#ruby and zenobia

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Not exactly Wc content, but please look at my Lioden art (their names are Ruby and Zenobia)

THEY LOOK SO COOL

[howlingday]

(Ru-Ja-Gun-Con)

Ruby drags her sister to the con in order to keep things on track. Yang decides to mess with Ruby and grabs a core crystal, thus awakening her.

How much chaos does this cause?

Ruby: ...I turn around for five minutes and THIS HAPPENS AGAIN?!

Yang: Easy, little sister! I was just browsing and boom! Suddenly, I've got somebody as my partner.

Zenobia: This is your little sister, huh? Can she fight?

Yang: Yeah, but she'll always need her big sister to help her out.

Ruby: Ugh... Whatever...

Zenobia: ...So how soon until we can fight some Grimm?

Yang: Eh... Soon enough. They're kinda everywhere.

[lioden-blog52]

Does anyone else get excited when they give their favorite lions decor? Like, just getting a cool bird and going “hell yeah, so and so will absolutely love this!”

[theblackphoenixwritings]

-𝙒𝙝𝙮?- -𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙪𝙨 & 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚

The crackling of the fire in the fireplace had been the only company Marius had longed for during that long and busy week.A curious contrast that of the noise of the fire, almost cheerful, with the silence of the snow falling outside, enveloping everything for several days now. That isolation was born out of his loyalty to his duty. He could not regret setting it aside for, he had to admit to himself, quite some time. That time had been filled by love and tenderness, by being close again to those he loved. It had been an intense and happy few weeks, Armand remaining always by his side, proud and devoted, his eyes full of love, Daniel who like Armand, never left Marius and was always there ready to offer his support and love. Thorne who despite being at least as busy as Marius, always found time to go to Marius to spend time together. And Lestat and Avicus, dear Zenobia, and Teskhamen.Marius had finally felt at peace and though he feared even to utter, within himself that word, happy.

Now the clutter in that room was a testament to his stubbornness, there were too many matters that had been left unfinished, too many things unfinished or to be corrected, and it was his specific duty to remedy and set things right. The desk was buried with pages and pages, written in elegant handwriting, open and closed books arranged one on top of the other, there were also ancient scrolls, photos and reports, documents about the activities of the immortals, law requests and drafts to be checked and finished, even complaints and stories and testimonies collected in order to give more attention to problems that might arise among the immortals. On the majestic ruby-red carpet that reached from the foot of the desk to the large bed, were scattered sketch pads, and sheets with barely drawn drafts, others finished, pencils and brushes, oil pastels and canvas boards. There was also the design of the large mural to be finished and checked, and it had to be harmonious throughout, it had to remember their history and their protagonists and pass it on.

All those studies were important and needed to be created with care and attention and then be supportive of the final project. Marius observed that confusion and sighed, resting his face in his hands. As his thoughts followed that chaos unable to make sense of how he had managed to create such a mess, gentle but firm knocks made themselves heard at his door. After a moment Thorne's gentle face peeped out, Marius smiled happily, leaning against the back of the large carved fine wooden stool, and with a wave of his hand invited his best friend in. He was always happy to see and talk with Thorne, was glad to see that he was well after recent events, glad in a way Marius could not give words to.

He knew, however, that Thorne, more than anyone else had made Marius' words his own, and between them it was often no longer necessary to use them. They understood each other with their look at each other, their friendship had become a deep and unbreakable bond. "Are you well? Do you need anything?" asked Marius as Thorne sat down in front of him. " It's strange I had come here, just to ask you these very questions. You are greatly missed." replied Thorne, settling into the red velvet armchair.

"I know I've beennot much present lately, but all this mess, it must lead me to put things in perspective and be able to support this court in every way. I have been putting this off and now I have to put it in order. You are always in my thoughts, even if I am not there with you." Marius knew that might sound like a weak excuse, but Thorne was as devoted to that family as Marius was and knew well that some things took time and detachment. " I just wish you would remember that you are no longer alone. We're here if you need a hand. And certainly we are not senators from ancient Rome, but we are here for you, and you know how precious you are to us. What I mean is that you can lean on me as well as Daniel and Armand and all the others who love you. Remember that you can share any burden or thought with us." Thorne, wanted Marius to be ready to accept that those who loved him were ready to be his support; he was no longer alone.

