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feralnumberfive · 3 years

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The Rewatch Academy: Episode 3 of Season 1

“Extra Ordinary”

I am in no way a good analyst so my little analysis and speculations probably sound a bit goofy or pretty wild and probably mean nothing at all. Everything I put into this post about each episode is purely what I noticed or thought, whether it's funny or serious. I will be making jokes, so please just leave it at that (in no way am I trying to make fun of an actor and or character!) I am also in no way saying I noticed this stuff first. This is just what I noticed while rewatching these episodes

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1x01 | 1x02 | 1x03 | 1x04 |

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☂ First off I’d like to say that this is one of my favorite episodes of this season. It’s just soooo good

☂ The second comic book in the window features the Televator from the actual comics, so that has to be canon in the show! Also at the time that that second comic came out, Five had already left since we don’t see him on the cover

☂ It’d be cool if they actually printed Vanya’s book for fans to read

☂ Well Diego isn’t wrong when he called Hazel and Cha Cha animals because of their masks

☂ Honestly I feel Vanya’s struggle with chair placement. I’ve fortunately had the luck of playing in all three clarinet chair placements, but 1st chair is challenging. I personally found each placement very fun to play, especially 3rd, and I hope Vanya does too! (why am I talking like she’s real)

☂ Hazel talks about people living ordinary lives, but didn’t he live like that too at one point? How does The Commission recruit people? If they get ordinary people, do they wipe their memories of their previous lives?

☂ “Let’s see’em get out from behind their desks, get their hands dirty for once.” Well Hazel, Five does indeed do this even though he only had a desk job for a day. Still, he got to experience both worlds

☂ My mind is blanking on this, but how did Five get that cut on his arm? Was it from a bullet wound at Gimbel’s?

☂ Five must have a high pain tolerance to stitch his own wound but his bandaid probably wouldn’t stick due to the wet blood he slapped it over. Five sweetie you need a cotton pad and gauze for that one

☂ Wait, you’re telling me that The Umbrella Academy boys’ top uniform consists of a tank top, a white dress shirt, a tie, a sweater vest, and then the blazer? Someone asked Reginald what he wanted for the uniforms and he just said “Yes.”

☂ Five: *puts hands in pockets only to immediately take them out*

☂ Aidan almost sounds like he has an accent when he says “I'm done funding your drug habit.”

☂ Five’s so soft talking to his wife

☂ No Leonard, your bread and butter is being a creep

☂ Also, he thinks wood carving is embarrassing? If someone came up to me and showed me something they carved out of wood I would be so jealous cause it’s such a neat form of art

☂ Leonard saying that he carved wood, and in that case wooden figures, when he was a kid is a slight foreshadow of all of his tampering with his Umbrella Academy figures. He can make wooden figures but he’s also destroyed a handful of the Hargreeves figures

☂ “Never really did like The Beatles.” Well sir you’ve made me dislike you even more

☂ Vanya asking Allison if her siblings wanted her at the family meeting bugs me a bit. I absolutely get that she was literally left out of anything and everything that had to do with her siblings when she was younger, but Allison just asked her to come back home for a family meeting. Allison wouldn't have walked around looking for Vanya only to tell her that they were having a family meeting and that she wasn’t actually invited. Allison is including her in on a family meeting but Vanya is just in a bit of disbelief that she’s being included

☂ Ah yes, the only PTSD flashback for Five we see in the show! He looks so scared when he snaps out of it. I believe it was somehow triggered by the kids (I could be wrong) but do you think Five sometimes panics when he looks at himself in the mirror now since his body is the same age it was when he got stuck? Also it’s very subtle but when Luther opens the door, Five slightly jerks/flinches back. I wish we would see more of this in the show since it’s one of his major traumas

☂ “Does it matter? It’s Klaus.” Ouch! Well Five I hope you know that your siblings are somewhat thinking the same thing since they believe that you’ve lost your mind and are practically an old man crying “Apocalypse!”

☂ Five does an ever so slight huff and smirk when Luther tells him that the meeting at the Academy is important. He finds it a little funny but so frustrating in his mind that Luther doesn’t know what’s truly important

☂ Also I love that Aidan has to turn to the side so that he can keep it together after Klaus talks about his chocolate pudding waxing. Either that or he’s portraying Five as being frustrated and in disbelief. Also this is the first time I’ve noticed that he says “Ay, ay ay...”

☂ “We’re all you have. And you know it.” Oh Luther, you’re failing to see that that’s why he’s acting like this right now. He’s all frantic and crazed about trying to stop the apocalypse so that he can protect and save all that he has

☂ Five certainly is mad at Luther during his mini lecture. He’s clenching his jaw tightly and when he first speaks he hisses out the words through gritted teeth. He even called Luther by his number. He’s very impatient at this point and doesn’t care for Luther’s act of attempting to be a leader

☂ This is their first, and certainly not last, time watching Klaus go by in front of them doing something he shouldn’t be doing

☂ “You haven’t been home in a long time, Vanya.” Sir you were also just on the moon for four years. Yeah Vanya was away for a long time but Grace easily could have changed too during the four years you were gone

☂ How sweet, even though Five hasn’t really been home they want to include him in on the family vote :]

☂ I’ve noticed that in S1 that David really mumbles his lines. A lot

☂ I wish we got more flashbacks of the younger Umbrellas

☂ Diego my beloved mama’s boy ♥️

☂ It’s confusing as to which country TUA takes place in, but it’s really not supposed to be a specific one. It’s portrayed as being in North America, but you can see behind Cha Cha when she gets out of the car at the Academy the flag of the RAF, which Canada would have at a monument since it’s a Commonwealth country. At the same time though Delores came from Gimbels, which was a department store chain across the U.S

☂ The light above Five’s portrait is slightly crooked, which probably means no one has really been paying attention to it

☂ It makes me nervous that Klaus wipes bubbles onto his face. It looks like he got some in his eyes

☂ Ugh I love the whole scene of Hazel and Cha Cha walking around the Academy with “We’re Through” playing

☂ Diego: *has knives but instead chooses to punch and hit Hazel to try to make him let go of Allison”

☂ A rope-a-dope is a boxing tactic of pretending to be trapped against the ropes, goading an opponent to throw tiring ineffective punches. Diego sweetie Hazel wasn’t even trying to get you off of him all he was doing was choking Allison. The only person who got tired was probably you

☂ What’s the point in Diego yelling “Luther, go!” if he’s already going 💀

☂ Luther was there immediately when Hazel attacked Vanya. That means that Luther heard Vanya and was going to go get her to safety

☂ I will never stop signing my praise for the entirety of the “Sinnerman” fight scene(s). It gives me chills every single time. Easily one of the best scenes in all of the show

☂ Klaus must really have his music blasting if he can’t hear the gun shots right next to him

☂ I’ve always wondered if Allison actually registered in her mind that “The boy” is Five when Cha Cha says that’s who they’re looking for. Either she does realize that’s Five, is simply just angry that those two are looking for a boy, or registers in her mind that it’s Five through his superhero codename even though Cha Cha’s not referring to him in that way

☂ Diego is full on just standing in the background watching Allison get beat up by Cha Cha 🕴

☂ I love Diego’s little hand flap when he gets hit in the hand fighting Cha Cha

☂ Okay so I make everything about Five, but the whole Cha Cha fight scene with Allison and then Diego kind of scares me. Cha Cha and Hazel are both amazing assassins (they’re both probably right below Five) and neither Allison nor Diego could stop her by themselves. Could you imagine Five fighting one of his siblings? Especially with his spatial jumps? We already got a glimpse of his true combat skills when he fights Lila in S2. What a scary little old man

☂ “Vanya, get out of here!” Again, wanting to make sure that Vanya is safe and gets away. He even tried to go look for her

☂ Something I don’t really get about the Hazel and Luther fight is why doesn’t Luther just overpower him? Luther has super strength and on top of that he has giant muscles due to the gorilla DNA. Shouldn’t he be able to beat Hazel to a pulp? Maybe we have to consider that Hazel might have been altered by The Commission to be stronger and more durable, but they haven’t mentioned that in the show

☂ “Ah, you gotta cut down on that fast food, soldier.” What are you talking about Diego he literally just got off the moon two days ago aflksjfdk

☂ So Luther was too injured to jump out of the way of the chandelier but was able to push it up off of himself? 🤔

☂ I personally think that Luther’s body design adaptation for the show is really cool and that they gave him the perfect amount of bulk without making him look ridiculous

☂ This has been pointed out before, but cross-stitch foreshadowing, baby

☂ Again, Diego my beloved mama’s boy ♥️

☂ Well at least Diego thought about Vanya dying before thinking about his siblings dying because of her. The latter is ironic!

☂ The clock above Luther’s mirror reads approximately 1:30 am. Hazel and Cha Cha didn’t want to wait until morning

☂ I wonder how different it would be if Five was present at the Academy when Hazel and Cha Cha attacked. He probably would have surrendered himself to them, but it's fun to entertain the idea that he would go apeshit if he knew that they were harming his family in order to find him

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Feel free to comment or reblog with things you have noticed too!

#tra #the rewatch academy #tua #the umbrella academy #umbrella academy #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #number five #five hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #hazel and cha cha

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ljones41 · 3 years

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"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" (2012) Review

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" (2012) Review Seven years after it had begun, Christopher Nolan's three-movie saga about the D.C. Comics character, Batman, finally came to an end. The saga that began with 2005's "BATMAN BEGINS", ended with 2012's "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES".

The trilogy’s third film, set seven years after 2008's "THE DARK KNIGHT", began with the aerial kidnapping of a nuclear scientist by an escaped terrorist named Bane. The scene shifted to Gotham City, where a fund-raiser was being held at Wayne Manor. The only person missing was millionaire Bruce Wayne, who had given up his vigilante activities as Batman after claiming he had murdered former District Attorney Harvey Dent. During the fundraiser, Bruce caught a maid breaking into his private safe. She turned out to be a resourceful cat burglar named Selina Kyle. Aside from a necklace that once belonged to Bruce's late mother, Selina did not steal any other object from the safe. Curious over Selina's actions, Bruce resumed his Batman alter ego and tracked down Selina. He discovered that she had been hired by a rival corporate CEO named John Daggett to lift and steal his fingerprints. Bruce also learned that Daggett had hired the terrorist Bane to attack Gotham's stock exchange and bankrupt Wayne Enterprises. And along with Police Commissioner James Gordon and Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox, Bruce also discovered that Bane was a former member of the League of Shadows and planned to continue Henri Ducard's (aka Ra's al Ghul) goal of Gotham City's destruction. Bruce asked fellow millionaire Miranda Tate to take control of Wayne Enterprises to ensure that Daggett and Bane will not gain control of their clean energy project, a device designed to harness fusion power. Re-reading the above made me realize that Christopher and Jonathan Nolan had created a very complicated plot. For me, the plot became even more complicated two-thirds into the movie. "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" obviously exists under the shadow of its two predecessors - "BATMAN BEGINS" and "THE DARK KNIGHT". I would say that this especially seemed to be the case for the 2005 movie. Batman and James Gordon's decision to lie about the circumstances behind Harvey Dent's death in the second movie had a minor impact upon this third movie. But Bruce's relationship and later conflict with Ra's al Ghul seemed to be the driving force behind his conflict with Bane in this third film. I had heard rumors that Christopher Nolan was initially reluctant to make a third BATMAN movie. Personally, I found that rumor a bit hard to believe, considering how "THE DARK KNIGHT" ended with Batman accepting the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes and death. But there were certain aspects of the script he wrote with his brother Jonathan that made me wonder if he had truly been reluctant. There were certain aspects of "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" that I found troubling. It seemed a pity that the second movie ended with Batman and Jim Gordon's decision to lie about the circumstances behind Dent's death. I found their decision annoying back in 2008 and I still do. The impact behind their lie proved to be hollow. It merely kept Batman off Gotham City's streets and led Mayor Anthony Garcia and the city to pass a strong anti-criminal law that proved to be hollow following Bane's arrival in Gotham City. I also found Bane's mid-air kidnapping of a nuclear scientist and escape from a U.S. marshal (portrayed by Aidan Gillen) rather somewhat idiotic. I understood that Bane needed that scientist to weaponize the Wayne Enterprise device. But I never understood why that U.S. marshal failed to take the trouble to identify the hooded prisoner (Bane) before boarding the plane. In the end, the movie's opening sequence struck struck me as unnecessarily showy. Was this the Nolan brothers' way of conveying Bane's role as a badass to the audience? If so, I was too busy trying to comprehend the villain's dialogue to care. I understood why Batman had not been seen in Gotham for so long. But what was the reason behind Bruce Wayne's disappearance from the public eye? His physical state was not really that severe. Rachel Dawes' death? Rachel's death did not stop him from going after the Joker and Harvey Dent in the last movie's half hour. Was it an injured leg? How did he injured it? And why did Gotham's citizens failed to put two-and-two together, when both Bruce and Batman finally appeared in the public eye a day or two apart after many years? The only person who managed to discover Bruce's alter ego - namely Officer John Blake - did so through a contrived reason. For me, the movie's real misstep proved to be Bane's three-month control over Gotham City. As a former member of Henri Ducard's League of Shadows, he planned to achieve his former leader's goal of destroying Gotham City. And he planned to use Wayne Enterprise's energy device to achieve this. One - why not simply build or snatch his own nuclear device? Why go through so much trouble to get his hands on the energy device? Why did Wayne Enterprises create a device that not only saved energy, but could be used as a bomb, as well? And why did it take three months before the device could become an effective bomb? The Nolans' script could have frustrated Bane's attempts to acquire the bomb during that three-month period . . . or anything to spare the audiences of that second-rate version of the French Resistance. The latter scenario seemed so riddled with bad writing that it would take another article to discuss it. And what was the point of the presence of Juno Temple's character Jen? What was she there for, other than being Selina's useless and cloying girlfriend? And Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox was last seen declaring his intentions to leave the corporation for good, following Batman's misuse of cell phones in "THE DARK KNIGHT". In this movie, he is back, working for Wayne Enterprises. What made him change his mind? But not all was lost. I found Bruce's introduction to Selina Kyle very entertaining and sexy. Even better, the incident served as Batman's re-introduction to Gotham City and allowed him to discover Bane's plans regarding Wayne Enterprises and the energy device. One of the more interesting consequences of "THE DARK KNIGHT" proved to be Rachel Dawes' last letter to Bruce. Its revelation by Alfred Pennyworth after seven years led to an emotional quarrel between the millionaire and the manservant and their estrangement. At first, I had balked at the idea of Bane carrying out Ra's al Ghul's original goal to destroy Gotham. After all, why would he continue the plans of the very person who had him kicked out of the League of Shadows? But a surprising plot twist made Bane's plan plausible . . . even when I continue to have problems with his three-month occupation of Gotham. Many critics had lamented the lack of Heath Ledger's Joker in the movie. As much as I had appreciated and enjoyed Ledger's performance in the 2008 movie, I did not need or wanted him in "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES". Tom Hardy's performance as the terrorist Bane was good enough for me. Mind you, I found it difficult to understand some of his dialogue. And when I did, he sounded like the late Sean Connery. But I cannot deny that Bane made one scary villain, thanks to Hardy's performance and intimidating presence. Before I saw the movie, I never understood the need for Marion Cotillard's presence in the film. I thought her character, Miranda Tate, would merely be a bland love interest for Bruce. Not only did Cotillard ended up providing a subtle and intelligent performance from the actress, her Miranda Tate proved to be important to the story as the co-investor in the energy device and for the plot twist in the end. "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" provided some solid performances from other members of the cast. Matthew Modine shined as the ambitious and arrogant Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Foley, who proved to be capable of character development. Another solid performance came from Brett Cullen, who portrayed a lustful congressman that had the bad luck to cross paths with Selina Kyle. Both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman continued their excellent performances as Bruce Wayne's "heart" and "mind", manservant Alfred Pennyworth and Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox. In the end, the movie was fortunate to benefit from four outstanding performances. One came from Gary Oldman's excellent portrayal of the now weary, yet determined police commissioner, James Gordon. His guilt over the Harvey Dent lie and discovery of Batman's true identity provided Oldman with some of his best moments in the trilogy. Another came from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was superb as Gotham City beat cop John Blake. The actor did a wonderful job of balancing Officer Blake's intelligence, passion for justice and disgust toward the bureaucracy. When I learned that Anne Hathaway would end up being the fifth actress to portray Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, I must admit that I had my doubts. Then I remembered that Hathaway was an Oscar nominee, who has also done action before. Watching her sexy, yet complicated performance as the complex cat burglar removed all of my doubts. She was superb and her sizzling screen chemistry with star Christian Bale made me wish Selina had been Bruce's love interest throughout the movie. Speaking of Bruce Wayne, Bale returned to portray the Caped Crusader for the third and final time. I must admit that I found his performance more subtle and complex than his performances in the previous two movies. Bale did an excellent job in re-creating a slightly aging Bruce Wayne/Batman, who found himself faced with a more formidable opponent. I was a little disappointed to see that "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" lacked the Chicago exteriors of the 2008 movie. In the end, Gotham City resembled a collection of American and British cities. But I cannot deny that I found Wally Pfister's photography very eye catching. And Hans Zimmer's entertaining score brought back memories of his earlier work in both the 2005 and 2008 movies. I have a good deal of complaints about "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES". It is probably my least favorite entry in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. For me, the movie's main problem centered around the script written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan. But despite its flaws, the movie still managed to be both entertaining and intriguing. It also has an excellent cast led by the always superb Christian Bale. It was not perfect, but "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" did entertain me.

