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saltygilmores · 1 year ago

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THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS: SEASON 3, EPISODE 2: HAUNTED LEG-TUMBLR IS HUNGIE AND KEEPS EATING MY POSTS

The Netflix synopses (synopseses? Synposi? Where are you, Jess Mariano? You're my only hope) made this episode seem like it was going to be heavily En-Crusty'd (Christopher focused) but then the lovely @frazzledsoul told me that in this episode Rory takes Christopher to school (metaphorically) and this is also the episode where Jess takes RORY down a peg in a GLORIOUS confrontation at Doose's Market. If there's one thing I love seeing in Gilmore GIrls it's a good peg lowering. In fact, it gives me such immense satisfaction to see Rory in particular get taken down a peg that the three times Dean does it to her are the only times I actually side with Dean. Let the Notch-Taking-Down Party commence. But first....Happy 18th birthday, Jess! You're legal, mister! I am solidly and forever in the Late August/ Early September Birthday Camp (I have my reasons) and we're already there on the show! It's been almost a year since he arrived in Stars Hollow as a 17 year old! I'm gonna make it easy and say it was September 1st.

Now you can visit the strip club, and buy porn and cigarettes legally! You're a man now! (well, at least you could buy cigarettes at 18 years old 20 years ago. It's 21 now). Episode begins with Emily still being predictably salty about last week's FND, where Lorelai snuck out of the house while her parents were fighting over her breakup with Crusty.

Don't listen to her. You do can do whatever you want, even while you're on the clock. My little shmushkins. My apple dumpling. My peach tart. My banana muffin. My jelly donut. You're gonna make a bazillion dollars with your books some day and show em all. *pinches his cheeks* Lorelai is coming down with an illness which I shall diagnose as mononucleosis (aka the kissing disease) that she contracted from making out with Dean Forrester.

Lorelai has no qualms about leaving the house to eat out every single day in a crowded diner and spread her germs all over town, instead of keeping her ass in bed, I guess. She's also incapable of purchasing and opening a can of soup and dumping it in a pot on the stove (or hell, even sticking it in the microwave) so she wakes up each day and chooses to be a Disease Vector. If she wasn't (presumably) still married to Luke in 2020 to cook her meals for her at home I don't know how she survived the pandemic. Luke: You know what helps a cold? A healthy immune system. You know how to get a healthy system? By not eating crap and blowing out your brain cells with coffee. Eat a vegetable now and then or some high fiber cereal. At least eat the carrots in the soup? Three minutes in and he's already Insulting Lorelai (while, uh, also insulting himself at the same time?) Whee, I'm loving this episode already! More Peg-Lowering, please! Several people on this show are going to be HUMBLED and I am HERE for it. But why is Luke always downselling food that he puts on his own menu? I know Lorelai and Rory don't ever pay him anyway, but doesn't he want to attempt to make some money? "My food will make you fat and sick and kill your brain cells. Don't eat it. Go eat somewhere else." Or is it that he's a-okay with poisoning the rest of Stars Hollow with copious amounts of junk food but wants to spare Lorelai and Rory the same fate? One would also suppose he doesn't actually have said vegetables or fiber rich cereal on his menu in the first place (it's a fucking diner) and that would mean Lorelai would have to pour herself her own cereal at home. Perish the thought. Is Luke secretly some kind of California Hipster in denial? Would he be more at home opening some kind of vegan cafe where he serves wheat grass shots and kombucha and avacado toast, you know, all the stuff Milo Ventimiglia eats. (But Milo’s a big junk food junky too, he's a bit of a paradox, that man). What does he feed Jess, by the way? In his first appearance he was planning to stuff his already neglected and malnourished nephew full of Corn Flakes and Pop Tarts.

Grandpa here is going to live to be 115 probably, but only if you shut up, you're already sending him to an early grave.

EVERYONE STOP EATING AND TALKING. THE QUEEN HAS ARRIVED! Anyone else think its funny that Lorelai and Rory and Luke are ilke the mayors of Stars Hollow who know everything down to when the mailman's dog farts but nobody knows who Shane is, where she came from, who her family is, when she moved in, where she lives, how she ended up with Jess...ANYTHING? Nobody even seems to know her name? Silence from Miss Patty and Babette? Lane and Dean never informed Rory that Jess was never in school, that he supposedly pulled the fire alarm, stole 500 baseballs, etc etc. again, shouldn't Lane be absolutely losing her mind to spill this piping hot tea that Jess has been hooking up with some mysterious blond skankbag all summer? And Dean too, shouldn't he always be dying to tell Rory anything that would cast Jess in an unfavorable light and make her think less of him? What is with this town where they'll hold an emergency meeting because he drew on a sidewalk with some chalk but when he actually does something worth talking about, nobody wants to narc on him? They fear him, that's what it is. What is Shane's last name by the way? I made up a poll and asked you to decide on her last name and I'm currently awaiting the results, which I will use going forward.

Jess and Shane continue to give Rory Gilmore a sexual awakening so immense it could knock our fucking solar system out of alignment. That boom you just heard was Jupiter and Saturn crashing into one another from the sheer force of Rory Gilmore's quivering loins.

Tomatos Sign. I wonder how much money Jessica Kiper was paid to stick her tongue in Milo's mouth and say "Hey" and "Jess". Did she have to audition? I would do the job for free. I would keep screwing up just so the director could yell "Cut" and I could do as many takes as possible. Warner Brothers could own me for the rest of my life just for that opportunity.

Meow! All she did was say his name, lol. Someone's cranky. You know what would cure that bad mood? A good handjob from Shane (last name soon to be announced). This whole "no strings attached sexual gratification" deal that was seemingly dropped in his lap? Meh, whatever. He'll do it, but he'll be reading the entire time. Meanwhile, this is Dean waiting 5 years for Rory to put out:

(By the way, Mr. Mariano, don't ever tell a woman to "relax") Jess sighs and leaves in the middle of his shift (Lorelai should be proud), leaving his customers wondering where their pancakes are, to go have sex with Shane somewhere public and indecent, leaving Rory in their horny wake. Perhaps Jess has the intuition that the cold, clammy, looming hand of Celibacy (aka his own hand and a jumbo size bottle of lotion) will soon be upon him so he better seize these opportunities.

Love it when she says shit like this as if her boyfriend Dean Forrester is some fucking chatterbox (he'll grunt a few words as he's also a typical teenage boy like Jess and she'll go "That's So INTERESTING Dean! Do go on. I love you, little buttered croissant"), and also like she should actually expect Jess to talk around her when he knows she's going to pick on him even worse if he does have something to say.

Too late. That's hilarious- I forgot that Dean was about to show up just now and prove my point.

She's still wearing that stupid quarter on a string on her wrist. I will give this show credit for being very consistent with some of the small details like this. Every day for 2+ years straight, Alexis Bledel shows up at Wardrobe and they slap that thing on her wrist. That cup is HUGE.

Yeah. What? I could teach a comatose goldfish to say "I already ate breakfast." The hell is your point?

Oh god. It's that episode where Kirk and Lorelai go on a "Date". I do not remember how it goes but I'm gonna take a stab in the dark here and predict that it was sufficiently awkward. Honestly...Lorelai has done MUCH worse before and will continue to do much worse than Kirk. Mommy issues aside, Kirk has more redeeming qualities than Max or Crusty. Like, at least Kirk is ambitious. Lorelai is still only a few months removed from banging Crusty who wouldn't know the meaning of hard work if it bit him in the ass. I hope something bites Crusty in the ass. Like a rabid possum. Kirk...."Let's go out...In two weeks. I heard you have a cold. It takes two weeks for a virus to leave the immune system." He's also smart and would survive the pandemic. "You might be the prettiest girl I've ever seen. Outside of a filthy magazine."

It's the first day of senior year for Rory and our other Stars Hollow teens.

It's all downhill for Rory after high school.

Nobody tell her. L: I cannot go out with Kirk! R: Why not? L: He's Kirk! Poor Neurodivergent Kirk.

Fixed it.

i was about to say "What the what! Lorelai is actually pouring her own cereal?" but it's Rory wno's making her own breakfast and Lorelai is just pouring marshmallows into the bowl (who does that? That's not a thing. Here in The United States of America, there are already cereals that come with marshmallows). I mean, at least she's eating at home and "helping". Good for you for helping to feed to your chiild, Lorelai. Even if she's eschewing the (marginally) more healthy Raisin Bran in favor of Rice Krispies. I'm going to add a new feature to the ends of these posts: I call it: Things Googled While Watching GIlmore GIrls. Birthday Party Icons, How Old To Buy CIgarettes in Connecticut, Definition of Proclivities, How Many Words Can A Parrot Learn

#denise rewatches gilmore girls #haunted leg #gilmore girls season 3 #lorelai gilmore #rory gilmore #luke danes #jess mariano #Shane #Kirk Gleason #Happy Birthday Jess #My Sweet Little Virgo Boy #My LIttle Bowl Of Rice Krispies with Marshmallows #Birthday Smooches #I was watching the marhsmallows thing and thinking #AmyShermanPalladino might not actually be an Earthling #Human Beings do not eat Parmesan sprinkle cheese raw from the can either #nor did teenagers in 2001 make copious references to 1950’s television shows #it takes 50 years for television signals to reach Amy’s home planet so that’s why she’s behind

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saintmeghanmarkle · 3 months ago

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If Harry and Meghan did want to move back to the UK now would be the time to do it... by u/Aware-Impression8527

If Harry and Meghan did want to move back to the UK, now would be the time to do it... (*Before you downvote me into oblivion--I'm not saying, I want them to; just that it would make sense.)American Riviera Orchard is dead in the water. Lemonada Media is being sold ... and if it's sold to Spotify then Meghan's podcast is dead, too. They've fulfilled their filming obligations for the Netflix deal. The Penguin Random House deal is over. The mansion is costing them a fortune in running costs, while the kids are about to start school and H&M can't bleat on about how their kids aren't safe in England if they have to wear bullet-proof backpacks to class in America.They will run out of money and there is nothing keeping them in California. Harry's immigration/tax status will also come into play as some point. They will say they can't go back unless they are given special security blah blah blah but I can see Charles bending on that if it means he'll get to spend time with his grandchildren. As much as I hate to say it, they would shore up the monarchy. Catherine might never return to her public duties, while Charles, Camilla and Anne are only getting older; they can't expect Edward and Sophie to do everything.Frogmore Cottage is still empty but we already know it's not grand enough for Meghan. They'll probably buy an estate in the Cotswolds somewhere. Or maybe Harry has been cosying up to the Spencers in the hope they'll let him live on the Althorp estate... post link: https://ift.tt/Qj1blSG author: Aware-Impression8527 submitted: September 05, 2024 at 12:33PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

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krytus · 2 years ago

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quinn what happened to the hot king

short answer: he died

long answer:

it is august of 2018 — no actually. our story begins in september of 2017. voltron: legendary defender is released by netflix to widespread acclaim. a community forms on tumblr, and then immediately shoots itself in the foot face and ass as horny people move to make suggestive content of this preteen space lion show. the community not only splits, but implodes and descends into rabid frenzy. in the year that follows, and as the quality of the source content declines, death threats and callouts and blacklists become not only ordinary, but daily. but, as einstein or some other guy said, matter and energy cannot be destroyed and this rabid energy of hundreds of annoying gay teenagers must be redirected — somewhere close, and quick.

enter me. one of them. not doing great in college. yes, academically i was excelling but socially isolated. lonely. i needed some distraction. netflix releases a teaser for an upcoming animated show. the look of it — dramatic set pieces, colorful magic use, armored knights — piques my interest. i haven't had any good medieval content since kalots's release in 2017. the teaser is short, provides only a taste of whats to come in the approaching season. some words, some characters.

one character specifically grabs my interest: the king. i look online, searching for a name to the beautiful face. i find none. not quite discouraged, but rather engaged, i decide he will be my favorite. the other characters are children, and this man is beautiful. i cannot resist the allure. i find like minded individuals. we are all love the unnamed dragon prince king. and this is where i must remind you of the reformed voltron gays. we'd been slighted. we'd been hurt. netflix cartoon had already broken our minds spirits and sanity once, but this was a different netflix cartoon, different animation studio, different creative team. in fact, it was the child show of the men who created avatar: the last airbender, which i had not watched, but which i know was beloved. i had faith. i had trust! surely, this unnamed king would be given grace and dimension! surely, they would not waste such a great design with shallow writing and a cold hard future in the fridge! <- this is what we in show business call foreshadowing.

days pass without a name for the king. not unexpected, netflix puts out only minimal effort in promoting a series. its usually up to whoever created it to hype it up. in this case, the offender is wonderstorm, who quickly realizes there is a large, jilted audience in their target demographic (teens and teens adjacent) itching for a new series to latch onto, like eels being given a pizza. they get to work, setting up both a twitter and tumblr account. here is their best work, and arguably the peak of the entirety of the dragon prince experience: the hype harvested by the dragonprinceofficial account before the release of the show.

see, they'd done their homework, learned from the blunder misstep and nuclear detonation of voltron's more than lacking, downright insulting pr team. dpo baited. dpo waited. they released bits and pieces. hints and riddles. they were tuned into the biggest memes of the moment. they capitalized. and i was not immune. at the time, it was fun. thats the first tragedy, i think. the pre-show era was actually fun, while the show itself became such a slog, a heavy weight on the experience when it should have been the reward it was promised to be. but, im getting ahead of myself. show release is still a few paragraphs out. we finally get a name for the face: king harrow. a frantic google search for the etymology of the word harrow leaves us worrying for this guy. the king, the father, associated with such a negative connotation.

