#my apprentice jamie

[dandelionjack]

NICK CAVE PLAYING IN THE DIVE BAR. THE WEEPING SONG. OF COURSE

[heartscrypt]

guess who my favorite twst character is u guys. no cmon guess

[tartt9]

@becoach [ sc! ]

"I'm bored," Jamie announces, as if it weren't obvious by the way he'd been pacing, then tossing a little ball about, and now chewing on his nails, because he forgot his fucking gum at home that morning, like an idiot. "Are y'gonna let me do anything today? Or are we just gonna sit here and wait for somethin' to happen?"

[coachbeards]

also trust me that coach beard has a lot of tattoos

[tloujm]

Part XLI: Found

Author's Notes: This is a direct continuation of the last chapter. I apologize in advance for the upcoming Irish character. I tried to use some Northern Irish slang as an identifying factor. My resource was a video of Jamie Dornan explaining N. Irish slang.

Summary: Joel, Tommy and Jesse set out to track Theresa down. They make a plan to rescue his baby.

Genre: Angst

Ship: Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: violence below

“Lemme talk to my brother right quick.” Tommy said to the apprentice and proceeded to pull him to the side. Jesse was in ear shot, deciding not to give the brothers privacy by moving. “We’ll find ‘em. Joel?” He clasped his brother's head between his head to get him to focus on his words. “We’ll find the both of ‘em and make that bitch pay.” “She couldn’t have gone far.” Jesse piped up, facing his body to them. “I’ll go get some horses prepped. Meet me at the stable when you're ready.” Tommy lets go of his brother to put a hand on Jesse’s chest as he walked by them. “Hey, you sure you wanna do this? You don’t have to—” “It’s (y/n). I have to.” They exchanged a few more words through silent glares before Tommy let him go.  “Got a gun?” Tommy asked to which Joel shook his head. “Luckily I took Maria’s right before I left.” He reached behind his back, inadvertently lifting his well worn denim jacket to reveal a holster holding his own handgun. He pulled it out his waistband and handed it over. “If we need a scope, Jesse has one on his rifle. Now, we need a plan.” “We don’t have time for that. As soon as I’m done talking to this lady,” His head nodded over to the apprentice. “I’m going to hop on a horse and go. You can come or you can stay and plan. If you do, bring a group out with you.” “I’m not letting you go out there on your own. I want to find them just like you do. How long ago do you think it happened?” “I don’t know, Tommy, she lost a lot of blood.” “Probably right before you dropped Ellie off, then. Jesse’s right. She couldn’t have gotten far. I would have heard by now if a woman with an infant checked out a horse from the stables. So she’s likely on foot. The sun is settin’ too, so she will most likely try to stay in the closest shelter she can find and go the most distance in the morning. Did she ever say anything to you about her past? Where she came from or any sentimental place nearby that she could use as a hideout?” “She only told me that she never intended on staying in Jackson long. She wanted to wait out the winter and let her daughter get a little older before leaving to find her husband or boyfriend or whatever. Apparently they got separated a while back out there.” “She took her baby with her too?” “That’s the thing, there was no sign of another baby having been there, but I didn’t look around much before finding (y/n).” “She definitely couldn’t have gone far with two babies. Shit.” 

Hopeful, Tommy left Joel to meet up with Jesse. He grabbed his walkie talkie and caught Maria up on everything. She hardly approved of the trio heading out this late in the day, especially as it began to snow, but understood the urgency. 

Knowing that she couldn’t bring Ellie along, she trusted her to stay at her house alone as she went out to investigate. She made Ellie promise her to keep the extra walkie on her person at all times. Though she tried her best not to show it, Ellie was becoming increasingly frightened as each person kept leaving her to the point of being alone all within a few hours. Maria, however, could see it in her eyes, so she promised that everything was going to be ok and that she’d be back soon. That’s what you say to kids, right? Maria used to want motherhood but hardly had any experience with children. She had no idea what else to say to calm those worried eyes as she rushed to gather her things. 

First, Maria gathered up a small crew as a stand-by rescue team for the three men, then she assembled another to help her investigate the crime scene. As they walked past the infirmary, Joel was just finishing up. He was met with a near impossible choice.

With the immense amount of blood loss you experienced, Doctor Carson needed to secure a blood donor as soon as possible. Having had the both of you as patients in the past, Carson already had on file that you and he were O- ; a match. Even though that made the two of you universal donors, you and Joel could only receive blood from another O- and you were the only other one in Jackson. Just another reason why we were meant for each other, Joel thought. 

Joel walkied his two partners with the update. He was going to hang back for the emergency blood transfusion. Jesse, wanting to put his tracking skills to use before the snow stuck, opted to get started immediately. Tommy did the same.

With lanterns held out in front of them, the two men rode on for miles. The wind began to pick up, blowing the dust-like snow around. The only solace they had was the light from the full moon to help see in the distance. 

Joel sat in another room with a curtain drawn around him so he couldn’t even look in the direction of the operating room. You were on a table getting examined with all sorts of tests being run and machines hooked up to you. They were desperately trying to keep you alive while they waited for the blood to drain from Joel. The average donation is about a pint but the apprentices took twice that under these circumstances. He was more than willing to give you more, but you were now seen as a valuable asset and they didn’t want to risk his own health. The medical staff explained that he’d already donated half of what she lost and if Joel was feeling well after a day or two, they’d take more from him. They went on to explain that it could take between days and weeks for blood supply to fully replenish in one’s body. He took that into consideration in terms of your healing, but knew he didn’t have that time to spare for himself. 

Joel felt fine until he stood up rather abruptly. Mentally, he was ready to join Jesse and Tommy, but physically the blood loss did a number on him. Joel was really starting to feel his age if not older. Stumbling around the small room, it dawned on him that he never ate dinner. The only thing that kept his legs steady enough to carry him out of that room was the rush from picturing what he’d do when he found Theresa. An apprentice caught him, scolding him from across the hall to have a seat. Joel, spotting a partly eaten granola bar, snatched it and responded to her that he was just grabbing a snack. She skeptically lingered about, but as soon as the apprentice turned her head, he made a run for it. 

Trying not to move so fast that his legs give out on him, but fast enough to out pace the apprentices now after him, Joel bee lined it to the stable. He walkied the two men for their location and set himself on their path. 

****

With Jesse on the ground walking his horse, Tommy was riding his, providing light and look-out. Joel slowed his horse to a trot when Jesse’s staticky voice piped up. In one swift movement, he slid the walkie out its harness and lifted it to his ear. The young man relayed that he finally found a solid set of a woman’s footprints that led away from a long unmanned gate on the east side of the settlement. It was the same gate that you used to sneak out when you investigated the Firefly hospital. Once Joel found out that you were using it, Tommy immediately secured it. Because of its location right up against a hill and them currently being short on watch guards, it’d been recently left unmanned. Tommy sighed when he heard this and wondered if Theresa escaped from the sheer luck of choosing the gate closest to her house or if she was observant and noticed a lack of guards up there. Jesse continued to speak to him as he followed the footprints to a landmark. Yanking the reins, Joel quickly rerouted himself to meet the other two. 