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grigori77 · 5 years

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2019 In TV - My Top 10 Shows

This past year may have sucked balls in a lot of ways, but we certainly never got short-changed when it came to our TV. There was an absolute WEALTH of truly cracking TV around, both on regular networks and on the various on-demand platforms, and so here is my pick of the best, my absolute favourites of 2019.

10. WATCHMEN

Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof brings us a blinding sequel to comic book legend Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel with a delightfully trippy, ruthlessly efficient rug-puller that seems pretty tailor-made for HBO. Old faces return in interesting ways, while there are some cracking new “masks” on offer, particularly Regina King’s Sister Night and the always-brilliant Tim Blake Nelson as morally complex antihero Looking Glass (in some ways very much the show’s own answer to Rorschach). It never goes where you expect it to go, and refuses to give easy answers to the questions it raises, effortlessly paving the way for more next year ...

9. THE BOYS

Amazon offers up its own edgy, thoroughly adult superhero property with this darkly funny antiheroic gem based on the cult Garth Ennis comic, expertly adapted by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. Karl Urban dominates as Billy Butcher, the foul-mouthed, morally bankrupt “leader” of a makeshift crew of mercenaries, hitmen and psycho killers devoted to “taking care of” superheroes when they inevitably go bad. Season 1 ultimately serves as an origin story, showing how the team come together, laying quality groundwork for the incoming sophomore tour that promises to open the already fascinating world out significantly.

8. PREACHER (SEASON 4)

More Garth Ennis, namely this blinder of a closing season for AMC’s consistently impressive adaptation of his best known series for Vertigo comics. Surprisingly epic, deliciously subversive and constantly, darkly hilarious, this thoroughly non-PC series from showrunners Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (yes! I Know!) certainly went out on a high note, providing its loyal followers with perfectly-pitched bow-outs and sometimes heartbreaking goodbyes for all its players, especially its dynamite leads, Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga and, in particular, Joe Gilgun as unapologetic bad boy vampire Cassidy. A worthy end to one of my all-time favourite TV shows.

7. THE WITCHER

While it’s clearly taken its look from the wildly successful video games, Netflix’s second most ambitious long-form offering of the year takes its lead from the fantasy book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski that started it all. With its somewhat episodic set-up and decidedly twisted narrative timelines, it take a few chapters to get the hang of it, but there’s plenty to draw you in, from the exotic world-building to the frenetic action and compelling collection of richly crafted characters. Henry Cavill is the titular hero, lovably grouchy mutant monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia, but the real scene-stealer is co-star Anya Chalotra as roguishly self-serving mage Yennefer of Vengenberg.

6. CARNIVAL ROW

One of the year’s two big sleeper hit TV surprises for me was this inventively offbeat allegorical Amazon fantasy series from The 4400 creator René Echevarria and screenwriter Travis Beacham. Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevigne are the star-crossed lovers at the heart of this intriguingly dark and dirty murder mystery thriller set in Victorian London-esque city-state the Burgue, in which humans struggle to co-exist alongside a struggling disenfranchised underclass of fae (fairies, fawns, centaurs and the like). The racial turmoil undertones are writ large throughout, but this is far more well-written and lavishly appointed than you might expect on first glance, and almost ridiculously addictive viewing.

5. LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS

My other big TV surprise was this wonderfully bizarre sci-fi anthology series of animated shorts from Netflix, mostly adapted from an eclectic selection of short stories from a wide range of top-notch literary talent including Peter F. Hamilton, John Scalzi, Marko Kloos and Alastair Reynolds (a particular favourite of mine). As you’d expect from the brainchild of Deadpool director Tim Miller and producer David Fincher, this is edgy, leftfield stuff, frequently ultra-violent and decidedly adult, and the wildly varied nature of the material on offer makes for a decidedly uneven tone, but there are some absolute gems on offer here, my favourite being Suits, an enjoyably simple tale of salt-of-the-earth farmers on an alien world utilising clunky mech suits to protect their settlement from rampaging giant xeno-bugs.

4. THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE

The show with the biggest cinematic wow factor in 2019 had to be this long-awaited prequel series to Jim Henson’s classic fantasy movie masterpiece, created for Netflix by, of all people, Louis Leterrier (yes, the director of The Transporter, Now You See Me and Clash of the Titans, if you can believe it). The technology may have evolved in leaps and bounds, but there’s a wonderfully old school vibe in the delightfully physical puppet effects used to bring the fantastical world of Thra and its denizens to life, so that it truly does feel like it’s based in the same world as the film. This was EASILY the most visually arresting show of 2019, packed with exquisite character, creature and set design that perfectly complements the awesome work done by Henson and Brian Froud on the original, while the writers have created a darkly rich narrative tapestry that makes Thra seem a more dangerous place than ever.

3. THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

I was a HUGE fan of My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way’s magnificently oddball alternative superhero comic, so when I learned that Netflix were adapting it I was a little wary because I knew how spectacularly hard it would be for ANY showrunners to get right. Thankfully Steve Blackman (Fargo season 2) and Jeremy Slater (The Exorcist TV series) were the right choice, because this perfectly captured the outsider nature of the characters and their endearingly dysfunctional family dynamic. Ellen Page, Tom Hopper (Black Sails, Merlin), David Castañeda and Emmy Raver-Lampman are all excellent as the more “functional” Hargreeves siblings, but the show is roundly stolen by Misfits star Robert Sheehan and Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn’s Aidan Gallagher as nihilistic clairvoyant Klaus and the old-man-in-a-child’s-body sociopath known only as Number Five. Consistently surprising and brilliantly bonkers, this was definitely the year’s most wonderfully WEIRD show.

2. STRANGER THINGS (SEASON 3)

Writer-director duo the Duffer Brothers’ ultra-nostalgic 80s-set coming-of-age sci-fi horror series remains the undisputed jewel in Netflix’s long-form crown with this consistently top-drawer third season expertly maintaining the blockbuster-level standards we’ve come to expect. This year the cross-dimensional shenanigans have largely been jettisoned, replaced by a gleefully nasty through-line of icky body horror that would make major influences like David Cronenberg and Stuart Gordon proud, as perennial teenage bad boy Billy Hargrove (the fantastically menacing Dacre Montgomery) becomes the leader of an army of psychic slaves under the control of the Upside Down’s monstrous Mind Flayer. The kids are all brilliant as always, Winona Ryder and David Harbour really get to build on their strong-yet-spiky chemistry, and the show is almost effortlessly stolen by Joe Keery as one-time golden boy Steve Harrington and series-newcomer Maya Hawke as his nerdy new foil Robin Buckley, who were very nearly the cutest couple on TV in 2019. Another gold standard season for a true gold standard show.

1. GOOD OMENS

Sadly, legendary author Terry Pratchett died before he could see the adaptation of one of his most beloved novels (and one of my all-time literary favourites too) see the light of day, but at least his co-author Neil Gaiman was around to bring it to fruition with the aid of seasoned TV director David Mckinnon (Jekyll, Doctor Who, Sherlock), and the end result sure did him proud, perfectly capturing the deeply satirical voice and winningly anarchic, gleefully offbeat and gently subversive humour of the original novel. David Tennant and Michael Sheen could both have been born to play Crowley and Aziraphale, the angel and demon nominally charged with watching over the young Antichrist in preparation for his role in the End Times, even though they would both much rather the world just went on quite happily the way it is, thanks very much. This is about as perfect an adaptation as you can get, the six hour-long episodes giving the surprisingly complex story time to breathe and grow organically, and the result is the most fun I spent in front of my TV this year.

#best TV 2019 #watchmen #the boys #preacher #the witcher #carnival row #love death + robots #love death & robots #the dark crystal age of resistance #The Umbrella Academy #stranger things 3 #good omens

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lia-jones · 4 years

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Growing Together - Chapter Ten - How Far We've Come

Victor watched her from afar as she fumbled with the zipper of her dress. He found her adorable, lightly scoffing at herself, her small hands trying to position to a good angle to get the job done, while she carefully watched herself in the mirror.

He mischievously stood in the distance, concealing himself from her, letting her fend for herself a little longer while he observed. This was his guilty pleasure, a small moment that was only his, when she was alone, oblivious to his presence, lost in a secret dialogue with herself. He drank every one of her expressions, how she silently scolded herself when she failed to do what she intended, how she would secretly pat herself in the back when she finally achieved it.

Eventually, feeling he had had his daily fix, he walked up to her and placed his hands on top of hers, still trying to pull the zipper.

“Need help?” He couldn’t help the slight amusement in his voice.

“Ugh. Yes.” She scoffed, turning her back to him so he could help her. “These dresses are so needlessly complicated. I’m always afraid I’ll pull too hard and rip the fabric.”

“That’s why husbands were invented.” He joked. “To help their clumsy wives zip their dresses.”

“Is that so?” She played along. “I thought it was to change tires.”

“No, that’s why road assistance was invented.” He quipped.

“Right, I’ve never seen you change a tire ever.” She turned and placed her hands on his chest, looking pensive. “Hm. I got myself a faulty husband.” She teased.

“And I got myself a wife that can’t reach the top shelf without help.” He smirked. “Life isn’t perfect.”

“How dare you?” She smacked his chest, making him chuckle. “That’s it, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.” She went to look for her purse, pretending to be offended.

“Tonight is a big night.” He changed the subject. “Feeling nervous?”

“I think, at this point, feeling nervous is pretty much my normal state.” She laughed at her own exaggeration. “Ok, honestly, how do I look?”

The deep green satin dress looked stunning on her. The lace on the corset hugged her breasts in a perfect and elegant way, and the backless design showed her soft skin, the one he loved to kiss in their most intimate moments. He softly ran his fingers on her back, anticipating the events that would follow the gala.

“Honestly?” He pulled her closer, whispering wet in her ear. “Breathtaking.”

Inside the limousine, on their way to the ceremony, he heard her laugh, looking at her phone.

“Just look at this.” Andrea showed him the screen. He immediately identified Guy, Xavier and Mr. Mills in Guy’s restaurant, toasting with red wine, a caption below the picture that said: Á belle Andrea! Felicitations!

“That was heartwarming.” He quipped. “Remind me to send them something to thank them for the support.”

The beautifully decorated ballroom was brimming with warmth and life, and Victor could hear in every corner people engage in interesting conversations about religion, economy or politics. The greatest minds of Loveland were gathered into that very same place, and anyone that was remotely interested in drinking a little bit of knowledge was bound to have a very bountiful night.

Victor and Andrea were received with honor and enthusiasm by the GESA president and his assistant, Andrea being treated almost like royalty. True to herself, his wife was impervious to all the flattery, as she still couldn’t place herself among the great. Victor knew that was her greatest weapon: because she never felt like she was finally arriving, she would never stop walking. And because of that, no one knew how far she would walk.

As they sat at their table and Andrea, the eternal social butterfly, chatted idly with some guests, Victor let his mind wander to years before. Two years before, to be exact, when he didn’t know she would be his, and she didn’t know she would be brilliant. But on that specific day, he saw something on her that told him she would go far. And how.

It was a Saturday morning, and he was visiting Loveland’s Public Library. The Mayor had invited him under the pretense of showing his last monetary donation had been used, but Victor was no fool. He was perfectly aware that the politician was after another donation. Still, he let himself be led by the man through the many floors of the building, pretending to be unaware of his true intentions. It wasn’t like he had better plans anyway, and he knew how important his donations were, especially to students that couldn’t afford the books that their classes demanded.

“This should interest you since it’s your field.” The Mayor announced as they arrived at the Economic Sciences floor. “We are proud to say that, thanks to your generosity, we have an extensive collection of books and manuals. As you can see by how busy this place is, many students come here to study and research during the weekends.”

Victor took a look around at the place, and just like the Mayor said, all the tables were occupied with laptops and books, the people sitting at them engaged in stimulating conversations. Most of these people weren’t born with a silver spoon on their mouths like he had, and thanks to something that required little effort from him, they could study and work for a better life. Victor couldn’t think of a better use for his money. Enjoying a sudden feeling of accomplishment, Victor was about to leave to visit the next floor, when something caught his eye. At the end of the room, by the corner, was that Portuguese girl that worked for him, the one he had hired just a couple of months ago, Andrea.

His heart gave the alarm, pounding heavily, giving the rest of his body all sorts of instructions. He could feel something inside him flutter, his breath becoming faster, his palms starting to sweat. He had no idea why that woman caused such a reaction in him, the only time he spoke to her was during her interview, and he sure wasn’t going to let himself get all flustered for someone he barely knew. So he took a discreet deep breath, trying to regain control, telling his own body to quit the nonsense.

Despite it all, there was no harm in staying for a little longer and observing her. He was naturally interested in studying people’s behavior, especially the people that worked for him. It was not like he was staying behind to look at her, per se, he just wanted to know what she really was like. He could even say it was a precautionary measure, no more than that. With that thought firmly in mind, because there was obviously no other reason to do what he was about to do, he turned to the Mayor.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to take the time to explore this place a little bit further. Alone. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

Before the Mayor could retort, Victor turned his back on him. Taking a random book from one of the shelves, he sat on a corner where he could see her but was sure she couldn’t see him. It would be enjoyable to just sit and read for a while, enjoy the ambiance, he told himself. No, this had nothing to do with her at all.

However, Victor realized that he had no idea if the book he was holding was actually interesting. He was yet to read a word of it. Instead, his eyes kept stubbornly drifting back to her, curious to see what she was doing.

Her table was full of books, her open laptop, and a notebook ridiculously filled with colorful sticky notes. She looked different than usual, wearing casual jeans and a navy blue sweater, her curly hair in a messy bun that a pencil kept in place. She was laser-focused on her work, apparently taking quotes from one of the books and typing them on her laptop, making the occasional annotation on her notebook. The several empty cups of coffee at her table indicated she had been working since quite early, probably the whole morning.

Victor realized that, much to his surprise, a feeling of pride was growing inside him, and he simply put it aside, like he did with most of his feelings. He had nothing to be proud about, she was merely an employee, no one of relevance in his life. Besides, for all he knew, she was working hard but failing miserably, making all sorts of unforgivable mistakes.

Still, he had to admit, her effort was remarkable. Most people slept in on Saturday mornings or spent their weekend resting or entertaining themselves with ludic activities, and yet she was there, buried in books for who knew how long. Furthermore, Victor knew the previous day had been hard for her, as Ted had told him that they left the company close to midnight, due to a problem one of his clients had. Regardless, she was there. It was ridiculous for Victor to feel proud of her, but completely understandable if he experienced at least a shred of surprise.

She stopped her work, reading the covers of the books she had on her table, and frowning. She suddenly got up from her table and walked to the librarian’s desk. Without a second thought, Victor followed her.

“Excuse me.” He heard her call the librarian. “Do you by any chance have “The Theory of Development”, by Aidan Thorpe?”

Victor knew that book. It was a study published in the ’90s that had caused immense controversy, so further editions had been canceled, remaining only the first printed copies. Victor had purchased it for his personal collection and found it brilliant. It was interesting that Andrea was also using it.

The librarian struck a few keys on her computer and shook her head, Andrea’s face falling, disheartened. Thanking the woman, she turned to leave, absorbed in her thoughts. In fact, so absorbed that she wasn’t minding where she was going and bumping-

On him.

“Oh God, it’s you!” She jumped back, looking slightly frightened. “I mean, good morning, Sir. And I’m sorry.”

It was obvious to Victor that she became deeply uncomfortable with the sight of him. That quickly put him in a bad mood.

“Watch where you’re going.” Victor scolded her, although he didn’t mean to. “Looking for Thorpe’s work? It’s incredibly hard to find.”