nonetheless, we stan. edits and art and even some fics — mind you, we still only have the name and a brief teaser, nothing in the way of actual characterization — sprout. hype builds. the first episode is screened at a convention and i turned into fucking sherlock holmes finding posts and tidbits about it. about my beloved harrow. i am able to sleuth. the man has promise — a king who made a mistake so grave it'll send him to his. in this day and age we'd call him doomed by the narrative. its wonderful. im latched and hooked and pack bonded. and in this looking around, i find something else that's interesting: a character by the name of viren. someone we haven't seen, but who has an important dynamic with the king. im 👁👁 because the only thing better than a good character is a pair of them.

anticipation continues to build. the delirium only deepens. news about the show is promising, engagement with dpo is rewarding. golden age. the good old days. the official trailer comes out, and, to put it biblically, i go batshit. here, finally, more harrow. some viren! drama! call me a tick, call me a feral cat shown kindness because babey i form some unhealthy unbreakable unshakable bonds. i turn into wonderstorm's bitch. "the king is in danger" some promo material warns, but do i miss the red flags? baby, i miss the entire red dawn. my faith is will be rewarded. there is no doubt in my mind: harrow will be fine. he's a good father, great man. the power of love or friendship or some other adolescent bullshit will save him.

i have hope.

and then, right on time at 12:00am PST, Friday, September 9th, 2018, the series is released.

google, look up synonyms for disappointment. no, that's not fair. disappointment is too mild a term, too mild a feeling for the experience. it was brutal, gutting, a crucible of fire and blood that only made me worse. i stayed up until 4am, swallowing as much of the show as i could stomach. i didn't even finish that night. i could have, but i was feeling the effects of sleep deprivation and, much worse, the pain and embarrassment of being so completely and utterly wrong.

in the nine episodes of wonderstorm's the dragon prince season one, harrow is in three of them. technically, his lifeless corpse is in the fourth, but exists only to be desecrated and disrespected by his white friend.

harrow is a frustrating character — given the illusion of depth, but given little to do with it. he's more plot device than person, here to die to kick off the story, to launch character arcs, to be the big sad tragedy that everyone brings up every other episode. he becomes an abstraction, his death used as motive and purpose. he dies to showcase that this isnt your dad's animated series! suck our dick nickolodeon! see we have depth!

but, despite this, his death feels temporary. there is ambiguity, shadows, a fade to black that leaves us with a wink and promise. he dies, but we're told he dies, never shown final moments, never confirming it for ourselves. like yesterday's leftovers, he's shoved in the fridge.

to give a name to the tactic, i'd call it shrodinger's representation. its the writers putting a foot in two doors. we didnt kill the kind black father, they say, because he isn't dead! but at the same time, frustratingly, we're told there isnt a way to bring the dead back to life. viren rushes to cremate the body, and you think ah there is more afoot but there is nothing afoot. there is no mystery to solve. in the same breath that they ask us to look more into harrow's death, they also say, without question, that he is dead. he has to be dead for the story to work sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ nevermind that several, MOST other characters cheat death. the writers ask, beg, and whine for you to pay no mind to these future instances. harrow is dead.

harrow dies less than sixty minutes into the saga, and my interest in the show hould have been taken out into a patch of quiet woods and killed as well, but it isnt. having nothing else do to, i engage in behavior that can only be described as Bitchless. which nets me two thousand followers and a callout post but hey. i have my fun in the month after the show is released. making gifs making theories getting into scraps in the tag. its a different kind of experience than before. i may have lost the rosy film, the romantic lens with which i viewed the show before it was released, but nothings so broken it cant be fixed. tdp would get another season, there was a plan, there was the chirpening theory, there was angst to write. viren was a weak, confusing character, but i could fix him. i could take out the interesting bits, polish them until they shined.

i was promised everything, and given nothing, but that didnt stop me. because im a dumbass.

months pass. s2 looms as a threat. i try to move onto other things but its only a few, short months before the new season is released. i go in knowing harrow is dead, but, unfortunately i also go in knowing there will be flashbacks with him.

even worse: flashbacks with him and his wife.

queen sarai. i must at this point remind you i am a lesbian so you see the kind of strain i was under. trapped between a beautiful man and his epic wife. i never stood a chance. and she was [unintelligible gibberish]. another of tdp's weak characters with some interesting attributes. her relationship with her husband was at points stupid, but they loved each other and Did I Mention I Was Lonely. throw viren into the mix and baby. unhealthy coping mechanisms thy name is quinn daggerons. it was at this point i divorced canon for the most part. i took these three characters, all the characterization that tickled my brain, and just went hog wild with aus. second golden age. sure, sarai was dead, harrow was dead, and viren was [unintelligible gibberish, sounds of violence] but that didnt matter. here on tumblr dot hell they were alive and well and i wrote a 20,000 word, four part au where they were the main characters of the series. next level brainrot. multidimensional brainrot, even. embarrassing.

anyways.

by the time season two's ending credits rolled, i had given up on the show. another season or four was something that was going to happen, but not happen to me. and mix in some Controversy: a fun little case of bury your gays, some elements that felt racially insensitive, white men showrunners behaving like white men and i was ✌️ checked out. i would keep these characters, thank you very much, but i would not say anything nice to the people who made them.

s3 unfortunately, eventually came out. more of the same. viren was.... doing Something. what? i didnt care. harrow was still dead. someone told me there were some flashbacks with him, again, and i was like good on luc roderique getting that netflix money. genuinely hope he has good luck with other projects, he was too good for this show.

but i sat my ass down and watched said flashbacks. they were alright. thanks for giving us harrow depressed about the death of his wife. im gonna hit you with my car aaron ehasz. viren's fun time war crimes happen. it sucks knowing the thing that will eventually get harrow killed wasn't even something he wanted to do. it was something he agreed to only after having his grief for his dead wife exploited by his white friend. i giffed my beloved man one last time. and blurred out viren because it was funny.

so, to answer your question, dear friend. what happened to the hot king? he lived, he served cunt, he died, and then his corpse was dragged around for the rest of the show.

#s.ask #scalproie #sorry for the wall of text. i have problems.#the dragon prince #<- yes im putting it in the main tag. i have no respect for peoples blogging experience ☺️#long post #anyways. this is four pages long and two thousand words. oopsie.

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brf-rumortrackinganon · 1 year ago

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The Crown Season 6

Part 1 came out yesterday and focuses on Diana’s death. Part 2 comes out next month and focuses on the BRF in the early 2000s. I read somewhere it should be ending around 2005/2006.

Some things I recently heard about The Crown made me think we could be seeing both clapbacks and panic from Montecito.

There were a few stories yesterday that the producers shoehorned the Megxit “we want half” scheme into the storyline. Historically the context is Edward and Sophie, as they both wanted a “half-in” scheme in the early days of their marriage.* The writers might have incorporated some Megxit elements into it to make it a fuller story or as an Easter egg, but it isn’t actually a Megxit story. It does, however, have the potential for a Sussex clapback depending on how the scenes go. It’s totally plausible that we could see the Sussexes ramp up the red carpet / celeb world appearances to show “see, we really can have both.”

Next, there are rumors that the second part of features the Harry-in-a-N*zi-uniform story and the Sussexes are very worried about what it will do to their reputations, especially given the current state of the world. How hard they go promoting Scobie’s book and what other excerpts they sell will determine if there’s any truth to these rumors that they’re panicking.

Finally, a third set of rumors suggest that part of why Netflix hasn’t cancelled the Sussex contract yet is because it keeps them (Harry particularly) from criticizing The Crown. It’ll be interesting to see what the Sussexes do when the show ends next month. I guess that if we suddenly see the Sussexes criticizing the series, their Netflix contract has been terminated. You know Meghan has to be seething that Catherine’s character gets to be in it.

*While The Queen was keen to make half-in work, it quickly fell apart, in 2001, when a) Sophie was recorded by the fake sheik about pay-for-play access to the BRF in April and b) Edward’s film company was caught with a camera crew still in St. Andrew’s past the deadline on William’s first day in September. Sophie resigned from her PR firm and kept a low profile afterwards, Edward resigned from his production company, and the Wessexes both relaunched in 2002 as “fully in” royals in support of The Queen’s jubilee. The Wessexes were married in 1999 after dating since 1993.

Also about Edward: there’s a facet of royaltok (the BRF fandom on TikTok) who believe that Edward was so in love with Diana and so broken by her death that he only married Sophie because she looked just like Diana. Yes, they believe Edward met Sophie after Diana died and married her ASAP. Yes, they imply Edward and Diana had an affair. Yes, it’s exactly as cringe as you would expect. Especially when you consider that Diana didn’t like Sophie at all and often complained about her.

#the crown #brf #rumors #theories #food for thought

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ashadowofburnedoutstardust · 1 year ago

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Hello all

I used to make predictions once upon a time, and since I'm bored........

(As a Kiwi I should also be making more use of LOTR memes/Gifs)

With the September "anniversary" coming I would expect some type of pickup in chatter, perhaps fans will put "her" aside for the day or not but I would expect some type of drop/push from her side around the same date

Christopher won't appear anywhere public (unless spotted in the wild) until the upcoming con, he's going to need a new "script" for it and ALL RS questions will NEED to be strictly nixxed to get through it

If he doesn't "drop" himself as single at the Con in October through hints then I imagine the "Single man looking for love" article will come through shortly before the year ends to play on the "New Year, Second Chances" idea and also to bury the 2021/22 debacle and associated keywords

I think there may possibly still be an inadvertent leak from his side and then trolling from hers as a response, probably after the con, though he may also choose to stay out of view entirely to prevent it (I would hope for the latter)

I would expect at least one more "Bermuda incident" before this is over, something tells me there's an "influencer" assessment happening BTS on her side as a way to rebuild what she's lost, though she may not have the ongoing support after this ends that she thinks she does, something tells me she's being told things....

It's probably well and truly time to ignore the BUA rumours, while there is an advantage to making it VERY clear he will have to wait.....the only reason for these rumours to keep circulating is to keep HER name out there with his and has very little benefit to him right now

There will more than likely be a tantrum from her side over something before the end of this year, someone sent me a reading and all I could see in it was an out of control train going off a damaged bridge, I guess we'll find out if she learns before that happens

I would not expect a return to social media until after the "Single man" news, being papped out somewhere, or a new project announcement has well and truly taken, let's not forget it was his team that convinced him he needed an IG to begin with and we proceeded to get two different Netflix PR debacles out of it, first Cocaine in the park Lily and Racist Fishstick, I guess he was getting used as a clean-up man for both as well as it being two actresses with projects coming out on the platform so IMO it gels

RedOne is entirely up in the air at the moment so that can only be predicted by those involved in the current strike negotiations, I imagine the timing for the press at that point if it goes ahead would also be a good time to drop other hints through careful responses, not the time to confirm anything though, it would be better to do after the film press is done and dusted with

💜🪽🌟

#fireangelsstuff #chris evans #cevans #fandom #cevanstan #pr shitshow #trollba #chris and alba pr #chris evans pr #chris evans sexiest man alive #chris evans gossip #save dodger #chrisevans #netflix

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six40seven · 2 years ago

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September 16-18th

I didnt go to school. I told Niki i was feeling too sick to and she just nodded and said it was fine. Just by her body language i could tell she was distracted by something else and i didnt want to bother her more then necessary. I wanted to say thanks to all the people on here sending kind messages and concerned asks. I am okay. I was just a little rattled these last few days and well, of course today. I havent slept in almost 32 hours. There is no way in hell im closing my eyes and waking up somewhere strange again with no recollection of how i got there.

This doesnt make sense, and i can tell youre telling me in your head “Ran you need to sleep.” And i know you’re right but it was just horrifying. I have a hard enough time remembering what i do when im awake. Why would this suddenly start happening to me. Its unfair. I was doing fine. Now im not, and i dread falling asleep again. Im too afriad to ask Niki to instal a lock of sorts so last night and the night before and really any time I’ve been feeling the urge to sleep.. well I’ve began to tie my foot to my post. ITS NOT TIGHT. I just dont want to wander off again.

Fall break is soon. I mean sorta. I attempted to attend school online the second day home after the ordeal but my connection was too shit. I guess its the trees blocking the signal. Or maybe the mountains. Speaking of trees, i havent left my house since that day. I dont want to risk whatever happened happening again, worse while im awak. Not that i think it will but the way the trees just… tempt me sometimes. I cant risk walking to the bus or walking even out of my house. WHEERE i use to consider it a blessing to not live in the town houses, i now regret never moving closer. Fuck. Its been so long since I’ve been outside im worried my skin will fall off my body and ill die if i spend one more day barred in my room.

Its okay, for the most part. besides the natural (?) urge i have to be outside all the time. Ive sort of forgotten to document much these o past few days. But i dont think anything else significant happened. As far as related to me. Niki didnt come back the first night and i spent all that time in ym room with the blind drawn and the lights on. I was afriad if i turned the lights off i would nod off. I ended up watching YouTube and Netflix on my laptop as well as cleaning my entire room.

Usually my room is a trash heap, i like it that way, its like having my own nest. But that first night. I couldn’t stand all the things and i pretty much Ed cleaned everything top to bottom in less then 3 hours. I found a few interested things while i was doing that, including but not limited to: a box full of my old Polaroids and camera, a stuffed animal i thought i had lost which went back onto my bed, and a total of 20 spare dollars made mostly out of 1 Dollar bills and quarters.

The only thing of real interest was the Polaroid camera. I thought i lost that thing years and years ago. I only know i had one at all because i have some older pictures pinned places and tucked into my phone case. Theyre all of people i dont really know but i like to think i do so i can carry some part of them with me. They must have been important to me at some point yk. So i decided to look through and sort out any of the Polaroids i remeber or anything like that. These are my findings. I’ll explain them after i show them to you.

starting at the left top and going left to right. It reads Nov 1st 20##. all of these are from when i was a kid. maybe when i was in 4th or 5th grade? Im not entirely sure the exact age i was. The photo shown is a picture i must have taken of some sort of important journal entry, i cant really read it but at least if i ever needed to remeber taking a picture.. I remember, thanks past me.