It was well into the night as they rode for miles. If Tommy hadn’t said anything, they all would have missed it. Just off the main trail of prints was a well hidden cabin. It was covered almost completely in dead vines and shrouded by close knit trees. The trio dismounted and tied up their horses a good distance away to maintain their stealth. They’d never come across this cabin before on patrol routes. Tommy made a mental note to mark this on the shared patrol maps when he got back. 

With their guns unholstered and cocked, the three men walked around the perimeter of the property before walking up the front porch. The old, rotting wood couldn’t help but creak a bit as they did. They could’ve only hoped that the whistling wind masked the sound. 

Out of nowhere, a loud bang reverberated through the silence of the night. The three men stopped in place. They recognized it as coming from a shotgun. The slug narrowly hit Jesse, but Joel pulled him back in time as it went through the wooden front door. The loud noise triggered a baby’s cries. For a brief moment, Joel’s eyes softened; the innocent sounds pulled at his heartstrings, but then they narrowed in rage. Assuming Joel would react first and think later, Tommy put a hand on his shoulder. The younger Miller was racking his brain to find another way in to sneak up on the gunman. It was such a small cabin, it only had the one entrance/exit.

“Any more of this and there’ll be less of it!” A man’s shaky but stern voice said from inside. The baby was still wailing.  “What the fuck did he say?” Tommy asked in a whisper to Joel and Jesse’s confused looks.  “Don’t look at me.” Jesse shrugged.

Tommy began to move to check the perimeter again when the wood beneath his foot creaked causing a second round to exit out the same door. Joel took advantage of the fleeting opportunity for the gunman to reload and barged through the front door. It was surprisingly easy given how rotted it was.

“I said leave!” The gunman asserted, fumbling over the bullets. Joel quickly approached him with no care to look around the room first. He knew that was a rookie move but knew that Jesse and Tommy were right behind him.  “Don’t think so.” Joel said aggressively as he raised the butt of his gun to smash his nose in. Giving up on the second bullet, the gunman let it drop to the floor and focused on snapping the shotgun back into place. Aimed and ready, the gunman was then tackled onto the floor by one of the other men; it all happened so fast, he couldn’t tell which one. “What are we doing now, Joel?” Tommy asked. He went to help Jesse tie the gunman up to a chair. Joel glared at him back. “Ok. Bad cop, bad cop.”

Just when Joel was about to speak again, the baby began to cry again before suddenly going quiet. All three men whipped their heads in the direction of the sound. There was nothing but an armoire in the corner of the room. The left door was slightly ajar. They all split up and slowly walked over out of sight of the small opening. Joel took his brother’s lead as he silently counted to three. Jesse stood ready with his pistol cocked, hoping that he wouldn’t need to use it. 

The doors were whipped open to reveal a frail young woman crouched down in the armoire with her hand practically covering the baby’s mouth and nose. Joel couldn’t believe that he was finally laying his eyes on his child and after all of that time and grief, he didn’t even get to see their entire face. Because of her. The woman that sat there in front of him. She stole from him something he could never get back. Fantasies of what could’ve been, how it should have been began to enter his mind. He didn’t want to harm her just yet. He pushed away those thoughts of being by your side as you brought their child into the world. He needed to find a way to safely remove his son or daughter from her grasp.

“Theresa,” He began trying to level with her. With a voice still stern, he said, “Give me the baby and we can talk. “No, I’m not letting you take her; She’s mine.” Joel’s eyes widened when he heard that he had a daughter.  “Take your hands off her.” Joel growled “No!” “You’re smothering her!” Joel shouted to match her tone. Her eyes softened as she looked down at the baby. She finally lifted her hand and the baby wailed. “Oh I’m sorry, Saoirse. Shhh…” “That’s not Saoire.” Joel forced himself to say gently through gritted teeth.  “Of course it is.” “Keep telling yourself that bullshit.” His eyes narrowed again. “Jesus, woman, look at her!” Theresa did as she was told but still made no attempt to give her up. “Aye, he’s right, Theresa.” Said the gunman. “That can’t be our Saoirse.” “You never met her. You weren’t here. You don’t understand; This is our daughter.” “Sweetheart, where’s our Saoirse?”  “I’m done playin’ your games.” Joel walked away from the armoire and approached the gunman. He holstered his gun into the backside of his waistband before pulling out a knife. He dragged out another chair and sat it directly across from him. “You must love her.”  “Aye, very much.” The gunman said shakily in his Irish accent.  “I love my wife too. Do you know what she did to her?” He shook his head “Of course you don’t.” Joel said calmly before slamming the blade of his knife into his thigh. “You expect me to believe that she nearly killed my wife and took my child all by herself?” “Fuck!” The Irishman tried to muffle his screams through gritted teeth. “I didn’t…I didn’t…know.” “Stop!” Theresa screamed.

“Focus right here.” Joel slapped his chin up a couple times to get him to look him in the eye. “Right here or I’ll pop your goddamn knee off.” His hand still firmly grasped the knife. “What happened, huh? She snuck you in and you subdued my wife?” “She didn’t sneak me in anywhere.I don’t know what you’re talking about. But whatever happened, my Theresa wouldn’t have done that. This has to be a misunderstanding. Right, Theresa?” “I wouldn’t be so trusting.” Joel began to slowly twist the knife in his thigh. A roaring scream ripped through the small cabin causing the baby to cry louder. It killed Joel that his baby had to witness this; that her first hours in this world were so traumatic. If only she’d hand him the baby, he’d have Tommy take her back to the settlement to get checked by the doctors while he punished them. He wanted nothing more than to avenge you first. “So she drugged her and left her to bleed to death and you are helping her escape with my daughter, do I have that right?” “No. No.” He began to cry.  “Help me understand then ‘cause that’s what it looks like.” Joel sneered, gripping the handle of the blade tighter.  “We used to live at this settlement in Montana; a cult really. There were some…ugh…troubles between me and the leader when Theresa became pregnant. I left before they had the chance to kill me. Our plan to both escape didn’t work unless I went first. Our leader was a fecking eejit, but he still would have noticed if we left together. I was looking for a better place for us to raise our child. The plan was for her to escape after she had the baby. I left clues, bread crumbs, only she knew about so she could find me. I thought she died, they both died after she hadn’t found me in the time she was supposed to. I went out to find her, but she was nowhere. I was afraid she changed her mind and didn’t leave Montana at all. But even after a year, I didn’t give up.” His eyes darted to his love. “I still left clues for her to follow as I moved around and it finally worked. She found me. It was meant for me to come down to Wyoming; it was not my plan to.” “How did she find you?” Joel asked. “I took refuge in this cabin, found a radio, got it working and left messages with my frequency in different places in the forest. What were the chances that I’d find a radio? It was meant to be, I’m tellin’ ya. One day she finally contacts me. She says she’s in a settlement in Jackson but that it is not safe for us to stay there. We made a plan for her to escape again.” “And tonight was that escape?” Joel asked to which the Irishman nodded. “When? When did she start radioing you?” “Almost a month ago.” Joel was silent as he thought about his next steps. “She would tell me over the radio about Saoirse. How she was going to be ok and was excited to see me.”