“I know.” She sighed. “There was a copy at Calouste Gulbenkian, back at home, I’ll try to see if I can get any copies of it.” She tucked a curl behind her ear, not looking him in the eye.

“Interesting fashion choice.” He mocked, pointing to the pencil in her hair. “Is that how young people use stationery these days?”

“I forgot my hair tie.” She seemed unamused. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work. Enjoy your weekend.”

Victor had no choice but to watch her and she hurriedly walked to her table, gathering all her things and leaving in a rush. She obviously couldn’t stand him. But then again, he knew he wasn’t all that loveable, being a business mogul comes with a price, and for the most part, he was willing to pay it. Yet, he couldn’t shake the sadness to see her leave like that.

Back at his apartment, Victor found himself staring at his bookshelf. Something was brewing inside him, he could feel it, but he was too much of a coward to look at it. He had been hurt before. He needed to tread lightly.

But she needed this. And it was so easy to give it to her. Was he really the kind of person that would disregard someone’s need for the sake of self-preservation? With a decided scoff, he took the book off his shelf and placed it on his coffee table. On the inside of the cover, he wrote a few words, closing it immediately.

He took his phone and dialed the number. She could never know.

“I will give you the donation you need.” He spoke, eyes focused on the book. “However, I have a special request.”

“Is everything ok?” He heard her ask. “You’re awfully quiet.”

“What? Are you done listening to Frank’s dissertations about his trips to Namibia?”

“I find them interesting actually.” She came close to him, whispering in his ear. “But the man does talk a lot .”

They both chuckled privately, as they watched from the corner of their eyes the said guest go on another tirade, gesticulating furiously. He lovingly took his wife’s wrist, the one where she wore her charm bracelet.

“You’re wearing it today.” He twirled the V charm between his fingers, proud to have her show that part of him.

“I wear it every day.” She gave him a confused frown.

“I assumed you wouldn’t today, fearing it wouldn’t go with the dress.”

“It’s part of me.” She touched the bracelet on her wrist like it was her favorite thing in the world. “I could never take it.”

He took his wife’s hand again, kissing the back, the softness of her skin and her scent making his heart swell. He loved how she proudly wore his gift, the testimony of their life together like it was her lucky charm, her source of strength.

She was very fond of symbols and superstitions, and although Victor was more of a logical man, even he had to admit the power objects seemed to have in summoning the best in someone, or their worst.

He could still remember that Sunday afternoon, after taking her out to lunch. He was at her place, baking cookies, while she worked on her study.

“It smells delicious.” She commented from the table, as he took the cookies from the tray to cool.

“It will only take another ten minutes. Are you ready for a break? I’ll boil some water for tea.”

“Yes, please.” She stretched her body, stiff from sitting so long. “I’ll clear the table.”

As the water boiled and the cookies cooled, he helped her clear the table of all books and sticky notes she had laying around, spotting the book he had donated to the library. He held it in his hand with a smile.

“That one belongs to the library.” She explained. “I should return it soon, but the librarian says I can keep it as long as I want, and to be honest, it’s breaking my heart to have to return it. I may buy it from them.”

“Why is it so special?” Victor smiled, hoping his expression wouldn’t give away his secret.

“The previous owner wrote this on the cover, see?” She opened the book, showing him the inside of the cover. “Probably for motivation. And you know what? Every time I feel overwhelmed, I look at that inscription, and I feel stronger. It does work.”

Victor couldn’t have guessed the impact his words on a cover of an old book could have on her life, but he was glad to be a positive influence in her work, even if disguised. The following week, while on a business trip, he texted her.

You no longer need to return the book. It’s yours.

“Why do I feel so nervous? I already know I won.” Andrea commented as they started announcing the awards.

“Is it because of the speech?” He held her hand. “If you forget it, just speak from the heart.”

“And now, ladies and gentleman,” a voice announced, “to present the award for Most Promising Mind in Economics… Professor Chauncey Williamson.”

Andrea froze on her seat. It was the teacher that gave her an incredibly hard time when she was defending her doctorate thesis. The professor climbed the stairs to the stage, taking the microphone.

“Ladies and gentleman, good evening.” He started. “Most of you don’t know this, but Mrs. Lee and I share a piece of history together, when she was still Miss Jones. In fact, I was one of the teachers invited to evaluate her thesis. I must admit that, while back in the day I considered Miss Jones too good to be true , Mrs. Lee has not failed to disappoint. Her ongoing study shows a lot of promise and raises many important questions, which is why it is my greatest honor to give the winner for Most Promising Mind in Economics, Dr. Andrea Lee!”

Andrea turned to her husband, pecking him on the lips, before getting up to deliver her speech.

“Go get them.” Victor whispered, before he saw his wife walk towards the stage.

“I have to admit, Dr. Williamson, I wasn’t such a fan of you back then, but I kind of like you now.” She joked, and everyone in the audience laughed. “First of all, I would like to thank GESA for this honor and its juri, and all of the present here for sharing this moment with me. I am deeply honored. There is a saying, no man is an island. And this is particularly true for this award, because, as you may imagine, I didn’t win it on my own. I’d like to thank my husband, who has been with me since day one, who believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself, and made sure I was supported in every step of the way. I love you handsome, and I’m so grateful for having you in my life.”

Victor found himself close to tears, the pride and emotion being too much to bear with a straight face. He mouthed I love you too to his wife, although he knew words wouldn’t be able to convey the warmth he felt in his heart.

“I’d also like to thank my family and friends, for putting up with my absence and moods when I was too busy, you guys are the best, and I wouldn’t trade you for the world. I also want to thank my team, who worked relentlessly and believed in my project, taking hours and hours of their personal time so we could make the deadline we had defined. And lastly, I want to thank who I like to call my silent supporter.” Andrea’s voice faltered slightly with the emotion. “You see, when I was just starting to write my thesis for my doctorate, and I couldn’t afford expensive books for reference, I had to use the Loveland’s Public Library. There was a book that I needed, The Theory of Development, by Aidan Thorpe, and that the library was kind enough to let me take home temporarily for consultation. Inside the cover of that book, there was a quote that said The best view comes after the hardest climb. I have to say, that quote changed my life. Every time I felt disheartened, or tired, or felt like giving it up completely, I would go to that book and read that quote, and I found myself strong again. I don’t know who you are, and maybe you won’t listen to my speech, but I want to say to the world that your words gave me strength, and you are also a reason why I’m here. Thank you.”

Victor smiled as he applauded her speech, his heart feeling so big that it could barely fit in his chest. He would never tell her that the book was actually from him, and he was the one who wrote those words, although she could easily figure it out by his handwriting. He would keep it secret like his own personal treasure, the knowledge that he had been her supporter since even before she knew, that he loved her even before she loved him. This was for him and him alone. His guilty pleasure.

That day was a memorable day in their lives, and Victor couldn’t help to trace back all the events that led to it. How she started as a not so shy intern at Loveland, but so unaware of her potential. How even when faced with major difficulties, her past being all over the media, her career being on the line, she never gave up. How she bravely stood up to her abuser, and his father, and anyone who was unjust or had hurt someone significant in her life. If he had to describe his wife with a handful of adjectives, two of them would certainly be brave and relentless.

Later that night, he sat in his living room, nursing a glass of brandy and watching the city skyline, like he did many times when he was too overwhelmed by his own thoughts. Feelings like pride and love filled his heart, but there was one he could not shake off: sorrow. He had never seen his wife give up on anything, except for the thing she wanted the most. She had come so far, improved her life in so many ways, healed from the past, but there was one thing that still stung her heart: the fact that she would never become a biological mother.

As his loving husband, Victor decided that it was his duty not to let her give up on her dream, or better, their dream. He had seen her barely recover from their last try, and his heart feared that mentioning the subject again would reopen old wounds, but he couldn’t let her fold like that. There were still options. They still stood a chance.

“The bed is cold without you.” He heard her complain from the door.

“Come here.” He extended his arms to her. “I’ll warm you up.”

She sat on his lap, running her fingers through his hair.

“You’re drinking alone in the dark.” She looked at him with worried eyes. “Is something upsetting you?”

“Just lost in thought, that’s all.” He leaned his head against her chest.

“Anything in particular?” She kept combing his hair with her fingers. Victor closed his eyes, enjoying her care.

“How far we have come. How we were before, how we are now.” He mumbled.

“We did come a long way, didn’t we?” She was reminiscing. “I remember my trip to Loveland. It felt like navigating uncharted waters. I have changed so much since then.”

“Why did we give up? We never give up.” He looked up to her, knowing he didn’t need to specify. The look in her eyes told him she understood.

“I can’t give you a child, Victor.” She answered weakly.

“But we can have one. We can adopt. She may not be our blood or share physical characteristics, but we will love her. She will be ours, be a Lee, all the same.”

Andrea watched him lovingly as he spoke, tears brimming her eyes.

“I don’t want to give up just yet.” This time, it was his turn to ask. “Will you do this with me?”

“Yes.” She smiled as she let a tear fall. “I will.”

#growingtogether #Growing Pains - Series #mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #mlqc fanfic #mister love queens choice #mister love dream date #love and producer

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darkestwolfx · 4 years

Text

Extraction - Re-Review #19

So today’s episode is about a giant piece of machinery! Sort of anyway, it’s more about the people who get trapped, but then we all know IR don’t rescue the expensive things which have been designed with flaws!

So we start of with the US military testing out their new Sidewinder-

Oh, sorry! Wrong episode!

But seriously, are ‘Pit of Peril’ (TOS) vibes going on here for anyone other than myself?

No, today’s story is about a young boy whose an International Rescue enthusiast and lives in North Australia at the Dunsley Tracking station-

No... also the wrong episode. There were two little boys in that one. This episode definitely only has one, but he is still an IR fan (and a smarter one than Bob and Tony - sorry boys)! Really though, this is set in Dunsley Fields... Now I’m getting ‘Cry Wolf’ (TOS) vibes. Is anyone else getting this nostalgic recollection, or is it just me seeing the endless parallels?

And for you information, you can visit the real Dunsley - in Cheddar, SW England.

Anyone else see similarities in Aidan and Tom whilst we’re on the subject? They both have model Thunderbird Three’s too. And caps. And the same hoody just in different colours...

Okay, let’s stick with TAG for now and run with this episode!

We are in Dunsley Fields, with Aidan and his Dad, Robert Williams, the warden. They’re playing ‘International Rescue’ when they come across a dangerous platform which has been mining hydro-methane and severely weakened the ground-

And, I’m sorry, I was going to try and get through this review with the focus on TAG still, but Williams?! And technically they get stuck in a collapse, which was the same type of rescue as Bob and Tony too....

No, really going to stick with TAG now. Promise.

I love a good shot of Thunderbird Five!

“Ok, it’s a little weird.”

I agree with Gordon, it’s very weird - I mean, here we go again on the similarities!

Not to mention the fact that originally IR weren’t going to respond, because it just seemed like machinery had been caught in the incident... yeah, I’m just going to move swiftly on.

“That wasn’t an earthquake we detected. It was a cave in.”

This boy is braver than I think I would have been. He’s very smart and a practical thinker too.

“The area’s full of flooded caverns. If you can find a way in, the most direct route would be to go underwater.”

Yeah.. finding the way in was the easy part right? Navigating the caverns... not so much.

“Ok... if this is the most direct way in, then that control section must be on the other side of the world.”

Didn’t ‘Alice in Wonderland’ have something to say about cavernous tunnels connecting us to the other side of the world? Don’t fall through Gordon!

I still love that Gordon called Virgil, “Virge”.

“An underwater rescue? So you’re in Thunderbird Four!”

“To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”

He only said that because the kid knew his Thunderbird! Gordon loves to be the favourite, especially with the fans.

“Gordo”... I like that too.

“I need you to stay calm. That’s the first rule of any emergency.”

“He’s my Dad, you know.”

“Yeah, I really do.”

I think we can understand now why the boys name drop so much in the next few episodes/series;

“We even found a picture of Thunderbird Three on the net.”

Haha, I can imagine Gordon’s face, no wonder they didn’t show it up close!

“So much for keeping that one secret.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because nobody but me can do it. That’s the beauty of flying the big bird.”

Yeah, I think Virgil’s deserved some bragging rights for that one.

I love seeing MAX back to cleaning. He cleaned Jeff’s desk too!

“I may have a little problem with my brilliant plan.”

When do you not encounter problems, Virgil? Literally it’s their job. If any of them ever want to retire, I’m sure someone will snap them up for their problem solving abilities.

“You were right about the hydro-methane. It’s everywhere.”

“Try not to ignite it. If it blows up it will be like-”

“It will be like the 4th July?”

“More like... Doomsday.”

Good on you for trying to be hopeful though, Gordon.

I’ve had a couple conversations with fellow fanfiction authors about being cruel to Gordon... Yeah, this was a cruel to Gordon moment. I mean, either they’re trying to kill him or break his back, or maybe a bit of both.

Or maybe this is a common occurrence, more so than we see. I mean, ‘Crosscut’ flashbacks?

“Perfect timing... Maybe not so perfect.”

Can someone, anyone, please, please, please teach this lot to stop speaking famous last words!

But, Virgil got them in time, so we’ll let this one slide I suppose.

“Johnny, did you just bust a crime ring from orbit?”

Yes Gordon, yes he did. Talented family right, folks? But ur... Johnny? Where did all these nicknames come from? I don’t mind, it’s quite entertaining, but I’m just curious.

“You never want something bad to happen to your Dad.”

“No.”

“You sure don’t.”

A nice happy ending! I really loved all the father-son references in this and I think it was a really nice semi-uplifting way to follow ‘Recharge’, but to still bring this message home about parental relationships. Remember to value your parents everyone! They’re the sort of people we do often end up idolising, or thinking will always be there, when really we never know.

Lastly;

“F-A-B.”

“FAB. What does that mean?”

Join the club mate!

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emsartwork · 5 years

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If you’re comfortable with sharing, it would be cool to hear more about your winx next gen, if that’s okay with you?

Yes of course!!!! below the cut cus i get rambley

the story so far: Daphne and Thoren are king and queen of domino. Ashia and Nex are king and queen of Andros. Sky and Bloom are king and queen of Eraklyon. Stella and Brandon are queen and king of Solaria. Tecna was queen of Zenith for a while but got bored and decided to do something else, now she and Timmy run an exploration research company that explores the outer reaches of the magix dimension. Flora is the potions teacher at Alfea, Helia runs a small art gallery in Magix city. Musa started her own record company, and Riven became the assistant combat instructor at Red Fountain. Icy broke Tritannus out of mer-prison and transformed his tail into legs, the two are now in hiding along with Darcy. Stormy left the Trix after an issue with Icy.

THE CHILDREN:

alrighty lets start off with Sky and Bloom, or Skoom as I like to call them. This is Aidan. He attends Novatan University, a new school now on Magix. He’s a classically trained necromancer but will use magic in just about any way he can. He uses the tile of Necromancer of Ash. Aidan does not posses the dragon flame, and boy is he angry about that. Though he gets along with his cousin Ophelia pretty well, he is intensely jealous of her destiny as bearer of the dragon flame, and to compensate he seeks power above his own and some times other’s safety. Aiden is loud, prickly, and easy to rile up, but cools down quickly and forgets about whatever made him angry. Bloom, in true Bloom fashion, generally avoids her son because she doesn’t know how to deal with his attitude (he also occasionally reminds her of Valtor and that scares the hell out of her). Sky does his best to spend time with and curb Aidan’s more destructive impulses but he also has to rule his kingdom. Aidan basically only gets along with Ophelia, he can hang out with Selene and Jack occasionally but they tend to annoy him. He and Thorn do NOT get along.

Daphne and Thoren!!! Daphen? Thorphne? idk their names don’t mesh that well lol. any ways this is Ophelia. Ophelia attends Alfea and is known far and wide as fairy of the dragon flame. After Daphne became pregnant, she had to ask bloom to return the dragon flame to the royal line of Domino since its always been passed down from one heir to the next. Bloom(after a few emotional breakdowns) eventually transferred the dragon flame to tiny fetus Ophelia. Ophelia doesn’t want it. She doesn’t really tell any one, but she hates being the bearer of the dragon flame. She hate the attention, the pressure, the legacy, the kidnapping attempts, the random attacks, the fact that she’s always the target. Ophelia isn’t even sure she wants to be queen of Domino in the future. in her free time Ophelia writes stories. Ophelia shoves her feelings down, holds grudges, and she can be VERY passive aggressive. When she finally explodes she can very destructive and cruel. Ophelia loves her cousin Aidan but can’t spend a lot of time with him because she can eventually feel the jealousy streaming off of him. She gets along really well with Anemone, but when they do fight its Armageddon. She also gets along really well with Thorn, as they’re both level headed older sibling types.