" Well it seems that even these gods, in whom I do not believe, somehow blessed me. Who knows maybe it was just your Thor." said Marius, with bright eyes and a gentle smile. " Why?" asked Thorne puzzled. He did not see what the gods could have to do with his words. " Because he has given me a friend who has the heart to listen to me when I speak, to see me when I am dejected, to walk by my side when I go astray, to show me the way with his presence, for the gift of his presence and his love. For I have found a friend and a brother, for I have never had one in my immortality, not so close to my heart, not so pure and strong in his friendship toward me." It was Thorne's turn to smile and have his eyes glaze over. " Whether this is because of the gods or a higher will, it matters little, but my will to stand by your side is unchanged and ever faithful."

[tiny-librarian]

The dress worn by Louisa, Duchess of Devonshire, when she dressed up as Zenobia, the 3rd-c. Queen of Palmyra, for the Fancy Dress Ball held on 2 July 1897 in honour of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee at Devonshire House.

"...The skirt of gold tissue was embroidered all over in a star-like design in emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, and other jewels outlined with gold, the corners where it opened in front being elaborately wrought in the same jewels and gold to represent peacocks' outspread tails. This opened to show an underdress of cream crepe de chine, delicately embroidered in silver, gold, and pearls and sprinkled all over with diamonds. The train, which was attached to the shoulders by two slender points and was fastened at the waist with a large diamond ornament, was a green velvet... and was superbly embroidered in Oriental designs introducing the lotus flower in rubies, sapphires, amethysts, emeralds, and diamonds, with four borderings on contrasting grounds, separated with gold cord. The train was lined with turquoise satin. The bodice was composed of gold tissue to match the skirt, and diamonds, and the front was of crepe de chine hidden with a stomacher of real diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Jewelled belt. A golden crown incrusted with emeralds, diamonds and rubies, with a diamond drop at each curved end and two upstanding white ostrich feathers in the middle, and round the front festoons of pearls with a large pear-shaped pearl in the centre falling on the forehead." (The Times, 3 July 1897, p 12c).

The headdress on the mannequin is a modern reproduction, as the original has been lost.

[alj4890]

And Then I Left You

(Thomas Hunt x oc*Amanda) in a “what if” version to the RCD/TRR fan fic And Then I Met You Series

@krsnlove ​​​ @my-heart-beats-for-ya ​ @aworldoffandoms ​​ @flyawayboo ​​  @trappedinfanfiction ​​  @sophxwithers ​​ @twinkleallnight ​​

Masterlist

Chapter 12 A Little Too Revealing

Cordonia's oldest Cathedral...

"Thomas!" Ana held her microphone out towards him. "Will you answer a few questions?"

Bracing himself, he left his group of friends and walked over to her. Cameras flashed around him as he stood alone before the reporter.

Ana smiled at him. "Tell us, what have you thought of Prince Liam's social season?"

"It's been interesting." He put his hands in his pockets. "It truly has been a once in a lifetime experience."

"We know how close you are to the Duchess of St Orella." Ana continued. "In your opinion, what kind of queen do you think she would be if chosen?"

He hesitated. "Well, I..." He noticed carriages coming down the street. "I think Cordonia would be fortunate to have her." A half smile formed on his lips. “Any man would be lucky to find himself marrying her.”

"Do you think her chances--" Ana turned around. "The first of the nobles are arriving! The Duchess of Lythikos's carriage is the first to stop. Her grace is wearing a..."

Thomas, along with those from Hollywood quickly made their escape when the reporters were distracted with the arriving court guests.

"Phew." Addison nearly sagged with relief once inside. "Those questions were getting hard to answer."

"One of the reporters asked me if I thought Amanda's work ethic pointed toward queenly behavior." Ryan rolled his eyes. "Because I as a movie star know all about ruling a European nation."

Holly snorted while pushing him further inside. "You barely recognize the hierarchy of a film studio much less local governments’."

"Which makes me the perfect person to ask questions like that to." He teased.

"Do reporters expect us to say, no?" Matt asked. "Who wouldn't say their friend would be Liam's best choice?"

Thomas remained quiet while the group expressed their opinions. He led them up a flight of stairs where Liam had secured them seats for the coronation.

Their view was perfect to see not only where the nobles would be sitting but also of the dais where the crowning would take place. While they waited on the ceremony to begin, they were able to admire the vaulted ceiling and sheer majesty of the large cathedral. Stain glass windows shimmered in the early morning sunlight. The Cordonian oak pews glowed golden from the high polish they had been given for today's historic event.