“Going to be ok?” Jesse repeated.  “I knew she wasn’t mine when I saw her.” His head hung low in shame. “She is yours! A father knows his child! You just have to look!” “You’re right, Theresa, and this man knows it's ‘is. C’mere t’me sweetheart and quit faffin’ about. Just give her to them.” “But it's her.” She whispered, looking down at the little girl. “I think you should listen to him, ma’am.” Tommy spoke up. Joel unsheathed the knife from his thigh. “Tourniquet his leg.” He spoke to whichever man wanted to volunteer.  “I wanted to go back to your settlement to return her. We were having a row ‘bout that, then you lads showed up. I told her to hide and I grabbed the gun.” The Irishman hissed toward the end of the sentence when Jesse twisted the fabric tight to ensure the tourniquet was secure. 

Joel watched as Jesse did this. He debated; on one hand, he’s a loose end that he couldn’t trust wouldn’t need tying eventually. On the other, he knew you wouldn’t have wanted him to do that. Joel was still furious. Tommy knew this by how calm, cool and collected his brother appeared to be on the outside. Joel’s face, however, never lied.

“Where’s Saoirse?” Joel turned to face Theresa. “She’s right here.” “Where is she?” Joel shouted in rage. “The Saoirse I birthed,” Theresa only looked into her lover’s eyes. “Her body failed her.” A tear shed down her face as she spoke. “One day, she just didn’t wake up.” Now it was the Irishman’s turn to shed a tear as he listened on. “You have to look past her features now, you see? This wasn’t the body she originally had, but she came back to me. To us!” “Are you talkin’ reincarnation?” Tommy gave her a look of disbelief.  “They called it metaphysical transcendence.” The Irishman responded. “Who’s they?” asked Joel. “The place we came from. At first, it was a group of people sharing their skills so we could all just survive together, then a man became the leader and started spewing words on spirits moving to and from bodies. That the… those…things out there are still people. That despite the fungus taking over their brain, they are still in there. He would try to rehabilitate them.” “And how’d that work out for him?”  “As well as you’d expect. He turned the program into a euthanization task force. That’s when we started to kill them on sight. He explained it to us as ‘releasing their spirits’ to move on to their next body. Not everyone there followed that, but most did. I didn’t know you did, Theresa.” “I didn’t either until she came to me. I had a vision; I did! It was as clear as you are to me right now. I understood her. Our daughter spoke to me!” She began to smile through her tear stained face. “She said that she was ok and that she would come back to see me soon. Then you Joel, come to my doorstep saying your wife is pregnant. Everything Saoirse told me would happen, happened. She even led me to your clues. She probably even put the idea in you to come to Wyoming. She wanted us to be a family again.” “I came to Wyoming because there was a pile of abandoned cars blocking my route on the highway and the only clear way led me here.” “Like you said, it was meant to be.” “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe that our daughter mystically put all those cars there to block my way!” The throbbing pain from his thigh was not helping his frustration. “Was she that yellow when she was born?” Jesse spoke up. “No…no she…she didn’t look quite like this. How…” “I’m not a doctor but yellowing skin is a sign of jaundice; liver failure. It can affect anyone, even babies.” Jesse replied. 

He noticed how the bright moonlight filtered through a large jug of some sort of preserved food left on a window sill. Most likely due to age, it turned the liquid a yellow-green color. It palely reflected onto the exact spot where Theresa was holding the baby. If she moved, one could notice how her arms would have turned yellow-green too. Luckily for them, Theresa didn’t move and falter his lie. She started to believe there was something wrong with the baby. 

“You know we have doctors back at Jackson. Why don’t we all take a moment to breathe then head back. Doctor Carson has great experience with babies. He’s delivered so many here already. Another doctor can take a look at your leg.” Jesse turned to the Irishman.  “We’re not going back there. We’ll find someone on our way.” Theresa said. “On your way where? What was the plan after this? Did your daughter tell you what's next?” Tommy replied mockingly.  “She only spoke to me about how she’d come back.” “I never found another place better for us.” The Irishman confessed. It was something he initially kept silent in fear of disappointing Theresa. “That's ok, as long as we have each other, we can make it.” “Ok, if you don’t want to come back to Jackson, that’s fine. How about we bring the doctor up here. He can do something like a house call and give the baby a basic check up. We’ll tell him we think it's jaundice so he can come prepared. But if it’s serious, we might have to take her back, ok? We’re not monsters. We want the same thing as you, for Saoirse to be healthy.” Jesse reasoned. “Aye, that’s what I want too.” “Ok.” Theresa finally agreed. 

Jesse took that as a major win. He pulled the other two Jackson men aside and told him his plan. One of them was to ride back to the settlement, get someone from the medical staff in on the plan and bring him back. Once Theresa handed over the baby for him to inspect, two of them would have the freedom to tie her up while one of them would safely escort Carson and the baby back to Jackson. The main goal was to get the newborn safely out of Theresa’s arms and Jesse knew that that wasn’t going to happen by force. 

“Damn boy, that might just work!” Tommy exclaimed quietly. “I’ll do it. I’ll go back.” Joel spoke up. He clapped his hand onto the younger man’s shoulder. “This had better work, Jesse.”

[dafodils-on-the-moon]

@arrowlovesdragons today is your lucky day then cause I just finished another piece for this AU and am in the mood to elaborate.

Here is Jester!Merlin's debut costume as apprentice to his mentor Jamie "Fooleswurth" Fleeman (OC) the retired pervious court jester.

Some more information about the AU:

Merlin was brought to court when he was just about five and his mother passed, supposedly killed by bandits. Claiming that Gaius was too old and occupied with his work to act as a guardian, Uther took Merlin on as a castle ward. He became the Apprentice Jester just after his 7th birthday as he was becoming... difficult to handle. Fooleswurth commented on Merlin's "Jester's Spark," and Uther was eager for Merlin to be taken on as an apprentice.

Please please please ask me follow up questions about this. I have so much brain rot for this, but the AU is so big now I have no idea where to even start. My asks are WIDE open.