Timmy and Tecna!!!(Tecmy?) I know. She looks nothing like either of them.This is Ruth, Timmy and Tecna’s adopted daughter(they have actually adopted several other children but Ruth is the oldest and most important to the plot). When Ruth was about 10, her family’s ship crashed on a tiny desert planet in an uninhabited solar system. Her parents didn’t make it, and Ruth herself was severely injured. She managed to stem the flow of blood from the gashes in her shoulder and thigh, and cobbled together a radio system from the pieces of the ship. Timmy and Tecna were out on an scientific exploration mission when they picked up her distress signal. Infection had already set into her deeper wounds and her arm and leg had to be amputated. Ruth uses a prosthetic leg in day to day life, but prefers not to have a regular prosthetic for her arm. Ruth attended and graduated from Cloud Tower, and is the Witch of Metals, she manipulates metal into a movable prosthetic arm when she needs to, but doesn’t maintain it as its a drain of her magic. Ruth is Koyuvian(a fake planet/race thats in my version of winx club) and wears the tinted glasses to filter light. Ruth is a mechanic, and loves to build different contraptions. She’s hopeless at coding, but builds a lot of prototypes for her adoptive parents. She gets along Selene the best.

Flora and Helia! Floria!!! (Helora?) This is Thorn. Thorn is Silva Lynphean and a quarter Vaonaaj. He attends Red Fountain and is a team lead in his class and possibly the strongest. Thorn is quiet and sarcastic, generally preferring a books to spending time around people. He’s a little awkward when not in a “specialist” situation. he kind of wishes he was really good with people, but also doesn’t bother practicing socializing because he’s scared lmao he’s basically Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. to compensate for his social ineptitude, Thorn hangs out with Jack a lot. He is very observant though and can pin point people’s weaknesses in a snap, and he’s not shy about using those weakness if he needs to. He and Ophelia get along well, but he thinks Aidan is a spoiled brat who throws too many temper tantrums.

Musa and Riven = Riva. So this is Jack. Jack attends Red Fountain. Jack loves to be the center of attention, and hides all of his insecurities behind an over the top inflated ego. He isn’t terribly interested in his dad’s career (fighting) or his mom’s career (music) but he is decently talented at both. Jack true passion is design. He isn’t totally sure the type of design he wants to do yet, but fashion and architecture are both interesting to him. He’s the best or the worst dressed guy at Red Fountain depending on who you ask, considering he usually throws together items that don’t seem like they should be on the same body at the same time. His mom and dad don’t really get either of his interests, but are trying very hard to be supportive. Jack is the easiest going out of these characters (except maybe Ramiel) and gets along with just about anybody. He’s Thorn’s “wing man”(for both platonic and romantic interests because Thorn just doesn’t frickin talk to people) and the two are kind of a funny pair to look at since Thorn is so so tall, and Jack is….. not. He also gets along well with Anemone. Jack is very intuitive, and doesn’t feel comfortable around Eirlys, usually actively trying to avoid any contact with her.

Stella and Brandon have Selene. Selene attends Alfea and is the Fairy of the Sun and Moon. Selene is kind of a screw up. She’s clumsy, forgetful, chronically late, messy, and awkward af. Selene doesn’t really think she suits the role of “princess of Solaria”, one of the most televised planets of the Magix Dimension(kind of like Los Angeles is the celebrity center of the US), but is constantly trying to be better at her role. Unfortunately she’s trying to force herself to be like her mom instead of trying it her own way. The one thing Selene is really good at is sculpting, and can usually be found hidden away in her studio with clay in her hands. and in her hair. and on her clothing. basically everywhere she is not neat. She’s pretty quiet in general but get her started on a project and she’ll rattle ideas off one after the other. She and Ruth are crafting besties, and trade creations frequently. She’s horribly intimidated by Thorn, though its mostly their mutual awkwardness clashing. She doesn’t like to be around Aidan much at all.

This is Anemone! The unlikely product of Aisha and Nex! Anemone is the Fairy of Coral, and is attending Alfea. Anemone is the girly-est girly girl to ever girl. She likes the pink she likes the ruffles she likes the make up and the fashion and the pastels. But the thing Anemone REALLY likes about being a girly girl is that it means stupid people underestimate her, giving her the upper hand and allowing her to reign terror down upon her enemies. Anemone is a girly girl and also a stone cold bitch. She’s not the nicest girl, but that’s mostly because she has the highest self esteem of any of these characters and does not bother with things that are not worth her time. She’ll be respectful and polite as long as you are. She does confide in Ophelia and considers her a good friend, but also thinks Ophelia needs to get her shit together and stop moping lol. She also gets along well with Jack, as they both enjoy fashion and whatever trend is happening at the moment. She dislikes Eirlys, but doesn’t have a solid reason for why lol.

Ramiel! Ramiel is Stormy’s son, his father isn’t in the picture. So basically after the news broke that some of the winx were pregnant (because lets face it they would be celebrity news) Icy processed it as “shit. they have reinforcements. we need reinforcements.” and proceeded to have herself, darcy, and stormy try to have kids. Icy had already broken Tritannus out of prison, and it was now just a matter of getting their human merfolk mix to actually work. Darcy has always been a romantic at heart so she promised to have a kid with the next man she was actually interested in. Stormy on the other hand has never really given a damn about romance, so she bore the brunt of Icy’s new obsession with continuing the ancestral witches blood line. Stormy didn’t necessarily mind the actual sex part(wasn’t enthusiastic about it either tho so :/ ), but HATED being pregnant. After a rough pregnancy, Stormy gave birth to a son who Stormy immediately became attached to, which was NOT was Icy was looking for, the ancestral and the trix power is passed down through the female line, meaning a son was functionally worthless to her. After Icy basically told her she would have to try again, Stormy took her son and noped out of there asap. She went to Ms. Griffin for help as a last effort, and after agreeing to be stripped of her magic she and Ramiel were relocated to a hidden, sparsely populated village deep in one of Lynphea’s forests. Ramiel knows nothing of his mother’s past, and, against her express wishes, decided to enroll in the Paladin program at Lynphea College. He thinks of Cymmeri as an annoying younger sister, and doesn’t know Eirlys or Arcturus. He vaguely knows of Thorn and Jack due to Red Fountain and the Order doing group training together occasionally.

This is Darcy’s daughter Cymmeri, usually just called Cymi. She’s kind of a know-it-all, sassy child, who has only just started to display signs of her magic. She and Ramiel form coincidental friends after a random encounter, and she’ll occasionally go to him when she has a problem she can’t talk to her mom or other cousins about. She, like my version of Darcy, is at least part Koyuvian(my own personal made up planet not from the winx) which gives her the solid eye color. She wears enchanted glasses to make her eyes appear more ordinary, and to filter light that would otherwise hurt her eyes. Cymmeri also really likes to lean into the creepy goth child role just for kicks.

Eirlys and Arcturus are Icy and Tritannus’ twins. Eirlys attends Alfea and is the Fairy/Witch of Snow, Arcticus will eventually attend Red Fountain, though right now he’s learning magic from Tritannus, and acting as a support to his sister. The twins are actually too young to be attending either school, but their height and forged documents take care of that. both of them usually have spells in place to hide their more fishy traits but i wanted to draw them lol. Eirlys is a fitness nut and spends most of her free time exercising or playing sports. This also gives her an excuse to go on long solo runs so she can relay info to Arcturus who then takes it to their mom. Eirlys is kind of arrogant and can do no wrong in Icy’s eyes, where as Arcturus lacks self esteem and is constantly trying to prove his worth to their mom. Arcturus has an affinity for water, and most of his spells use it. Eirlys tries to force her relationship with most of the winx’s kids, but does genuinely get along with Ophelia.

this isnt totally accurate for their heights but i did some of these really fast and the proportions are off lol.

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bluesunsdusk · 4 years

Note

✏️ Any particular reason for the names you used for your ocs?

–// I have a lot of ocs, so I will pick some. It’s going to be long either way… ))

Overwatch

Najma (Najma Daher)

When Naj was first made, they had Prima as placeholder name and their kit was based around light, but I struggled to really place them in the universe. They were still based in Oasis, with sumerian aesthetic, and they were an AU for a fandomless oc. I was still trying to pick where the heck they were from. I added Najma as possible name because it means star and is Arabic. As they finally developed to suit the universe more and be an own character, the name stuck, because I like it and they are a warm person and the sun keeps us alive, and Naj was made to help keep someone alive. Dunia, their owner, was named to reflect her meaning in Naj’s life. Dunia was their whole reason for existing, their world, their life.

Najma coincidentally also works for…other reasons.

Najma’s code name, Nazar, comes from that their abilities are most effective when looking into their lights and optics, which flare up when they use their ult as well. Their optics are also blue.The evil eye, which causes harm upon those who have been struck by it.

I think Daher meant clear. Najma does’t actually have a surname, as they are not a member of the family rather than just property of said family. However, I still wanted the surname to be something with a tiny bit of a fitting meaning. Rather than doing it by naming conventions used with Mamun, I went with them just having just a family name, much in Europe and the US. I also kept it to just two names this time.

Mamun Wasif Said

Mamun had a long list of names on his hero sheet. See, the given name is an aspiratory trait, the second the father’s name, and the third the grandfather’s name or family name. In Mamun’s case, Said is his grandfather’s name. So, that means Mamun’s dad is called Wasif. Gien names he could have been Majdi (commendable, praiseworthy), Marwan, Naseer, etc. His surname could have been Assaf, Kassar, Al-Mansur (the victorious), or Nasrallah (god’s victory). Now, I am not at all close to being an expert on arabic naming conventions, so I was like let’s keep it simple.

Now, Mamun is supposed to be a tank hero and his character design was made to emphasise that he is a soft and huggable man who deserves the whole world. He needed to look sweet,warm, trustworthy, and dependable. Mamun is a name that feels like it has soft edges. It’s gentle. There’s no hard tones in it. Mamun means dependable, which is something he wants to be and his parents would have wanted him to be as well. A good son, brother, and eventually (if he so wished) husband.

I forgot what Wasif meant… I think I just liked how it sounded with Mamun compared to the other names listed along with it. I matched several names that were listed on his hero sheet behind Mamun and they didn’t sound nearly as good with it as Wasif did. It means ‘one who praises’.

Said was just a good name to follow Mamun Wasif with. It just wraps it up nicely when I wanted three names in there. It means happy.

Spigel

Spigel’s name is explained in his bio, I think. The name is given because he’s able to copy the appearance of a person and uses this after eliminating them to blend into a faction he’s trying to infiltrate or wipe out. It takes observation of mannerisms, appearance, speech patterns, etc. to do a convincing guise, and once that is done, it will be like looking into a mirror for the target.

He was always called Spigel because that’s Luxembourgish for mirror. Sure, it’s not smart for the assassin to take a nickname from his own personal origin, but…it’s fine if a guy from Luxembourg gave him that nickname rather than him giving himself said nickname.

Roland Marie Schroeder

Roland is a pretty common name in Luxembourg, and Marie is a common middle name. I liked Roland as a name, because is seems warm and strong, and Roland is a quiet dude at times, but even though he’s pretty small as well, he can take up a lot of social space just by being a little… dramatic. He would have liked the name because it is, as Monty Python would say, woody. At least, I think it was Monty Python, I’m not sure anymore and can’t find it.

Michael Abatangelo

Michael was the general of the archangels, and putting Michael together with Abatangelo makes it sound close to Michelangelo. Though, the latter was on accident and I was like yep that’s his name now. I went through several names I don’t really remember. Michael was a strong name that also sounded pleasant.

Fable

Aidan Fawkes

Aidan is an Irish name that means fire. I didn’t know quite what to call him. I didn’t want a name that was just big strong man large energy. It needed to sound not too thick, in a way, maybe a little light to suit his personality. He also had a lot of energy growing up and was a sweet guy.

His father’s name is actually Mac Lochlainn. That’s a reference and not chosen for the meaning because it’s not used on Aidan. Also, it’s just really nice sounding surname. His grandma on his father’s side’s surname was Kelly. A very common surname where they were from. Anyway, Aidan’s dad didn’t want his kids to have the disadvantage of having a foreign surname. The given names, however, weren’t too odd, and both of his parents did want to give him a link with his father’s heritage in their names. Furthermore, he was born with red hair.

As such, Aidan was given as his name, and he was bestowed with the surname of his mother, Fawkes. I picked Fawkes because 1) It sounds good with Aidan 2) it means falcon, making his name fire falcon 3) Guy Fawkes.

Duncan Reynold

I know the hero in Fable 2 is called Sparrow. However, that is a title/nickname, not a legit name. Surely, his parents, whom Sparrow canonically knew, gave him a real name. I wanted him to have a legit name. I wanted him to be of scottish-type origin. Now, Duncan has tanned skin from being out and stuff and dark hair. He’s also a brawny guy. He would have picked himself a pretty awesome name that feels strong, also… it has can in it, because he can do it. I jest.

Duncan is a mix of two parts. Together, these parts form a name meaning dark-haired warrior or dark warrior. Of course, he doesn’t know that. He just thinks it’s an awesome name.

Reynold is a carry over from trying to give king Logan a surname. It’s also a mix or two elements, advice and rule. English meaning is wise/powerful ruler (or something like that. It can also be advice from a ruler or king’s advisor, but let’s ignore that). While Duncan was that, Logan eventually proved not be.

Mass Effect

Medesa Adrestis

It’s actually from Medusa, because she’s a bit of a protector who gets spun into a villain because of the methods she uses to protect herself and others, which is often violent and rather fatal, since slave traders deserve no rights. I think there was something else, but I forgot… Oh, right! Her surname, Adrestis. I saved it in my drafts and idk if it’s still there…

I looked it up to jog my mind!

It’s from Adrestia and Adrasteia, and I didn’t want to name her exactly after that despite Asari names looking painfully ancient Greek inspired and very feminine.

Adrestia is a figure from Greek mythology, she who cannot be escaped, venerated as a goddess of revolt and just retribution. Adrasteia, “inescapable”, was a nymph charged with taking care of a child Zeus. Medesa was charged with taking care of Toreg.

Vicarius Hzzek and Lictor Kgrln

So, I won’t explain their names, because I assume Kett names are either just ID codes or can’t be easily changed into a more human tongue. I will go for their titles, though I believe I have explained it in a hc post before. Kett ranks seem based on Roman Empire influences, as is a part of their culture in general. They have Cardinals, Archons, Anointed, Ascendants. These seem religious. A Vicarius is a word that means substitute or deputy. It’s the root of the English word “vicar” as well and is used in things like vice-president. Anyway, Hzzek is a secondary to a Cardinal, making her vice-cardinal of an exaltation facility.

As for Lictor, this comes from another Latin thing. A Lictor is a type of bodyguard to a magistrate. Kgrln is one of Hzzek’s Destined, who is also assigned with escorting and guarding her. He does this together with other Destined who would also be of the Lictor role/title.

Dragon Age

Kata

Kata used to be an arvaarad and he considered himself the death of many a saarebas. That, and he is an assassin type, like a katari. He brings death to those who try to oppose him with violence, so basically he’s still death, just to other people now that he’s no longer in the qun. It’s sort of a method of intimidation. If a qunari is told they’re about to meet death, they might reconsider their current course.

Kost

Kost had another name, aban, which probably means sea, when going by “Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun.” Which means “The tide rises, the tide falls, the sea is unchanged.” He chose it, because the sea is unchanging and also clam. He was the same after leaving the qun as he was when he left.

Eventually, however, he changed his name to Kost, after staying with a group of Tal-Vashoth who helped him become less stuck in his qun ways and more able to see himself as a person. He came to be at peace with himself and took on the task of assisting some other new Tal-Vashoth in the process. As such, he took on the name Kost, “peace”, to reflect this.

#ooc #ask #long post #wow i look really long on this #Anonymous

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drvrslcense · 5 years

Text

of right now || chapter two

Masterlist | Wattpad | Taglist

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Pairing: Film Producer!Tom x Fem!Reader

Series Description: You are an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life with a boyfriend who is in a coma. And he is a successful producer looking for a promotion when he was relocated in Batanes (where you live). His plans are a) make a show b) make it a hit c) get the promotion and d) go back to London. But things don’t go as expected, right?

Disclaimer: I do not own the plot nor Tom Holland. The plot along with some lines belongs to Everyday, I love you’s crew and it’s production. Tom Holland is also just a face and a name claim, I do not know him personally nor do I know his personality.

Author’s Note: Hope you like this one! Pls, tell me your thoughts and comments so that I can improve my writing. Thank you for reading!