"There's Olivia!" Addison pointed out. "Look at her dress! It's gorgeous!"

"It looks like something from the Middle Ages." Holly leaned forward to get a better look.

Olivia's blood red gown was long and flowing, reminiscent of the formal wear her ancestor Zenobia had worn during Queen Kenna's wedding. Her look was complete with her tiara of rubies and diamonds.

Following behind her was Rashad dressed in a tuxedo and white gloves. His house crest along with other highly honored medals House Domvallier had earned throughout history glittered upon his chest.

Another duke they had only seen at an event or two walked with his family, all in finery from some bygone era, towards the front of the sanctuary.

"I wonder when Amanda will--" Shannon nudged Chris. "There she is!"

Thomas finally saw his duchess walk down the aisle. He was once again spellbound by how regal Amanda appeared.

Like Olivia's, her gown harkened back to a time where gowns had a flowing train to her floor length full skirt. Upon her head sat the tiara she had worn for her ball. The blue diamond necklace and bracelet that had been given as betrothal gifts for the very first duchess of St Orella twinkled under the lights. Her dress was in the rich royal blue color with dainty silver embroidery along the scooped neckline, puffed sleeves, and edge of her skirt. Her arms were encased in elbow length white gloves.

What really stood out though to Thomas was her. Amanda's posture was straight. Her chin lifted just high enough to denote her lofty stature within the Cordonian Court. Her graceful walk down the aisle was complete with a deep curtsey, hand over her heart, and head bowed to Constantine and Regina.

When she then slipped into the pew that her ancestors before her had sat for every other coronation, she lifted her eyes to his.

The hint of softening around her lips made his own curve with pride. He didn't know how she managed to keep surprising him with these different facets to her character. It was sometimes difficult to picture the woman he had come to know with the new visions that she paraded before him.

His thoughts drifted over the last couple of weeks. They had decided to not tell any of their friends about their engagement, save for Liam. They worried over Maxwell and Addison possibly letting it slip. They knew how excited the two would be and how they would want to start planning the wedding.

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

A few days after the ball at St Orella...

"What are you working on?"

Thomas leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes when he felt Amanda's lips brushing against his neck.

"A list of shots I want to try with certain scenes." He tugged her around to sit in his lap. "I didn't think you'd be free this evening."

"I thought," she went back to kissing his neck, "that you might be interested in knowing that we are actually alone."

"We are?"

"Uh huh." She smiles against his skin. "Drake, Olivia, and Liam went on to Ramsford early. Holly and Addison dragged Ryan out to go visit with Chris and Shannon." She lifted her head and met his heated gaze. "We're the only two left."

He kept the argument to himself that there were still servants in her home, but he reveled in the fact that they were once more without any interruption from either a good meaning friend or a needy noble.

"However will we entertain ourselves?" She teased, biting down on his earlobe.

Thomas captured her lips in a kiss. He pushed his notes off the desk he had been using and set her upon it. His attention was snatched away from her when he remembered the study door.

"I locked it." Amanda held the key up.

Thomas noticed his ring twinkling in the early afternoon sunlight on her finger. He loved that she persisted in slipping it on whenever she could.

He surged forward to kiss her again.

"You know," he kissed down her neck, "we should probably use this time to discuss our wedding."

"You want a wedding?" She eased back some.

"Don't you?"

"I don't know. Nobles try to outdo each other with their weddings and parties leading up to it. The romance of the moment is overshadowed by all the pomp and circumstance." She shrugged. "I always thought it would be more romantic to elope."

He sat back down and pulled her back in his lap. "I thought you would want a church wedding."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "I suppose that would be nice if I had it at the St Orella chapel. But you probably need something bigger, don't you?"

"Why would I need something bigger?"

"Isn't that what Hollywood royalty do?” She teased. “ Make weddings more extravagant and impossible to replicate?" 

He leveled a playful warning glare upon her. "You are walking a very fine line right now."

Her smile grew. "Me? But I'm only trying to appease your fans and counterparts." She pretended to ponder the problem. "I suppose we could use the capital's cathedral and host the reception on the beach. Naturally we will let the press fightover who gets to take the first photos of us--"

She started laughing and trying to escape him when he began to tickle her.

