one who carries a braincell in the entire series and yet... What is her conflict in the story? I guess we have to wait another 7 years to find out...

Found family trope because that's my reason to live

A lot of chaotic energy

Four idiots who can control the elements

A lot of backstory

Some bad guys

It's a fantasy book. Or a sci-fi? I'm not sure

I'm going to write the second draft of the first book by this summer... hopefully

Reverse Fairytale

I don't know what to say about this one

I like taking clichés and reversing them somehow so I guess this is it

There's a princess trapped in a tower, a bunch of knights, a bunch of witches and a kingdom to overthrow

Very soft, very sapphic

There are only women loving women and an ace boy who has a pet dragon

Fantasy. There are a lot of fairy tale books involved

It's also romance and... why do I do this to myself?

Even the subplot is a romance - it's about a mermaid and a pirate and a curse but that's a spoiler so let's move on

Helena's Trial

This one I just want to get the outline done

I really liked this idea but I forgot to write it down and now I'm going through it to get it back

Another thing about me: I have terrible memory

It's about this angel and this devil who realize that they were guarding the same person - Helena

And in this universe, there can only be one guardian for each human depending on the fate that is given to someone as they are born

If you're destined to do good things you get a guardian angel

If the big boss says you're going to be evil, you get a devil to guard you and you have to be evil, no chance of changing back your destiny

Another corrupt system that it's getting overthrown

Helena has both an angel and a devil guarding her so they have to realize her destiny fast because she's destined to die in 24 hours, on her wedding day

The angel and the devil knew each other before they died and so it's a little awkward

It's a little enemies to lovers in that area

There are also cupids and a big Goddess who wants revenge

Fantasy

There's a screenplay...

So I'm trying something here but I'm still not sure.

I have about 100,000 words of backstory and that isn't even over yet and I'm trying to write a TV series screenplay.

I literally don't know why

It's a comedy so I had a really great time getting to make my characters be complete idiots but I have no idea how to write this and it's been a ride...

That's about it. I'm having new character ideas but I don't want to get myself wrapped around them yet. But my next big thing is going to be a horror novel (with chaotic energy and some idiocy, the only things that are a constant in my works) so if you have any tips, let me know. I tend to write in every genre. I thrive for it actually. I think it's a good experience to figure out what I truly enjoy and the things I wouldn't want to touch with a 10-foot pole

Anyways, feel free to interact, I'll be making an effort to be more active about my WIPs and post more about them here. Maybe it's the little push I need to focus on them and actually finishing one for a change. You can drop a message anytime, let's be friends and writing buddies!

[vtmb2s]

ahem. Essentials (4, 5, 7) + Life (8) + Death (1, 4, 9, 12) for Helena >:)

ESSENTIALS

4. Which Predator type do they most align with and why?

I know I previously said scene queen but now that I thought about it she’d be too independent to really have a scene. She’s probably a graverobber more than anything 😳 she certainly prefers feeding on mourners and whoever else is around to visit funerals or graves. They’re usually distraught enough to be easily manipulated - not that she’s apathetically taking advantage of mourners of course, she thinks that experiencing emotions like loss are a way to stay close to your humanity… she didn’t know any of those people but I suppose it works for her 🤷‍♀️ Of course mourners are her favorite prey at funerals but if the recently deceased looks particularly nice… who is she to say no to a pretty corpse 😔 She doesn’t strictly stick to funerals of course, sometimes a rando in a club or a nice blood bag will do the job too. During her early vampirism days/months they certainly do.

5. Who Sired them, and into what Generation were they Sired? What’s their relationship with their Sire like, and what were the circumstances of their Embrace?

Her sire is Christian de Clermont, a 7th generation Toreador, meaning she’s 8th generation c: He himself was sired in 1678 and was a french nobleman/one of Louis XIV’s courtiers in life. Christian first noticed her at a play she did with her acting class where she played a minor role and well, she’s beautiful and talented so he immediately became obsessed with her. They officially met sometime later, after Christian probably obsessively tried to find out who she is, where she lives etc. and started dating. She reminded him a lot of his own sire, Simonetta (who you will meet in fbn as a fledgling 😏) and he fell in fake toreador love with her so he decided to embrace her. It happened on a date when she was over at his house, she had no idea what he was and just thought he was a very charming rich guy who fell in love with some weirdo girl. Little did she know it was just your classic toreador obsession embrace :/ Helena was angry and refused to speak anything to him but the bare minimum after he embraced her. Needless to say, she left him as soon as she could, which caused him to sink into a deep depression until he forgot her as soon as his next obsession hit ❤

7. Which Disciplines do they possess, and which do they favor using?

Auspex and Celerity c: As a toreador she could use Presence too of course, but she always had that natural charisma and insists she doesn’t need it ❤ there are situations where she certainly DOES but well. That’s where Celerity comes in, she’s very fragile so no use in a fight and can’t always talk her way out of everything so sometimes you gotta run fast 😔

LIFE

8. When they were Embraced, what was the aftermath like? Did they fake their death, do their loved ones think they went missing, etc.?

She was embraced in 2004, on a date like I said. Christian faked her death (corpse and all), called in a few favors to create a fake alibi and told the cops she left his home after they spent the night together. The police just assumed she became the victim of a killer :/

As for Helena herself, she was FURIOUS. Having your entire life taken from you without your permission is bad enough but the way it all happened. Had she been an established, somewhat famous actress she could have lived with the knowledge that she died a poetic death, a beautiful actress being murdered at the height of her career. This way people just think she’s a nobody wannabe star who died after hooking up with some rich guy, probably just sleeping her way up -_-

DEATH

1. What have they spent most of their years as a Kindred doing?

Well she was pretty much embraced into the Camarilla, Christian being the Baron of Bel Air (IK it’s an anarch title but Therese, known camarilla... person, is the baron of Santa Monica so maybe L.A. is just fucked up. Whatever the title, it’s his domain) so when she wasn’t sulking in despair at her new condition she spent her early nights running errands for higher-up vampires. Like the werewolf blood thing in the game. She tries to get into their good graces at first but kind of stops as soon as she realizes it’s all just a pyramid scheme and that she’s just a tool to those people. Fledglings have it so hard 😔 She kind of starts just doing nothing and helps out the fledgling (dead sire 2004 bloodlines fledgling) before leaving L.A. in the end. She goes “road tripping” (just aimlessly leaving this fucked up city) with her new A-list actor not-yet-boyfriend and probably settles in San Francisco. Her old home :-) As much as she’d love to go back to acting, she’s legally dead so she’s just vibing for now.