[nadiv22]

My favorite quotes from civ VI

TECHNOLOGY

“No man ever wetted clay and then left it, as if there would be bricks by chance and fortune.” – Plutarch

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” – Will Rogers

“I AM FOND OF PIGS. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” – Winston S. Churchill

“Who deserves more credit than the wife of a coal miner?” – Merle Travis

“When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.” – Will Rogers

“I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.” – Arthur C. Clarke

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” -W. H. Auden

“I shot an arrow into the air. It fell to earth, I knew not where.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” -Mark Twain

“I’m also interested in creating a lasting legacy … because bronze will last for thousands of years.” – Richard MacDonald

“MONEA, if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort.” – Helen Gurley Brown

“A man on a horse is spiritually as well as physically bigger than a man on foot.” – John Steinbeck

“The Lord made us all out of iron. Then he turns up the heat to forge some of us into steel.” – Marie Osmond

“I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder … Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.” – Capt. E.J. Smith, RMS Titanic

“Create with the heart; build with the mind.” – Criss Jami

“One man’s ‘magic’ is another man’s engineering.” – Robert Heinlein

“There is no easy way to train an apprentice. My two tools are example and nagging.” – Lemony Snicket

The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” – Malcolm Forbes

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle

“Rocks in my path? I keep them all. With them I shall build my castle.” – Nemo Nox

“Not all who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

“People can have the Model T in any color – so long as it’s black.” – Henry Ford

“The pen might not be mightier than the sword, but maybe the printing press is heavier than the siege weapon. Just a few words can change everything.” – Terry Pratchett

“Astronomy’s much more fun when you’re not an astronomer.” – Brian May

“If facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.” – Albert Einstein

“No one starts a war – or rather, no one in his senses ought to do so – without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how he intends to conduct it.” – Karl von Clausewitz

“Science owes more to the steam engine than the steam engine owes to science.” – Lawrence Henderson

“Bolt actions speak louder than words.” – Craig Roberts

“Never criticize a rifleman until you have walked a mile in his shoes. That way, he’ll be barefoot and you’ll be out of range.” – The 2nd Target Company

“For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.” – Leonardo da Vinci

“If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.” – Chuck Yeager

“Benjamin Franklin may have discovered electricity, but it was the man who invented the meter who made the money.” – Earl Wilson

“Chemists do not usually stutter. It would be very awkward if they did, seeing that they have at times to get out such words as methylethylamylophenylium.” – Sir William Crookes

“If God had really intended men to fly, He’d make it easier to get to the airport.” – George Winters

“Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets.” – George Patton

“There may be no forgiveness for polyester. On this one matter, Satan and the Lord are in agreement.” – Joe Hill

“I’m a big laser believer – I really think they are the wave of the future.” – Courteney Cox

"Even though the future seems far away, it is actually beginning right now.” – Mattie Stepanek

CIVICS

“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” — Colonel David Hackworth

“A strong economy begins with a strong, well-educated workforce.”– Bill Owens “Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.” – Marcus Aurelius

“It was luxuries like air conditioning that brought down the Roman Empire. With air conditioning their windows were shut; they couldn’t hear the barbarians coming.” – Garrison Keillor

Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – William Shakespeare

“Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack.” – Sun Tzu

“History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

“A good navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“In democracy it’s your vote that counts; in feudalism it’s your count that votes.” – Mogens Jallberg

“There are very honest people who do not think that they have had a bargain unless they have cheated a merchant.” – Anatole France

“You can’t go around arresting the Thieves’ Guild. I mean, we’d be at it all day!” – Terry Pratchett

“Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government … You can’t expect to wield supreme power just ‘cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!” – Monty Python

“In diplomacy there are two kinds of problems: small ones and large ones. The small ones will go away by themselves, and the large ones you will not be able to do anything about.” – Patrick McGuinness

“A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman’s birthday but never remembers her age.” – Robert Frost

“New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.” – John Locke

“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” – Douglas Adams

“Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.” – Edward Wilson

“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.” -Mark Twain

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” – Heywood Broun

“A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week.” – George S. Patton

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” – John F. Kennedy

“Which of all my important nothings shall I tell you first?” -Jane Austen

“I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” –Albert Einstein

[willtheweaver]

Writemas day 5

On the 5th day of Writemas, @agirlandherquill gave to me, 5 (plus 7) golden prompts (and shoutout too to @fantasy-things-and-such )

Today’s prompt : “You warned me of betrayals, but never from you.”

The heist went wrong at the worst possible time. Someone had tipped off the guards. They had purposefully left the main entrance undefended. There were also no traps or alarms set up around the vault. Ty was surprised at first, but the thought of all the treasure overrode all sense of caution. He rushed headfirst into the building and was picking the lock to the vault in no time.

There was a satisfying click, and the great iron door swung open. There were gold and gems everywhere. More wealth than Ty had seen in his life. A moment passed. Then from all around came a scream that would freeze the blood of even the boldest and bravest.

That was the signal for the ambush. Guards sprung out from their hiding spots, swords drawn. Ty had only enough time to grab a few jewels. He shoved one of the guards before dashing down a corridor. Every time he tried to make for the exit, guards appeared to block him. He was driven deeper into the labyrinth until at last he found himself in a dead-end corridor.

There was no escape. Ty turned and saw a sword pointed right at his heart. But what caught his attention was who was wielding the blade.

It was Jamie. She was his mentor. They had trained together, broke bread, shared drinks. They had picked scores of pockets, and planned a score of heists, including this one.

“You warned me of betrayals.” He tried to hide the emotion in his voice. “But never from you.”

Jamie grinned from ear to ear. With one fluid movement, she reversed her sword before slipping it back into the scabbard. She then relieved Ty of the gems he had nabbed.

“That is why you are still an Apprentice.”

All the spectators burst out laughing. The senior members of the Thieves Guild loved nothing more than seeing the rookies fail in obvious ways.

“Alright, you win this time.” Ty let out a smile. “I’ll spend my time training, and next time I take the test, I will pass.”

Spreading the joy to @glasshouses-and-stones @sableglass @i-do-anything-but-write @melpomene-grey @rumeysawrites

@the-ellia-west @rotting-moon-writes @the-letterbox-archives @pippinoftheshire @cherrybombfangirlwrites and all who want to join in

[episims]

Jamie "Hi, Lillian."

Lillian "Oh, hi!"

Jamie "...They're not selling you, right?"

Lillian "Umm, nope! I'm just listening to the music."

Luke "-I knew there must be word going around that I'm playing here on Thursdays."

Jamie "Err, right. That's why I'm here."

Luke "Did Will come, too?"

Jamie "He's, uh, at work, unfortunately. Hey, what if instead of tipping, I offer a drink?"

Jamie "Oh, congrats on the promotion! So you're now a..."

Luke "Just a section member, yes, as embarrassing as it is to say it out loud. But they'll come to their senses soon, I'm sure."

Jamie "...Sure."

Luke "Unless that witch man continues sabotaging my inspiration."

Jamie "Who?"

Luke "Supposedly, Melody got married. And now his husband is at the house all the time! Either he or that so-called apprentice. It's like a bloody witch coven there."

Jamie "Yeah, that sounds... awful. By the way, have you noticed that new building just across the road from here? I just learned it's going to be cooperative housing."

Luke "...What?"

Jamie "You know, you buy a share in the cooperative instead of redeeming the whole property. It's cheaper-"

Luke "I know what cooperative housing is! Who runs it?"

Jamie "Currently the town, but eventually those who'll buy the shares, I think? Felix told me about it. He's considering buying one with a friend of his-"

[player1064]

for the carraville prompts: jamie’s pov of your fic it’s just not what’s done, and him doing/saying increasingly gay things that fluster gary who thought he’d never have a chance with the straight boy

honestly I could write a full length fic of this I LOVE this idea but I am exercising restraint (read: i am too sleepy to keep writing but want to post it anyway) and cutting it off at 1.3k words. Jamie is so so annoying in this god bless xx

---

1996.