"Stop!" She said between giggles. "I'll keep the guest list to just five hundred." She squirmed when he increased his efforts. "Thomas!"

"What was that about a guest list?" He grinned when she snuggled against him to make him stop. His arms settled around her once more.

"What kind of wedding do you want?" She asked once she had caught her breath.

"Whatever will make you happy." He gently brushed her hair back from her face. "If eloping is what you want, we'll go whenever and wherever you wish."

"Really?" She looped her arms around his neck. "You wouldn't mind it being just the two of us?"

"Amanda, since I met you I have tried to keep it just the two of us." He grumbled. "Do you honestly believe I would purposefully make us have to play host to people?"

She laughed softly. "I suppose not."

A tender smile formed on his lips. "I rather like the thought of it being just the two of us when we say our vows."

"I do too." She sighed into the sweet kiss he gave her. "I know Maxwell will be heartbroken not being my Man of Honor, but I would prefer us being alone." She rested her head on his shoulder again. "We could elope at one of my other estates."

He looked down at her in surprise. "What other estates?"

"I have one in Italy, near Lake Como and one in the Scottish Highlands."

"Are they as big as this one?"

"No. The castle in Scotland only has twenty guest rooms.” She grinned at his shock. “And the Lake Como villa is quite small. Only twelve guest rooms."

Thomas marveled at her. She seemed so content with the simplest of things and yet she had all this wealth that he never imagined.

"Which would you like to be married at?" She prodded.

"I'll leave that up to you." He cuddled her close. "Just as long as it is as soon as possible."

Her eyes widened. "You don't want to wait until the end of filming?"

"No." He kissed her once more. "I do ask that we wait on a honeymoon until the film is complete, but I would marry you today if we could."

"Thomas." She kissed him again. "I wish we could."

Her smile formed with a thought. "We could elope after the Coronation Ball."

"We could?"

She nodded.

"Then that's what we'll do." He felt his anxiousness dissipate now that they had a date set.

He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen to ruin the luck they had in being together.

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

The Royal Palace, Coronation Ball...

"We are mere minutes away from King Liam announcing his choice for Cordonia's new queen." Ana smiled into the camera. "It has been nothing but excitement since this morning's coronation." She paused and nodded. "And now the King Father and Queen Mother have taken the stage."

The camera zoomed in on the royal family.

"Honored Guests" Constantine beamed out at the crowd. "This is a great day for Cordonia. In all my years as your monarch, I have never been more certain than I am in the type of king Liam will be." He turned toward his son. "I know it came a s a surprise to many when..."

While Constantine discussed how Leo's abdication turned into something good, Thomas eased toward the back of the ballroom.

Amanda was standing near one of the glass doors leading outside. As the King father continued to drone on, her attention drifted to what would happen once Liam named Riley as his queen.

The plan was to sneak out after Liam’s announcement. Her private plane and staff were waiting at the hangar and would fly her and Thomas to Scotland where they would elope. By this time tomorrow night, she would have taken the first step into a future she had only dreamed of. 

She sighed softly to herself. After the coronation, she had been required to dine with her fellow nobles and royal family. This evening, she had completed the last of the suitor event of dinner and giving Liam a gift. There had been no time spent with Thomas. She had searched the ballroom for him, but had been caught in numerous conversations about Liam becoming king.

Just as the worry set in that Thomas might have had second thoughts about their elopement, he settled beside her, causally leaning against a nearby column.

"How much longer?" He whispered.

She barely lifted her shoulder. "I'm not sure. The way Constantine keeps talking, it is almost like he is stalling the final tradition in Liam being king."

Thomas noticed the worry that briefly appeared in her face. He moved closer to her and took her hand. She squeezed it before keeping their clasped hands hidden within the folds of her skirt.

He felt his ring on her finger and couldn't help but be touched that she refused to go without it tonight.

"Are you nervous?" She whispered.

"About what?"

"About eloping?" She tilted her head up and smiled at him.

"Not at all." He had to stop himself from lowering his head and capturing her lips in a kiss. "Are you?"

"I think I'm more excited than anything else." Amanda replied. "Won't everyone be so surprised when they--"

Liam raised his voice as he spoke before the court, silencing all conversations. He spoke about the great honor he felt in being Cordonia's new ruler and how proud he was to have found the woman to rule by his side.

His eyes met Riley's as he held his hand out to her. "I choose Lady Riley Brooks of House Beaumont to be my wife."