"Hi, love. It's day 73," You said to the camera as you stand on the top of the Marlboro Hills. "I'm here atop of the Marlboro Hills, and would very much like to share this moment with you."

"Wait here, I'll turn the camera around so that you can see the view even though you've viewed it a thousand times already," You turned the camera around so that it's facing the other way. You zoomed it in front of you, down to the beach with its clear water and white sand. You turned around showing the camera what's happening in your back. Tourists are all over the place clutching their scarves and hats just so it won't be caught in the strong wind. You laugh a little and faced the camera the other way catching the face of a man. A man, so beautiful with his curly brown hair and brown eyes. When he caught your camera, he smirked and smiled.

You quickly turned the camera away and turned it off. "Oh shit, oh shit," You muttered, quickly turning the camera off and facing the guy to apologize.

"Delete that footage of me, please and thank you," He demanded, so rudely that made you really not want to erase it just to spite him.

"I'm sorry, but if I delete it then the whole day would be deleted," You said, really guilty. But that son of a bitch just grabbed his phone and filmed you.

"HA! If you're not going to delete the footage then I'm going to delete mine," He said pointing the camera closer to you and zooming in on your face. "And what should I call you? Basco Stalker Girl? or Angry-Hot Basco Stalker Girl?"

You scowled to the camera and went to grab it, but he moved fast and ran away from you down to the start of the hill. "Hey! Give it to me!"

"No can do," He said turning to face you and walking backward but he tripped and fell leaving you to laugh at him like an idiot you are.

Seeing you laugh made Tom mad, with a glare and a scowl he stood up, dusted himself, and chased after you.

But, he couldn't catch up to you. You are already on your bike and laughing a little. You quickly drew a breath as you realize that your bike is quickly gaining speed. You quickly hanged your feet to reduce the speed and held the brakes. The bike soon stopped and soon enough, you are on the way to the hospital.

"Hey, Ang. How was he today?" You asked Aidan's nurse as the two of you met in the hallway and are walking towards Aidan's room.

"Nothing happened, really. Just a normal day checking his vital signs and stuff," She answered opening the door and letting you come in first. "Anyways, I got to go and check on my other patient across the hall. See you!"

You were greeted by the sound of the EKG machine which records his heartbeat. Nevertheless, you put your bag down on the sofa and picked up the portable DVD player from under his bed. You grabbed your bag and look for the disc containing the edited video from yesterday. You quickly found it and placed it inside the DVD player. The video quickly loaded showcasing your whole day yesterday.

"Hi, love. Here's the video from yesterday. Hope you like it," You said as you sat on the monoblock chair beside his bed and placed the portable DVD player on his stomach as the video started to play. You gazed lovingly at his face, wanting to see his smile again.

You never really lost hope when he fell into a coma. Sure, you have your guilt but you slowly learned to accept it. You, along with everyone around him never really lost faith in him. All of you believe that he would soon wake up and join you in your adventures around Batanes. That's what started the vlogs with your day and such. You would go around your day filming everything you can and showing it to him in hopes of him hearing it and maybe waking up because of those videos.

Tom, along with his tour guide for the day, stopped to eat dinner at the Esther Lie Restaurant. He walked inside and was quickly greeted with chatting guests and a cozy vibe that made him think of home. His tour guide, Paulo quickly pulled him in front of an upright piano.

"W-why?" Tom asked, confused, scrunching his face up and quickly looking around the room.

"The photographs, my boy," Paulo said redirecting Tom's gaze towards the photographs on the top of the piano. He saw old and new photographs in frames ranging from the late 50's up to the early '90s.

"Who are they?" Tom asked, his eyes gazing on the women from picture to picture.

"They are known as 'The Sisters of Basco' known for their expertise on cooking the famous kare-kare and coconut crab," Paulo explained, Tom listening to every word and nodding. Paulo then pointed to the photographs and explained each of them. "This is here, is Esther. She's the only one out of the two of them to get married. So, Esther married Stan and then they had a daughter named Cara and she married Anthony. That about sums it up, how about let's go sit and order?"

The two of them sat in a table for two, but Julie came out greeting Paulo.

"Paulo! How are you, my boy?" Julie said.

"I'm fine, mama Juls. Thank you for asking, though," Paulo said, genuinely.

"How about we go sit in a bigger table along with Anthony and Esther?" Julie offered. Tom looked at Paulo but Paulo just shrugged and moved to the bigger table. "By the way, who is this youngling with you?"

"Oh, I'm Tom," He introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Tom. Paulo basically grew up with us. His parents are one of my friends and he was a close friend to my niece, Cara," Julie explained, leading them to the table. "Wait. Let me call my family."

While Julie went on to call Esther and Tony (short for Anthony). Tom was comfortable sitting in the chair, Paulo across from him.

"So, you grew up here, huh?" Tom said, looking around once more with the restaurant's floral designs with its brown floorings and floral decor, it really gives off that cozy vibe.

"Yeah, kinda. My parents are really close to Mama Julie and Mama Esther," Paulo explained while scanning over the menu before putting it down. Tom scanned the menu and immediately went hungry due to the pictures of delicious foods.

"So," Julie came back and sat down along with Esther and Anthony. Esther seating beside Tom and Anthony beside Paulo while Julie sat beside Esther. "What are your orders?"

A waiter then came taking their orders. While they were waiting, Julie engaged them in a conversation about Paulo. How he is such a naughty little boy and how they thought that Paulo and Cara will someday marry each other.

"Oh, Julie. You haven't even introduced us to this pretty boy right here," Esther said pointing at Tom.

"I'm sorry," Julie sheepishly smiles at Tom and he chuckled a bit. "So, everyone, this is Tom."

"Nice to meet you," Tony said turning around and giving him a handshake.

"So, Tom, why are you here? And please call me Mama Esther, everyone around me does." Mama Esther bluntly asked.

"Oh, he's here to produce a hit show for us," Paulo answered excitedly. "One that will make Batanes' tourist population grow."

"Is that right, Tom?" Julie asked him and Tom nodded smiling a little. "Oh, how amazing would that be!" she gushed.

"What are you planning to do, yet?" Tony asked him.

"I don't know yet," Tom answered honestly.

"Oi! Give him a break, he just came here yesterday," Julie said, making them stop with all those questions.

"Well, who do you think shall be your lead? Any ideas?" Mama Esther asked, clearly not listening to Julie. Tom pondered for a moment before reaching out to his back pocket and grabbing his phone.

"Actually, yes," Tom came to a conclusion. "But, I don't know her name. Do you mind if I show you a video of her?"

"Nope," Julie said, popping the 'p' sound. Tom leaned over and showed them the video of you, scowling at him before the two of you ran around the Marlboro Hills and before Tom's embarrassing fall.

"Do you know her?" All of them had their jaws drop, while Tom awkwardly looks into their faces.

"Why! That's my granddaughter!" Mama Esther said, a grin forming on her along with Julie.

"That's my daughter," Tony finally said, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Any idea where she is now?" Tom finally asked. Then, Julie points her lips to his back and Tom just raised his eyebrows, confused about her movements.

"There," Paulo said, pointing on Tom's back. Tom turned and saw you entering the restaurant. You greeted the waiters and went to your grandmas' table but stopped as you saw him.

"YOU, again?" Your eyes widened at the sight of him. "I thought we are done with each other?"

"Oh, you again." Tom sighed.

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robbiessutcliffe · 5 years

Text

— blue neon - beckett harrington

A/N : I started listening to the song Blue Neon by Aidan Gallagher, and it took me a while... But eventually I saw how it could possibly connect to the relationship between Beckett and MC! So I decided to write a fic about it, even though it’s past 1:30 am.

Obviously, I skipped some lyrics to choose the ones that fit him and my MC the best...

Also, this is loosely based off of the eclipse party diamond scene with Beckett. Not really, though, considering it doesn't follow that storyline at all... But still.

Pairing : Beckett Harrington X MC (Eden Pryce)

Warnings : None.

Word Count : (no idea, as of right now)

Tag List : @brightpinkpeppercorn @melodyofgraves

Feel free to tell me if you'd like to be added to my tag list in the future!

(can't add a keep reading link as of right now, because I'm on my phone, but I will when I can!)

—

In my mind, flowers surround her name.

Beckett Harrington had never been one, and never would be one, for parties of any kind. But when one Shreya Mistry and one Zephyr Hernandez mentioned something about an party in the forest, that celebrated the upcoming eclipse, he was quite partial to the idea of going.

No, not for the party itself. But for the flowers and wildlife he knew that he could find out there in the forest.

And another reason may have been because Eden Pryce was attending as well, but he didn’t find it necessary to include that bit when Shreya asked him exactly why he was getting excited over a party.

So when they finally reached the party, he quickly found the best time to slip away, and did so. He wanted to wander, and look at the gorgeous flowers that were surrounding them on all sides. Maybe it wasn’t as peaceful an environment as he would have liked, but he supposed he’d have to settle.

As he wandered on the edges of the party, inspecting the different species of flowers, he found himself glancing towards the rest of the party, at least one or twice. Every time, his eyes found Eden in the crowd, smiling and laughing as she talked to Zephyr.

But one time, upon glancing, he realized that she had disappeared. He looked quickly through the crowd, trying to find her again. That is, until he heard a cheerful chirping voice coming from behind him, “Beckett! What’cha doing?”

Alarmed, Beckett looked towards her. In the darkening sky, her pale skin seemed to glow. The white-blonde hair that usually cascaded over her shoulders was instead braided like a crown around her head, a hairstyle done by the one and only Shreya Mistry. Her golden eyes sparkled excitedly as she looked up at him from her short height.

Looking at her now, Beckett decided that he’d like to, one day, find a flower that could compare to her beauty.

Blue neon skies.

Clearing his throat, Beckett nodded towards the flower that he had previously been looking at. “I’m looking at the wildlife out here, of course. If I’m going to be forced into going to a party, I might as well make the most of it.”

Eden rose her eyebrows, looking rather intrigued. She gave a sweet smile, before nodding, "Oh of course, that makes total sense." She hummed in response, "But wouldn't you rather look at the flowers around here in more of a, I don't know... peaceful environment?"

"Of course I would prefer that, but I highly doubt anyone of you would let me leave without a fight."

"Why include me in that?" Eden asked, looking at him rather incredulously, "Beckett, I may be enjoying myself now, but I've never liked parties. So, any chance I could take to get away from this for a bit?" She paused, leaning forward with a rather mischievous grin as she whispered, "I'd gladly take it."

Light up her eyes.

Beckett could feel his heartbeat quicken as she leaned forward. It was like she was commanding all of his focus to be on her — which was something she likely didn't have to worry about, because that's where his focus always was in the first place.

Looking in her eyes, he could swear that he saw the stars of the bright blue sky overheard reflected there. Her usually dark gold eyes had lit up, a color similar to that of the sun that hung in the sky.

"So? What do you say?" Eden hummed in a low, yet cheerful tone, "You can study your fancy flowers, and I can get away for a bit. And of course, it's always nice to get a little extra time with you." She added the last bit, almost as if it was an afterthought. But the way she said it, implied otherwise.

Clearing his throat, he glanced away from her. He could practically feel the blood gathering in his cheeks. He hoped that the blush wasn't that noticeable, but he knew that his wish would not be granted, especially with the neon lights shining through the clearing.

"I suppose that that wouldn't be the worst way to spend the night," Beckett finally responded, after clearing his throat just slightly.

"Wonderful." Eden purred, her grin growing ever wider. She straightened back up on her heels, grabbed Beckett's hand, spun around on her heels, and then they were off into the expansive forest.

In a dream, I memorize,

Her fingers were entwined between his. It seemed completely natural, like they were two pieces of a puzzle that were designed to fit with each other.

Those are the thoughts that Beckett found occupying his mind as he looked down at their locked hands. Part of him almost forgot that he was coming out here to look at the wildlife. It wasn't supposed to be to spend time with Eden! His studies always came first.

But what if, maybe, they didn't?

Beckett definitely didn't like that thought. It was far too... intrusive. Of course he put his studies first. Maybe he was forming some sort of feelings for this upbeat, sarcastic girl, but that didn't change his entire life focus.

Did it?

Maybe it did. Because the more he thought about it, the more he found himself thinking about her. His time was mostly occupied by her and her group of friends (which, even he had to admit, they were growing on him the slightest bit).

He found that he took each of her compliments to heart. And even all of her not-so-subtle criticisms about his sociability, he was concerned with changing that for her, too.

Only when they stopped in a small clearing, far enough from the party that the noise was just muffled, did Beckett look up from their hands. He instead looked at her with widened eyes. He looked at the girl who had changed the world in a few weeks.

All the details of her face that night.

Eden looked back at him with her soft smile, the one that she seemed to reserve for only him, only when they were alone. The sweet smile that indicated the caring that was behind her very sarcastic words.

And in the light of the moon, right then and right there, he kissed it.

It was an urge, all of a sudden, as something he had to do. That if he didn't do it, maybe his entire world would fall apart. But he would never know if that would have happened. Because he did do it.

And god, was he glad he did.

The feeling of her lips against his, in that perfect fit that he would only ever feel with her, in the softness of the light around them. It felt like maybe they were the only ones. Like this moment was made only for them.

Finally, moments after, he pulled away, flushed but smiling. Their hands were between them, fingers intertwined.

But the best part of all of it was Eden's grin, and the happy twinkle in her golden eyes. He felt like his brain was working overtime in this one moment, so that he could remember every single little detail.

"It's about time you did that, Beckett." Edeen breathed as she rested her forehead against his.

Beckett let it soak in for a moment, before he finally responded.

"I know."

#choices #choices stories you play #playchoices fic #fic #beckett harrington #te beckett #the elementalists #beckett x mc #mc : eden pryce

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wildroseofarran · 5 years

Text

Winter Ball, Part II || Jaidan & Letcher

June: June felt like Cinderella. Ice princess Cinderella. Dressing on theme wasn't a requirement for the gala, but why wouldn't she? This was something that only happened once a year, and if she could go crazy with the stars and stripes on the Fourth of July, she could be ice princess Cinderella for the gala.

Now if only she wasn't worried about her men abandoning ship before they got there.

She pulled up Fletcher's name and hit 'call'.

Fletcher: June would be greeted by a cough, a muttered curse and something falling on carpet. Nothing broken, at least.

"Hey, Junebug. Sup?"

June: She laughed. Those were not very encouraging sounds. “Well hello to you, too. I can practically feel your excitement for today.”

Fletcher: "Right. Today." Luke wouldn't pass up this opportunity to see him especially dressed for the occasion.

"M'not runnin' away if that's what you're worried 'bout."

June: “I’m not worried. Just making sure you’re still on board. I know you’re not a fan of these kinds of things.”

Fletcher: "M'not gonna lie t'ya 'bout somethin' like this. M'still goin'. Luke, too."

June: "Okay. Is he excited? Are you excited?"

Fletcher: "Well, I get t'see him all dressed up. That's kinda, ya know, hot."

June: June laughed. "Yes, it is. And he gets to see you all dressed up. It'll be very romantic."

Fletcher: "Ehhh. If ya say so. Are we meetin' ya there, or am I pickin' y'all up, or...?"

June: "I figured we'd meet ya'll there. Aidan is picking me up."

Fletcher: "Yep. Still a gentleman. Y'all feel free t'drink. I'll be sober for it."

June: "You're volunteering yourself as designated driver? You don't have to. If we're in no condition to drive home we can call someone to pick us up."

Fletcher: "I wasn't gonna be drinkin' anyway. Really, the two of ya have a good time. Luke too, if he can even get trashed on wine."

June: "Okay, thank you. But if you change your mind, tell me, okay? I want you to have a good time too."

Fletcher: "Drinkin' doesn't equate a good time, Junebug. I know workin' at a bar the patrons have fooled you," he laughed.

June: "You at least have to have a glass of champagne in the honor of the season."

Fletcher: "Fine. One. Right when I walk in with ya. Okay?"

June: "Deal! I also demand at least...two dances."

Fletcher: "Two?! Ya get one."

June: "Aw, come on! What's two little dances?"

Fletcher: "Luke's also gonna want dances n'I don't dance."

June: "Then we'll space them out. One at the beginning of the night and one toward the end."

Fletcher: "...Maybe." Easier than saying no. "What time is the party?"

June: "Six-thirty."

Fletcher: "Wanna do anything 'fore then?"

June: "My sister is coming over at three to help me do my hair so I'm free until then. Whatcha have in mind?"

Fletcher: "Shit I meant from today till then. Like ya wanna hit the gym?"