There’s a weird buzz in the air when Jamie arrives at Melwood in the morning, and not the usual frustration he’d expect the morning after the first team have lost a game. Everyone’s grouped in little huddles, hushed whispers that cut out when anyone else walks by, but the weirdest part by far is that everyone is holding a fucking newspaper.

He walks into the apprentice’s dressing room and snatches a paper out of one of the other lads’ hands. He turns straight to the back page, but there’s nothing particularly noteworthy there – United won the league, big fucking whoop – so he frowns and flips the paper back to the front page.

Jamie would normally dismiss anything The Sun prints as garbage, but a quick glance around the dressing room shows a few other papers scattered around, all with similar headlines. All with the same photo, printed to take up most of the page, full colour even on a weekday.

The Sun’s headline is not a particularly creative one, but is does get the point across quite succinctly: there, right above the grainy, dimly lit photograph, are the words GAY NEVILLE?

“Oh my fucking God,” he hears Michael whisper from behind him.

Gary Neville, right-back, Jamie’s brain helpfully supplies. Manchester United, 21 years old and already eight caps for England.

His next thought is: what a fucking idiot.

He doesn’t give a shit about the gay thing, not really – he did spend two years at boarding school, he knows what some of the boys got up to there. No, his issue is more that United have just won the league, and everyone knows in a few days they’ll be getting the double when they win the FA cup too. 21 years old, a starter for a team that’s about to make footballing history, a spot in the squad for this summer’s Euros, and the stupid prick’s just thrown it all away because he felt like getting off with someone at a club where anyone could see him.

Maybe he should ask his coaches about practicing in right-back. He has a funny feeling a spot’s about to open up on the England team.

 *

2004.

“Not so brave now that yer boyfriend’s fucked off to Spain, are ye?”

Neville gives him a disinterested look from across the tunnel.

“Not my boyfriend,” he says flatly, rolling his eyes like he’s recited that line a thousand times before.

He probably has, actually. Jamie needs to come up with better insults, something more original. He’ll workshop some for next time.

Still, better to dig in on this one. “No, I s’pose he’s not now that he’s traded you in fer better things. Yer not exactly a Galactico.”

Neville’s expression is still blank but there’s a hint of fire behind his eyes, which tells Jamie that he’s on the right track, that if he pushes just a little bit more he’ll be able to tip him over the edge.

He sees Keane step out from his place at the front of the line, turn to Neville and mutter “d’you need me to –”

“Couldn’t give a fuck, he’s not worth worryin’ over,” Neville replies, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.

There’s no time to say anything back, because the referee walks to the front of the tunnel and then it’s time to go start the game.

*

2006.

“How’s it work, then?”

Neville looks up from the bowl of Weetabix he’d been intently focused on and glances around the room, like he doesn’t believe it’s him Jamie’s talking to.

He shrugs. “How’s what work?”

“The gay thing. Did yous get to bring a WAG over too, or is that only for the normal lads?”

“Wouldn’t be a WAG, would it?” Neville mutters snobbishly.

He’s right, Jamie supposes. But that’s obviously not something he can admit, so he decides to lean in to the ‘stupid Scouser’ bit. “Why not?”

Neville squints at him suspiciously. “’cause he wouldn’t be a wife or girlfriend, would he?” He clears his throat, looks back down at his bowl. “If he existed, that is. Only brought my dad over for this tournament, does that answer your question?”

“Hmm,” Jamie says, ignoring the obvious cue to leave and taking a seat opposite Neville instead. “What would they call ‘im, if you weren’t a sad lonely old spinster… husbands and boyfriends… HABs? Doesn’t ‘ave quite the same ring to it, does it?”

*

2013.

“Why’d you never get married?”

Neville – Gary – looks up from his iPad to give Jamie his familiar ‘I can’t tell if you’re having me on or if you’re actually just stupid’ squint. “’s only been legal a few months, give us a break.”

“Civil partnered then, whatever. I don’t get it. You’re rich, you were a footballer. I know you’re ugly but looks don’t really factor into it, if your brother’s marriage is anythin’ to go by.”

Gary scowls at him. “Different measures of attractive when you’re gay. I’ll ‘ave you know men find me quite good looking, actually.”

“Do they fuck,” Jamie snorts, because he’s willing to bet that there isn’t a single man on Earth, gay or otherwise, who finds Gary Neville in his current state attractive. Maybe in his playing days, when he was all lean muscle and intense glares, but not now. “They’re just queuin’ up to get a piece a’yous, are they?”

“Maybe they are. Not that it’s any of your business, but I actually ‘ave a date tonight.”

“And that’s after he’s had a look at you?”

*

2015.

“Don’t go.”

Gary looks exhausted, pale skin and dark shadows under his eyes. His hair needs a trim, his stubble needs a shave, and he needs to not move to fucking Spain.

“Don’t look so stroppy, Carra. You’re about to become Sky’s number one pundit.”

“Don’t want it. C’mon, Gaz, what’m I gonna do for my Monday mornin’ entertainment without tales of your endless bad dates.”

“Most people just read the news.”

 “What’re you gonna do, you’re bad enough at pullin’ as it is without a language barrier makin’ things harder. It’s like you want to spend the next five months celibate.”

“Yer awfully concerned about my personal life, James, for someone who not two weeks ago was tellin’ me that I needed to, and I quote, ‘spend less time thinkin’ about fit men and more on thinkin’ about fit footballers instead.’”

“And I stand by that.”

*

2016.

Jamie’s changing out of his gym clothes when his conversation with Gary earlier in the week echoes in his mind, the dreamy way Gary had said his arms…

The guy probably doesn’t even train as much as Jamie does, probably just exaggerates because for some reason he’s trying to impress Gary. As if Gary is someone you’d want to impress.

He stands in front of the changing room’s mirror and flexes his bicep, notes with pride the bulging vein that leads up from his elbow. It’s a shame, really, that he has to wear suits when he’s on Sky. He’s sure viewing figures would go up if he was allowed to wear something a little more form fitting, maybe he should pitch it to the wardrobe people.

Gary would probably have a fit, his tends to get in a tizz at the suggestion of any change to the strict set of rules he’s got in his head. Jamie had once tried to wear his suit without a tie (because he’d spilled coffee on the one he’d brought, not that he’d told Gary that), and Gary had screeched at him for a good half an hour about professionalism until he relented and went to wardrobe to find a spare tie he could use.

Imagine if he wore a t-shirt. Gary’s head would probably explode.

All the more reason to do it, really.

[fionajames]

info:

Alright, hello to everyone - new and old - I am Fiona but you guys can call me Fi/Jamie/Fio/idk come up with something!

I am fifteen years old, go by she/they pronouns and I'm omnisexual.

I am a huge Star Wars fan, specifically the Clone Wars with a hint of the Prequels as well as being a Sam and Colby fan AND a Warrior cats AND The outsiders. I will now also write for Hamilton. (I can multi-task guys, I swear.)