The next one, in order, is a picture of two shadows. Maybe three. Probably me. Maybe Niki… or Eryn. we were close when we were kids and hes in two of these already. So ill just mention him. idk if he will be okay with me talking about him on here. I dont think he knows i have this account. hopefully he doesnt find it. Not that i would care very much. He just doesnt like me. The caption is just a date. oct 3rd. no year. I wonder when it happened? sometime in my childhood probably. I havent used this camera in years and years. I lost it so long ago.

The third is a weirdly saturated picture of a park in my town. The bigger town. Its just weird. And the caption says… evacuating or something. Its sorta weird. also Niki might have taken this picture because her name is on it too. Seems like her type of thing. from what i remeber as a kid, when we still lived in the big town, she was into weird saturated pictures. Something about scene. I dont know really.

The fourth is on the second line of pictures i found in the Box. On the bottom left. It says July 20## again sometime in my childhood. It shows aforementioned Eryn crouching ont he ground showing something to everyone. Or the viewer. I can see myself, or younger me. Younger me off to the side. Someone else took this picture. I dont remeber this happening. But it was important enough to keep so there it is. Thats pretty much it.

The fifth, wow thats a lot of numbers. Its got a smiley face :) on it. and its a picture of the lake. Yk the one bordering the left side of the bigger town. Its one of the smaller more muddy parts so its all gross. Probably from a hike that i wanted to remeber with Niki or something. I loved the lake when i was a kid. It was fun to swim in but after… after awhile i stopped going and then it closed because of something weird and now you can only go hiking near and around it.

The sixth. A picture of me and ****** hugging. Eryn in the background. It reads Eryn & ##### July. Its a cute picture. I dont know… who ****** is? Yeah i dont know. but i must have known them at one point because thats them. Yeah. They look familiar in the worse way and i pretty much threw that one back in the box as soon as I could. I dont like lookign at it. My stomach hurts when i do.

The seventh. And last a picture of a cat. Even when i was a kid i also apparently liked cats. It reads Spring 20##.

So yeah. I just wanted to say im glad i was able to find them and document them somewhere. I also thought while im explaing photos and stuff ill go into a little detail about what i discovered from that night. Posted on here.

The first piece is clearly a path somewhere in the forest. If i were to say, somewhere further in the mountains, near where the older remains of mines are. The only thing wrong about this piece is that…. When i posted it, theres no wya for there to have been snow. So either the photo is altered in some way, which is unlikely, because from what i can tell it was posted in the middle of the night. Or it was actually snowing wherever i was. even though all the previous days it had been raining.

The next picture looks like some sort of underground tunnel, lined with bricks and ending in step leading up to a barred and maybe locked? I dont know, barred iron gate. I have never seen that place before. Ive been in a lot of abandoned buildings that I’ve found near here but I’ve never seen something like this. The only explaination i can give for the location is possibly a sewer enterance somewhere in the basement of one of the older buildings, not from the big town but rather from the smaller town nearer to my house. Again, it looks like its snowing. Which makes no sense in any context, since it was snowing when i woke up (even though i said i thought it was) and because if this was underground where would snow be coming from? The title says… I heard you. Im here. I dont remeber this. Obviously. and i dont know who i would have.. heard? It doesnt make any sense.

The third picture… i dont have much to say. It looks dark. Maybe its related to the second picture, maybe its on the otherside of the gate. But I’ve never seen a place that dark before. Especially if it has walls. which I think it does. so it must be in a building somewhere out in the forest. Sorta supports my abandoned building theory. Or abandoned mine shaft? I have no idea. But the capture is clearly a long hallway. the caption says something is wrong. No duh. I am clearly self aware even if i dont remeber. I wonder if i act different..

Anyway, thats all for the last few days. I probably will end up attending school tomorrow. Niki isnt home yet, its near the end of the day so if she isnt home by now im assuming shes staying overnight at the office. wouldn’t be the first, wont be the last. I might get a snack before trying not to fall asleep a third night in a row. If anyone wants to chat with me, ill be open to the distractions.

#sleepyspeaking

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tnbc-thoughtsandheadcanons · 2 years ago

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I posted 2,520 times in 2022

267 posts created (11%)

2,253 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@tnbc-thoughtsandheadcanons

@ask-lock-shock-and-barrel

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I tagged 429 of my posts in 2022

#the nightmare before christmas - 117 posts

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#sally skellington - 81 posts

#tim burton - 67 posts

#henry selick - 54 posts

#jack x sally - 51 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#it takes so many people and so much work to make someone's vision come to life. they do not deserve to have their credit pushed away like th

My Top Posts in 2022:

I’ve definitely said it before, but the situation on Twitter right now really shows how people are more insistent on defending Tim Burton’s **little** involvement in The Nightmare Before Christmas, instead of properly appreciating/crediting Henry Selick’s work.

Burton producing the movie does not mean he directed it. He protected it from Disney’s interference and let the crew handle the movie as they wanted. And, yes, he originally created the characters & world - but that doesn’t mean the movie is his. In fact, the original Poem doesn’t even have Sally and Oogie Boogie. The character development + story is much more fleshed out in the film in comparison - and that’s not because of Burton. It’s because of Caroline Thompson, Danny Elfman, and Henry Selick.

“But he was busy working on his Batman film at the time!” Yes. Exactly. He entrusted Henry Selick and the rest of the crew to make Nightmare. So we should properly thank THEM, instead of making excuses for Tim. People will bend over backwards trying to find any reason to credit Burton, instead of appreciating what Henry Selick has done.

And this has been the problem for YEARS -- it may not be Tim Burton’s entire fault he got credited for The Nightmare Before Christmas as much as he did. Disney was the one who put his name in the title, purely for marketing reasons with his big name(last-minute as well, mind you). The huge misconception that he directed the movie was created by countless people falsely crediting Tim over the years.

Now the time has come with Henry’s recent release of Wendell & Wild, where the public is now realizing his hard work with Coraline, Nightmare, James & the Giant Peach, etc.....and people are still insisting on crediting Burton somewhere. Like they have been for nearly 30 years.

Henry Selick has every right to be upset that things have turned out like this. He’s gone out of his way to thank and acknowledge Tim’s contributions on the movie, but he’s been due the proper credit and fame for movies like Coraline and Nightmare. He’s finally getting the spotlight he’s always deserved, but the moment he mentions how unfair it was that Burton (albeit accidentally) got the credit for his work - people suddenly act like Tim is the victim. I’m so tired of this mentality.

Watch Wendell & Wild on Netflix. Listen to the We Know Jack Show podcast. Read this article. Give Henry Selick the love and credit he’s deserved for a long time.

646 notes - Posted November 2, 2022

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862 notes - Posted September 19, 2022

I know Disney has a problem with oversaturating their characters in their art, but it's especially a shame when done with The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The main character has imperfect/yellow teeth, but Jack Skellington keeps getting drawn + modeled without them most of the time. Sally has lopsided lips and auburn hair, but they're fixed and usually a bright red instead.

Which is strange to compare to their movie models...Sally is especially butchered coloring-wise.

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1,057 notes - Posted October 1, 2022

Friendly reminder that Disney Mirrorverse is releasing this month on the 23rd and it's making its rounds again news-wise. :)

2,465 notes - Posted June 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

45,070 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #long post #ah yes. the oogie boogie dall e.#broke my notifs at one point lol

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cheshireegray · 2 years ago

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Forgiving humanity

Just an fyi I don’t own tvd or the originals (one because I’m broke) and (two because I don’t live I California/ Virginia) the people who own it are on Netflix or hbo max so yea just saying so DONT SUE ME IM TO YOUNG TO GO TO JAIL,thank you and good day.

Requested by: @popqxeen

TW: mentions of rape, Elena bashing, Damon bashing, Rebekah bashing, Elijah bashing, kol bashing, Stefan bashing, Bonnie bashing, mention of miscarriage, mention of wanting someone dead, lots of cursing, blood

Letting go. It’s the first step of grief, to let go of the past and focus on the future.

-unknown

Humanity

Klaus and Caroline had turned their humanity off, they were locked up by the Mklsons and the scooby doo gang. Klaus had an idea to feed off of each other for a power boost before they kicked the door down.

Not wanting to be forced to turn their humanity back on they fled- together- all around the world. They tried their best not to leave a trail of bodies behind them, at first klaus didn’t agree with it. Then he soon realized that, keeping a low profile was their best choice.

Klaus fed from one human a day, not killing them but healing them and making them tell people that Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes were dead. It was all part of their plan, March 15,2013, Caroline was attacked by some wolves, of course Klaus healed her but her emotion were back on.

Caroline didn’t push too much because she was grieving, Klaus sat through her breakdowns and panic attacks. For someone who didn’t have humanity he did give his opinion on certain matters. November 27,2014 Caroline put a dream into klaus’ head.

The dream was of his family being slaughtered by mikael and Esther, him watching his youngest brother die. This made Klaus feel but he wasn’t completely happy that she made him remember his baby brothers death. They decided to ask a witch to do the strongest location block her and her coven could muster.

The obliged because Klaus swore to never kill anyone in their homeland. They grieved and cried together, telling each other everything about themselves. They bonded and slowly started to feel for each other.

On April 21, 2017, klaus asked Caroline to move in with him. It was a first step towards growing their relationship, Caroline had him wait-like two days- before telling him that she would love too. The pair traveled the world together again, Rome,Paris, and Tokyo.

They were attached at the hip, no matter how much they missed their family and friends. They just couldn’t let word get out that they had their emotions back on. Klaus had some run ins with Rebekah, kol, damon, and Stefan but nothing he couldn’t take care of.

September 6th, 2019, Caroline had a run in with a witch in a dream who asked if she wished to be human long enough to birth children. She asked the witch if she could talk with klaus first, the witch told her that she had two days to decide.

Caroline told klaus about the witch and asked him what he thought about it, he told her that it’s her choice and if she wished to have children, then children she would have. Klaus couldn’t help but feel a little scared about if Caroline would want to carry his children.

Caroline seen it coming so she reminded him that she loved him and that she couldn’t ask for a better father to her children. They talked a little more about moving again somewhere more isolated. How they would raise their children to be good people.

The witch came back to Caroline asking her again, Caroline told the witch yes. The witch did a spell for Caroline to be a wolf, this making her get pregnant. Her now not being a vampire she felt a tad bit weird, but Caroline quickly adjusted. Klaus told her that if she didn’t wish to have more children that he would turn her again.

But in case of an emergency he gave her a necklace with his blood in the vial. Months passed before they decided to move to Oregon, up in the mountains. Close to a small town but far enough from the city, you could say they lived in the rich neighborhood.

After fully settling in, they started trying to have babies. Caroline was nervous, she was nervous about the witch being a hoax, her dreams being crushed. But soon found out that it was real.

May 15th, 2021. Carline darted from her bed heaving up last nights dinner, it may have tasted good going down but coming up was a different story. Klaus was there for her every step of the way, every craving, every breakdown, every panic attack, everything he was there.

Caroline made it to 5 months before finding out that her body wasn’t physically ready to hold children yet so her twins were miscarried. They were devastated they had their room set up, painted, decorated, everything was perfected.

The loss of the twins weighed a ton on Caroline, she was depressed and barley eating. Klaus didn’t judge or ask to try again knowing that she may not be ready. So klaus started to wear condoms, not wanting to rush her into another baby just yet.

February 14,2022. It was Valentine’s Day, Caroline had fully grieved her twins along with klaus. They checked up on each other and made sure that they were one hundred percent ready to try for another baby. That night Caroline said that she was ready as long as he was.

They had sex almost every other morning, giving it their all. Not wanting to loose another baby, they would do everything right this time. Caroline got back in shape, started eating healthier, doing yoga, daily reading. Cleaning herself before trying for their next baby.

February 23,2022. Caroline got this feeling in her stomach while doing her daily morning yoga, feeling the bile climb up her throat she rushed to the bathroom. Open her bathroom drawer, pulling out her small cup and pregnancy test.

She waited three minutes, the longest three minutes of her life. Klaus had come home from grocery shopping,-who would have thought the great Niklaus Mikaelson, grocery shopping- he had the maid put the groceries away whilst he went to check in on Caroline.

Hearing the sound of her puking only made him realize that it was time. Time for them to see if she was pregnant again, he pushed the door open and looked at her teary eyes as she was starring at the test with so much surprise and excitement.

He slowly walked towards her as she turned the test for him to look at, his eyes lit up at the thought of having another child. They were excited yet nervous, Caroline made it to term. Her not wanting to go to a hospital she had a home birth she pushed out her little boy.

Noah Nikola Henderson (Mikaelson) their first born son,born December 2nd,2022. Noah was an exact replica of klaus, piercing blue eyes, Sandy blonde curly hair, dimples as far the eye could see. He would be a charmer, a ladies man just like his father.

As Noah grew to the age of 3 he started to ask for another sibling. Always saying that he wanted a little brother or sister. Caroline and Klaus always said when Noah turned 5 that the baby fairy would give mommy a baby.

Noah grew into a mini Klaus, he was a wolf, loved to paint with his father, had excellent manners , loved to read while his mother did her yoga. Noah loved the outdoors, his treehouse was a gift for his 4th birthday. He didn’t have his father or mothers temper more so, he was calm like Elijah.

Caroline and klaus stared trying again for another baby for Noah’s 5th birthday surprise. It was November 25, 2027.. Caroline had that same sickness she had with Noah and automatically knew that she was pregnant again.