(I might also just make her the fledgling again but without the dead sire... we will see.)

4. Do they have a coterie? What position do they take in that group, if so? Otherwise, do they have any notable Kindred (or other creatures) friends?

In Erinverse, her temporary coterie consists of, well, her, Erin, Serena and sometimes Sam when she’s not busy looking at mummies (if I have a million L.A. vampires they might as well be friends). I think she and Erin would meet early on in Downtown and Helena agrees to help her out because, well, Erin’s nice. Then they pick up Serena on the way when they go to club Confession. It’s only for a few nights obviously and they all part ways in the end, Helena leaving LA, Erin living in the sewers and Serena… well idk what she does. Sam also leaves L.A. with Beckett but they occasionally get postcards and letters from her :-)

As for other friends, most L.A. vampires don’t like her that much, she’s kind of known for her lack of loyalty to any cause :( She’s good friends with the Hollywood Anarchs though!! She likes Isaac (until she spots too many similarities to Christian. Being a shitty sire 🤝), VV and Ash… everyone else in Hollywood is a Nosferatu though so that's it.

9. What’s their haven like?

The downtown apartment… she only lives there for a week or so, so it’s less of a home and more like a hotel she’s temporarily staying in. With dead neighbors. I haven't decided where exactly she lives in modern nights/after leaving L.A. but probably a nice little place with Victorian-esque decorations :-)

12. Regardless of whether or not they adhere to Camarilla rule, have they ever broken any of the Traditions?

She’s usually pretty good at keeping them up only to avoid trouble but the Masquerade. She tells her sister and mom she’s “alive”. She’s sure her family won’t tell anyone, not knowing the danger she puts them in :/

[noonymoon]

You Have Been Lied To #4

hello again!

in the first few posts we have talked about

how the public narrative is carefully constructed by a global elite

how our entire perception of our past and how we came to be was shaped throughout history

how the myths and stories about a great flood and giants throughout all the cultures are real

how there are children going missing in massive amounts

and why they are going missing 1 & 2 

while i am not at all hurt on a personal level by the fact that many people start to unfollow me - i really don't care for status, fame, pleasure, distraction, an online-reputation, or ANYTHING at all anymore -, i am really saddened that only a fragment of people care for the Truth. the only thing i can do is keep going and pray that people will wake up in time. many others have begun to wake up (a lot of people woke up because of the Qanon movement but i am not a Qanon).

in this post today, i'm going to shed light on what Nazi-Germany actually was. i personally didn't dig deep into my own research because i am entirely overloaded with all kinds of researches and Hitler is not really my favourite topic in the world. but i've read a great book that pulls from many well-researched sources, plus i am using my common sense. when you can count 2+2 together and it makes sense, you know that ist is the Truth. the 2+2 we are going to look at today is the following:

- we've learned that the mainstream media and the entertainment media serves mainly two agendas: 1. to keep the truth away from us, and 2. to shape our perception of WHAT is possible, what is fantasy, what is truth and what is just too crazy to be real. right?

so, according to this parameter, let me ask you the question: why do you think there are SO MANY movies and works about the Nazis being deep into occult knowledge and into mystical artifacts? Captain America: Civil War, Hellboy, Wolfenstein, the Indiana Jones series, Iron Sky, The Keep, and many others are part of this concealing of Truth. the reason why Hollywood wants us to believe that this thought is too fantastical and too absurd to be real is that the Nazis truly had religious interest in the occult.

here is a brief overview about the topic 

there are quotes by Hitler himself which make one think what the heck did he mean by that...? (looking at it from a public narrative perspective ofc)

according to what i've learned Hitler was a huge follower of the teachings of Madam Helena Blavatsky - who founded Theosophy, basically the doctrine where the New Age movement gets pretty much all its ideas, and on which all the secret societies are founded: the Knights Templar, Golden Dawn, Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Ordo Templi Orientis, Illuminati and many more.

this image alone speaks volumes once you realize what’s being communicated.

the Lemurians? the Atlanteans? THE ARYANS? after breaking the veil of deception that is around all of us, it couldn't be more obvious that Hitler was deep in the occult knowledge that was brought forth by Theosophy in 1875. it simply does not make sense at all that Hitlers only goal was to create a race that "has blonde hair and blue eyes" (though it plays a tiny role in this as well). Hitler truly believed with all his rotten heart that there is a race that is superior to regular humans. this religious belief burned in him and his Nazis like an insane fire and they went on a lot of expeditions around the world to find more occult knowledge and also a very specific thing which i am not mentioning yet.

there are a ton of actual real photos of Hitler and his Nazis in Tibet visiting the monks, and also Hitler in the Antarctica (which is a whole rabbit hole for itself but that one is really crazy *lol*) and whatever you've heard in the public why Hitler went to these places, it is not the Truth.

when i was still in this witchy community on here, i often saw posts that basically told Nazis to f*ck off and stop using Runes. back then i had no concept of why any Nazi would use the nordic runes except maybe the superficial thought of "Germans are germanics are nordics" or whatever *lol*, the Truth is, in Hitlers quest to unlock as much as occult knowledge as possible, he also visited Iceland and studied the Nordic Edda. [ Hitlers goddaughter was also named Edda, just throwing this in here ] - Guido von List (an Austrian living in Germany) was apparently the first one to assign mystical meanings to the nordic runes and founding an occult Religion named Wotanism, he died in 1919.

another thing i want to point out is the Swastika. you probably know that the Swastika is pretty much an ancient symbol and appears in ALL kinds of cultures of this world. there is a reason for this that goes deep beyond any regular comprehension, but the public narrative is that Hitler simply stole this symbol and made it a Nazi-Germany symbol, but the truth goes much, much, much deeper than that.

of course we can pretend like all of these connections are just "coincidences" and of course we can cling to the public narrative that is telling us lies, lies, lies. i dearly encourage everyone who wants to know the Truth about this world to start researching. in all of the previous posts i've mentioned and linked really good starting points. you don't have to be a Christian or believe in Jesus in order to find out about the world we live in (though, after discovering all of the pieces and puzzling them together, the most logical thought for me was to literally RUN towards Jesus and i know this is different for everybody but i am praying for you to find Him). i know a lot of this sounds crazy and flat-out foil-hat-kind of way. but always remember that this image of the Truth is on purpose. people who dig into the Truth get out-cast, people who discover the Truth and want to wake other people up are being labelled as wrong and crazy, get silenced, get threatened, get assassinated.