I would just like to say; REQUESTS ARE OPEN!

I write anything for the Clone Wars era (and the Prequels, if I want) except 1. NSFW. 2. minor x over 18. 3. Clonecest/Incest 4. Master x Padawan relationships.

For Sam and Colby I (yet again) write anything except 1. NSFW 2. minor x over 21. 3. incest. 4. as well as certain ships. i will not specify them now because i will forget some or smth.

And for Warriors I write anything except for 1. NSFW 2. warrior/elder/deputy/leader x apprentice/kit (like age difference) 3. incest (depends on how close they are in family as, yknow, warriors is a bit hard to contain like that) 4. certain ships (i dont write ones i dont like) and 5. apprentice x master (which falls under 2. as well but just specifying again)

For The Outsiders I (yet again) write anything except 1. NSFW 2. minor x over 21. 3. incest. 4. as well as certain ships. i will not specify them now because i will forget some or smth. 5. and younger than 16 x over sixteen

Hamilton, basically the same as the others, you get the jist.

I do write stuff for ocs (my own and other peoples) but I do need a lot of info on the oc if its not mine.

Here is a list of prompts i will do if you need help: click here

Thank you for coming to my ted talk!

(im writing this in the car and my dogs say hi. plus, i have no idea when this will post cause of no-service areas)

(sam and colby fans come to me)

(same with warrior cats fans)

(AND THE OUTSIDERS FANS)

[jamiesfootball]

WAIT i just had another idea. jamie STARTS as a hitting apprentice to roy, but slowly comes to realize - and roy comes to realize - it's more upsetting to him than it is satisfying to do that job, and then they SWITCH him to hacking. which maybe they did or didn't have a dedicated hacker before and they were just making do, or maybe it was nate and he (temporarily) switched sides, or whatever. but maybe like jamie's injured for a minute and has to sit out hitting, and roy's doing that for a job, and then some kind of hackery shit needs to happen that whoever's doing that at the moment - beard? ted even trying it would be an unprecedented disaster, we know - doesn't know how to do or isn't doing the Best Way, and jamie just steps in (vaguely loopy on pain killers) and just. Does it. Perfectly. mumbling some jargony bullshit in fucking mancunian that no one can understand only half because of the mumbling and the accent. and they're all like okay jamie. congratulations on your new position. and he resists it at first because he doesn't think he fits the Archetype or whatever for a hacker, but like. he likes it and he's good at it, and it brings the team together so well to have him as The Guy In The Chair TM. and that's their "go through me" total football moment.

Homie I am sitting across from you and leaning in very closely and taking your face gently in my hands-

Because this implies, somewhere along the lines, that Jamie’s two-bit crime fixer dad pushed his kid into becoming a hitter.

He probably knew a guy who needed extra muscle in a pinch and offered up his son. His son who was athletic, who was on the football team and doing well at it, so he had a bit of muscle on him. It was just supposed to be to fill a gap, look intimidating a for a few hours and earn your dad a couple hundred pounds, what’s the problem, not like you can’t take a hit, can’t you?

And it didn’t matter that Jamie didn’t want to do it, cause his dad never listened to him anyways. Not when he was warning him ‘you know those messages ain’t just your phones anymore, the companies back em up so the police can search em’. Not when he tried to explain ‘no you ain’t got stick somebody up in an alley anymore, see I’ve got the skimmer you can just hit the ATM’. And definitely not when he said ‘they got CCTV everywhere now, you gotta be more careful’

And then James got arrested. And he took the fall for a crime boss that promised to do right by him but didn’t. And then, well, wasn’t anyone looking out for Jamie, and he had a book full of contacts his dad left behind, and a fucking reputation for all the goon work he’d done, and he’d only ever been good for one thing anyways, and that was the only thing he’d ever gotten paid to do so-

He became a hitter. And a fucking good one too. Simple as that.

[m34gs]

Sort of Saw AU ask time!

I know we accidentally only made Trey the only character not involved with the traps for our AU. So, if we could add more people to Trey's side of "Not getting involved with the traps" who would you add and why?

Hi friend!!!! Thank you for the ask! I'm eager to answer :D (for those who don't know about our Twisted Wonderland Sort of Saw AU, please feel free to check out my pinned post here to see other asks and the link to our AO3 series!)

Alright, let's talk about who doesn't wanna be a murderer. Answer under the cut, because it might get a little long!

Heartslaybul

So, I know we already have Trey who is, in our AU, not involved in setting the trap, finding/researching the victims, clean-up, or anything really. The most he does is allow Riddle to use his place to help dispose of legal documents and evidence.

However, even though there is already one Heartslaybul member who doesn't participate in the murders, I do think there could be more. Mainly, I think Deuce would be one who would potentially join the "not getting involved in traps" team. Why? Because he's a sweet boy who focused so hard on becoming an honours student, and if he were caught committing murder it would ruin the reputation he was trying to build. Now, if that reputation was just something he did for himself I don't think he'd be as bothered, but he is trying so hard because he wants to impress his mother and to not make her cry. Deuce's soft spot is his mom, and I could see his concern for her motivating him to steer clear of Team Murder. The rest of the dorm, I feel, would have an easier time justifying murder. Riddle almost overblotted. Ace can internally justify just about anything if he tries. Cater is constantly hiding his true self, what's one more thing to hide? Out of the four of them, Deuce is most likely to join Trey. *UNLESS*. Unless, Trey banishes Cater to the couch. That would make Cater change his tune in a heartbeat.

Savanaclaw

It's gotta be Jack. He would absolutely go Team "Not Touching Murder" if we wanted to add him to that side. Out of the three in Savanaclaw, he has the strongest moral compass and is a bit of a stickler for the rules and honour. Ruggie is easily motivated by money so if he was really thinking about leaving Team Murder, all someone would have to do is offer him pay and he'd be happily trapping everyone and their grandma. For Leona, if you recall, I did hint to some of his motivation being tied to protecting Ruggie from ever ending up in a trap again. It's clear that Jigsaw won't be swayed by wealth or status (he tried to trap Malleus, ffs), so Leona needs something to guarantee Ruggie won't be in a trap and unfortunately with Ruggie's behaviour...well. He's no angel. So, Jack is the only one who really makes sense. However, that is only if he can be talked out of the idea that what they're doing is a form of justice.

Octavinelle

So, originally, I was going to say no one from Octavinelle would leave Team Murder. However, I realized that there is One(1) scenario in which I could believe it happening. If Floyd got bored and decided Team Not Touching Murder looked more fun, he'd probably leave. Jade enjoys the long game and has far too much patience to change his mind so flippantly. Azul is putting in so much effort that he would totally consider it a sunken cost if he stopped being an apprentice.

I do think, though, that it is *highly* unlikely Floyd will get bored being on Team Murder.