She told klaus the minute she found out, he was excited again. Being a father to Noah was the best gift he could ever receive. Klaus was planning on proposing for Christmas, he even had Noah help him pick out a ring for his mommy.

When the day came klaus proposed to Caroline with a little help of Noah, in the beautiful end Caroline said yes. They had a small wedding in their garden with Noah, some trusted witches who recorded the whole ceremony, and some neighbors. They became Mrs&Mr. Henderson (Mikaelson).

On Noah’s birthday Caroline had put the test in the box along with a shirt that said big brother on it. He was eager to open his gifts that his mommy and daddy got him, when he opened the box that his mom had specially set up for him, he jumped up and down.

Noah was beyond excited about being an older brother, he alway seen on pbs kids, Daniel tiger or Miya and Miguel. They had siblings and he was gonna have one also, that night when his mom and dad were tucking him in before he closed his eyes he leaped up and kissed his mommy’s belly placing his tiny hands on the side of her barley there bump.

Noah whispered “I’ll be the best big brother ever” Caroline eyes watered as she watched her son kiss and whisper to his new sibling. Klaus loved his son’s confidence, he too felt like that when he found out that his mother was having Rebekah. Caroline and klaus kissed his head before turning on his sky lamp and closing his bedroom door.

As they months went on Caroline’s belly grew bigger and bigger, she always wondered why her belly was bigger. Seeing how when she was pregnant with Noah she was only the size on a small exercise ball. Noah always woke his mommy up to take her vitamins and drink her juice.

Noah was the most helpful 5 year old one could ever meet, he stayed on schedule, always read stories to his sibling as his mommy took a small snap. Helping his mom put on shoes or pick something from the ground. Klaus would always sketch Noah reading to his mother. If he wasn’t talking pictures he was sketching.

It was time for Caroline to give birth, Noah had to sit in his room. Shaking in anticipation for his new baby brother or sister. Caroline pushed out her second born in a bath of warm water. The midwife announcing that She was a girl, but Caroline felt another contraction. She was confused as to why she felt like pushing again, her daughter was out and in her daddy’s arms.

Then after pushing again her other son was born, a shock but a blessing that her twins had survived birth. August 9th,2028.. her little girl and boy were born. 6 pounds 9 ounces, Lily Lizabeth Henderson(Mikaelson) and Henry Elijah Henderson (Mikaelson).

After cleaning up the babies and Caroline, the midwife went to get supplies for encapsulating the twins placenta just like Noah’s. Klaus was beaming at his new son and daughter, the maid jazelle came in with Noah who was shaking and beaming, mirroring his dads face.

Klaus picked up Noah as he sat in the chair with Noah in his lap, jazelle grabbed lily and placed her gently in Noah’s arms as he smiled and whispered sweet nothings to his baby sister. Caroline watched her son and husband bond over their new member of the family.

They switched babies, Noah was watching his dad hold Henry close as he leaned his head on his daddy’s chest. Caroline was taking a crazy amount of photos, love in her eyes at her boys all together. She had the family she always wished of having.

It had been two years, Noah was now 8 and the twins were 2. Lily looked like her father, Sandy blonde hair, her mothers blue-green eyes, one dimple on her right cheek. While Henry was a mini Caroline, her curly blonde hair, his fathers blue eyes, dimple on the left cheek. Noah loved his sibling dearly and always taught them new things.

Noah was homeschooled and surprisingly he loved it, he was close to his mother, father, sister, and brother. Lily was a mommas girl, always wanting her mom to hold her, always sleeping in her arms, sassy like her aunt Rebekah, her laugh could make a whole room grow silent from the beautiful sound.

Henry was a daddy’s boy, always followed his father , loved being held by his daddy, he was mischievous like his uncle kol, loved cars and drawing on the chalk boards. Henry, Lily, and Noah were the best of friends, always sleeping together. Never letting one get hurt or not have comfort if they got hurt.

Caroline and klaus loved their family, right now was perfect so klaus started wearing condoms again. They had three beautiful babies right now, they didn’t think that they were ready for anymore just yet. I mean only being 33 and 36 years old, they had plenty of time.

Once Lily started to learn to read that all she did, anywhere anytime. Henry was always playing with his toy cars around the play room, Noah was excellent in 4th grade. Klaus and Caroline talked about sending him to the private school in town. They weighed out the pros and cons before talking to Noah about going to real school.

Noah was a little skeptical at first,but the thought of having more friends would be cool. Klaus went to sign him up for school, while Caroline told him the rules of being in school. The rules were simple. Don’t talk to anyone with the last name Mikaelson, Salvatore, Gilbert, or Bennett unless mommy or daddy’s says it okay.

He complied and was to always wear his vervain necklace, Caroline was being extra careful about sending him out in public alone for 8 hours. Klaus was cautious as well, he got the names of every student, parent, staff member, and delivery person. Not wanting his son in any danger.

When it was Noah’s 10th birthday he had a small birthday party with the neighbors kids and some children from school. Klaus always kept in touch with a witch keeping watch on his siblings and Caroline’s friends. He may have missed them but they weren’t about to show up just to destroy the happiness he built with Caroline and his children.

Oregon was their safe haven, all of klaus’ enemy’s think he and Caroline died. His family may have believed it because he sent them an earn with ashes that smelt like white oak along with ashes that smelt like Caroline. Hoping it was convincing enough, for his family to let him go.

When twins turned 5, Klaus suggested that they went to California. To take the kids to Disney world and the zoos there. At first Caroline wasn’t on board, but then she thought about how Noah would always ask what it was like to travel around the world, so she caved in and said yes to her husband.

The took the trip, the kids fell in love with all the rides and food. Caroline thought that she seen Rebekah and Bonnie there too, but she shook it off and continued on with her family day. After spending about a week and half in California, they went back home. Noah was happy to be home, we’re all of his paint stuff was.

Lily just wanted her toys and stuffed unicorn, while Henry was just looking for way to make cars on YouTube. They went back to their routine and went back to their lives. The twins were now both 6 and Noah was 12 in the 6th grade, he loved school and science. One day his class was doing a family tree and he wanted to tell his parents but in order to keep him safe they had to omit some truths.

They told him that he had and 2 uncles and one aunt on his daddy’s side, and how mommy was an only child so she only had her mom and dad, but they both passed away. Noah nodded and hugged his mom and dad for telling him he had more family. A small part of Noah wanted to know his other family-and I mean small- but another part just couldn’t find himself to care much about it.

He was happy with his siblings and parents, he really didn’t need anything else. Caroline watched the twins grow up from babies to 1st graders, her eyes always water when they leave for school with Noah. Klaus could see that she was missing their baby years so he planned a date for them that night.

They were talking before Klaus, bring up how the twins were growing up fast and how he missed their baby stage. Caroline was smiling and could only agree with him, she wanted another baby. This would be her last one before she turned back into a vampire. She told klaus and he agreed to stop wearing condoms, they had mind blowing sex, while the kids were at their witch friend Maria’s house.

Maria had help raised the twin along with Noah since they were babies. She had a son and daughter who always rode to school with Noah and the twins. Klaus for once trusted a witch, he had changed a lot after having Noah and even more when the twins were born. He was more calm and only drank blood bags/ animal blood.

After trying for another baby, Caroline started to feel sick and knew that she was pregnant again. September 18,2035 ,Klaus was happy again for having another child along with Caroline. They already had the name picked out for if it was a boy or a girl, they told Noah and the twins after they got back from school. Noah was excited again.

The twins basically begged for a baby sister, klaus and Caroline always loved how their kids would always get excited about more siblings. Later that night after the kids were asleep, Caroline told klaus that she wanted to turn after giving birth to the new baby.

Klaus sat and talked to her about her decision, if she was sure, if she wanted to have another one after this one. She told him that she would do like 3 more before she turned back into a vampire.

They soon had a gender reveal party, all her children were on team girl. While klaus and his vamp recruits were on team boy, Caroline and klaus had on white clothes along with Noah, Lily, and Henry. Maria gave them water guns with the gender color in it, she also gave them to the twins.

After taking off their blindfolds, the twins were happy and jumping up and down. Noah went to hug his brother and sister, he kissed his mommy’s belly and fist bumped his dad. They were having a girl, another little princess. Caroline was due any day now.

Caroline started complaining about cramps and not being able to breathe. She went into labor earlier than expected, their daughter was born smaller than her siblings. Caroline had lost a lot of blood at home and it scared her babies, Klaus called Maria to watch the kids while they went to the hospital.

On May 23,2036, Mackenzie Rebekah Henderson (Mikaelson) was born 4 pounds, 13 ounces. She was a fighter and always smiled her little toothless smiles at her mommy and daddy. They were in the hospital for about a 6 week before they got discharged.

Getting home they had a welcome home party with their kids and Maria. The twins ran to Mackenzie’s car seat as their mommy placed it on the couch. Noah made sure his siblings were gentle with the new baby. Noah and the twins made a small fort in the baby’s room, while watching their new baby sister. Klaus and Caroline took pictures before Heading to bed themselves.

Noah was now 14, the twins 8, and Mackenzie 2 years old. Mackenzie was the light of the house, she always smiled and loved the outdoor garden. Lily always watched her baby sister play while the boys played tackle with dad. October 26th, 2037 they got a knock on their door.

Lily heard it and went to see who it was, her mom always let her open the door because she always knew it was Maria. This time It wasn’t Maria it was a blonde haired woman, two brown haired men, along with a brown skinned woman, a brown haired girl, and two other men one with dark blonde-ish brown hair and one with raven hair.

“Hello” Lily said looking at the people on her doorstep. The blonde haired lady looked shocked at the little girl’s resemblance to her brother. “Hello little girl, are your mommy and daddy home?” The brown haired man in a suit asked Lily. “Yes, give me one second” Lily closed the door and ran to her mommy and daddy outside playing with her siblings.

“Mommy, daddy someone’s at the door” Lily said while picking up Mackenzie as the whole family walked towards the door. Caroline opened it “can I help y-you” Caroline trailed off, klaus had Henry on his back while Lily handed a crying Mackenzie to her mom. Caroline grabbed her and bent down to her kids level “okay little wolves, remember code spot” all the kids nodded, klaus bent down along side his wife.

“It’s time for code spot, so go to your safe room” klaus spoke taking Mackenzie from Caroline and handing her to Noah “she has a bottle in the microwave, grab it and give it to her when you get there” “remember don’t come out unless we come in” Caroline kissed her kids cheeks and a babbling Mackenzie. Klaus did the same before watching his kids run to their safe room.

When Caroline heard the safe door close she turned back to a shocked Rebekah, Elijah, kol, Bonnie,Elena, damon and Stefan. “What the hell are you doing near my house” Caroline had Elena by the throat while klaus had dragged everyone else inside the house. “We have been looking for you both for 16 years” Rebekah said still shocked at the whole kids thing, “we’re found, now leave” klaus replied drinking his scotch.

“Whose children are these, Niklaus” Elijah asked grabbing a family picture, it had all the kids on it smiling at their baby sister. “Well dear brother, can’t you see it” klaus smirked at his brother’s stupidity “their my children, I birthed them all” Caroline budded in. Elena, Bonnie, and Rebekah took notice to the giant rock on Caroline’s finger.

“WAIT YOUR MARRIED” Elena yelled like an idiot, Caroline smiled and kissed klaus’ cheek while he snakes his arm around her waist. “yes were married, with four beautiful children” “and you do best to watch your tone doppelgänger” klaus said in a calm tone. Kol went over to hug a shocked teary eyed Bonnie. “Why would you marry someone like him” Elena mumbled avoiding Caroline’s cold shoulder Caroline was ready to pounce.She was tired of being judged and even more tired of holding in all she had to say so she let it out on any and everyone.

“Why would you date someone like Damon?” She leaned forward in her seat to look at Elena’s now shocked yet mad face “what’s that supposed to mean?” Elena spat but Caroline wasn’t backing down “it mean you fell in love with a man who abused me and raped me, that’s what it means” Caroline semi yelled, Damon was pale, Elena was speechless along with everyone else.

“You know since we’re on this topic, I’m about to break down a lot of things about everyone in here” she stood up and went into the middle of the room before pointing at Elena,”You know I craved to be you, to have what you had, to not be second choice to you. Look we’re that got me, I was raped, abused, left out, in toxic relationships, all because I wanted what you had” she said calmly to Elena but it was gonna get a lot worse. She seen klaus about to kill Damon so she went over to him and sat on his lap to keep him from flashing towards Damon.

Caroline kissed his cheek as rubbed the nape of his neck to calm him down until later. “There were days I wanted end it all, just because they always chose you. But now I know why” she smiled small as she looked at their confused faces so she continued “Your always first and everybody’s wants you only because your a doppelgänger descendent” Elena was shocked at her words and was about to say something but she cut her off “No no no your time for your talking is over so shut up and listen” Caroline growled before she looked at Damon.

“Don’t get me started on you, your pathetic and disgusting, you think your the big guy, the guy everyone chooses but that’s not the case” she leaned over a bit “You use your penis as a way to get what you want, every doppelgänger always chooses Stefan and you hate it. Word of advice grow up” she felt her anger filling up as she continued “You thought that I forgave because I never said anything, but new flash I wish you were dead. Every time I look at you it reminds me of the way I screamed no and stop and you continued” she felt tears coming but she held onto klaus tighter, as he rubbed her back in small circles.

“If my children weren’t in this home, I would tear you to pieces. You Damon Salvatore always want what your brother has because you know deep down that nobody will ever want you like they want Stefan” she chuckled at his irritated face “I mean Katherine chose Stefan and just used you to get to him, Elena is in between you both just like Katherine” she was about to finish but Elena cut her off which pissed her off “IM NOTHING LIKE KATHERINE!” she yelled but only made Caroline and klaus laugh out loud, the originals were laughing but Caroline had something for them too.