to say it in Hitlers very words: "Truth is not what is; Truth is what people believe it to be" .... sadly, that is very true in our society today. everyone just picks and chooses what they want to believe and there is no concept anymore of ultimate Truth because we are being lied to from each and every side. and i know this sounds radical and Noony how can you say something like this, and so on and so forth, i really GET IT. i understand that it sounds radical, i understand that it isn't what people WANT to hear. you can condemn me all that you want, i really do not care anymore, this is way too important than setting my own comfort above it. Truth is truth, and lies are lies.

one of my favourite scriptures in the Bible is "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." --- John 8:32 ... it could NOT be MORE accurate. it's actually mindblowing how relevant and true these thousand year old words are, especially today. i've never felt so light and free and happy and sane EVER before in my entire life. i've quit my psychopharmacy drugs a while ago (i've been taking prescription drugs for more than 10 years) and my life is looking just bright and wonderful right now, and this even though i almost died in April, still recovering from it. i am more courageous, more filled with love, more motivated, more friendly, more calm, my household is doing just fine, everything is clean and neat, i am doing my chores, my plants are thriving, and even though i am literally ALONE 24/7 (real life AND online) i never ever feel lonely. and i am living with wide open eyes and even though this world is HORRIBLE, i am peaceful now. the Truth really DOES make you free. i've stopped with all kinds of toxic things, from sugar to drugs, you name it. i don't crave neither stimulation nor attention anymore. it's incredible. i can only recommend it. what God and his prophets also foretold over 2000 years ago that it would be EXACTLY like this. "evil will be considered good, and good will be considered evil" - people who speak the truth and do the good deeds will be demonized by the masses.

doing witchcraft and magic and believing in the New Age NEVER felt evil because i was never harming anyone. and i am pretty sure that 99,5% of you people on here feel the exact same way. we are being conditioned by the entertainment media to believe that magic is wonderful, innocent and curious. Disney is doing a GREAT job easing little children into the concepts of magic and fantasy. and i know most of all people never harm anyone with their magic. and God didn't forbid us to do magic because he doesn't want us to have fun or to have a spiritual life, or because he thinks we don't deserve any of the things we can do for ourselves magically. God will HAPPILY provide each and every need of us. the reason why God forbid his people to practice magic, sorcery, divination and witchcraft is to protect us from being deceived. now, a lot of people will rebel mentally, and that's okay, i was the same way. before you haven't discovered the truth and combined all of the puzzle pieces, it really just doesn't make a lot of sense, is really provoking and sounds bad. i was really wrestling with all this myself. now, i am grateful to the Lord that this wrestling process ended up in me being OPEN to what He has to say, and discovering the Truth instead of rebelling and living a lie any further. Praise God for not giving up on me with my stubbornness.

today, i've listened to an interview with the Illuminati Defector that i've mentioned in an earlier post, who was going to be one of the highest ranks in the Illuminati (Queen Mother of Darkness). her name is Jessie Czebotar and she has made it her mission to bring light to this worldwide matter and help survivors being rescued. please listen to some of her interviews, it’s mind-blowing what she has to say.

honestly, when you realize how EVIL these people are and that they ARE witches and druids and that they USE the occult and witchcraft and magic on an EXTREMELY high and incredible level, the LAST thing you WANT is to continue doing the same thing. like. i am not judging anyone here, truly. because we simply do not know what's going on. but when you suddenly realize that EVIL PEOPLE like Hitler, like the Illuminati and the Freemasons and all of these secret occult societies did and ARE doing the same thing of which WE regular people think it's no big deal and it's okay, you simply wanna run, run, run from it as far as you possibly can. at least this is how i feel about it. i am not forcing anyone to believe me, i am simply encouraging you to at least find out why i am saying all these things to you, and then decide for yourself.

Jesus said that we will know them by their fruits. a good tree can only create good fruit and a bad tree can only create bad fruit. a good tree can not create bad fruit and a bad tree can not create good fruit. it's really quite simple.

God bless the ones that read this with an open mind.

[v-t-holmes]

MCR songs rated by how many of the Bandori bands could and/or should cover them

romance: no lyrics, but it has roselia vibes 1/5

honey: afterglow vibes, but also popipa (and also I want Rimi for the screaming parts), they might be kira kira doki doki but they also covered a song entirely about sex and god knows ... is pretty dark too, 2/5

vampires: roselia and afterglow both seem like the type to cover this, 3/5 for the third possibility of yukina and ran covering it together

drowning lessons: once again, afterglow and roselia or a yukina and ran cover vibe, but also RAS, 3/5 + 1

sorrows: afterglow, and RAS and glitter*green vibes and also ran, layer and yuri deserve to say fuck 1/5 + 2

halos: lets just go ahead and say that most of the bullets album has afterglow vibes, but this one also has hello happy world! vibes, harohapi is the kind of band to cover stuff you wouldn't expect them to 2/5

turnstiles: it does have afterglow vibes but should any of them really be covering this song 0/5 + 1 bc I trust yukina's dad with it (also i googled him after writing this, why is he so pretty excuse me)

monroeville: afterglow/5, ran has the range

best day ever: clearly, afterglow, 1/5

cubicles: just like approximately 100 times previously, this has clear afterglow vibes, but also roselia, maybe glitter*green too, 2/5 + 1

demolition lovers: everything but screaming in this song says roselia bc screaming is very un-yukina-esque, 1/5 + ran would totaly scream

helena: fits roselia the best, but it also has afterglow or glitter*green vibes, maybe even RAS, but at the moment they don't have the emotional depth for that yet, 2/5 + 1.5

give ‘em hell kid: realized that bullets and three cheers have afterglow and roselia vibes respectively, but their imagery is exactly the opposite. that being said, both roselia and afterglow could do a great cover of this song, 2/5

to the end: just like a bunch of times before, roselia and afterglow, 3/5 for a possibility of yukina and ran cover

prison: Hello!!!! Happy!!!! World!!!!! I do not take constructive criticism on this one, 1/5 let kokoro tsurumaki say motherfucker

i’m not okay: guess the band it starts with a and ends with fterglow (also can somebody put this song over the tied to the skies mv i have a theory they fit together), also roselia, but only for the 'i'm okay (trust me)' part bc i want ako to have the 'trust me' line, 3/5, popipa, harohapi and pasupare together give the song another point

ghost of you: it could very easily be a roselia song, 1/5

jetset life: una otra cancion para roselia to cover por favor 1/5

interlude: it may be a short song but yukina's vocals and roselia's sound would fit it way too well 1/5