The reporters that had been allowed in the ballroom quickly added their commentary to this development. Cameras flashed as the young king beamed at his intended.

The moment Riley joined him, phones began to chime and vibrate.

Murmurs broke out around them.

"No!"

"She wouldn't!"

"Is this for real?"

"I knew it!" Madeleine said a bit louder. "I knew that they were hiding something!"

"Thomas!" Addison rushed over.

Holly followed along with Drake and Maxwell.

"What's wrong?" He demanded when they each seemed to be worried.

Maxwell grimaced and handed his phone over to him.

The director took one glance at the set of images and cursed. Someone had caught him and Amanda locked in a passionate embrace at Applewood. The images that followed were of them taking their clothes off as he kept her against a door, kissing down her body.

Amanda covered her mouth. She began to shake her head at their secret being revealed in such a manner. "We were so careful and--"

"Lady Bridgerton, the king father demands a word with you." Bastien appeared at her side and took her arm. His gray eyes narrowed on Thomas. "He also requests your presence as well, Mr. Hunt."

Olivia and Nadia appeared, blocking his path.

"Is she under arrest?" Nadia asked.

Olivia glared at the guard. "Unhand her! She isn't some petty thief off the street. She is a respectable duchess of his majesty's court."

"Hmph." Madeleine couldn't resist worming her way over. "Amanda's worse than a thief. I wouldn't be surprised if she's stripped of her title and lands. She betrayed King Liam by not remaining true during his search."

Amanda paled at the thought of bringing such shame to her family's name and memory. She was grateful for the first time in her life to be the last remaining Bridgerton. She wouldn't have been able to face her uncle and parents. After all they had taught her about the importance of her rank, she had ignored it all simply because she had fallen in love.

Olivia began to argue with Madeleine while Bastien pulled Amanda along.

"Please everyone!" Liam shouted. "This is all a misunderstanding that I can easily clear up."

Constantine and Regina were whispering to Liam. He held his hand up, shushing them once Amanda and Thomas were brought before them.

Constantine seemed more confused than angry.

"I think we should speak privately to them." Regina whispered once more.

Liam called the press over and began to explain to them that these pictures were his own fault.

"What?" Constantine stuttered. "These pictures were not taken because of something you did."

"No, but I am the one to matchmake Thomas to Lady Amanda."

More surprised gasps and cameras clicking filled the air.

"I found out before my season began that Lady Amanda had developed feelings for Mr. Hunt." Liam smiled at the reporters as they hung on his every word. He used all his charm to keep their attention focused on him in this moment. "I knew out of her loyalty to our country and our close friendship that she would ignore her heart and take part in being a suitor."

He then explained about his trip to Hollywood before the season started.

"Thomas admitted to me that he was in love with Lady Amanda. That was the reason I invited him to join us for the entire season. I encouraged them both to pursue one another in secret since she had already stated in an interview that she was taking part as a suitor." He smiled warmly at them. "I am pleased to announce, though I know they intended to do so tomorrow," he leaned in and whispered loudly for the reporters' sake, "you'll have to forgive me for I can't wait to share your news." He cleared his throat. "Though I wish I could take credit for what occurred during the St Orella ball, Mr. Hunt proposed marriage to the Duchess of St Orella." Liam raised Amanda's left hand. "And she said, yes."

Cameras flashed and reporters were thrusting their mics toward the two couples while shouting out questions.

"Was it difficult to keep secret, your grace?"

"King Liam? Will you and Lady Riley marry before they do?"

"How did he propose?"

While the couples weathered through the questions, Constantine called a halt to it.

"We will answer all tomorrow." He stated. "Now the King and his," he paused for a moment as he met Bastien's concerned expression, "intended must share a waltz to commemorate their engagement."

Liam lifted Riley's hand to his lips as he guided her toward the dance floor.

Once they were dancing, Constantine hissed that he wanted to speak to Amanda and Thomas immediately.

Gripping each other's hand, the couple followed him out of the ballroom.

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

"Follow them." Olivia pushed Drake towards the direction Amanda and Thomas were. “Something about these images is suspicious.”

Drake cleared a path through the crowd for the two of them. He reached back behind him and held her hand when they hit a tight pocket of slightly inebriated nobles.

When they made it to the other side, they continued to hold hands as they rushed down the hallway.

"Where did they go?" He whispered.