“Really because your using both Stefan and Damon, it’s classic doppelgänger material.Your exactly like Katherine, you use people and take advantage of people or you make them feel like your friends only to use them for your own greed. Your just like Katherine and always will be.” Caroline hissed as Elena shut up so she moved to Stefan looking at his shocked face. “Stefan I need you to stop holding onto your brother because you think you owe him something because you don’t.” She said as Damon looked pissed at her words but she ignored him for now.

“To be honest all of you are shitty friends, you all used me or threatened me for your own shitty reasons. But in the end I was there for ALL of you, I’m done now I won’t be anyone’s pawn to get at klaus or anyone else.” She said as she watched Elena roll her eyes, Caroline got up and walked over to her. “Let me remind you Elena that I’m not a doppelgänger descendent, nor am I between two brothers, or sleeping with my ex best friends rapist, no honey that’s all you” she walked over to Bonnie who had tears in her eyes.

“If we’re being honest I don’t know why your crying or angry, I’ve been with you since day one. Even when you choose to talk to Elena or help her when I needed you I still stayed so you shouldn’t be the one crying.” She scoffed at her trying to see past her fake facade, klaus was trying to keep from killing Damon until Caroline gave him the word. “So what blonde you think your better than us because you shacked up with the big bad wolf” Damon scoffed but Caroline blew a fuse.

“WHO EVEN TOLD YOU TO SPEAK, I don’t remember asking you anything. You don’t get to fucking judge me when you walk around sticking your penis in anything that moves. It’s not my fault that your a fuckup and you were never chosen.” She yelled at him but Elena shouted something that pissed Caroline off even more “if anyone was never chosen it was YOU CAROLINE!” She shouted as she stood up and that’s when she lost her shit.

“OH REALLY ELENA WHICH ONE US IS MARRIED WITH CHILDREN LIVING THEIR LIFE, AND WHICH ONE US IS USING TWO MEN BECAUSE SHE CANT GET HER PRIORITIES STRAIGHT YOU NEED TO PICK ONE ELENA NOT BOTH.” she shouted making Elena flinch at her golden eyes before she sat back down with tears in her eyes. She looked at the whole mystic falls gang “how many times have you lot had to risk your lives to save Elena, Bonnie how many times did you have to nearly kill or kill yourself to save her life!” She looked at them as they all said nothing.

The originals were laughing and Caroline wasn’t about to let them off easy either. “What so funny? Come on I wanna know the joke. You think you lot are any better, we’ll your not” she seethed as she stepped closer to then with klaus sitting up so he would be there if anything went sideways. “Let’s start with Rebekah, you craved and cried about how you haven’t lived a life you wanted or how he always took it from you but the minute he leaves to live his life you don’t want to take the opportunity to have your own life.” She paused and Rebekah looked shocked and pissed but Caroline didn’t stop there.

“You complain and bitch about how you want to live a life and be married and bare children, like any of the shit is a walk in the park. ITS NOT! Your so attached to your brothers but then complain when they do things to protect you, or see that a man isn’t fit for your love. You could of had the love you wanted but you decided to look for your brother instead of living your life Rebekah!” She paused again as she seen Rebekah about to say something. “You don’t get to sit around and be a bitch to other people because your an original vampire, FWI nobody gives shit. It’s a status not a personality stop thinking it is, you want friends and love and children go out and get it.” Caroline semi yelled as Rebekah had tears in her eyes.

Nobody has ever been this honest with her and she hadn’t even noticed that she had time to do what she wanted while her brother was gone. “You all font around Always&Forever but do awful things to each other. You wanted to be loved so he let you test it out but the moment her noticed that you weren’t ready he shut you down.” She took a breath as Rebekah let a tear fall “ You knew you weren’t ready, and maybe your not ready now. You were so eager to jump into a relationship that you didn’t get to know yourself. Stop holding on to your brothers, leave and grow up, get to know yourself before you let anybody else know you. You and I both know that there is way more to you than the original blonde vampire” she said before turning to Elijah who was in shock at the way Caroline talked to Rebekah.

This time klaus stood up and leaned on the couch he knew Elijah had a temper and he would hate to have to his brother down. “Elijah you come off as the Noble brother but deep down your just a little boy who wanted his mothers love but never got it. You hold onto klaus because you think you owe him because you watched mikael beat him and you didn’t do anything about it. Klaus took it so you wouldn’t have to, he knew that mikael would hurt you if you helped him so he took the pain and abuse so you all could be angels in Mikaels eyes!” Elijah looked astounded he was beyond shocked, but there was an anger that she was trying to get out of him so she pulled out the big guns.

“You both fell in love with the same girl, and you knew klaus wanted her too so you played your cards of the charming brother and won her over all to yourself. Then there was Katherine who was a means to and end but, nope, Elijah couldn’t have that so you tired to save her knowing klaus didn’t want to repeat time again but you begged anyways” she smirked at his angry face, he stood up looking at Caroline “Ms. Forbes I suggest you watch yourself, you know nothing about me or my family” he seethed through his teeth, klaus walked closer to Caroline about to say something to his brother but she put a finger up to make he know that she was okay.

“Oh I don’t? I don’t know that you wanted to kill your own brother because he wouldn’t let you love Katherine, or that you always seem to try and kill him and play make up afterwards knowing klaus Honors and adores his family. But what do I know” she waved her hands in the air as Elijah paled he never told anyone that he hated his brother for not letting him love or be happy. Caroline seen she got to him so she dug a bit deeper before taking the final blow.

“You know I’ve always wanted siblings, my right hand people who would stick by me no matter what. You hold onto always&forever but then say you hate each other, Elijah you put everyone before you just because they are family members. Take care of yourself for once, leave and live a life that you can tell your adopted children” she whispered the end part before turning to smirking Kol who she was about to shut down. “Wipe that damn smirk off your face” kols smirk dropped as she stares at him.

“You are over 1000 years old and you act like your damn 10, you throw tantrums and cause problems on purpose. I get that your childhood was ripped away from you, but acting like an idiot who has no home training is utterly unnecessary. You need to grow up and sit down somewhere because no one‘s going to be standing around watching you like you’re a baby.” She said in calm voice as kol was just looking at her, he didn’t really know what to say to that. “ there is a time in a place for everything you may think it’s funny now but in 100 years or so it won’t be funny anymore. Stop trying to pick at your brother because you were in a coffin for over a Century I get you’re mad at him but all of this idiocy’s not needed.” She said as she backed away from the originals.

“ You all stick together like mold on bread and you hold onto each other knowing that you all are hurt. You all need to get out there and go live your own lives away from each other, give each other maybe a Century or 90 years you all need space so give it to each other. I’m not saying not be there for each other when you’re needed but only if it’s an absolute emergency, only then can you say always and forever” she said before she sat back down with klaus underneath her on the couch.

Klaus and Caroline looked at the teary eyes and blank faces. She had said what they didn’t want to hear, but it had to be said. The Mikealsons were looking at the couple and seen that their brother was happy and much calmer. The mystic falls gang had thought about what Caroline had said to them, Bonnie wasn’t planning on talking to Elena or Damon ever again. The whole gang owed a huge apology to Caroline, she was right she was always there when they needed her and they gave her nothing in return.

Klaus was proud of his wife, she had managed to get through his family and the mystic falls lot all without anyone being killed. “Damon if I ever see your face again, I’ll kill you slowly and painfully as I listen to you beg for death” Klaus growled lowly as Damon shook his head frantically before shaking his brothers hand and grabbing Elena before flashing out of the house. “as your friend and sister-in-law I want you all to go live your own lives. Be happy and continue your lineage whether it be adoption or giving birth, I just want you all to experience happiness and Klaus is letting all of the you guys go, so just go be happy.” Caroline said softly before kissing klaus’s cheek and getting up to go see her children.

#caroline forbes #klaus mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #the originals #rebekah mikaelson #klaroline #tvd characters #fanfic #wattpad #bonnie bennett #damon salvatore #stefan salvatore #bashing #children #baby #kol mikaelson #elena gilbert

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altamont498 · 3 years ago

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So the BBC are shutting down CBBC (their kids channel) on TV and are moving it all online (because "people like Netflix/Disney+/YouTube")

And I must say how big a loss this is for British television.

For starters:

Not every household has "stable" broadband or mobile data access for streaming/watching stuff online—especially people who live in rural areas or people on low incomes.

The other platforms mentioned aren't 100% safe for kids (see the countless stories of kids getting hit with blood and gore videos that abuse the algorithms of YouTube or the Perfect Parent Brigade letting kids watch Squid Game and getting traumatised by the violence featured).

Plus it seems that every kids channel/platform aimed at kids these days is either something you have to pay for (like Netflix or Disney+) which, again, cost of living crisis, people might not necessarily be able to afford.

And not only that, but the ones that are free/available through terrestrial TV are often loaded with product placements and advertisements trying to get kids to buy (or nag their parents to buy) the Next Big Toy™.

CBBC doesn't have any of that. It's all 100% ad-free.

And not only that, but the programs that it does (and did) have are good for kids. Not just kid-friendly, but actually good for kids.

For example:

Newsround

It's news for kids, and quite popular with both kids and adults alike. It allows kids to learn about current affairs and learn about what's going on in the world now (and has done for 50 years) without dumbing it down too much or acting patronising.

Fact: It was through a Newsround bulletin that the news broke in the UK of the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11th 2001.

And they've kept it up throughout Brexit, Covid, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and then some.

But at the same time, not forgetting that the news can be, as it often is, upsetting, and encouraging kids to talk about stuff in the news that upsets them and facilitating a lot of that.

Horrible Histories

🎵Gory, ghastly, mean and cruel; stuff they don't teach you at school!🎵

Teaching history to kids in a way that's fun and goes surprisingly in-depth for a kids' show. Even in earlier series it was brave enough to say (though not depict fully; remember it's a kid's show) that the British Empire was Not A Good Thing and that a lot of Britain's "greatness"—and the stuff it basically runs on like tea, sugar, etc.—was all derived from slavery and the products/goods of other countries around the world.

Plus I think everyone either knows the Charles the Second rap or the Kings & Queens song by now.

And CBBC took on the act of broadcasting a TONNE of educational content suitable for kids of all ages during the Covid-19 lockdown like Horrible Histories and Operation Ouch, which loads of parents, kids and teachers genuinely did find to be helpful.

The Story of Tracy Beaker/The Dumping Ground

This one holds a very special place in my heart.

It depicts children, living in foster care (in a children's home non-affectionately nicknamed "The Dumping Ground" by its residents) and being actual kids.

Yes, it does show them (or at least strongly implies) they came from bad backgrounds—like Tracy herself being a child of neglect, kids like Jackie or Justine having parents/carers that weren't fit to look after them, or kids like Crash coming from abusive backgrounds and toxic environments—but shows that they are tough and they survive and they go through all the stuff that other kids go through and going on to do great things in their lives.

Like Tracy (spoilers!) later being adopted by her foster mother Cam (who, in later seasons, comes out as Lesbian and marries another woman) and countless kids going into good homes with good foster parents/adoptive parents.

As far as I'm aware,

This is the ONLY show on British TV that depicts foster kids in such a positive light.

Opposed to the stereotype of "Baby ASBO" running drugs on an estate somewhere or getting into fights and being up to no good 24/7/365.

Plus even back when it started in the early 2000s, it was very diverse for a program, and still is—with main characters who have learning disabilities, main characters of colour, main characters with physical disabilities (played by actual disabled actors).

So yes:

CBBC is special.

And it's something that absolutely deserves protection from being all transferred online and leaving kids (and adults who are kids at heart) to miss out.

#CBBC #BBC #british broadcasting corporation #thoughts #altamont498 #long post #the story of tracy beaker #the dumping ground #horrible histories #newsround #rant #vent

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babygirlbenji · 3 years ago

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I’ve Got You - Marcus Rashford

A/N: my first marcus imagine!!! i'm so sorry this is so late, and it gets so rushed towards the end. i really hope i've done this justice! i'm still getting to know marcus, so i hope this is okay 🥰

It had been a long time since Marcus had been able to go out and party with his friends. With international duty for the Euros and the devastating loss, swiftly followed by club duty only to be sidelined by his shoulder injury and pending surgery, Marcus wanted to let loose for a while and forget about his troubles.

‘Baby girl,’ his voice echoed throughout your shared flat, the last syllable elongated.

‘Yes, my love?’ You replied from the sofa, nose deep in one of your university textbooks. You third year of journalism was intense, but you still absolutely loved it. Your aspirations of being a news reporter for the Manchester Evening News were becoming more reachable with every term.

‘Have you seen my Balenciaga shirt? I swear I saw it in my wardrobe the other day.’ A snort left your lips.

‘You mean your floordrobe? I washed it, I put a load of whites in the other day. Should be either hanging up on the clothes line or folded in one of your drawers.’ Silence followed as Marcus searched for the elusive shirt, before he appeared in the hallway, dressed in black skinny jeans, the shirt he’d been looking for and his usual white Air Forces gifted to him by Nike a couple weeks previously. ‘You look like you’re going somewhere,’ you remarked. Marcus nodded, typing quickly on his phone before coming to sit next to you on the sofa.

‘Jesse, Jadon, Luke and I are going out for the evening, might be a late one. Fancy coming along?’ He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear as you contemplated the offer.

‘I’d love to, but studying calls. I’ve got a presentation soon, so I need to prepare for it.’ His shoulders slouched. He loved partying, but nights out with you were always the best. You were responsible, but also knew how to have a good time. Knowing all the good clubs from your time at the University of Manchester was a huge plus.