venom: realistically, afterglow and roselia would be most likely to cover it, but someting about it says 'cutesy idols should get away with singing it', so I'd want pasupare to cover it, but also popipa or harohapi, 5/5, *please*

hang ‘em high: oh yeah afterglow totaly, but more importantly, harohapi, 2/5

deathwish: nobody will be surprised if I say Roselia and Afterglow would cover this, right? also I just noticed there's lots of christian motives in the three cheers songs, 2/5 + Jesus

cemetery drive: why are most of the songs so fitting for Roselia and/or Afterglow (i mean it's fitting but please give me more to work with mcr), 3/5

never told you: it has strangely popipa and harohapi vibes, and I'd fear for my thumbs if it was a harohapi song and was added to the game, also afterglow 3/5

desert song: this song is too sad. -9293838382/5, or I'll cry

the end.: I mean yeah, afterglow and roselia, but it has Poppin'Party vibes but Dark 3/5

dead!: well since the end. transitions to this one, afterglow, roselia and popipa already have this song rights, but this one also has pasupare and harohapi vibes, and maybe even glitter*green, 5/5 + 1

how i disappear: the intro alone says roselia and the rest of the song keeps and keeps saying roselia. roselia. did i mention roselia? 1/5

sharpest lives: afterglow for this one, and maybe harohapi, 2/5

wttbp: hello happy world is legally required to cover this song, 1/5

i don’t love you: idk this song made me think of pasupare, but more realistically, afterglow or popipa, 3/5

house of wolves: the vibes say pasupare and popipa, the song says afterglow, 3/5 + i spent about 5 minutes trying to roll that R in 'i said ashes to ashes'

cancer: pasupare or roselia but please no. -2/5 I would cry and miss all my notes on the easy difficulty

mama: god. please. hello happy world. 3/5 bc pasupare and popipa also seem like they'd make a great cover

sleep: something about it just say afterglow and nobody else, 1/5

teenagers: there's something about imagining kokoro singing the chorus ... but really any of the bands could do it Well so 5/5 + 2, please

disenchanted: yukina's voice. it's made for this song. please. bushiroad do something about this. roselia/5

famous last words: yes. feels like one for all the vocalists to get together and sing, all/5

blood: fun! hello happy world! 1/5

kill all your friends: it has the afterglow vibes, but I can also see harohapi and popipa cover it what else can I say, 3/5

heaven help us: saying roselia and afterglow gets boring, popipa and harohapi is in, 4/5

my way home is through you: Poppin' Party (also afterglow but really they already have enough songs on this list) 2/5

emily: i got so focused on the comment section on youtube that I almost forgot to think of which band this would fit. most likely pasupare or harohapi, 2/5

party at the end of the world: finally we're getting to the more popipa/pasupare/harohapi vibe songs, also afterglow 4/5

not that kind of girl: i spoke too soon, this clearly has ran vibes, 1/5, afteeglow type of song through and through

all the angels: uh tough one. it sounds nice but has Very Dark lyrics, so popipa and harohapi could both cover it, but like, also roselia vibes? and maybe even pasupare, 4/5

na na na: out of the main bands, harohapi, but really, it has more RAS vibes, 1/5 + 1, let layer say fuck

bulletproof heart: it even has roselia-esque song title, what else is there to say, 1/5 + 1 actually, i feel like it also has guriguri vibe

sing: this has very uplifting vibes actually, and popipa, pasupare and harohapi have very uplifting vibes, ran is made to sing songs like that too, and god knows yukina could sing this so well, another one for all the main bands 5/5 + 2 because also RAS and guriguri

planetary (go!): HELLO HAPPY WORLD/5 AND NOBODY ELSE

the only hope for me is you: definitely a roselia type of song, 1/5

party poison: oh this simply has afterglow + aya vibes, 1.2/5

save yourself, i’ll hold them back: same as the previous one, but yukina instead of aya, 1.2/5

scarecrow: pasupare seem like the band for this song. it also has popipa vibes. maybe collab with ran? ran could honestly sing all the mcr songs. 2.2/5

summertime: the only of the main bands i can't see singing this song is harohapi, 4/5

destroya: just saying afterglow would be boring. it's popipa and harohapi you should worry about. 3/5

kids from yesterday: i mean it would be a good song for roselia or pasupare to cover, but the emotional toll this song would take on me if it was chosen on multi live is not worth it, -2/5

vampire money: listen it has kira kira doki doki vibes of popipa, and cute idols should be allowed to say fuck, and afterglow would clearly do a cover, but really, the best one for this song would be harohapi, but even more really, a 5-way collab between the five bands would be the best, all/5

we don’t need another song about california: my first thought with it was popipa, but it also has pasupare and roselia vibes, 3/5

black dragon fighting society: this song is clearly a job for harohapi and nobody else/5

f.t.w.w.w.: roselia and afterglow and harohapi show up a lot huh, 4/5 for a possible collab between ran, yukina and kokoro

mastas of ravenkroft: well, considering what this song is about, the only band who should do it is popipa, 1/5, kira kira doki doki vibes didn't stop them from covering romeo&cinderella, it won't stop them from covering this song

boy division: another one with harohapi vibes, but also more afterglow vibes (i mean look at them, they're the most emo band in the game), 2/5

tomorrow’s money: afterglow and roselia would definitely cover it, but who i really want to cover it is pasupare, 3/5

ambulance: really any of the main bands could cover this, but especially pasupare or popipa, 5/5

gun.: it has the vibes of every band honestly, and all the bands could make it sound good, 5/5 + 2 for RAS and glitter*green

the world is ugly: i mean they all could, and the covers would be nice, but is crying and eventually dying while playing a live really worth it? -5/5

the light behind your eyes: what is this, songs that would make me die before the fever chance bar showed up from making me cry? -728282/5 I don't want to die in a multi live just bc of crying

kiss the ring: can't see roselia or pasupare cover it, but popipa, afterglow and harohapi definitely could, it has them vibe, 3/5

make room!!!: it doesn't have roselia vibes, but it does have RAS vibes, 4/5 + 1

surrender the night: clearly a roselia vibes song, although afterglow and popipa have a similar vibe too, 3/5

burn bright: can't decide if roselia or afterglow would make a better cover, 3/5, maybe they should do it together

fake your death: 6/5 bc the special band should be the one covering that, even if all the main bands could do it well separately

[inawickedlittletown]

I’m With You (12/?)