June: "Oh, today! Yes, I'm free and yes, I wanna go to the gym!"

Fletcher: "What we gonna work on today?"

June: "Arms. Got inventory coming up."

Fletcher: "Want some boxin'?"

June: "Yes. Been a while."

Fletcher: "I'll come pick ya up in an hour."

June: "Sounds good. See you then!"

Fletcher: As that time rolled around, June was given a text at a red light. Just a few blocks away.

Luke: As he drove, Fletcher would be receiving multiple pictures of Luke in different outfits.

Which one? they'd ask.

Like this, or like that? This colour, or that? That, or this?

The process also included him switching between genders, trying to figure out what would be more comfortable for them both, or if it made any difference at all.

He knew Fletcher wouldn't care as much as he is making out Fletcher will care, but he's stressing! The gala's a big deal!

Fletcher: The sudden switch in genders left him at the red light a few seconds too long. Should June know? What about Aidan and the rest of the Archers? It had been something intimate between them. The idea of others knowing hadn't crossed his thoughts.

{Text: Angel} What are you feelin more a dress or suit?

Luke: Fletcher: {Text} Almost to June's I'll call you then baby

He pulled up to the side of the road and sent a quick message to June. He'd be waiting outside talking to Luke. She could take her time.

The phone was pressed to his ear, elbow on the window as he counted the rings.

June: {Text to Fletcher} AHH I'M SORRY I GOT DISTRACTED TALKING TO MY BROTHER

{Text to Fletcher} I'LL BE OUT SOON I PROMISE

Luke: It would only ring thrice before Luke answered. He sounded exasperated immediately.

"Fletcher!" he exhaled. "Hi, Beautiful. Are you with June now?"

Fletcher: "Hey, baby. Yeah, she's almost out. So..." He turned up the A/C. "So ya wanna be Light for the gala?"

Luke: "It... it isn't so much a want as it is... I don't know the people who will be there. What if being a woman with you would be easier? But then Aidan and June... I'm... I'm torn. I don't know what to do."

Fletcher: "I know m'the first t'fuckin'...not want somethin' 'cause of...the shit in my life. I know I - but a lotta people know m'with ya. I don't think m'explainin' this right. M'not afraid t'be seen with ya at the gala as ya are."

Luke: There was silence on the other end of the phone. Some rummaging, material moving. "Alright, then. I trust you."

Fletcher: "Ya wanted t'be in a dress, didn't ya?"

Luke: He laughed shyly, "It wasn't that, I just started to wonder whether things would be easier for us."

Fletcher: "Us or me?"

Luke: "Us."

Fletcher: "Things ain't been easy 'cause I'mma guy?"

Luke: "N-no but things like... like sexual things and general homophobia and... I..." he sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I just mean more convenient."

Fletcher: "... Elaborate on that first part. D'ya like sex more as a woman?"

Luke: "I thought you might, given we... clash less."

Fletcher: "I uh..." He cleared his throat. "I like - I like both." Too bad Luke couldn't see the blush.

Luke: "Equally?"

Fletcher: "D'you like both equally?"

Luke: "I wonder if such extremely different things can be compared in such a way so as to be considered equal."

Fletcher: "Thank god you're so good with words."

Luke: "What... do you mean?"

Fletcher: "'Cause you're in love with an idiot that can't talk right. I love ya male or female, baby. I can do both."

Luke: "Don't call yourself an idiot." his soft retort while Fletcher finished speaking. "That's nice to hear... but perhaps strange for anyone who might be eavesdropping."

Fletcher: "She's just comin' outside. Wanna pick this up after the gym?"

Luke: "Sure. Tell her I said hello. See you later, love you."

June: June's first word the moment she got in the car was "Sorry! Blame my brother. And me a little bit, but mostly him."

Fletcher: "Love ya, too, baby."

His phone was tossed onto the dashboard. She was given a smile. "S'fine. Was talkin' t'Luke. Ya ready?"

June: "Yep! How is he? Excited?"

Fletcher: "Ehhh a little... nervous? Two men... Uh, he also says hi."

Fletcher pulled out to the road and turned down the radio.

June: "I hope you told him no one will care. And if someone does, I'll just beat them up."

Fletcher: "Ya got the skills to," he smiled.

June: "I should hope so, by now. But seriously, tell him not to worry."

Fletcher: "I'll let him know." Miles down the road, and the ugly concrete building came I to view. This was a part of his week he looked forward to. Through the grunts of determination and twinges of pain, despite the slams of gloves against gloves and bags his mind could be quiet. A momentary sense of peace waved over his paranoia.

June: June's mind was the opposite in a way. Her mind was racing, but not in the way it usually was. It was like her thoughts were...organizing themselves.

In her head she was doing her makeup and hair and picking out jewelry and thinking up a timetable getting ready.

She had her look complete in her head by the time they were finishing up.

"God," she sighed, nearly inhaling water. "Whoever decided humans should sweat should be kicked in the shin."

Fletcher: "C'mon. It feels good. Keeps ya cool n'pheromones," he grinned. "Go home t'Aidan n'just get naked."

June: “That’s just what someone who doesn’t have to deal with boob sweat would say.” She inhaled more water.

Fletcher: "I've got tits."

June: “You’ve got pecs. Big difference.”

Fletcher: He looked between them jokingly. "Okay, so, they were bigger than yours before we started this."

June: She laughed. “Now you’re all ripped and unrelatable.”

Fletcher: "Unrelatable? You're a lioness."

June: “A lioness with uncomfortably sweaty boobs.”

Fletcher: "They got lockers n'showers here. Girls' side probably better than what I step in."

June: "I wouldn't be too sure about that. That's why I only rinse here and shower at home."

Fletcher: "Like I said, give Aidan a surprise," he laughed. "M'really feelin' them right hooks from ya. My fuckin' wrist!"

June: "If I ever do give him this particular surprise it'll be with much cleaner hair. Also thank you! I'm really excited to kick someone out of the bar. I'm gonna go rinse off."

Fletcher: "I'll be watchin' n'takin' pictures t'hang."

His gloves were stuffed back in his bag. "Same. See ya in ten minutes."

June: "You're such a good friend."

Ten minutes later, June was no longer sweaty and much happier.

"I'm so ready to get ready."

Fletcher: "That excited, are ya?" His hair still very much damp, Fletcher was in the middle of arguing with his bag for the keys.

June: "Yes! It's going to be so fun and magical."

Fletcher: "Just hope s'somethin' Luke is gonna enjoy."

June: "I really think he will."

Fletcher: "Pretty much every big event now's gotta be more elaborate n'memorable for him."

June: She tilted her head. "Why?"

Fletcher: "I did somethin' shitty on New Year’s Eve a while back."

June: "Did you apologize and make it up to him?"

Fletcher: "Tryin' all the time. It ain't what the whole relationship is or should be, but it ain't somethin' m'ever gonna, ya know, let go of."

June: "If Luke has forgiven you or does forgive you, it's okay to forgive yourself, Fletcher. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to feel guilty for the rest of your lives, especially if you've tried to make it up to him and improve. And maybe I'm wrong, but Luke doesn't seem like the kind of person that needs or demands grand gestures."

Fletcher: "Ya ain't gotta demand em t'deserve em. Aidan should be givin' ya the same."

June: "That's true but what I'm saying is, you shouldn't feel pressured to make every big event or big thing a Big Thing, you know? Aidan took me on a walk to the ice cream place and remembered what flavor I like two months ago and I haven't stopped thinking about it."

Fletcher: The Samsa snorted, wiping his mouth in an attempt to remove the smile and very much failing.

"That's all it takes, huh?"

June: She smiled. "It really is. It's not about the size of the gesture. It's the love and meaning and thoughtfulness behind it."

Fletcher: "Well, he's lucky t'have ya."

June: "I'm lucky to have him. And you and Luke are lucky to have each other. Tonight will be memorable."

Fletcher: "Alright," he jiggled the keys, "lemme take ya home t'turn into a princess."

June: "Yes, let's go. I can turn into a princess and you and go turn into a price."

Fletcher: "Ha." But he could watch Luke transform, and that would be arousing and plenty of other things.

June was dropped off just outside of her house. A quick kiss to her cheek later, and he was well on his way home.

June: June watched Fletcher drive off, grabbing her phone from her bag as she made her way inside her house.

{Text to Aidan} Hey Prince Charming :)))))

{Text to Aidan} Just got back from the gym, about to start getting ready for tonight

{Text to Aidan} You excited?!?!?!?

Aidan: Aidan blinked at the messages which seemed to come one after another. He'll never understand why people send multiple texts, but he'll endure it for her.

{Text} Why do you have so many mouths?

June: {Text} What???

#Winter Ball Pt. 2 #junelujano #fletchergoodman #mournus

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kennedy-writes · 5 years

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Some More Info About Aidan :)

So @decantae tagged me in the Character Creation Tag (thank you!), which is perfect because I’m posting lots about my OCs this week. I made a post about Aidan here, and now here is some more info:

1) What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.?)

In the earliest stages of my WIP, back in summer of 2017, maybe earlier, Aidan was named Elaine. The story was suuuuper different it’s crazy. But the concept of her role in the story was the same, and I believe this was the first thing I considered for her. She would be the first to break away from the cruel programming/conditioning imposed on her generation and successfully escape to discover an alternate way of living and feeling. She also always had a close ally in a man whose name has been Thor, Jagger, Aryeh, Lev, and now Sammie. Jagger is a different character now.

2) Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

Elaine (proto-Aidan?) was the first character I really designed, but I designed her knowing that she’d have a close platonic relationship with someone like Thor. Elaine was re-designed into Aidan, and it’s the same thing: I designed her knowing she’d have a close relationship with two other people: Stella, a girl from the city, and Aryeh, now Sammie, the librarian. I’m thinking now that Stella might actually be unnecessary to the novel so I may have to cut her out though :( but we’ll see

3) How did you choose their name?

I love names for girls that are traditionally masculine, and I wanted something that meant sunny or fire or something of that sort. This was because I was toying with the idea of having her with a fiery name and then Thor with the thunder-god name. But it also fits her personality so I didn’t change it after Thor left the picture.

4) In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

I don’t have all of Aidan’s backstory perfectly figured out yet (I’m doing this as I go whoops). But the city is a proclaimed techno-utopia run by rich inventors, scientists, and engineers acting on their wildest fantasies and discarding all ethics, a utopia that serves only their society (governors, celebrities, the wealthy and their favored individuals), at the expense of a class of laborers and staff who were literally made to do certain types of work and nothing else. SO Aidan was one of these people but she was a bit different because she was designed to play in the orchestra. The environment of the city - very sterile, imposing, restrictive - is probably the most influential part in her development once she runs away.

5) Is there any significance behind their hair colour?

Sort of, not really. I think black hair is cool. I dyed mine black a bit ago and felt good about it. I wanted Aidan to evoke that vibe.

6) Is there any significance behind their eye colour?

No.

7) Is there any significance behind their height?

No. She is shorter than most other characters though.

8) What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

Her whole arc is partly a metaphor for coming into your emotions after having them suppressed for so long, and navigating what that feels like. So that’s a thing I can relate to.

9) Are they based off of you, in some way?

Yeah, somewhat. She’s the only one who is, though. The others may have bits of me in them, but not Based On Me.

10) Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

Yeah! I mean I thought bisexual at first but I changed it to pansexual because it seemed to fit her better.

11) What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: Writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

I don’t do art (yet. I try, sometimes) but I have made a mood board for her. So no difficulty to report yet. Here is the moodboard btw:

12) How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

This is a hard one to answer because I don’t know when the canon events end. There might be more than one book? I don’t really think too far in the future for her, as I don’t imagine she does much either, because the desert is a very in-the-moment kind of space. Aidan hardly knows what she’s going to do tomorrow, and neither do I.

13) If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

1. The trauma from having to suppress her emotions and being forced to play music for the rich for so long absolutely informs the way she goes about her new life. She is angry. She tries to just forget about everything about the first 20 years of her life, and truly believes it doesn’t affect her anymore, but it totally does in ways she doesn’t realize. She’s also a little jealous of people who’ve lived in the desert all their lives.

2. This anger often mixes in with the overwhelming love she feels towards all the new things - the friends, the landscape, the freedom and agency she has now, etc. At her core she’s very much in love with the world and wants to help others. The desire to help feels like an immense pressure, and she often overdoes it on her training with Vala. She’s just a very intense but compassionate bean.

14) What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?

When she gets to the desert, she might as well have been born yesterday, everything’s new to her. Her enthusiastic reactions to ordinary things that everyone takes for granted are funny in my head. (Haven’ t written this yet!)

15) What is something about your OC can make you cry?

Aidan wants to be close to people, wants to let them in. But she’s afraid that there’s nothing insider her, because she’s from the city and was “made” rather than raised in a human household. She’s scared that she will bring people close only for them to find out she is empty with nothing to give. She covers this up with a loud and energetic demeanor. She’s also very emotionally open and candid despite this fear, which is proof that her fear is unfounded, but she still freaks out when people get too close. The emotional turmoil that comes with that is super heartbreaking to me. Also how attached she gets to Sammie - this will Hurt later.

16) Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

Not necessarily a regret (I’m not so far in that I can’t change something), but I’m like…. How am I going to come up with a plausible way for her background in the city to deprive her of a sense of humanity - sci fi isn’t my forte, but then again, fiction isn’t either. I’m a poet, mostly. I’m just figuring stuff out as I go.

17) What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

That she isn’t in love with the librarian. It’s very specific, but Aidan wants platonic intimacy more than anything. She does experiment with sex but her relationship with the librarian must be platonic. Aryeh became Sammie, an eccentric gay man in his late 30s. (That they don’t fall in love allowed me to widen the age gap; I felt that Sammie had to be a bit older.) He has a huge collection of curiosities and books and artefacts, and Aidan’s drive to learn as much as she can about the world that’s been hidden from her brings her close to him.

18) What is your favourite fact about your OC?

She has a segment on Laurie’s radio show called The Finest Hour, in which she talks about music and plays her favorite records she finds in Sammie’s archives. I really really could not resist giving her my music tastes. also she loves climbing rocks.

So that’s Aidan! Next up is Sammie!! I was going to do Vala next but I’m really excited about Sammie because he’s basically the newest character and I love him a lot. After him is Ryan - I did merge and adapt that one flash fiction piece with my bigger WIP and I have no regrets. and then Vala, then Marian, then maybe Laurie then Jagger, then anyone else I didn’t do. Cool? Cool.

I’ll also take this time to apologize for all the WIPs I sort of started or teased a bit ago, I saw a post yesterday that made me really self conscious about that lol. I don’t mean to do it. but also those WIPs came from a different me and I’m not that me anymore, if that makes sense. If I do pick them back up, and I do intend to for some of them, they’ll be a little different. But my main focus right now is Where Stars Go To Die. Thanks for understanding!

#aidan #my ocs #where stars go to die #my characters #tag game #long post #kit writes #writing fiction

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edisonbeaumont · 5 years

Photo

“Is it freezing in here?“ Edison Beaumont asks. We’re in the lobby of the Chudley Cannons offices. I tell him I’m okay, but the withering look on his face catches my lie & I correct myself, it is a little chilly. He replies, “Should’ve worn a Beaumont.“ Moment’s like these continually happen when in the vicinity of the Cannons owner, you step so willingly into a set-up. I’ve had the opportunity to interview the mogul wizard twice & he appears to remember everything I rattled off the last time we met, even asking me how my owl recovered from a lightning strike last June. (He’s fine.) But cloaks & owls aside, sitting down Beaumont stands to offer a plethora about the man’s life of which only limited amounts is known. Edison sits on the Board of Governors at Hogwarts, is acting Chief Operating Officer & designer at Beaumont Cloaks, & happens to own his favorite Quidditch team. Somehow, we at Quidditch Daily have managed to secure a block of his time to conduct an interview.

WW: We know you’re a lifelong Chudley fan, but when did you know they were the only team for you & how did your family start following the Cannons?

Edison Beaumont: To tell you the truth, it’s a bit of a mystery. If we’re going by geographical location, & this was long before we had national teams, we should’ve been throwing our support behind Holyhead. As luck would have it though, we Beaumonts have been long suffering Cannons fans. Some ancestor of mine must’ve been a bit of a masochist. It’s a much better time to be a Cannons fan. How did I know they were the only team for me? It sounds cliche to say it’s in my blood but it’s Merlin’s honest truth. I can’t imagine even thinking about wearing another teams robes growing up. I’d attended more Cannons matches than steps I’d taken by the time I was two. It’s a lifelong affliction & I wouldn’t have it any other way.

WW: What made the Cannons season last year so explosive?