Scarabia

Kalim would join Trey's Not Touching Murder Team. He sees the traps as more a responsibility than something he actually wants to do. He fulfills them with a heavy heart. He would leap at the chance to abandon it, if he felt that he could. I think one of the things holding him back from that, aside from feeling like this is a duty he has been entrusted with by John, is the fact that Jamil is so into the traps. I think he is partially worried to leave Jamil entirely on his own (as we have established Jamil is the one who would be making inescapable traps). If, however, Kalim did stop, he would then have tea and/or dinner every other day with Jamil for the sole purpose of trying to talk him into stopping. It never works, but he never stops trying...

Pomefiore

Vil is another one who sees the traps less as something he is invested in and more as a solemn duty. I think he feels a sense of responsibility in teaching people to change their ways and love their lives, so if he could be talked out of that line of thinking (which we know is possible, he's definitely one of the more mature and rational housewardens) I think he could realistically join Team Not Touching Murder. I also think Epel wouldn't mind joining. Sure, Epel can be a bit of a rough-and-tumble kinda guy, but I think he is the type to prefer punching someone's lights out to setting up an elaborate deadly escape room.

Rook is staying though. There is beauty in this, and he is probably waxing poetic about the justice and finding all sorts of ways to incorporate the "crimes" of his victims into their traps. Vil wouldn't stop him. He's always known he cannot control Rook.

Ignihyde

Neither of them. Idia is having too much of a grand ol' time setting up traps, pushing his limits, trying to improve trap functions, and getting rid of assholes and scammers. And he gets to do most of it from the comfort of his home. While Ortho tends to get along with people in general more, and he may not entirely enjoy the murder part, he often has moments where he shows he can be as twisted as his brother in terms of seeking revenge and causing mischief. Plus, I don't think he would want to leave Idia to his own devices. If he left Team Murder, Idia would probably never leave his room ever again. Ortho's not having that.

Diasomnia

Again, none of them. We've discussed Malleus's rationale at length for why he joined with John and is a Jigsaw Apprentice, and it's to appease his own curiosity about humanity, as well as to provide a safer world for Yuu. I fully believe Malleus would do just about anything to ensure Yuu's safety, even if he knew Yuu did not like what he was doing.

If Malleus is going to be on Team Murder, so is Sebek. Guaranteed. And I feel Silver would also see it as his duty to accompany them, both as a retainer to Malleus and boyfriend to Sebek.

That leaves Lilia. I don't think Lilia would leave Team Murder for Team Not Touching Murder for a couple reasons. 1. I think he would worry about Malleus going overboard (which he would if he thought someone looked at Yuu the wrong way), 2. I think he would be *beside* himself with worry for Silver's safety as he tests the traps, and 3. I think he would get lonely without his little family and would want to spend more time with them when they are busy setting up traps. (also if he left the three of them alone...I'm sorry to say but personally I think between the three of them they have like two braincells and Malleus uses both of them to constantly think about Yuu).

There you have it! Hope you enjoyed my answers, friend. What did we learn with this exercise? Most of our boys are ok with murder :D lol

[masochistartt]

@marvelling-at-marvel-blog in the replies to my jamie self perception post asked about academy players getting paid and i couldn't fit my whole response in the replies so you're getting another Overanalyzing The Premier League (Youth) Handbook breakdown here

so the answer about "is an academy player being paid" is yes and no.

rules 314-317 pretty much say hey if you're playing for a club you can't just go and play for another club but beyond that actual expenses legitimately incurred... is talking about stuff like equipment (boots, shin pads, etc) but also transportation to/from the academy, education costs (city sends all of their academy kids to a school where the tuition is, i kid you not, £14k a year), and any travel that's required for players to get to matches. that's all covered by the academy

but immediately after that, they say a player & and parent can't be paid outside of those terms.

there's a whole section on "compensation", but it's about compensation should the academy player be sold to another club, so it's irrelevant to jamie & georgie context

then they go on to say this (The Club agrees to)

schedule one is below the cut bc it's a massive screenshot and i don't want to clog the dash with that

but the scholar isn't....paid.... until he's older than school age. they get an apprentice's wage of sorts when they're 15 or so, but that's like £150 per week iirc. 17 is when a player can be offered those actual professional contracts and those numbers can increase.

so tldr georgie/jamie would be reimbursed for everything that jamie needed to be a part of the academy but jamie himself would not have a very very minor salary until he was 15 and didn't start Making Money Properly until he was 17.

[femme-foucault]

Alright "final" Oscar nom predictions:

The Oscar nominations were supposed to come out on the 17th but were pushed back due to the wildfires, so now they are out on the 23rd. I know the main story on Film Internet right now is the AI controversy with The Brutalist, but since that story didn't break until after voting ended, I don't see that controversy hurting nominations for that film. It might affect wins, but it depends. So I'm keeping it in my predictions for now.

As usual, my predictions are in alphabetical order, not by personal preference.

Best Picture: Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune Pt 2, Emilia Perez, A Real Pain, Sing Sing, The Substance, Wicked

Yes, I'm still hope-dicting Sing Sing. The BAFTA noms gave me some hope. Let me be delusional. It could very well be Nickel Boys instead of Sing Sing.

Director: Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez), Sean Baker (Anora), Edward Berger (Conclave) Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)

Ugh, I caved and predicted Audiard even though I'm not happy about it. I would love to see Villeneuve (Dune Pt 2) get in here but I highly doubt it. I know Fargeat is a stretch but they are going to want a woman in there because of all the pushback in the past few years and Fargeat has been nominated at a number of pre-cursors.

Best Actress in a Lead Role: Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofia Gascon (Emilia Perez), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance)....and someone else idk.

No idea who that fifth slot is, but I highly doubt it's Angelina Jolie (Maria) anymore and I've taken Nicole Kidman out of my predictions too because her movie (Babygirl) has not been nominated as much as people thought it would be just a month ago. In that climate, I do think Erivo is getting in for Wicked -- she won't win, but with Jolie and Kidman out I'd be surprised if she wasn't nominated. After the Globes, maybe Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here)?

Best Actor in a Lead Role: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Timothee Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Daniel Craig (Queer), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)

Craig is the one I am weakest on but we'll see.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Jamie Lee Curtis (The Last Showgirl), Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), Zoe Saldana (Emilia Perez)

Honestly, Saldana and Grande are the only ones I am 100% sure of. It's a two-woman race there, but anyone else could be nominated. Now I have finally seen The Brutalist, I think Jones is this year's Emily Blunt -- the "tag along" nomination that accompanies two competitive acting performances in a best picture front runner (even though The Brutalist is much more divisive than Oppenheimer and I think a weaker movie (I was with it right up until the last 20 minutes, which I wasn't a fan of)). Selena Gomez might get in for EP if that movie over-performs even though she was terrible in that movie but being terrible has never stopped them from nominating someone before.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Yura Borisov (Anora), Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)

I put Borisov in because he keeps being nominated at precursors, though if anyone misses, it's him, not Pearce -- even though Pearce didn't get nominated at SAG. I have fiiiiiinally taken out Clarence Maclin even though he gave my favorite male supporting role of the year because Sing Sing is not getting the love it deserves :(

Adapted Screenplay: A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune Pt 2, Emilia Perez, Sing Sing

I am going on a limb and guessing Dune Pt 2, even though I don't think the first one got in. I think Conclave wins here.