Summary:

Having a crush was nothing to be ashamed of…lying to the family and friends of said crush about being the guy’s boyfriend, that was a whole other problem. When Buck saves the life of Andrew Diaz and accidentally makes a nurse think that he’s Andrew’s boyfriend, Buck soon finds himself lying to Andrew’s firefighter friends/coworkers as well as Andrew’s family including Andrew’s very suspicious and attractive brother, Eddie.

Based on the 1995 movie While You Were Sleeping.

Words: 5,385

Read on Ao3

Masterpost

Previous Chapter

–

Instead of heading home when they were done with their shift, Chimney went to the hospital. He was tired which was the usual after a long shift, but he also knew that with Helena and Ramon heading back to Texas, that it would likely be the best time for him to get Andrew alone before anyone from the 118, Buck, or even Josh showed up. 

Andrew was still sleeping when Chimney entered his room, holding a cup from Coffee Time because they really did have the best coffee and Chimney had needed it if he was going to do this. He sat down by Andrew’s side and browsed through his phone. He played Candy Crush for a while and when that got boring he started looking through the news which was always a bit depressing.

A nurse came by to check on Andrew.

“Hi,” Chimney said. “No changes, right?” 

“No, nothing at all,” she said. 

Chimney nodded. It was another twenty minutes before Andrew woke up. He looked groggy and a bit confused, but then that seemed to be the state of him all the time these days. 

“Hey,” Chimney said. “How are you feeling?” 

“Like I haven’t left this bed in days,” Andrew said. 

Chimney chuckled. “And I’m sure the hospital food isn’t helping any.” 

“Chimney, right?” Andrew asked as he sat up and moved his pillows to support his back a bit better. 

“Got it in one,” Chimney said.

“Do I get to know why they call you that?” 

Chimney shook his head with a chuckle. “That will remain a mystery to you and your brother for just a while longer. Or maybe forever.” 

“Fine,” Andrew said. “So, we’re close, then? Everyone I work with?” 

Chimney nodded. “We’re family, kid. We’ve all been pretty worried about you but it seems you’re getting better. Are you remembering anything? Or is it still all a blank?” 

“I think I remember some things. It’s weird...I guess deja vu or something. Things and people are familiar to me. I remember things about myself, a little. After Eddie brought over my favorite book, I pretty much remembered the whole thing.”

“Right,” Chimney said. He didn’t know if this was the right thing or if it was even his place to bring it up, but Chimney wanted to help both Andrew and Buck. “So you know you’re straight, then?” 

Andrew frowned at him. “I’m — what about Buck?” 

“There was a misunderstanding,” Chimney said, watching Andrew closely. 

“How...what—”

Chimney took a breath.  “A nurse got things mixed up and Buck did save you and he was worried you weren’t going to be okay and she got him in here because she thought he was your boyfriend.” 

“Holy shit,” Andrew said. “That’s insane and no one...no one thought to say anything about not knowing this guy? What the hell?”

Chimney nodded quickly. “I know, I know,” he said. 

“No. How does this happen? I mean...I don’t remember anything but you guys do. My family does. What happened exactly?” 

“Okay, so what happened is that before Buck could clear anything up the same nurse told everyone he was your boyfriend. She told Isabel and everyone just assumed you just hadn’t told anyone yet and I think it was because of your abuela that Buck didn’t feel he could say anything.”

Chimney waited him out. He didn’t know what to expect and Andrew seemed to be processing everything he’d heard. 

“That’s insane,” Andrew said eventually. 

“I know,” Chimney said. “I know it is, and he feels horrible about it. I’m the only one that knows. Well, Josh too.”

“So he’s just kept this going? And you let him?” Andrew asked. “I can’t — this is insane. Who does something like this?” 

Chimney was maybe reconsidering what he’d just done. Then again, the possibility that Andrew would react badly had always been there and maybe it was better that Chimney was getting the reaction instead of Buck. 

“Look,” Chim said, “I only found out because I overheard him talking to you while you were in the coma and the thing is that Buck didn’t intend to end up in this situation and that everyone’s made it hard for him in one way or another. He has no one and then there we were welcoming him in without even knowing him just on the basis that he was your boyfriend. Your aunt and grandmother have been doting on him from day one. Athena and Bobby like him. Hen is always worrying about him. And he’s not someone that’s had people for a while. But Buck has always known it would end once you woke up. Once everyone knows—”

“They’ll be angry,” Andrew finished for him. “And rightly so. I don’t...I don’t really remember everyone but they’ve been lied to.” 

“By someone sweet and nice that didn’t mean any harm. Someone that saved your life, Andrew. And maybe...maybe you can find a way to repay at least that. Or just...give him a chance. Please.” 

Andrew was silent for a long moment again and Chimney used the time to finish off the last of his coffee. He saw the way that Andrew’s eyes followed the cup with some familiarity. 

“What, pretend to be his boyfriend? When I’m not into men at all? Chimney this just...it isn’t going to work...I don’t know what you want me to do.”

Chimney really hadn’t thought the whole thing through. He just had known that he had to do something to make it easier on Buck somehow. 

“I guess I’m hoping you’ll make it easier on Buck somehow because he’s already going to be dealing with the wrath of your brother if this all comes out. He’s been questioning this whole thing from the start and I don’t know if he wants to be right or not but either way—”

“He’ll lash out,” Andrew said almost absentmindedly. 

—-

When Buck checked his phone when he went on his break, he found three missed calls from the same number that had called him before but no messages. He tried calling back again but no one picked up and the voicemail was generic and gave nothing away. Buck was very close to just blocking the number entirely and not dealing with it. But that was something for a later time. Buck sat down at one of the tables closer to the counter and started nibbling on his croissant. They had no customers at the moment and Buck wasn’t surprised when Ali walked around the counter and joined him. 

“So, what’s happening on the fake coma ridden boyfriend with a hot brother front?” 

Buck chuckled and rolled his eyes. “He’s awake for one thing. I think I texted you about it.”

“Yeah,” Ali said, “and I appreciated all the detail you gave me too.”  

“He has amnesia,” Buck said. 

“That, I did not see coming. So you’ve been saved to live another day of your fake life.” 

Buck groaned and he dropped his forehead on the table. “It’s the worst. I have to tell them. I have to tell him. It’s just so damn hard.”

“I’ve been telling you to tell them for ages, Buck,” Ali said. 