They heard raised voices coming from a nearby doorway and crept near it.

After checking to make certain no one was around, they pressed their ears to the door.

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

"...utterly disgraceful the way you deceived us all!" Constantine yelled. "Never in all my years as king have I ever encountered a more self-serving noble than you, Lady Amanda. If it were left up to me, you would be stripped of you title and lands then banished from Cordonia."

Thomas stepped in front of Amanda. "She is the least self-serving noble you have, save for Liam."

He didn't bother to mask his own anger at the former king. Seeing Amanda silent with her head bowed in shame struck a chord within his heart. He never wanted to see her like this when she was innocent of any wrongdoing.

He felt Amanda slip her hand back within his as she stepped up beside him.

Her head remained bowed as she spoke.

"Sir, I never intended for this to happen. I knew deep down that I was never the right person to be queen when Liam first spoke about my being a suitor. With my feelings for Thomas," she turned toward him, "I planned on seeing what could come from it after the social season was through."

Thomas let go of her hand so that he could slip his arm around her.

She settled against his side as he explained that he too had planned on revealing what was in his heart as soon as he could.

Before Constantine could lash out at their total disregard for tradition and duty, Liam stepped in.

Amanda caught a glimpse of Olivia and Drake peeking inside right as the door was shut.

The delighted, genial expression Liam had worn throughout the ball had disappeared completely. A cold fury had taken its place.

"Having a meeting without me?"

His father bristled his clip tone and lack of deference.

"I will have many meetings without you, Liam." Constantine snapped. "I am--"

"No longer king." Liam finished for him. "Since I am now, you will answer a question." He squared his shoulders and stared down Bastien and his father. "Why were pictures taken of Lady Riley's room at Applewood?"

Amanda and Thomas looked back and forth between Bastien lowering his head in shame and Constantine becoming red with fury.

"How dare you speak--"

"I demand you answer me!" Liam commanded. "You have lost the right to chastise me about this." He leaned forward. "I couldn't help but notice your attempt to delay my choice of Queen. Those photographs were taken over a month ago. No reporter would sit on such a scandal of two famous individuals all this time." His voice lowered to a tone that sent chills down their spines. "Given how thorough Bastien is with security and how involved you were with guest rooms, I know you had something to do with this."

Constantine huffed before slumping down into a chair. He dropped his head in his hands for a moment.

"Liam, you know why your choice for queen is so important. You will be left on your own soon and I--"

"And one would think that my father would want me to be with the person who eases my burdens as ruler." Liam snapped.

There was no sympathy as he settled his furious gaze upon his sire.

"Don't make me repeat myself." He ordered. "Why was Lady Riley's room photographed?!"

"You showed such favoritism to her." Constantine explained. "I don't have time to wait around and see if she could learn all that she needs to." He gestured weakly towards Amanda. "Either she or Madeleine would be able to transition to the rank better than some American waitress that you developed a crush on."

Liam's hands fisted. "What was the photographer supposed to capture?"

Bastien cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Lady Riley and Lord Tariq."

Liam blinked. "How?"

"One of the ladies of the court was encouraged to tell Lord Tariq that Lady Riley secretly had feelings for him yet was too shy to act upon them."

Amanda gasped. "That's why he tried to come into the room!"

"And that's why there was no lock." Thomas grumbled. "It was all to entrap two innocent people in scandal so that Liam would be forced to choose a Cordonian noble."

Constantine glared at him. "Yes. And just what were you two doing in Lady Riley's bedroom?"

Liam stepped in front of his two friends, redirecting his father's ire towards himself. "Amanda knew how I felt about Riley and encouraged me to spend more time with her to make certain this lifestyle as a royal was something she wanted. She and Riley switched rooms each night so that I could have evenings with her alone and away from court." His eyes narrowed. "Since you had been so gracious to place Amanda in the room next to mine, it made our clandestine meetings much easier."

"I see." Constantine deflated once more over his plan failing.

"Now then." Liam turned so he was addressing them all. "I think I've managed to keep scandal away from Amanda for the time being." He grimaced somewhat. "But in order for it to last, the world needs to see the two of you planning a wedding."

Thomas's lips parted to explain their elopement plans. He paused when he felt Amanda subtly squeeze him.

"When should we have it?" She asked, resigned to the fact that she was left with little choice.