Edison Beaumont: I think we got it all right. It’s a simple as that. We made a lot of changes in staff, coaching & players & we came out the other side with a perfect storm.

WW: You’ve been criticized in the past for coming in & buying a winning team.

Edison Beaumont: That’s a qualm I never fully understood. There’s never been a problem before with teams spending a bit of money on players. To win matches, you need the best team. Plain & simple. Last season, I got a fair amount of grief because Merlin forbid I made upgrades. The Cannons spent the better part of two centuries stumbling through budgetary woes that were abundantly clear on the pitch. I was able to alleviate some of that, but money isn’t what wins games it’s the players & coaches & we’ve got some of the best.

WW: You come from a wealthy background, obviously, but it has been estimated that your net-worth is somewhere north of 1.5 billion after purchasing the Chudley Cannons.

Edison Beaumont: It’s possible.

WW: Another source of contention amongst fans was the installment of your daughter, Gemma Beaumont, onto the team.

Edison Beaumont: She’s more than proven herself, I think. If she wasn’t on the Cannons, she’d be on another top-tier team causing us problems in the offense department.

WW: In your mind, who are the most influential owners in the game? Who is getting it right out there?

Edison Beaumont: I think Samuel Bagshot is making all the right changes with the Bats. They’ve always had a bit of a reputation & I think Bagshot is doing a great job reigning in the disposition of his team & re-branding them as a formidable challenger. Of course, Selena Newf as well has caught her fair share of backlash for losing the Cup, but there’s no mistaking how well led that organization is. Puddlemere has been in the championships or right near it for the better part of ten years & Selena’s certainly heralded the team into the new century & maintained them as the team to beat.

WW: You’ve long since been divorced from your ex-wife, Lorelai Cadogan, but your name comes up several times in her new autobiography. What kind of relationship do you maintain with her today?

Edison Beaumont: News to me. We’re friendly. We raised a daughter together & I think that outweighs our short-lived union. Gemma’s fully grown now though so there’s no trying to organize floo visits or coordinating school shopping so we don’t have an excuse to see on another anymore, but how charming to know I’m still being thought about. You’ll have to tell me if it’s in a positive light after you read it.

WW: You were seen out & about six months ago with Evanna Lynch, daughter of legendary Irish seeker, Aidan Lynch. Any chance of wedding bells ringing anytime soon?

Edison Beaumont: ‘fraid not. We were friendly, that’s all. Surprised it’s still a question on anyone’s minds but my mums. I think I’ve long since fallen out of the ‘eligible bachelor’ columns.

#qd:event #about #face #breh I’m all over the dash like letters

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writinginthebox · 6 years

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Meet the Writer Tag

Boy am I late. Projects. They’re hungry little monsters.

@seamusings thank you so much for the tag! Here goes the answer.

Rules: Answer 10 questions and tag 10 writers.

1. Your main character is designing their dream house. What does it look like?

Kei is not much of an interior designer I fear. He would go for loads of space, for the dancing, obviously, but also for the dogs he’d want to have. Oh, and he’d try to convince all of his group members to live with him. He’d pester Ace and Owen the most about it and Ace would actually be happy to join. The location would cause him conflict, because he has to stay close to his workplace but hasn’t seen his family in a long time (”What do you mean all your friends live there, mom, I miss you and that other apartment is nicer than yours right now”).

2. What is the weirdest thing that has ever inspired a WIP?

Okay, so this is a WIP that is very much just starting out (as in, I only have names for two characters while normally characters and their names come first for me), but it’s basically about a group of students deciding to revitalize the old medieval code of chivalry in today’s world. I got the story idea after reading an article about Don Quijote stating that he was actually the only one sane out of all of the characters from the novel, because he was the only one that didn’t accept the dirty and innoble reality of his time as a given and insisted on behaving in a totally different and both anachronical and revolutionary way. In that sense, Don Quijote can be read as the story of an old man dissatisfied with the world who assumes what he holds as the ideal behaviour while also assuming that everybody else will respond in the same way and how his chivalry and naiveté make him the punching bag of everybody he comes across.

I’m passionate about the idea and ideal of the chivalrious knight, okay?

3. Which character in your current WIP is the most fun to write and why?

They all have their little (or slightly larger) quirks and I love them. I am therefore very bad at chosing. What I can say, however, is that I love writing the various ways in which my boys go wrong again and again in a half-conscious effort to not go the right way because they know it’ll be hella painful. Basically have them resist their character development.

4. Choose an 80’s song for your main character(s) theme song:

“Eye of The Tiger”

5. The characters in your current WIP are in high school. Who gets voted “Most Popular/Most Likely to End up in Jail/Friendliest” etc.?

Most popular: Kei and Daemin. Seriously, everybody loves Daemin and spoils him rotten. If the boys’ fans had a say, it would be X.U. (followed closely by Kei).

Most Likely to End up in Jail: Ace, voted unanimously. He’s not so happy about that. Ok also suggests Rai, because his stare is just that scary for him. As their creator, I agree with Ace, if he were placed under extreme conditions, but Ecco could get close to be convicted via crime of omission.

Friendliest: Seung (bc they haven’t seen his dark side - yet), Owen, Lue

Most likely to become president: Ecco, hands down. Even I can’t disagree with that.

Biggest Diva: X.U. all the way!

Teacher’s pet: Seung

Most likely to win a Nobel prize: Rai. I’d put my wages on Tadashi as well, tho. The kid has potential.

6. Tell us a place in the world that you desperately want to visit and why.

Backpacking through Eurasia, because I like walking and I want to see all these places up close! South Korea, because I want to learn the language (and make my WIP the most accurate possible. What have I gotten myself into)! Weta Workshop in New Zealand (they made all the props and costumes and character designs and creature designs and sets for LOTR and The Hobbit and I love their work)!

7. What is the absolute trashiest TV show that you’ve ever watched?

Huh. I don’t really watch TV shows and if one of them doesn’t grab my interest, I’ll drop it very quickly. But I just watched xXx: The Return of Xander Cage today and it’s so. basic. but so much fun

8. Hollywood comes knocking, wanting to put your life story on the big screen. Who’s cast to play you? What about your nemesis/love interest?

Jennifer Lawrence as me, maybe? And I haven’t really had a love interest yet, so no chance on that i have had a crush on Aidan Turner tho so... Anyway, my antagonist is myself, so good luck to Jennifer Lawrence with that! Also, I want Cate Blanchett as my mom, and Sir Ian McKellen and Maggie Smith as my grandparents.

9. Favorite flowers and why?

Roses. My grandmother has some in her garden that have the most amazing smell and colour ever.

10. Is there a genre that you’d love to break into in the future?

I’d say fantasy, but I have already sorta broken into it. So let’s go with romance. I normally work with big big BIIIIIIIIIIIIG plots (like epic quests and evil governments and stuff), so to have the relationship between two characters be the center of a story is quite challenging for me i’m also a romantic person.

On to the tagging!!! Let’s see. @kingdomvel @siarven @kittensartsbooks @boothewriter @minny-santa I hope you guys don’t mind me tagging you. If you don’t feel like it, feel free to ignore! Otherwise, I’ll definitely check your answers out.

#writing #writeblr #ask game #my writing #meet the writer #about me #for fun

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ellanainthetardis · 6 years

Photo

The big day is here! It’s a long chapter so let me know your thoughts please!

[ff] or [ao3]

74. 22 Months & 10 Months (3)

“You’re alright?”

Effie startled, not sure if it was the question or the hand Haymitch placed on her shoulder that finally disrupted the ringing in her ears. She forced a strained smile that immediately made his face close in a worried way.

“You don’t have to do this.” he insisted. “You can still change your mind.”

Except it was a little late now given where they were standing. She hadn’t forgotten how busy the backstage of that kind of events always was but the constant agitation was a little overwhelming. She had been requested to sit while someone checked her hair and redid her make-up so she wouldn’t look too shiny on TV…

She nervously smoothed the green dress she had designed especially for that day. It was elegant. Nothing outlandish, almost severe. The lines were clean and straight, it went down to a little over her knees… The butterfly necklace didn’t really go well with it, pearls would have been more appropriate but the butterfly always made her feel better, more confident, and so she had insisted on keeping it when her mother had remarked on the accessories issue. Elindra hadn’t insisted aside from offering to lend her a row of pearls and matching earrings, she had even said Effie looked lovely – which might have been out of worry her daughter would lose it before she even reached the stage.

The last few days had been… difficult.

She had been having nightmares, the children woke up at least three times a night, unused to their new room and the strange house with the city noises still faintly audible despite the thick glass of the windows, and between one and the other, rest had been a hard thing to get. Haymitch tossed and turned all night, more upset by being back in the Capitol than he probably wanted to admit. He got up to check on the kids even when they weren’t crying.

Effie had chosen not to show up at the press conference on the first day since it mostly concerned surviving members of the Star Squad and victors. She had watched it live on TV with her sister and her mother instead, amused by how utterly uninterested April and Aidan were to see their father on the screen. It had gone as well as could be expected, with questions that only probed at old wounds.

She hadn’t escaped the official dinner at the mansion that same night but that, at least, had been bearable if only because there had been very little press present. They had been forced to pose for a couple of cameras but that had been the extent of it. She had mostly spent the rest of the night smiling on Haymitch’s arm while he discussed politics with members of various cabinets when he didn’t outright approached Secretaries. She knew he hadn’t done it on purpose but she had resented a little being forced to play the role of the trophy wife.

Katniss had given the inauguration of the commemoration statue a wide pass the next day, unwilling to go back to the City Circle. Peeta had accepted to do the honors in her stead and had made a beautiful speech, like he always did.

Too soon, it had been time for Paylor’s announcement and there they were now, ten minutes away from the thing Effie had been dreading for weeks.

“Sweetheart.” Haymitch reminded her, reaching for her hand, stopping her from erasing imaginary creases off her dress.

She had yet to answer him, she realized.

“I am alright.” she promised.

And she started fussing with her hair instead.

It was Katniss who had done it that morning. Effie hadn’t gone down for breakfast, too sick with nerves to do anything but fret about her outfit, the speech she had prepared – and that Plutarch had sent back several times with requests to adjust the language as if this was all about politics and not at all about her, something that had sent Haymitch in a violent rage. When Katniss had sneaked in her bedroom, she had been in the process of almost scalping herself by running the hairbrush far too hard in her curls. The girl had silently taken over and braided her hair, pining it up in a way that was very similar to the Mockingjay’s braid.

So they don’t forget, the girl had claimed.

Anyone would have troubles forgetting who stood with her when all the remaining victors – Beetee included but minus Enobaria – were sitting front row that day.

“Can’t lie to me.” Haymitch scolded gently, reaching out to squeeze her nape. “I’m serious though. You want to bail out, I’m taking you out of here.”

She was so very tempted to agree. So very tempted…

But it wouldn’t solve anything, would it? The truth would still come out but she wouldn’t have any say about the form that truth would take.

She coiled her fingers around his wrist, anchoring herself. “I need to do this.”

He searched her eyes for a second and then sighed.

He looked older in the city, she had noticed, more… troubled. Sometimes, she looked at him and it was hard to remember when they were. He was no longer the carefree father and husband who laughed more often. In the Capitol, he had bags under his eyes, he stood that little bit straighter as if to make himself more threatening to the numerous sharks lurking around, he looked perpetually serious… He had also gone back to wearing three-pieces suits and the waistcoats alone brought back memories.

He looked like the mentor he wasn’t anymore and it made her wonder what she looked like.

She was aware her accent was more pronounced, her speech pattern more formal – although that tended to come out when exposed to her family for a long time – she was also more prone to cover her nervousness with a laugh or a joke, to hide her true feelings behind cheerfulness and to pretend she was too dumb to understand when she simply wished to avoid a question. In short, she was aware she had been acting a little too much like the escort she used to be.

How quickly they fell back on old patterns, she mused.

“Got something for you.” he mumbled and then fished a small jewelry box out of his pocket.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What ever for?”

She was always a little suspicious when men offered flowers or shiny diamonds out of the blue. It was never a good thing in her experience, simply a way for them to appease their conscience. However it was Haymitch and she trusted Haymitch completely.

“A reminder.” he shrugged awkwardly, shaking the box to indicate she should just take it.

She did with a genuine smile and opened it, not quite surprised to find a ring in it given the size. It was exquisite and she recognized the custom work of Twelve’s jewel maker immediately. The ring was large, chiseled into two delicate feathers intertwining around a sparkling blue sapphire that matched her butterfly.

“Haymitch…” she whispered. She was pretty sure it was an unique piece, just like her necklace, which meant he had designed it – or had at least chosen the basics. “It is beautiful!”

He plucked the ring out of the box before she could do it herself and showed her the inside. Two dates were engraved there and the meaning of the two feathers became instantly clear. Their children’s birthdays. Without a word, he slid it on her middle finger and then ran his thumb on her knuckles.

“You’re never alone.” he told her in a quiet voice. “You’ve got us waiting of you. Always. You go through this and you’ve got us waiting.”

She clenched her jaw because she didn’t trust herself not to start crying. And if she started, she knew she would never stop. She didn’t need to say anything though, he knew her too well. His mouth stretched into a smirk that was a little too strained and he brought her hand to his lips, pressing a long kiss on the back of it.

“Pardon me for intruding…” a man said to their left, after clearing his throat. “My name is…”

“I know who you are Mr Caldwell.” Effie cut him off. It was a little rude and she tried to smooth it away with a smile and an outstretched hand. She didn’t miss the protective step Haymitch took closer to her. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise, Miss Trinket.” he offered, shaking her hand.

Up close, the scar on his face was even more impressive. He had probably been handsome before, now he looked oddly mismatched. It made her slightly grateful that hers were out of sight and easily hidden. She wasn’t sure she would have survived a scar like that on her face. She was too vain for that.

“Abernathy.” she corrected. She was a little annoyed about that. She had told Plutarch she didn’t go by Trinket anymore but the Secretary of Communication was strangely insistent that her maiden name made her more identifiable – and, in hers and Haymitch’s opinion, it also helped make a distinction between her and Twelve’s Quell victor in people’s mind, which was probably better for polls.

“Of course. My apologies.” the Head of the Association for Capitol Recognition nodded. “Mr Abernathy.” Haymitch shook the offered hand a second too late for the hesitation not to be obvious but if Mr Caldwell noticed, he didn’t let on. “I wanted to thank you for doing this. I know it cannot be easy but… We have been fighting for this moment since the end of the war and…”

“Like we had a choice.” Haymitch scoffed.

Effie gave him a discreet kick in the ankle. He shot her a mild glare and then rolled his eyes.

“I was given to understand you volunteered to do this.” Mr Caldwell frowned.

“I was volunteered more than I did volunteer.” Effie joked without much humor. “I suppose it is karma.”

“Effie.” Haymitch sighed.

“It is fine. I am fine.” she promised with a small smile, turning her new ring around her finger. “I just want to get this over with so I can go back to our babies.”

She was dying for a cuddle.

April and Aidan were with Lyssa who had volunteered to keep an eye on the children – hers as well as Finn – so their parents could be there for her. The thought of Elindra and Tadius sitting next to Katniss and Peeta in the audience was a comfort, truth be told. And she knew Lyssa would take care of her children for the simple reason that she dotted on them.

Still, she was dying to hold them, breathe them in, forget about the past and focus on her present and future. They were real life. This, all of this, it was just a nightmare.

“Mrs Abernathy…” Mr Caldwell’s frown deepened. “If you do not want to do this, I urge you to reconsider. We are not in a habit of forcing people to out themselves at the AFCR. Secretary Heavensbee…”

“You’ll find Secretary Heavensbee says a lot of crap to get what he wants.” Haymitch snorted, shaking his head.

“Still.” the Capitol man insisted. “I am only too aware of how… fragile one may be after the kind of ordeal we went through. Your mental well-being should always be your first priority. If you feel this will be positive for you, then do it. But if you are here because someone roped you into this…”

The we first shocked her like a slap because that we used to be only Johanna, Peeta and her. Annie too, she supposed, but nobody had ever really touched Annie. And then she realized, he had been down there too. So had been many of the people who would be in the audience that day. And those people… Those people who had been trying to convince Panem they were telling the truth for years… Nobody with enough weight was willing to speak for them.

She had the weight.

Almost the whole country might hate her for what she embodied but she had the weight.

She was calmer suddenly.

“I will speak.” she simply stated.

A timid staff girl with pink hair and a huge headset approached Haymitch. “Sir, please, it’s about to start. If you could take your seat in the audience…”

Haymitch glanced from the Capitol man to her. “You want me to stay?”