“Yeah, well…” 

Buck wasn’t too surprised when his phone rang again and there was no one on the line. It was odd and as much as he wanted to just block the number and not have to deal with it, Buck was definitely considering going to Athena and seeing if she could track the number somehow. Buck had an idea that it might have been Abby and that she was trying to build up the courage to say something. He didn’t know if he wanted that or not. He was mostly leaning on not. And it wasn’t that Buck wouldn’t have appreciated more closure on the Abby front, but more that he just didn’t care to dredge all of that up again. His life was already chaotic enough as it was. 

When Buck ended his shift, after Ali tried to list the number of reasons why he should tell Andrew the truth, Buck didn’t head to the hospital, but to Petco because Legolas was out of dog food and it was really up to him if that dog got taken care of which Buck didn’t mind in the least. After it was all over and he couldn’t see Legolas again, Buck was considering getting a dog of his own. If nothing else, the companionship would be nice. 

For some reason, he couldn’t find the same brand of dog food that Andrew had at the house. So he started doing research right there in the aisle trying to figure out what an alternative could be. It felt silly to care so much about a bag of dog food for a dog that he probably wouldn’t see in a week’s time. In the end, he picked one with good reviews online and because Legolas deserved a treat, he bought him a couple of the cans of wet dog food of the same brand. And then he picked up a few dog biscuits too. Even if he was going to have to stop seeing Legolas eventually, Buck figured he would let Legolas know he did love him in at least one way. 

The hospital was closer than Andrew’s house so that’s where Buck went next and as he parked his Jeep, he felt nervous and weird, but he walked in anyway and headed to the room. He was surprised when he found Andrew all alone. Buck had expected to find at least Pepa there since he knew Helena and Ramon had gone back home to Texas. 

Andrew shot him a smile when he entered. “Hey, Buck,” he said. 

“Hi,” Buck said. “How are you doing today?” 

“I’m good,” Andrew said. “I’m not remembering anything still, but I’m good...you know while being in a hospital and all that.”  

It was a bit awkward. Buck didn’t really know Andrew and to Andrew, Buck was just as much a stranger too. Except that Andrew was also under the impression that Buck was his boyfriend. 

“Did you work today?” Andrew asked. 

Buck nodded. “Yeah, I did. I’m a barista so I was up pretty early in the morning.”

Andrew looked surprised to hear that. 

“What?” Buck asked. 

“I just...for some reason I thought maybe you were a firefighter too. Just — the way my mom talked about how you helped me during the accident and then I think it was...Hen, Hen said you jumped in to give someone CPR. So I figured you were one too. It...it made sense to me.” 

Buck chuckled and shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’m not—”

“Maybe you should be,” Andrew said. “I don’t remember much, but I know what it’s like to be a firefighter and a lot about fire science. My brother was quizzing me and it’s weird how I know things like that but not like stuff about my own life. But, anyway, maybe you’d be good at it.” 

He would never know. Logically, Buck knew that he wouldn’t need to work with the 118 if he ever did decide to try and become a firefighter. Actually, the likelihood of being assigned there probably depended on a number of different variables. Buck was sure that things wouldn’t end well and that the best thing for him to do would be to remove himself and let things go back to how they were and it would be painful if he was inspired to become a first responder with the reminder of them hanging over him. 

“I don’t know,” Buck said with a shrug. “Your parents left today, right?” 

“Uh, yes. Texas. I grew up there...wasn’t expecting that.”

Buck chuckled. “Why?” 

Andrew just shrugged. “I don’t know. So, um, can you tell me about yourself?” 

“Like what?” Buck asked. 

“Well so far I know you’re a barista. I probably should know a lot more about my boyfriend, don’t you think?” There was something like a challenge in Andrew’s voice. 

His boyfriend. It was hard hearing Andrew say that like it was fact and not the biggest lie that Buck had ever told and kept going in his life. And it was an opening for Buck to correct it and tell the truth but it was as if he had something stuck in his throat because he couldn’t say it. The words wouldn’t come out. He was a coward. 

“I have an older sister,” Buck found himself saying instead and he didn’t know why his first thought was Maddie. 

“Ah, so you relate to the little brother conundrum,” Andrew said. 

“Sorta. I guess. I haven’t seen her in a while. Eddie thinks I should just go and show up at her house and demand she see me. He says your family is pushy that way. But that’s not about me — you want to know about me.” Buck tried to think of something interesting. “I, um, I lived in South America for a while.” 

“Know any Spanish?” 

“Un poco,” Buck said. “Like very little. Enough to get by.” 

[“A little…”]

Andrew chuckled. “So you need to practice, then,” he said. “And what did you do in South America?” 

It felt a little bit like he was being questioned, but then Buck supposed that Andrew just wanted to know more about the people that were supposed to have some sort of meaning in his. 

“I went on a whim and when I ran out of money I ended up bartending. I had no idea what else to do, then.” 

“And you’re still doing that,” Andrew said. “Barista isn’t far from bartending, is it? It’s not what you want, I can tell. So what was it, what was the unattainable dream?” 

Andrew was different from Eddie. He was straight forward and weirdly observant. 

“Go on, tell me, it’s the least that I should know about you.” 

Andrew raised an eyebrow at him as if to challenge Buck into telling him and Buck sighed. “I don’t think I ever knew what I wanted. Other than to get away from my parents. And then, I thought the Navy Seals but that didn’t work out.”

“And like I said, you should be a firefighter,” Andrew said with a smile. He really was still as attractive as ever. 

“I’ll think about it,” Buck said. 

“So you were in the Navy, then? I mean...to join the Seals? Was that before or after the bartending?”

Buck shook his head. “Um, no. You don’t have to be in the Navy...just have to prove you can be particularly badass, I guess. Which I am. But being able physically is different than mentally and than being able to just blindly follow. And that’s what they want, they want someone that can just turn off emotion and do whatever needs to be done and no amount of good that can come of that ever felt right for me.”

Andrew nodded slowly. He didn’t respond at once. “You want to help people,” he said eventually. “And you don’t want to be a firefighter?” 

Buck chuckled. When put like that, it did sound like becoming a firefighter was the natural course of things. 

“Somehow,” Andrew said, “I think this should have been a conversation we had before. But it’s not, is it?” 

Buck shook his head. At least that wasn’t a lie. Andrew nodded to himself and he seemed to be trying to figure out what to say next. 

“I was looking through that photo album,” Andrew said eventually. “There’s a news clipping in there from when I was a teenager. I saved someone from a fire. My mom told me about it but after I read the clipping it all came back to me.” 

“Oh,” Buck said. 

“It’s just I saved that woman,” Andrew said. “I remember it clearly. Running in and grabbing her and how hot it was. The smoke. But...I also started the fire.”