You and Marcus had actually met at one of the clubs. It was your first year of university, and you were new to the area having moved up from the south to start your university career. Marcus had come to your rescue after seeing you being chatted up by a guy who wasn’t taking no for an answer. Having pretended to be your boyfriend to get the guy away from you, Marcus realised that he wanted to get to know you better. He asked for your number in a moment of brazen confidence, and had asked you out the day after when you’d both sobered up. You weren’t usually the type to pick up a guy while on a night out, but the stars aligned on that night, and you hadn’t looked back since.

Your thoughts were brought back to the current moment. Marcus was at the counter, looking for his keys, wallet, mask and ID.

‘Sure you don’t wanna come, love?’ He asked, bending down behind the sofa and wrapping you in his arms.

‘My heart says no but my head says yes.’ The two of you shared a laugh at your conflicting answer.

‘Alright, babe, my Uber will be here in a few minutes, I’ll see you later this evening, yeah?’ You turned your head to kiss his cheek, and he gently held your face to kiss your lips goodbye.

‘Be safe, text me if you want me to pick you up, yeah?’ You called after his retreating back as he hurried towards the door.

‘Will do, bubba, love you!’

‘Love you too, have fun!’ The door opened, and he left, the sound of a car door opening and closing following a short while later.

Facing a quiet evening ahead, you switched on Netflix and put on the new series of Unsolved Mysteries, which had been on your watch list ever since it was released the week before. Not bothering to cook, you ordered a pizza, and feasted by yourself as you filled your head with statistics, facts and opinions about the history of the BBC.

Your phone blared loudly beside you, your ringtone of September by Earth, Wind and Fire catching you unawares. Groaning and realising you must have fallen asleep on the sofa, you groggily picked it up, noting that the time was just past 2:30am.

‘Hello?’ you grumbled. A barrage of loud music, even louder voices and a car engine hit your ears, making you rub your forehead at the change of volume.

‘Y/N, it’s Jess, we’re about 5 minutes away, Rashy got himself really drunk,’ Jesse’s voice was slightly muffled, and you assumed that you were on speaker as he tried to wrestle his taller teammate into his seatbelt or something.

‘Okay, I’ll get stuff ready, see you soon.’ He thanked you and hung up, leaving you to hurry around to get a pair of joggers and a clean shirt from Marcus’s wardrobe, followed by a glass of water and made sure that there was a packet of painkiller ready for the morning when Marcus would no doubt have a pounding headache.

The buzzer to the apartment sounded, and you answered to allow Jesse and Jadon up, knowing that Marcus was too gone to know where his keys were. Shortly after, the doorbell rang and you hurried over to answer it.

‘Hey guys, thank you for bringing him home,’ you whispered, trying not to wake up your neighbours.

'Oh look, it's my babyyyy!' Marcus yelled loudly when he saw you. Even in his intoxicated state, and even with your hair in a messy bun, no makeup and bleary eyes from sleep, you were still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

'Shhh, Rash, neighbours,' Jadon winced.

'I need everyone to know that I was literally jumped by some random girl at the bar, but I pushed her away from me and was like "bore off, I have a girlfriend! And she's the love of my life! And I don't want anyone else!"' You didn't know whether to be thoroughly embarrassed, thoroughly amused or thoroughly endeared, so you just thanked the boys for bringing him home.

‘Safe trip home, guys.’ They closed the door behind you and you heard them head back downstairs. You put your arm around Marcus's shoulders and helped him inside.

The next step of the process was getting Marcus out of his party clothes. ‘Rashy, baby, I need you to help me get you undressed and into bed, okay?’ He grumbled to himself as he tried to get his arms and legs out of their respective holes of his shirt and jeans. It surprised you how an agile footballer could be so uncoordinated when inebriated.

‘Help,’ he mumbled. You were distinctly reminded of your six-year-old cousin you sometimes babysat, but decided not to say anything; you didn’t want to upset your boyfriend.

‘Alright, baby, arms up!’ He obeyed and lifted his arms up in the air, allowing you to finally take his shirt off. Tossing it into the laundry bin, you cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead. ‘I’ve got you, darling. There we go.’ His jeans came off soon after, leaving Marcus in his boxers, looking thoroughly exhausted.

‘Want cuddles,’ he slurred. You giggled.

‘Drink some water for me first?’ After some deliberation, you reached an agreement, and he drank a glass of water. ‘Okay baby, you feeling okay?’ To answer your question, Marcus flopped onto the sofa, completely passed out. ‘Guess we’re sleeping here tonight,’ you snorted to yourself, quickly fetching a blanket and a few extra pillows. Gently lifting his head up, you placed them under him, making sure he was lying so that he wouldn’t strain his neck or hurt his shoulder more. You carefully climbed in next to him, acting as the big spoon, and pulled him close to you.

‘Thank you, Y/N,’ a small voice whispered, still slightly slurred, but this time you assumed it was caused more by exhaustion than alcohol.

‘Always, darling.’

Needless to say, training for Marcus the next morning proved quite a challenge.

#marcus rashford #marcus rashford x reader #marcus rashford imagine #marcus rashford x you #manchester united #england national team #england football team #england imagine #england imagines #football imagine #he's so cute i adore him

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thecrownnet · 3 years ago

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Congratulations to Adriano Goldman , ASC, BSC, ABC, Director Of Photography, for his Creative Arts Emmy win OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES (ONE HOUR) for season 4 episode 3 ‘Fairytale’ on September 11, 2021. Here are his insights on filming the episode with director Benjamin Caron.

‘The Crown’ Used Lighting and Composition to Trap Its Characters Inside a ‘Fairytale’

Director Benjamin Caron and cinematographer Adriano Goldman discuss how they destroyed Diana and Charles’ marriage before it even began.

Behind the Scenes of “The Crown” Season 4, Episode 3 Photo: Netflix

Over “The Crown’s” four seasons, the halls of Buckingham Palace have become familiar visual signifiers for both the grandeur and the pressure placed upon the royal family. But in the third episode of this most recent season, “Fairytale,” cinematographer Adriano Goldman and director Benjamin Caron stretched the limits of the show’s visual language to create — and then to destroy — Princess Diana’s (Emma Corrin) fairytale fantasies.

Much of the episode is given over to Diana slowly realizing that, like many princesses stuck in a castle before her, she has fallen into a trap. But Goldman and Caron opened up the ways they shoot their Buckingham Palace sets to show how the demands of the Crown consume everyone on the eve of the fateful marriage.

They force the jaws of the trap open wide with a pre-credits sequence of Diana’s night out with her friends after Charles (Josh O’Connor) proposes to her. The scene is a departure in every sense, not just to the swank ’80s members’ club that Diana frequents.

“You try to deliver something that is more romantic, a little bit more colorful, fun to start,” Goldman said of the sequence in an interview with IndieWire. “We wanted to not change the style too much, but there should be a transition from a very colorful pre-title sequence, a very interesting and more romantic beginning.”

That romance is on full display, most noticeably in the brighter, guadier colors of the club and much warmer tones of Diana’s Earl’s Court flat. But Goldman’s camera also interposes itself almost as a fourth (slightly intoxicated) friend, swinging around inside the girls’ cab to get a look at both Diana and Buckingham Palace, or flinging itself down onto the bed with the girls at the end of the night. The look of the sequence stands in contrast to the stately shots and slow tracks which are the show’s normal rhythm for everyone in the royal family. Well, for everyone in the royal family except maybe Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham-Carter), who gets to dance by a pool every now and again.

“We really considered how we could reverse [that fairytale opening] and be very present with her, and [how we could] make her feel young, actually. Part of this is she’s a young girl going into the palace,” Caron said.

Caron and Goldman gave the audience several visual signifiers that are easy to clock in this sequence, as well as Diana’s goodbyes to her friends that follows: the gold and neon hues of the night out, the warm, eye-level close-ups of Diana dancing in the club, and a signature spiral staircase Diana descends to begin her life as a princess.

Over the course of the episode, these colors will fade. The close-ups inch slightly above Diana’s eyeline, so that it feels like the camera, along with the rest of the Royals, is looking down on her. And when a spiral staircase reappears, it will lead to Diana’s lowest point.

“The Crown” Season 4, Ep. 3 “The Fairytale” Screenshot

With Diana ushered inside Buckingham Palace to shield her from the press in the run-up to her and Charles’ wedding, Caron and Goldman emphasized how small and vulnerable Diana looks inside the palace walls. The opening of “Fairytale” had a long shot of the club, and Diana fit snugly within it. Once inside Buckingham Palace, the negative space often overwhelms Diana, and the camera backs away to show just how alone she truly is, perhaps best exemplified in the scene of her grandmother (Georgie Glen) physically tying her up while instructing her in how to speak like a royal.

Caron and Goldman deliberately call back to the romance of the opening to twist the knife, having Diana dance ballet inside the palace and then try to break out of the regimented structure of it as the pressure on her mounts. “I remember sort of holding the frame and I remember the camera operator was trying to follow us, but [I said no,] just hold the frame static and let her move in and around it,” Caron said. “So it really felt like someone trying to break out [of] somewhere.”

But of course, the camera never does let her leave the frame. Unlike the quick, fun cuts of Diana dancing in the club, there is no pressure release here. There is nowhere for Diana to go.

“The Crown” Season 4, Ep. 3 “The Fairytale” Screenshot

Caron wanted to use visual features that would feel right at home in a Disney princess story to their most punishing effect and perhaps the most powerful one of these motifs reoccurs when “The Crown” has Diana descend another spiral staircase. “[Ben] was very specific about this spiral because she’s going down on a spiral emotionally,” Goldman said of the shot that leads Diana down to the kitchen, a moment of late night desperation that kicks off her eating disorder. “He didn’t want to follow her on the steps, like on a steadicam. He wanted [the camera to be] facing down and going down with her to the very bottom of her feelings and her emotions.”

Caron described it as going to the “bottom of a well,” once Diana enters the kitchens and becomes enveloped in darkness — except for the fluorescent blues of the refrigerator lights, which makes the space feel like a morgue. This strong use of color, like all the changes in the episode, is grounded in the reality of whatever space Diana finds herself in. But the emotion and, indeed, the foreshadowing that Caron and Goldman are able to imbue those spaces with give Diana’s spiral real visual potency and a visceral sadness.

“The Crown” Season 4, Ep. 3 “The Fairytale” Screenshot

What is so thrilling about “Fairytale” is that it spares no one. Two striking scenes toward the end of the episode don’t have Diana in them at all, and yet push the series’ visual language to show how the palace and this marriage will swallow the characters who have been there all along.

In the first of these, Margaret tries to persuade Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (Marion Bailey), and Philip (Tobias Menzies) to call off the wedding. Caron wanted the scene to have a “conspiratorial, almost a Jacobian feel” to highlight the cold, businesslike calculations these four people are making for the happiness of two others.

“I remember saying to Adriano,’no no no, let’s go darker,” Caron said of this sequence and the next one. Goldman also recalled the desire to push the scene even further visually, lighting characters at harsh, dynamic angles or in almost complete shadow, so that the scene would feel spiritually closer to “The Godfather” than to the show’s usual style. The comparison is apt, given the mahogany browns and greens of the sitting room and the firelight that Goldman and Caron used to emphasize shadows falling into the crags on the characters’ faces. Vito Corleone could easily be sitting in a corner of one of those frames.

“The Crown” Season 4, Ep. 3 “The Fairytale” Screenshot

The next scene — when Elizabeth goes to find Charles and offer him a final few words on his marriage — Caron and Goldman viewed as a way to visually crystalize their relationship and how it is marred by their obligations to the monarchy. “Wouldn’t it be painful if you had Charles looking out the window and he felt the reflections of the fireworks and the noise and the celebrations outside?” Caron said about how he started conceiving of the blocking and framing of the exchange between mother and son. Each cinematic choice builds from a sense of what would be more painful, what would put more strain on the relationship.

“The Crown” Season 4, Ep. 3 “The Fairytale” Screenshot

The filmmakers created this visual strain between Queen and Crown Prince not just by keeping them at opposite sides in the composition, but by keeping one of the pair always just out of focus in the shots with the two of them — they can’t even occupy the same level of detail in the frame. Color plays a role, too, with bright blues and reds from the fireworks, reflections of the Union Jack, always being part of the light through which the audience sees the resigned sadness on Colman’s face and the abject misery on O’Connor’s. Goldman said this is the scene where he realizes he will never escape the system of the monarchy. “He realizes it’s too late. It’s a trap. He’s been trapped.”

“It always comes back to the Crown,” Caron said, and it is really from the perspective of the Crown itself that we watch the characters prepare to head to church on the day of the wedding. When the audience finally sees Diana in her dress, she faces away from the camera and moves into that oppressive cavernous space which has put so much pressure on her throughout the episode. It’s a slow, almost funereal march toward the fate the audience already knows awaits her. Charles, on the other hand, gets the close-up this time. But the camera, with equal grimness, tracks slightly down and in, so that his face begins to loom over the frame, making him look monstrous.

“The Crown” Season 4, Ep. 3 “The Fairytale” Screenshot

Of course by now, the visual choices that Caron and Goldman made for “Fairytale” have taught the viewer that there is another monster, a much more powerful one, looming over the episode’s final frame: The Crown is the monster that always gets you in the end.

#emma corrin #josh o'connor #princess diana #the crown netflix #the crown #emmy awards 2021 #cinematography #adriano goldman #the crown season 4 #thecrownnet

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charlies-gillespie · 4 years ago

Text

reminence | charlie gillespie

paring: fem!reader x charlie gillespie

summary: reader stays the night in a hotel but there are no rooms. her ex, Charlie, overheard her talking and offers reader to spend the night in his room

length: mediumish

rating: PG

warnings: none

!! NOT MY GIF !!

MASTERLIST

You get out of the Uber you took to get here from LAX. You thank the driver and get your suitcase out of the trunk of his car. You drag your suitcase and dufflebag into the hotel that you plan in staying at tonight. It’s about five and the lobby is kind of packed. The parking lot was pretty full. You get in line at the desk behind a couple and their child.