Original Screenplay: Anora, A Real Pain, The Substance....Idk what else, but Anora is probably winning. Especially because it looks like Emilia Perez might be winning Best Picture noooooooooooo so I could see it being like last year, where the two screenplay awards go to movies that weren't winning anything else that they wanted to award.

No real guesses for all the techies because there is always a few tech categories in something that I haven't seen. I think Dune Pt 2 is going to be nominated in many tech categories, but I still think Wicked is probably winning Costume and Production Design (though pre-AI controversy, I could have seen The Brutalist taking the latter) unless Emilia Perez just really over-performs.

[jxrm]

book log - 2024

diva by daisy goodwin

the heiress by rachel hawkins

only if you’re lucky by stacy willingham

the chateau by jaclyn goldis

just stay away by tony wirt

the other mothers by katherine faulker

middle of the night by riley sager

the disappearance of astrid bricard by natasha lester

every time i go in vacation, someone dies by catherine mack

the last caretaker by jessica strawser

just for the summer by abby jimenez

house of glass by sarah pekkanen

the mayor of maxwell street by avery cunningham

first lie wins by ashley elston

the phoenix crown by kate quinn

murder road by simone st. james

the fury by alex michaelides

happiness falls by angie kim

the house of last resort by christopher golden

run rose run by dolly parton

the chalice of the gods by rick riordan

there should have been right by nalini singh

the mysterious case of the alperton angels by janice hallet

darling girls by sally hepworth

the pieces around us by leigh fields

love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

the teacher by frieda mcfadden

x by jack croxell

iron flame by rebecca yarros

the only suspect by louise candlish

throwback by maurene goo

the housemaid is watching by frieda mcfadden

zara hossain is here by sabina khan

slice by angie caedis

the ways of the dead by neely tucker

orphan train by christina baker

a court of silver flames by sarah j. mass

come and get it by kiley reid

the drowning woman by robyn harding

when i bleed: poems about endometriosis by maggie bowyer

the house in the pines by ana reyes

only say good things by crystal hefner

the mother-in-law by sally hepworth

daughter of mine by megan miranda

lore olympus: volume four by rachel smythe

this time it’s real by ann liang

anna o by matthew blake

the girl with the louding voice by abi dare

where the forest meets the stars by glendy vanderah

a friend in the dark by samantha m. bailey

the wife app by carolyn mackler

howl’s moving castle by diana wynne jones

the spanish love deception by elena armas

divide by jessa russo

lies and weddings by kevin kwan

the foxhole victory tour by amy lynn green

dying to tell by keri beevis

my father, the panda killer by jamie jo hoang

the wedding party by l.r. jones

girl gone mad by avery bishop

starter wife by bethany lopez

the queens of new york by e.l. shen

theater lovers by ciara blume

once upon a broken heart by stephanie garber

the surrogate mother by frieda mcfadden

crying in h mart by michelle zauner

don’t forget to write by sara goldman confino

the next girl by carla kovach

the paradise problem by christina lauren

ivy league liars by grace costello

every summer after by carley fortune

the ballad of never after by stephanie garber

a curse of true love by stephanie garber

the devil’s storybooks by natalie babbit

expiration dates by rebecca serle

the murmur of bees by sofia segovia

growing up hadley by dana harp

the vacation by john marrs

rum punch regrets by anna kemp

the five-star weekend by elin hilderbrand

people to follow by olivia worley

the treasure hunters club by tom ryan

you shouldn’t be here by lauren thoman

trophy wife by bethany lopez

seven summers by paige toon

veridian sterling fakes it by jennifer gooch

the friendship club by robyn carr

women of good fortune by sophie wan

the smuggler’s apprentice of guatemala by lachlan page

this summer will be different by carley fortune

natural selection by elin hilderbrand

the passengers by john marrs

asap by axie oh

island of shadows by christopher kvintus

swan song by elin hilderbrand

lore olympus: volume five by rachel smythe

blue hawaiian by carla luna

the villain edit by laurie devore

hermione granger and the order of the phoenix by sara baines-miller

the hotel nantucket by elin hilderbrand

bummer camp by ann garvin

pink glass houses by asha elias

cut and thirst by margaret atwood

the exception to the rule by christina lauren

#crimetime by jeneva rose

incidents around the house by josh malerman

the mistress by valerie keogh

kiki’s delivery service by eiko kadono

when we were friends by jane green

the honey-don’t list by christina lauren

worst wingman ever by abby jimenez

the perfect couple by elin hilderbrand

home is where the bodies are by jeneva rose

the only good indians by stephen graham jones

roar by cecelia ahern

the wedding people by alison espach

look in the mirror by catherine steadman

fit to die by daniel kalla

uglies by scott westerfield

hideaway by nicole lundrigan

the fortune teller by natasha boydell

crazy rich asians by kevin kwan

the wish by nicholas sparks

how the penguins saved veronica by hazel prior

the plus one by s. c. lalli

the haters by robyn harding

china rich girlfriend by kevin kwan

rich people problems by kevin kwan

the haunting of moscow house by olesya salnikova gilmore

the lonely hearts book club by lucy gilmore

the measure by nikki erlick

somewhere beyond the sea by tj klume

adam and evie’s matchmaking tour by nora nguyen

i was a teenage slasher by stephen graham jones

here one moment by liane moriarity

badass bonita by kim guerra

zetas till we die by amber and danielle brown

shred sisters by betsy learner

one of the girls by lucy clarke

society of lies by lauren ling brown

the radius of us by marie marquardt

fantasticland by mike bockoven

sheets by brenna thummler

the boyfriend by frieda mcfadden

delicates by brenna thummler

no one will know by rose carlyle

lights by brenna thummler

counting miracles by nicholas sparks

the night we lost him by laura dave

ghost stories by ron ripley

the hitchcock hotel by stephanie wrobel

for better or cursed by kate williams

the last one at the wedding by jason rekulak

creation lake by rachel kushner

like mother, like daughter by kimberly mccreight

libby lost and found by stephanie booth

the nosy neighbour by nita prose

needy little things by channelle desamours

the reappearance of rachel price by holly jackson

not another love song by julie soto

we used to live here by marcus kliewer

the stillwater girls by minka kent

yours for the taking by gabrielle korn

52 weeks and a party of one by bianca pensy aba

youthjuice by e.k. sathue

the manicurist’s daughter by susan lieu

the invisible life of addie larue by victoria e. schwab

the housekeeper’s wedding by frieda mcfadden

what does it feel like? by sophie kinsella

the anti-heroes by jen lancaster

the christmas book hunt by jenny colgan

christmas every day by beth moran

cruel winter with you by ali hazelwood

winter in paradise by elin hilderbrand

holiday hideaway by mary kay andrews

merry ever after by tessa bailey

what happens in paradise by elin hilderbrand

the widow's husband's secret lie by frieda mcfadden

trouble in paradise by elin hilderbrand

wrath of the triple goddess by rick riordan

deep dish by mary kay andrews

buried road by katie tallo

25 days by per jacobsen

please tell me by mike omer