Buck hadn’t expected that. He also had no idea how to respond. 

“I know, crazy. I never told anyone. It wasn’t...it wasn’t like I did it on purpose or anything but I was the reason it happened in the first place. I was hanging out with this girl and we were being stupid teenagers and didn’t even realize what we did but we got out and then she realized her mom was still inside.”

“So you ran back in,” Buck said, watching him. 

Andrew gave a short nod and he ran his hand through his hair, his fingers getting caught where it was tangled. Before he could stop himself, Buck was up and reaching to help him get his fingers back. He lingered there, not quite looking at Andrew until his gaze fell down on him and he was surprised to see Andrew’s eyes on him too. Andrew was watching him, curiously. 

“Sorry,” Buck said, letting his hand go and moving back to sit. “So, um, you ran back in?” 

“Yeah,” Andrew said as if that moment a few seconds ago could be thrown aside and forgotten. “I got her out and then the firefighters arrived and they were all thanking me and telling me how good a job I had done and it was horrible when it all happened because I was being a dumbass. And my mom, she was the worst of them once she heard. She’s been telling that story forever and it only got worse once I decided to become a firefighter. I could never tell her. Never told anyone.”

“You’re telling me,” Buck said. “Why?” 

Andrew shrugged and then he reached over and grabbed Buck’s hand. “You’re my boyfriend, aren’t you?” He asked. 

Buck felt like all the breath had been pulled from his body, that someone had gripped him so tightly that it was all just expelled out of him. Andrew’s expectant look was almost cruel, but cruel only because Buck was lying and Buck deserved to be treated like the liar that he was. 

“And I guess, I’m telling you because if I can do this, so can you. I can see it, the self-doubt. So you couldn’t make it as a Navy Seal...doesn’t mean you have to stop trying to be something else. And if it’s helping people that you’re interested in? Why not this?” 

“Thanks,” Buck said for lack of something better to say and suddenly realized that Andrew was holding his hand. “I don’t—”

He trailed off when he heard someone running out in the hall and then in the next moment Denny ran into the room followed by Karen and Hen. Buck pulled his hand back from Andrew. He felt weirdly like he’d been burned. 

“Buckaroo!” Hen cried. “Haven’t seen you in a while.” 

A while was a few days, but Hen walked over to him and hugged him as if they had been lifelong friends and she hadn’t seen him in weeks or months. 

“And here I thought I was the one in the hospital,” Andrew said with a smile. 

Hen turned and hugged him next. “You, I am so glad you’re okay even if you don’t remember anything at all. Not even your lovely boyfriend.” 

“Hi, Buck,” Karen said and gave him a quick hug.

“Hi,” Buck said. 

Although Denny had run into the room, he’d stopped at the foot of the hospital bed as if waiting for someone to notice him and since Hen was busy fussing over Andrew and Karen seemed to be trying to make her stop, it was Buck that motioned for him. 

“Hey, kiddo,” he said. 

“Hi,” Denny said, but he moved closer. “Is he okay?” 

“Andrew...yeah, he’ll be just fine.”

Karen intervened then, bringing Denny even closer and Andrew turned and smiled at him but even Buck could tell that it was a little bit strained and that he didn’t seem to know what to say to Denny but he managed and then Karen drew Denny away. 

“Still bad with kids,” Hen said with a chuckle. 

“Unlike Buck here,” Andrew said. 

 Buck shrugged his shoulders. “I like kids,” he said and he remembered suddenly that Eddie had told him once that Andrew didn’t. Maybe all of that was instinctual for him. 

“That’s because you’re practically a kid too,” Hen said to Buck and it was hard to remember that Hen barely knew him. 

“Thanks, Hen,” Buck said. 

—-

His house felt different with his parents gone. Eddie also found that his mother had cleaned the place up to her liking before she left. She’d done his laundry and put away his clothes and moved everything from where it was supposed to go. His bathroom cabinet was rearranged and so it seemed was his closet. What Eddie couldn’t figure out was when she’d had time for any of it with how often she was at the hospital all day long. Christopher’s room even looked impeccable which was saying something because Chris wasn’t a messy kid but he was still a kid. 

Eddie had been tasked with dropping them off at the airport earlier with promises that he would call every day with updates on Andrew. They were planning on returning soon but they were less anxious now that Andrew was actually awake. 

“I’m gonna miss grandma and grandpa,” Christopher said. 

“They’ll be back soon, kiddo,” Eddie said.

Eddie could admit to himself that it was nice to spend some time at home with Christopher after how chaotic the last week had been. He’d promised his mom that he would go visit Andrew later so he could give her an update, but he waited until right before dinner time to go so he could stop and pick up burgers for dinner since he was sure Andrew was sick of the hospital food. 

“You are the best,” Andrew said when he and Christopher arrived and Eddie showed him the bag of food. 

“Not me?” Christopher asked. 

Andrew chuckled. “You’re always on top, little man.” 

Eddie set Chirstopher up so he could eat and not make much of a mess of himself while he sat next to his brother to eat. 

“How’s it been around here? Quieter without mom and dad, I bet.” 

“A bit,” Andrew admitted. “Not too bad. Chimney visited earlier and Buck. Hen and Karen stopped by while Buck was here too.” 

“And your head? Feeling okay?” 

Andrew nodded. “Same, really. Still hurting a bit but nothing to worry about. And I’m remembering a few things...or kind of being reminded of some things. Why all the questions?” 

“So I don’t have to guess at things when mom questions everything I tell her when she calls. She should really be calling you. Where’s your phone anyway?” 

It was the first time that Eddie had considered where Andrew’s things had gone. Too much had been going on for anyone to notice that somewhere along the way Andrew’s phone and likely his wallet had disappeared. Unless the hospital passed it on to someone. Maybe Pepa or Abuela since they were the first ones with Andrew after the accident. 

“I’ll ask Pepa about it tomorrow,” Eddie said. “And maybe your phone will give you more of a clue as to who you are.” 

“Maybe,” Andrew said. 

Eddie stuck around for a little over an hour but he couldn’t stay any longer if he wanted to get Christopher in bed at a decent hour. Andrew didn’t seem to mind when Eddie told him they were leaving since he was looking a bit tired and like he wanted to go to sleep. So they said goodbye, Christopher insisting on hugging his uncle. 

Once they made it back home, Eddie sent Christopher to get ready for bed and then he tucked him in and read a story until his son was passed out. He stayed on the phone with his parents for a while afterwards when they called to check in about Andrew and then he also got himself into bed. It was going to be an early morning the next day since he had to get Christopher over to Abuela’s house before his shift started. 