The desk receptionist hands the couple a key and they walk off. You approach the desk with a smile and say, “Hi, my name is Y/N L/N and I booked a room here for one night.” The desk receptionist nods and types on the computer.

She makes a face and says, “I’m sorry, Miss L/N but that was our last room available.”

Confused, you say, “I called three days ago and made a reservation for a room.”

“I am all out of rooms tonight, I apologize,” she says. “If you’d like to stay and wait in case someone checks out then you can. I thought we had more than one room available for tonight.”

With a sigh, you open your mouth to say something until you hear someone go “Y/N?” behind you. You turn your head to see Charlie Gillespie standing behind you. You blink at him. You haven’t seen him since he broke up with you almost two years ago after a three year relationship. His hair has gotten longer and he’s gotten ... cuter.

You say, “Charlie, wow. It’s been a long time.”

Charlie approaches you and asks, “Are you staying here tonight?”

“I was going to but they just gave away the last room when I called three days ago reserving a room,” you say. “Why are you staying here?”

He says, “I flew in from Canada yesterday and have been staying here until my friend gets back from Canada so I can stay at his place. Wait, did you say that they don’t have anymore rooms?” You nod. “You can stay with me tonight. I have a second bed in my room that you can use.”

With a smile forming on your lips, you say, “Thank you, Charlie.” The desk receptionist hands you a key to Charlie’s room and the two of you take the elevator up to the fourth floor.

When you’re on the elevator, you take a second to look at the man next to you. His hair was much shorter than it is now. He’s wearing a blue and white button-up shirt that’s a little big on him and the top three or four buttons are undone, revealing his chest. He wears khaki shorts and converse sneakers.

The elevator dings and you get off with Charlie, who leads you down the hallway to his hotel room. He uses his key to let you both in and he lets you walk in first. You look around the room. The bed he probably slept in last night is a mess and isn’t made. There’s a shirt thrown over a chair at the little circular table. A coffee mug sits on the table between the beds.

“It’s a little messy but I wasn’t expecting company,” Charlie says, closing the door behind you. “Sorry.”

You smile and say, “It’s okay. It’s not like you need to impress me or anything.”

Charlie chuckles a bit and says, “I can run and grab us some food while you unpack. I know you probably had a long flight and probably need real food.”

“Yes, please,” you say. “Are there any McDonald’s around here? Or Taco Bell?”

He grabs his wallet and asks, “Your usual from either?” You nod in response. “I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes then.” Charlie leaves the room and you sit on the neatly made bed.

Sometimes you don’t remember why your relationship with Charlie ended. He’s a sweetheart, even after not seeing you for two years.

Your mind wanders while you unpack some of your clothes, putting them in an unused drawer. You check the minifridge to see what Charlie has. He just has a few cans of soda and a few water bottles. You sigh and sit back down on your bed.

Charlie walks in moments later with a Taco Bell bag and two drinks. He sets everything down on the little table and says, “Three soft shell tacos, Nacho Fries, and a Baja Blast. After all this time, I still know your regular at Taco Bell.”

With a laugh, you get up and say, “It’s not that hard to remember three soft shell tacos, Nacho Fries, and a Baja Blast. But thank you, Charlie.”

He smiles as you take your food, your drink, and a few napkins before sitting with your legs cross on your bed.

“What do the channels look like here? Any good ones?” you ask, opening one of your tacos.

Charlie shrugs and says, “There’s HBO we can watch. I know know what movie is on right now. Let’s check though.” He plops down on his bed with his Crunchwrap Supreme and his own Baja Blast. He grabs the remote and scrolls to HBO. He puts the channel on and you recognize the movie as Five Feet Apart. You look at Charlie and he switches to a static filled channel. “Not that one.”

Five Feet Apart was the movie you and Charlie watched the day before your relationship with him ended. You saw it in the movie theater a few weeks after it came out. You haven’t been able to watch it since.

Quickly, Charlie scrolls through the guide and puts on Friends. “This is a good compromise,” you tell him. “We both love Friends.”

“It’s one of the greatest shows ever,” Charlie says enthusiastically.

You laugh and say, “You made me watch this show so many times when we were together. The theme song always got stuck in my head after we watched it.”

Charlie swallows the bite of his Crunchwrap that he took before he asks, “Do you know how much Grey’s Anatomy you made me watch?” You laugh. “We’re even, Y/N.”

After swallowing a bite of your taco, you say, “You made me watch un ungodly amount of Friends, Charlie. It was everyday. I only made you watch Grey’s on Thursdays when it aired.”

He chuckles and says, “Okay, you got me there. You made me watch a lot of TikToks though, Miss L/N. You spent hours showing me videos.”

“You were laughing so I didn’t stop!” you say, jumping to your defense. “Remember that one time we tried making a TikTok by dancing to Obsessed by Mariah Carrey. It took us hours because you couldn’t learn the moves.”

Your ex laughs and says, “I did learn the moves eventually though. I still remember them.”

You finish your taco and says, “I wanna see this. Show me.”

Charlie smiles and gets off the bed. He stands in front of you and starts to do the Obsessed dance from TikTok. You laugh as you watch how badly he does the dance.

“For a musician, you have no rhythm,” you tease.

He sits back down on his bed with a sigh as he says, “For a small person, you eat a lot. I don’t know where it goes.”

With a laugh, you say, “I have no idea where it all goes either.”

It feels nice to laugh and talk with Charlie. Neither of you have spoken to each other since you broke up in late 2019. Just seeing him again has made you really happy. You didn’t think you’d see him again. He’s still his crazy self that he was years ago.

Both of you finish and you sit back against the headboard of your bed with a pillow behind you. You’re watching and laughing with Friends even though you’ve seen this episode a thousand times.

Charlie sudden asks, “Do you remember why we broke up?”

You look over at Charlie, who’s laying in the same position that you are, and say, “We just grew apart after high school. You moved down here part time after you graduated and I still had a few months left.” Charlie graduated early, you still had six months left. You were 17 when you and Charlie started dating at the beginning of your senior year of high school. He had just turned 17 right before the school year started. You were 20 when the relationship ended and Charlie was just about to turn 21. It wasn’t quite three years when you broke up but it was close.

He says, “I tried to make it work with us, Y/N. You know that right? Between living down here and acting, I did try.”

“I know you did,” you tell him, sitting up and looking at him. “It just got tough for both of us. We ended things on good terms.”

Charlie nods and says, “We did.”

You blink and ask, “What have you been doing since we broke up? Focusing on music, I hope.”

With a little laugh, he says, “I was on Netflix.”

Almost surprised, you say, “I didn’t know you were on Netflix, Charlie! That’s incredible. Was it a show or movie?”

“A show,” he says. “It’s called Julie and the Phantoms. We’re still waiting to be picked up for a second season but we trending in the top ten for a little bit on there after the show dropped in September last year.” Charlie tells you all about his time on set. He tells you about the show too, and you’re happy to hear that he was able to do two of the things he loves to do while being on the show.

You smile and ask, “Can I hear a song from the show? I know you have a guitar somewhere in this room. You never go anywhere without one.”

Charlie laughs and says, “You’re right.” He gets up and opens the closet door, pulling out a guitar he has stashed away in there. You laugh and shake your head. You know him too well sometimes.

He sits at the end of your bed and you cross your legs, looking at him. He pulls the guitar out of it’s case and he grabs a pick. He tunes the guitar before he looks at you.

“The song I’m about to play is song I wrote with my co-star, Madi,” he says. “It’s called Perfect Harmony. I may or may not have been kind of thinking of you when coming up with the lyrics.”

You smile and say, “Awe, I didn’t know you were such a romantic, Charlie.”

A laugh leaves Charlie’s lips as he begins to play the chords.

Step into my world Bittersweet love story about a girl Shook me to the core Voice like an angel, I've never heard before

As he plays, you sway to the music. You smile, having always enjoyed hearing his voice and watching him play guitar. He’d spend hours practicing or writing songs and you’d sit outside whatever room he was in or sit beside him while he sang and played.

Charlie looks at you occasionally as he plays, almost like he’s singing to you.

You set me free You and me together is more than chemistry Love me as I am I'll hold your music here inside my hands

You watch him intently, the smile never leaving your face as he plays. Hearing his voice again makes you so happy.

I feel your rhythm in my heart, yeah-yeah You are my brightest, burning star, woah-woah I never knew a love so real (So real) We're heaven on earth, melody and words

As he finishes up the song, you stop swaying and you look at him. Charlie finishes and he looks at you. He laughs a bit and says, “And that’s Perfect Harmony.”

“It’s beautiful,” you tell him. “And I’m not just saying that because you kind of wrote the song while thinking about me. I think it’s really good, Charlie. You’re so talented.”

Charlie’s face gets a little flustered and he says, “I’m just decent at guitar and decent at singing.”

You say, “You wouldn’t have landed a huge Netflix role if you weren’t crazy talented, Charlie. You know that right?”

He packs up his guitar and says, “You don’t have to lie to me like we’re still dating, Y/N.” Charlie gets up and puts his guitar back in the closet he took it about from. You get up and walk over to him.

When he turns around, he jumps a bit, startled that you were right there. You stare up at him and say, “I’m telling you right now that you are insanely talented. I’m face to face with you now so you can’t tell me that I’m lying.”

After a moment of staring up into Charlie’s eyes, he takes a step toward you. Your heart begins to race in your chest and you take a deep breath. You feel his fingers touch your hand and butterflies erupt in your belly. His callused fingers intertwine with yours and you gasp.

“Can I kiss you?” Charlie suddenly asks.

You nod slowly, tilting your head up. It’s been so long since Charlie’s kissed you, and you always loved his kisses. Whenever you were upset, he’d kiss your forehead or your cheek or your neck and you’d feel better almost immediately.

Charlie’s free hand comes up to your face, cupping your cheek. He leans down and ghosts his lips over yours hesitantly. You lean your head up as Charlie becomes more sure and crashes his lips to yours. You gasp softly before kissing him back. The kiss is slow and soft as you both take in the moment.

In the two years apart, you’ve never lost feelings for Charlie. You tried to date but it never worked out because you never were able to get over the only man you ever really loved. Being able to hold his hand and kiss him again feels heavenly.

Both of you stand like this for a few moments before you pull back, looking up at Charlie. He looks down at you and asks, “How long will you be in Los Angeles?”

You say, “I’m moving into my new apartment tomorrow. I just flew in a day early.”

He smiles and asks, “So you’re here permanently?”

“I’m here permanently,” you say, smiling. “So if you’re willing to try the relationship thing again then-”

Charlie cuts you off with another kiss, this one rougher than the last. You laugh as Charlie pulls back, saying, “Are you kidding? I’d love to try the relationship thing again. The only reason I’m staying with my friend is because I’m looking for a new apartment too.”

With a huge smile on both your faces, you wrap your arms around Charlie’s neck. You hug him tight and say, “Looks like we ended up finding our way back to each other.”

“Thank God,” Charlie says against your ear. You laugh.

You spend the night wrapped around Charlie in some way until you begin to fall asleep.

As you doze off to sleep, you hear Charlie begin to sing softly.

The truth is finally breaking through Two worlds collide when I'm with you Our voices rise and soar so high We come to life when we're In perfect harmony

A smile forms on your face as you snuggle against Charlie’s side, falling asleep in his arms.

#charlie gillespie imagine #charlie gillespie fluff #charlie gillespie x oc #charlie gillespie x reader #charlie gillespie x y/n #julie and the phantoms imagines #jatp imagines #jatp imagine #fluff imagines #imagines #imagine #fluff #fluffy

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andypantsx3 · 4 years ago

Text

if i could keep cool | 1

pairing: Todoroki Shouto / Reader

length: 20,322 words / 6 chapters

summary: A villain attacks Shouto Todoroki’s apartment and kidnaps what he apparently believes to be Todoroki’s secret lover. The bad news—for both you and the villain in question—is that you’re just there to clean the place. That’s how it starts.

tags: romance, reader-insert, accidental sugar daddy shouto, misunderstandings

warnings: aged up characters, eventual smut

You’d been alone inside Shouto Todoroki’s apartment when the villain attacked.

In your defense, you were supposed to be there. Twice a week, for three hours apiece, you turned up to clean the place, dusting, remaking his bed, and scrubbing down the modern kitchen surfaces that you were fairly certain were going unused in the first place.

You weren’t actually supposed to know who owned the high rise, but the personal effects he kept around hardly made any secret of it--a few simply framed photographs of him with his siblings and his friends at school dotted the shelves in the living room, crates of fan mail were often delivered to his door during your shifts, and you’d seen his hero costume dumped in a hamper on more than one occasion.

You’d been excited to find this out at first, as you were just as much a hero fan as the next girl--particularly heroes who were as handsome and infinitely memeable as Todoroki--but you’d tamped down on your enthusiasm in order to keep things professional. It would kind of suck to be a celebrity and find out that some rando fan let themselves into your apartment on the regular and could help themselves to your stuff if they really wanted to.

You had almost considered asking your manager for reassignment when you’d first figured out just whose apartment you were cleaning, in order to keep things purely professional, but Todoroki’s schedule worked well with your own class schedule, and the money didn’t hurt either. The tips either he or his manager left for you were pretty hefty, and it was nice to treat yourself to groceries that weren’t ramen. He was keeping you in fresh vegetables and a Netflix subscription, so in the end you didn’t ask for reassignment--you were a college student, not a saint.

In retrospect, though, maybe you should have. Because one afternoon in late September, the large wall of windows that looked out into the city shattered with violent force, and a huge figure landed in the living room, glass crunching underneath their heavy boots.