“No. I want to be able to look at you.” she requested.

He nodded once, cupped her cheek and, after a moment of hesitation, placed a long kiss on her lips. He hadn’t kissed her once in public since they had arrived in the city. They hadn’t been touching as much as usual either, they kept to a respectable distance. Habits. Habits were really hard to break and being there, even after five years…

“I’m gonna be right there the whole time.” he promised, brushing his thumb against the ring he had just gifted her with. “When you’re done we go home.” Not to Twelve – it would be a few days before they could go back to their house – but to their children. “Chin up, sweetheart.”

“Eyes bright. Smile one.” she finished softly. “I can do this.”

“Sure, you can.” he smirked.

She smiled and squeezed his hand goodbye.

It went fast after that.

Calmus Caldwell was the first speaker on schedule and he was supposed to introduce her, she would give her testimony and then Paylor would take over.

She barely listened to a word the man said. Something about what the AFCR stood for: not erase or deny the horrors Snow’s government had perpetrated but shed some light on the fact some Capitols still stood on the right side or were unjustly punished by Coin’s administration. She couldn’t have said in which terms he spoke of her because her ears were ringing again.

Next thing she knew, the same pink-haired girl touched her elbow and told her to go.

She walked on the podium to clapping that sounded deafening to her but it probably was because all sounds were strangely distorted. It was a weird experience. She was there and she wasn’t. Her body took over, too used to public exposure even now to do anything but smile and nod her thanks for the welcome.

She went to stand behind the lectern, briefly touched the piece of paper on which her speech was printed, and then cleared her throat. She licked her lips, her gaze passing over the audience, the respectable amounts of government representatives amongst which Plutarch sat, the press at the back with their cameras, their mics and their frightening eagerness to record her every words, the strangers whose faces she didn’t know but who she supposed to be members of the AFCR, and, finally, her victors.

Beetee flashed her a kind smile when she met his eyes, Jo lifted her eyebrows, Annie seemed to be spacing out a little, Katniss jutted her chin in the air, Peeta smiled… Her mother was sitting road straight, her bearings absolutely queenly, her face blank but Effie knew she was nervous. Her father was staring at her, a small worried frown on his face.

It was only when she met Haymitch’s eyes that it occurred to her she had been standing there for a whole minute now and that she had yet to start. Some people were whispering…

Haymitch didn’t move. He just looked back at her, waiting.

And so she cleared her throat again and forced a bright smile on her lips.

“Good morning.” she said. “As some of you may know, my name is Effie Abernathy and…”

She saw Plutarch briefly cringe at the name she had chosen for herself but she didn’t let herself get distracted, she went on. She had rehearsed the speech several times, she knew it by heart, but it never got any easier to get the words out.

At some point, when she was done talking about her own wavering loyalties once he had realized how wrong the Games were, her voice became distant. She felt as if she was floating far above her body. Her mouth was moving, she was talking, but… It was all mechanical.

“I was never a rebel.” she added as an afterthought, even thought it wasn’t printed on the paper. And again she saw Plutarch fret nervously, mainly because she was going off-script. “I have always been rather cowardly and selfish when it came to my own life. There have been a lot of speculations about why I was pardoned when others were not… There have been a lot of theories… I can lay that particular one to rest, I was never a part of the rebellion. I suppose I was pardoned because of Haymitch’s insistence and the Mockingjay’s unwavering support like most people say.”

She paused and whispers started again.

She wanted to go on but her throat was closed and she couldn’t for the life of her utter a word. The silence went on, the whispers grew louder… She could glimpse Paylor’s tall figure at the corner of her eyes, where the President was waiting backstage, knew Plutarch was already trying to think of ways to salvage this disaster… She saw Peeta and Katniss exchange a look, she saw Katniss’ nod, saw them starting to stand up, instinctively knew what they were about to do…

Join her.

Finish that speech for her.

Stand with her.

Always.

Her team.

Her victors.

Her children.

“I was tortured.”

The whispers died.

Just like that, like a blown candle, the whispers died.

And silence was deafening.

Her parents were holding hands now.

That shocked her a little because it was so… Not improper exactly but it was far much more feelings than Elindra had allowed herself in public for a very long time.

“I was captured right after the arena exploded.” she recounted. “Although grabbed might be a better word because…” She shook her head. “They wanted information. Information they knew I did not possess. I was tortured because I was Haymitch’s lover, Katniss and Peeta’s escort and because I quite foolishly made it clear the Quell was unfair and if time came to choose a side, I would stand with them.” She blinked, unable to focus on anything or anyone anymore. “I bought matching tokens, I wore my hair in a Mockingjay’s braid under my wigs, I refused to heed Haymitch’s pleas for me to play the game just a little longer…”

She fell silent again but this time nobody talked. They allowed her the pause, suspended to her lips.

“They tortured me.” she whispered slowly. “They tortured me because they could. To taunt Haymitch from afar. To make Johanna and Peeta talk. They tortured me because I refused to let them hurt my victors. Because…” She closed her eyes. “It does not change the fact I am guilty, I know. I was an escort and I deserved…” She took a deep breath, now desperate to get out of there. “There were other Capitol people in those cells. Some of them less guilty than I am, most of them working for the rebellion… A lot of them were killed in the Purge for none other reason than the fact they had, at some point, been affiliated to the Games because the rebels…” Her eyes fell on the piece of paper and she corrected herself because Plutarch had urged her to use the right terminology. The rebels was too vague a term, could apply to everyone who had fought. “Because Thirteen under President Coin’s leadership executed them with only mockeries of trials that did not give them leave to explain themselves.”

A few people loudly protested that assessment but she didn’t let herself get distracted.

“Not everyone who was working for the Games were there of their own free will.” she continued. “Once in the Games, always in the Games was the unofficial mantra. While it was not my case, I know some other escorts, stylists or even hosts were coerced into staying when they had made it clear they wished to leave. Caesar Flickerman, who was executed less than a week after the surrender, had never agreed with the Games, for instance. He stayed because leaving would have been suicide and, ultimately, because he thought it was the only way he could help the tributes.” She waved that away with a flick of her hand, trying to get back on track. “District people suffered more than any of us Capitols. There is no denying that. However, perhaps… Perhaps it is time to stop seeing this as some sort of competition. We lost our children too in the City Circle bombing.”

She saw Plutarch tense on his chair because that was definitely off-script.

Even Haymitch stood a little bit straighter, she could feel his eyes on her, insistent. And she met them, seeking his opinion.

Paylor wanted the truth out there, didn’t she?

Well…

He looked at Beetee who looked back steadily, closed his eyes and nodded once. Haymitch stared back at her and she had her answer.

“Thirteen claimed we were responsible for that, that we killed our own children and the whole country believed it because the Capitol seal was branded on the hovercrafts that bombed them.” she went on, ignoring Plutarch frantic gesturing at her to cut it off. There were security agents nervously stomping on the side of the stage, out of sight, held back only by Paylor’s raised hand. “The truth was Coin was responsible for their death, a death Primrose Everdeen shared. It was called Hummingbird Operation and it was immediately covered up to prevent instability. Alma Coin was not a hero, she was another tyrant, a murderer, and that is why she was killed.”

Katniss winced, she probably could have done without the reminder.

Jo and Annie were frowning at each other, having never been made aware of those facts.

It was chaos in the room now, people were talking, some were shouting – that she was a liar or for the government to explain itself she wasn’t sure.

She ignored everything and continued talking.

“We were tortured. We bled. Our children died. It was war.” she read quickly. “The war is now over and we need to heal those wounds before they fester, to go forward as one, Capitol and Districts equally united for the good of Panem. Thank you.”

She forced herself to walk rather than run but it was difficult what with people screaming and the calls of her name from the back of the room where the press was gathered.

The President wasn’t impressed with her.

“If we don’t have an uprising on our hands by tonight, it will be a miracle.” Paylor hissed, glaring at her. “And this was top secret. I could have you and your husband arrested and secreted away forever if I wanted.”

“But you won’t.” Effie retorted with mostly fake confidence.

Truth be told, she hadn’t thought about that. Revealing the truth had been a spur of the moment decision. What right did they have what to pick and chose? They talked about transparency, released hers and dozens of people’s names out for everyone to gossip about the horrors they had been through, they schemed and schemed… Enough.

She liked Paylor well enough, she did, but politics disgusted her and she was done playing the puppet.

“Play your cards right and you win the election right now.” Effie offered.

She had just taken Thirteen out of the equation and delivered the Capitol. All Paylor had to do now was pretend releasing that information was her idea – in the spirit of commemoration – and turn it around. And if Paylor was very, very good, they might even walk out of this a more united country.

She walked away from the President and while the security agents looked eager to grab her, none of them did.

“Is that true?” Calmus Caldwell asked, grabbing her arm.

She shrugged him off and kept walking without answering. She wasn’t really sure of where she was going until she was outside, at the back of the building, through the small discrete entrance they had used to come in. The fresh air hit her and she gasped, her legs suddenly far too shaky.

She didn’t have time to lean against the wall.

A hand rested at the small of her back and then she was in Haymitch’s familiar embrace.

“Plutarch’s having a stroke.” he chuckled in her ear and then he pressed a kiss against the side of her head. “That was reckless.”

“They wanted me to detail the torture.” she whispered. “They want to make the war archives public but they would never have acknowledged this. They would have kept on treating Coin like a hero and…”

“You did well, sweetheart.” he reassured her. “High time someone wrecked their hypocritical little game. Besides, Paylor’s already getting ahead of it. Pretending it was all her idea…”

“I know. I told her to do that.” she sighed.

“Always the PR magician.” he snorted.

“No.” she denied, pressing her face against his shoulder. “Not anymore. I just want to go home.”

“Sure.” He shed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She realized she was shivering even thought it wasn’t that cold. He rubbed her arms a few times, studying her closely. “You’re good?”

He was watching for signs for an upcoming panic attack but she didn’t feel like she was about to have one. She felt… She had thought she would have felt lighter, free perhaps, but it wasn’t like that. The darkness was still there, lingering in a corner of her head… Except she had gotten way better at ignoring it, at accepting it was there and probably always would be but that it didn’t have to define her life.

She nodded and forced a smile. “Let’s go find our babies.”

“I’m gonna go warn the others we’re going, yeah?” he said. “They can’t leave now. Wouldn’t look good for Paylor.”

She slipped her arms in the sleeves of his jacket while he popped back inside and, when he eventually came back out, she took the hand he offered and they slipped away from the conference building, unnoticed.

They could have headed for her parents’ car but they chose to walk instead. The city’s layout was all different now and they often got lost for several minutes until they found a familiar landmark. It took them almost an hour to get back to the house and everyone had already arrived by then.

It was chaos inside. Screams and shouts – Johanna, Plutarch, Tadius and Elindra, even though she couldn’t really tell who was arguing with who – Snowball’s angry barks, Aidan’s wails… It was utter madness and both Haymitch and Effie froze once the slightly fazed butler opened the door.

Lyssa was doing her best to usher the children in a different room but Finn was hiding his face against Annie’s legs, her nephews clearly wanted to see what the fuss was about, April was clutching her ragdoll to her chest with one hand and clinging to Lyssandra’s skirt with the other, clearly frightened, Aidan was in her sister’s arms and obviously upset with the whole thing.

Peeta and Katniss stood a little aside from the main scene, holding hands and watching…

And, in the middle of the entrance hall, Elindra Trinket was very much shouting in Plutarch Heavensbee’s face, barely held back by Tadius.

“Don’t you dare try to blame my daughter!” Effie’s mother screamed. “Don’t you dare! You put her in that position to begin with!”

Plutarch was clearly angry too, screaming about betrayal and friendship and who knew what else…

Johanna was obviously pissed that nobody had ever seen fit to tell her the truth about the city bombing.

And Snowball was apparently taking personal offense at the former Gamemaker raising his voice on Elindra and, so, was protectively crouched low in front of the Capitol woman, growling and barking in turn.

Nobody even noticed their arrival.

At least until Haymitch let out a long and irritated whistle sound that made more than one person cover their ear. Effie, particularly, glared at him.

“How unseemly.” she huffed.

And she didn’t know if she was talking about the whistling or the scene.

“Quite.” the butler muttered under his breath. Then the man seemed to remember himself and cleared his throat before disappearing down a corridor.

“What the fuck?” Haymitch scowled.

“Language.” Effie, Lyssa and Elindra rebuked all at the same time.

“Oh, down, Snowball.” Effie snapped when the dog kept on barking. And then she felt bad because he was only trying to protect his family. “Come here, my pretty baby. Come here…” Snowball darted over and stopped barking after a few seconds of petting. “Good dog.” Then she moved to the next urgent problem and quickly rushed to her sister’s side to relieve her of Aidan, gently wiping the fat tears off his cheeks with her thumb. “It is alright, my sweet jellyfish. Mama’s here now. Mama’s here.” She hummed a little, rocking him until the wailing turned to hiccups. “It must have been really frightening to hear all those people scream. They did not mean to frighten you, sweetie.”

Haymitch had silently scooped April up and the girl immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face in the crook of his shoulder. Effie reached out to rub her back, growing really furious when she realized her daughter was trembling.

“I believe you overstayed your welcome now, Plutarch.” Elindra said calmly.

The Secretary of Communication had the good sense to look chastised. “I apologized, that was a very poor show of manners. Nevertheless…”

“Nevertheless, if you think you can insult my daughter under my roof, you will find I can be less pleasant than my wife.” Tadius thundered, his hand coming to rest at the small of Elindra’s back. “Now…”

“Insult her?” Haymitch growled. “What the hell is going on here? You’re not happy with what Effie said, you shouldn’t have tried to force her hand. Fuck, you made so many corrections to her speech, you might as well have written her one. She was clear when she said she would do this: her words or nothing.” He sneered. “What’s the real problem here? Can’t face the truth? Or you’re scared Paylor’s gonna get rid of you once everything comes out?”

“Operation Hummingbird was Coin’s decision alone as I have told you many times.” Plutarch hissed.

But Haymitch knew better, Effie mused.

“It is done now.” she cut in, ignoring Lyssa’s puzzled questions. She hadn’t watched, Effie supposed, not with the children around. “How did Paylor do?”

“We will see in a couple of hours but for now I would say well.” Plutarch shrugged. His features were schooled but she could see he was still angry. “I trusted you, Effie. I have been a loyal friend to your family and…”

“You’re a loyal friend when it benefits you.” Katniss interrupted him, her voice matter of fact rather than accusative. “It’s always been like that.”

“Now that is unfair.” Plutarch replied and Effie thought the hurt was genuine. “I went above and beyond for a lot of you when it would have been easier for me to sit back. For you particularly, Katniss. And for you too, Effie. I expected some sort of…”

“You expected that they would owe you and that you would eventually cash in on it one way or another.” Haymitch shrugged, jolting April a little.

“Now that is harsh.” Effie clucked her tongue.

“He called you a halfwit.” Elindra huffed.

“In the heat of anger.” Plutarch claimed defensively, lifting both hands in front of him. “And I should not have. But you must understand that what you did…”

“Like she said. It’s done.” Haymitch snapped. “And can you honestly say it’s a bad thing?”

The former Head Gamemaker studied him and then let out a long breath. “This, right here, is why you would never have fitted in the political scene after Paylor’s election, Haymitch. This, is why it was wiser for you to focus on Katniss rather than take a more active role in the government. For someone as talented as you are at tactics, you always put sentimentality over practicality.”

“How dare you!” Elindra erupted again and this time she walked straight to the front door and opened it wide. “I will not stand here and listen to you disparage my son-in-law under my own roof. He is twice the man you are, you insufferable nitwit! Out!”

Effie was so shocked, she was pretty sure her jaw was hanging open.

So rude…

Lyssa was equally speechless.

“Very well.” Plutarch relented, a touch of irritation in his voice. “Believe it or not, I do not wish to fight with any of you. I will see you at the ball tonight. You should expect the cars around eight.”

Elindra actually slammed the door shut after him with a huff. When she turned around and faced the flabbergasted room, she huffed and puffed and huffed again. “Well.”

“The fuck’s a nitwit?” Haymitch asked, effectively breaking the tension.

Half of them laughed, the other half wandered to other rooms. Finn and her nephews ran away to play some game and so April demanded to be placed down so she could go after them…

Effie focused on Aidan who was still a little upset, asking him about his day in a soft voice, making up questions and answers alike because he wasn’t speaking yet…

And yet she didn’t miss Haymitch discreetly nodding at Elindra or her mother’s answering scoff.

Effie didn’t miss her mother briefly patting his arm on her way out of the room either.

#hayffie #effie trinket #haymitch abernathy #april showers

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