The next morning began with a missed call from Pepa and a voice mail:  

“Eddie, hey, listen. I’m currently enroute to the hospital because—”

Andrew. It had to be Andrew. Something had to have happened with him overnight. 

“—your  abuela fell down.”

Eddie hadn’t expected that. It made a lump rise in his throat. He let the rest of the message play out. 

“I don’t know what happened or how she is yet but she told me it wasn’t a big deal. Just wanted to let you know. I’ll call or text later with more details.” 

Eddie closed his eyes for a long moment. He could tell by Pepa’s voice that there was nothing to worry about. Abuela would be fine. It was just that she liked to push herself and she didn’t like to ask for her. It was one of the reasons that Eddie usually hesitated in leaving Christopher with her for long periods of time. She was getting on in age and looking after a kid required some energy even one like Christopher that didn’t move all that fast. But without her, Eddie knew he would have never gotten anything done since she was retired and usually home unless she was out with Pepa. Mostly, Eddie left Christopher with Abuela when he worked twenty four hour shifts but even then, it was for the night so that an adult was around just in case Christopher needed something. That’s why Eddie had Carla — the home aid that Andrew had found for him when Eddie had moved to LA — but Carla was away visiting with her husband’s family out of state. In some ways it had been perfect that his parents were around the one week that Eddie was going to have child care issues. 

After talking to Pepa he found out that Abuela had fallen while doing some cleaning and that she was going to be fine but needed to stay at the hospital for at least the day. Pepa would stay with her and check in on Andrew too. It was a relief to hear she’d be okay, but it still left Eddie with a problem. 

Eddie spent a good chunk of his morning trying to find someone to watch Christopher but none of his cousins were available and Pepa was already dealing with Abuela at the hospital and short of leaving Christopher at the hospital with Andrew he had no one. It was out of desperation that he called Athena, wondering if she was working for the day or not. As it turned out, she was already at work and Eddie was lucky she picked up his call at all. 

“I guess I’ll have to let Bobby know I won’t be coming in,” Eddie said. 

“Or you could call Buck,” Athena said. “Seemed to me he and Christopher got along. I’m sure he’d be happy to look after him for the day.” 

It was a twelve hour shift. It wouldn’t be overnight but Eddie would be getting back late. He didn’t know if he wanted to impose on Buck but he was running out of options. 

“Thanks, Athena. I guess — it can’t hurt to ask.”

“It can’t,” Athena said. 

He called Buck as soon as he was off the phone with Athena before he could change his mind because he hadn’t exactly been nice to Buck the last few times he’d seen him. Buck answered after a second ring. 

“Hello,” he said.

“Buck, hi. It’s Eddie. Listen, I need a favor and I wouldn’t ask unless I was desperate.” Eddie stood up from his couch where he had been perched and moved to the window. 

“Yeah, what is it?” Buck asked. 

“I was wondering if you could watch Christopher for the day. It’s just that Abuela fell this morning. I don’t really have the details but she’s at the hospital and Pepa said it was minor. Anyway, she was supposed to watch him and can’t and I really have no one else. I’ll understand if you can’t or if you just don’t want to. I know watching a kid is a lot and—”

Buck cut him off. “I’d love to. I’m not working today and I had no plans other than going over to feed Legolas and maybe the hospital. And like I said, I love kids, man. Yours especially. He’s adorable.” 

And of course Buck said yes. That was just who he was. Eddie shouldn’t have expected anything less, but he was still relieved. 

“Thank you. Thank you so much. I can — I can drop him off at your place if you want?”

Buck chuckled on the other side of the phone. “Yeah. Sure. I’ll text you my address.”

It was that easy and that simple. And the thing about it was that he’d known Buck for about a week and he trusted him. He trusted this man that was practically a stranger in so many ways to watch his son without any qualms at all and somehow it didn’t feel out of place. 

Eddie went to wake Christopher when it was time and together they got ready for the day and then Eddie told him he was going to be spending the day with Buck. They packed up a bag full of anything that Christopher might need to keep himself entertained and then Eddie packed him a few snacks too just in case and a change of clothes and a few band-aids for good measure. 

It turned out that Buck’s place wasn’t all that far from his place, so they made it there in no time and walked up to the apartment building and then inside. The building had an elevator at least so going up a few floors didn’t mean that Eddie was stuck climbing stairs and holding Christopher the whole way along with his stuff and his crutches. In general the building was nice. Newer and maybe even pricey which made Eddie wonder about how Buck was affording it when he was just a barista. His car was nice too and one of the newer Jeep models. It was yet another curious thing about Buck...another part of him that didn’t make a lot of sense. 

Buck opened the door after one knock, smiling. A halo of light surrounded him from the window behind Buck and Eddie almost couldn’t look away from how much it highlighted the light sprinkling of freckles on his face and made his hair look lighter.  

“Hey,” Buck said. 

“Hi,” Eddie said. 

Christopher stepped forward and Buck immediately dropped a hand into his hair. “Hey, kiddo. I guess it’s me and you for the day. We’re gonna have so much fun.” 

Christopher giggled. “Cool,” he said. 

“Not too much fun and not too much sugar either,” Eddie said. Christopher rolled his eyes. To Buck, Eddie whispered. “Seriously, you don’t want to deal with a hyper kid.” 

Buck stepped back to let him in and Christopher made himself at home, walking into the apartment and making a beeline for the couch and the tv. Eddie dropped Christopher’s things on Buck’s table and he rattled off an explanation on what was inside. 

“And you can call me any time okay. I’ll be at work but I’ll answer.”

“I think we’ll be okay, worrywart.” Buck said. “I’ll text you pictures, okay.” 

“Okay,” Eddie said and then he ran towards where Christopher was so he could hug him goodbye. “Be good for Buck, okay?” 

“Okay, daddy.” 

“Love you.” To Buck as he went back to the door he said, “thank you again. I really — I had no one else.”

“I’m happy to help. Don’t worry about it. Go be a hero.” 

Eddie gave him a nod and he left the apartment and for some reason he really didn’t feel worried. He trusted Buck that much. There were few people that Eddie did trust with Christopher and most of them were family. Buck was different. It should have been odd and strange to feel that way, but instead Eddie just felt grateful to have Buck. 

–

Next Chapter

Notes: So...Andrew knows...and he’s a little shit. Things are happening guys and next up some Chris and Buck bonding. 

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