You’d just barely managed to catch sight of a wicked looking scar twisting half of the villain’s face before you’d thrown yourself behind the kitchen island you’d been wiping down, landing heavily on your shoulder. That hadn’t saved you, though. You’d been hauled out across the scattered glass, the shards scraping through your clothes to tear at your back and elbows, and looked up into the face of the furious-looking man.

You hadn’t had time to scream, or beg for your life, or whatever other insanely embarrassing thing you might have done, before a fist connected with the base of your skull, and you were falling into darkness, the man’s features and the clean lines of the apartment around you slipping into black.

Now, you awoke in the dark, a musty scent like dust and slow decay pressing into your nose like a heavy rag. Your eyes flickered open, but the world seemed just as dark as behind your eyelids. In the dim, you could just barely make out cement floors studded with dirt and debris, and gaping cutouts in the wall across from you, pitch black with shadow. They were rectangular in shape, and huge--truck ports, maybe? Were you in a warehouse?

You made to move, but something tugged at your wrists, and you realized with a growing sense of horror that your arms were bound behind your back with rough rope, looped through slats in the chair you’d awoken in. Your head whipped up, and the back of your neck screamed in protest, sore from what had likely been hours of you lolling unconscious.

The thin, wavering sound of something like a radio static filtered from somewhere over your shoulder, and you could just make out low tones of a radio broadcaster: “Pro hero Shouto Todoroki’s apartment was broken into early this afternoon...the perpetrator of the crime is still at large…”

That’s right--Todoroki’s apartment. Your heartbeat instantly kicked into high gear. Where were you? Why were you here? Who was that man in Todoroki’s apartment? Had he taken you here? But why?

A boot crunched in the dirt behind you and you stiffened.

“Awake now?” a voice spat, laced with pure malice. The tone sent shivers down your spine.

The pair of boots crunched towards you, rounding the edge of your chair until you could look up into the face of the villain from before, the man with the horrible scar. It twisted and warped the skin over half of his face, the flesh melted into itself like he’d been held down against a hot stove. An equally horrible grin cut into the harsh line of his mouth.

“Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here?” you demanded. Your voice came out high and quavery, and you could have cringed at how absolutely terrified you sounded.

He raised an eyebrow like you’d just asked the dumbest series of questions he’d ever heard.

“Oh, I think you know why you’re here,” he sneered. His eyes were dark, almost black in the gloom of the warehouse.

A twisting wave of frustration washed over you. No you didn’t know why you were here. You’d been wiping down a fucking counter one minute and the next you’d woken up in some creepy warehouse with no idea of where in the world you might be.

“I don’t,” you said, frustrated. “Please, I don’t have any money. Whatever you want, I can’t get it to you.”

He stared down at you impassively, the radio static crackling in the background. “I don’t want money, you fucking brat. I want revenge.”

You stared at him. Revenge? You’d never even met this guy before, what the hell could you have possibly done to him that he would need revenge on you? The extent of your crimes against anyone, as far as you knew, only included arguing with people on twitter and once--drunk at a bar--peeing in the men’s room before you realized it wasn’t the ladies’ toilet. Gender was a social construct, anyway. It wasn’t that bad.

Your blank look seemed to irritate him, and he placed a booted foot on yours, deliberately grinding his heel down on your toes until you felt your bones creak. You bit down on a yelp.

“Don’t play stupid, you little shit. I know he’ll come for you.”

What? Who would come for you?

The radio signal seemed to catch again, and the newscaster’s stately voice reported from over your shoulder. “--Hero Commission received a message from the villain that they are holding Todoroki’s secret lover hostage. We’ve received comment from a PR representative at the Todoroki agency--”

Your stomach dropped in horror as you considered the smug expression that twisted the villain’s face. Oh no.

No.

No way.

Did he think you….?

Dread coiled into a hard pit in your gut. Oh, you were so absolutely fucked. Shouto Todoroki had never so much as heard of you, nevermind invited you into his bed. As far as you could tell, he had no current lover, as his apartment had only ever evidenced the single occupant.

He’d been linked in the media to a couple models and an actress, but it seemed unclear if that was any more than speculation. In the year you’d worked at the cleaning service, there’d never been anything like an extra toothbrush or an abandoned pair of underwear to give away another person’s presence, though you had sometimes seen evidence of his friends; things like a forgotten All Might sweatshirt that clearly belonged to notorious fan boy and current number one hero Deku, or a neatly prepared container of soup you’d seen in the fridge once with a note that read eat this you fucking fuck and if you get me sick I’ll kill you that you strongly suspected came from the foul-mouthed hero Ground Zero.

So unless those were to be taken as signs of a blossoming romance, there was nothing that strongly hinted at the presence of a lover.

You were frankly flabbergasted that this villain had assumed, just because you’d been alone in his apartment at the time, that you of all people could have been that to him.

And you were even more concerned now, as there was absolutely no way Shouto Todoroki was going to come haring in to save someone who did not exist.

What was the villain going to do when he realized that no one was coming for you? Or worse, when he realized you were no one to anyone, and your presence would hardly be missed? Was it better to try and clear up the misunderstanding now? What would he do when the dots connected?

The villain smirked, mistaking your horror. “That’s right, brat. He was supposed to be there, but you'll do just as well. He’ll come for you, and when he does, I’m going to do to him exactly what he did to me.” He gestured to the scarred side of his face and you winced.

So it hadn’t been a hot stove.

“I think you have it wrong,” you said a little desperately. “I’m not--I don’t even know Todoroki. I’m a cleaning lady.”

He rolled his eyes. “Nice try. I’ll just let you walk free then, shall I?”

Your fingers dug into the rope behind your back. “Um, ideally, yes.”

He bit out a harsh laugh, that horrible smile cutting into his features again, and knelt down in front of you. He was close, too close, and you could smell something sour on his breath.

“I’ve just had a better idea,” he said, leaning into you. “What if I do to his precious lover what he did to me? Your face can be the last thing I let him see before I kill him.”

Your stomach turned and you forced yourself as far back in your chair as you could get. Oh fuck. “No, please, you have to listen!” Your voice was growing higher as you spoke. “I don’t know him. I’m his fucking cleaning service. You can call them and ask--just ask!”

The villain didn’t listen, digging around in the inner pocket of his jacket for something. “No skin off my nose if you are or aren’t. But I think we both know you aren’t.”

You could feel your heart climb into your throat as he pulled out a lighter and a small, metal can that smelled sharply of gasoline. Lighter fluid? You started struggling wildly in your bonds, feet straining against the floor to push your chair back from him.

He let out another laugh, uncapping the fluid. The acrid smell sharpened, burning in your nose. The radio let out another burst of static in the background, a high whine that set your teeth even more on edge.

“I’ll let you pick the side, brat,” the villain said, smiling.

“I pick neither,” you managed around the lump in your throat. Your eyes were locked on the can of lighter fluid, like you could will it away from you with the sheer force of your panic alone.

The villain scowled. “Be difficult then,” he said, and moved to pour it over you anyway. You felt the first splash of fluid on your cheek and closed your eyes. That acrid smell got stronger, and the villain let out an excited breath.

Then the wall blew out.

A wall of freezing air rushed over you and the can of fluid dropped from the villain’s grasp, spilling sloppily down your clothes, before clattering to the floor. The villain swore and whirled, grabbing a fistful of your hair and wrenching your head back. You peeked open an eye.

A huge slab of ice had blown open the side of the building, and the silhouette of a man was outlined against the evening sky. It was hard to make out his features in the dim light, but that mop of red and white hair was so distinctive, you would know it anywhere.

A shivery frisson of relief went down your spine at the sight of a familiar figure, but confusion mounted in the back of your brain.

What the hell was Shouto Todoroki doing here?

There was a flinty noise and then a small flame flickered in the corner of your eye. You stiffened--the lighter was still in the villain’s hand, and you were entirely covered in lighter fluid.

“So nice to see you again, Todoroki. Any last words to your little girlfriend?” the villain spat. His gaze was fixed unblinkingly on Todoroki.

You strained against your bonds and his tight grip on your hair. “I’m not his girlfriend! Todoroki, tell him.”

You could barely see his features but you thought you caught Todoroki’s eyes darting over you curiously, like he was trying to figure out who in the world you were and why anyone would mistake you for a love interest of his. Your eyes met briefly. Then the fingers on his right hand pressed forward just the slightest bit, and a huge cascade of ice like an avalanche was rushing you. You closed your eyes, ready to be impaled.

There was a grunt and the villain’s hand was ripped out of your hair, taking a fistful with it. A sudden, suffocating silence pressed down on you, and an icy burn stung at your lungs when you inhaled.

You blinked your eyes open, only to come face to face with a wall of ice mere inches from your nose. Cold pressed in on you everywhere, biting at you through your clothes--it seemed Todoroki had formed some kind of protective shell over you as he forced the villain off of you. You exhaled and sank back in the chair with shaky relief.

More crackling echoed from outside your cocoon, muffled through the thick slabs of ice, and a bright jet of orange light lit up the crystals around you. You tracked the sound and the movements nervously. There was a moment when a body slammed into the ice behind you, cracking it a little, and you tensed, but then whichever of them it was rolled off and was gone within moments.

Over the course of a few minutes, the sounds of their battle and the flickers of light started to fade off into the distance, and you wondered if Todoroki was trying to lead the villain away, or if the villain was leading him somewhere he had planned for. Your fingers found the bindings at your wrists again, and you scrabbled desperately at them with your nails.

If the villain came back for you, you needed to be disconnected from this chair and out of the ice prison ASAP.

You had just managed to work your chair backwards and get a good angle against the rough ice, starting to work up a friction between your bonds and the ice when muted footsteps approached and a hole began to melt in the side of the ice wall. Your eyes snapped to attention and you leaned as far away as you could get.

It was Todoroki who stepped through, however, lifting an arm to melt away more of the ice over you. He looked a little mussed from combat but otherwise unharmed, and in good shape to get you out of here. You breathed a heavy sigh of relief, muttering, “Oh, thank god.”

He fixed you with a weird look, leaning over you when he’d melted enough of the ice to get to your bonds. A hot hand at your wrists burned ropes off of you easily enough, Todoroki careful not to singe you with his flames.

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two of you as you pulled your arms back to yourself, shaking them out.

“Uh, thank you,” you said, watching nervously as those distinctive two-toned eyes flicked over you.

He helped pull you to your feet, and gestured you towards the hole he had blown in the side of the warehouse.

“This way--there’s an ambulance to check you over,” he said evenly. His voice was low and smooth, even deeper in person than you’d heard it on TV. His whole presence seemed a lot sharper, larger even, than was communicated via the media.

You followed his broad back out into the evening air, noting that you were on a somewhat crowded street, likely somewhere still within city limits. Several rows of similar warehouses lined the streets, and an ambulance and several police vehicles had pulled up onto the sidewalk closest to you.

An EMT ran over to you, helping you over to the ambulance and immediately setting to the task of checking you over. She asked you a series of questions including your name, what year it was, the prime minister’s name, and a slew of probing queries about your injuries. She concluded a concussion seemed unlikely, but produced an ice packet for your head where the villain had struck you, and cleaned your wrists where the rope had cut into them, smoothing on aloe and wrapping them up in gauzy bandages.

While she worked, you watched Todoroki as he spoke in quiet tones off to the side with a group of policemen. Eventually, however, the conversation seemed to die out, and he came padding back over to stand in front of you with his arms crossed over his chest. You tried not to focus on the swell of his biceps through the fabric of his hero costume.

“What you did was very stupid,” he said, his eyes narrowing.

That tore your attention away from his arms, and you paused, staring up at him in confusion. Did all civilians get a lecture like this fresh off of being kidnapped?

“Excuse me?” was all that escaped you.

That grey and blue gaze raked over you. “You’re lucky I was able to rescue you. You risked your own life and invaded my privacy while you were at it.”

A mixture of confusion, exhaustion, and anger welled up inside of you. You had just been fucking kidnapped and he was lecturing you like a toddler who’d gotten into a box of crayons while her parents’ backs were turned.

“You think I fucking wanted to be kidnapped?” you demanded, sliding off of the back of the ambulance to take an angry step towards him. “You think I wanted any of this to happen?”

He held his ground, hardly threatened by someone who barely brushed his chin and had needed his rescuing only minutes before. You gritted your teeth.

“You are not welcome in my apartment,” he said firmly, something like suppressed anger flickering in his own gaze.

Your temper flared even hotter than his flames. You clenched your fist, the words bubbling up before you could even think to stop them. “Great. Clean it yourself then, you huge fucking asshole, if you don’t want someone else there.”

His eyes widened the slightest bit, but you weren’t done.

“I get kidnapped because some crazy douche wanted to settle a score with you, and you dare yell at me for doing my job? Because what, it’s shameful for you to be accused of having a secret lover and now you have to do PR? Grow the fuck up. That’s your fucking job.”

You turned on your heel, setting a beeline for the police officers where they had turned to watch you, mouths gaping.

“Do I have to give a statement right now or can I come into the station in the morning?” you demanded of the nearest officer.

“We recommend you give your statement as soon as possible, but you can delay until tomorrow if you’re, uh, in emotional distress,” the officer said, staring at you.

“Oh I am,” you intoned loudly. “But not as much emotional distress, apparently, as someone who's been mildly inconvenienced by a media narrative. You'd better check on him, he's the real fucking victim here. And I’ll see you in the morning instead.”

You stalked off towards the street, hardly caring where you were headed or how you would get home from here. You would figure it out and find your way, and it was better than standing around and being berated by some asshole hero who thought himself so wildly inconvenienced by saving you.

“And Todoroki, you can go fuck yourself,” you threw over your shoulder as you disappeared into the dusky maze of city streets.

And he could.

You hoped that was the last you’d ever see or hear of Shouto Todoroki.

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