"Two weeks." Liam replied. "Then my wedding to Lady Riley will follow two weeks after yours." He shook his head. "I know you don't need anymore pressure, but this needs to be as romantic as it can possibly be. The world has seen you choose Thomas over me and they will expect an epic love story for doing so."

[tasksweekly]

[TASK 193: SIERRA LEONE]

There’s a masterlist below compiled of over 280+ Sierra Leonean faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. If you want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever faceclaim or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags, @ mention us or send us a messaging linking us to your post!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

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PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

F:

Anna Maria Horsford (1948) Afro-Antiguan [including Limba Sierra Leonean] / Afro-Dominican - actress.

Ellen Thomas (1956) Sierra Leonean - actress.

Regina Taylor (1960) African-American [including Mende Sierra Leonean, Kru Liberian] - actress and playwright.

Judith Jacob (1961) Sierra Leonean - actress.

Neneh Cherry / Neneh Karlsson (1964) Sierra Leonean / Swedish - singer-songwriter.

Titiyo / Titiyo Yambalu Felicia Jah (1967) Sierra Leonean / Swedish - singer-songwriter.

Rakie Ayola (1968) Sierra Leonean / Nigerian - actress.

Kéllé Bryan (1975) Sierra Leonean - actress and singer.

India Arie (1975) African-American [including Mende Sierra Leonean, Kru Liberian, Fula Bissau-Guinean] - singer-songwriter.

Ava Vidal (1976) Sierra Leonean / Afro-Dominiquais, Afro-Barbadian - actress and comedian.

Sarah Culberson (1976) Mende Sierra Leonean - actress, dancer, public speaker, writer, and philanthropist.

Isata Mahoi (1979) Sierra Leonean - actress and radio host. 

Mamadee / Mamadie Wappler (1979) Sierra Leonean / German - singer-songwriter.

Khady Black / Khadyjah Fofanah (1980) Mandinka Sierra Leonean - musician.  

Nzinga Blake (1981) Sierra Leonean - actress.

Cleo / Cleo Higgins / Cleopatra Higgins (1982) Sierra Leonean - actress, singer-songwriter, and dancer.

Di'Ja / Hadiza Blell (1982) Krio Sierra Leonean / Hausa Nigerian - singer-songwriter.

Tiana Benjamin (1984) Sierra Leonean - actress.

Michelle Ackerley (1984) Sierra Leonean - tv presenter.

Tyrilla Gouldson (1984) Sierra Leonean - Miss Sierra Leone 2008.

Sylvia Barrie (1986) Sierra Leonean - model and tv personality.

Mariama / Mariama Jalloh (1986) Sierra Leonean / German - singer-songwriter.

Kadija Diamond Jalloh (1986) Sierra Leonean - actress.

Amina Kamara (1987) Sierra Leonean - model and Miss West Africa 2008.

Fatmata Turay (1987) Sierra Leonean - model and Miss Sierra Leone 2007.

Shireen Benjamin (1988) Sierra Leonean - model and Miss West Africa 2009.

Kiza Deen (1988) Sierra Leonean - actress and singer.

Stephanie Levi-John (1988) Sierra Leonean / Afro-Jamaican - actress. 

Larissa Wilson (1989) Sierra Leonean - actress.

Hawa Kamara (1990) Sierra Leonean - Miss Universe Sierra Leone 2016. 

Elizabeth Lejonhjärta (1990) Sierra Leonean, Gambian, Senegalese / Sami, Tornedalian, Swedish - model, social media personality, blogger, and writer.

Victoria Lejonhjärta (1990) Sierra Leonean, Gambian, Senegalese / Sami, Tornedalian, Swedish - model, social media personality, blogger, and writer.

Jasmine Tookes (1991) African-American [including Sierra Leonean, Nigerian], Barbadian, Brazilian, Irish, English - model.

Dominique Jackson (1991) Sierra Leonean - actress and singer.

MYRA / Regina Tucker (1994) Sierra Leonean - rapper-songwriter.

KABBA / A*M*E / Aminata Kabba (1994) Sierra Leonean - singer-songwriter.

Minish / Minish Swaray (1995) Sierra Leonean - singer-songwriter and footballer.

Salem Koussa / Lemy (1995) Sierra Leonean / Lebanese, Italian - instagrammer. 

Mabel / Mabel McVey (1996) Sierra Leonean, Swedish / Scottish, English - singer-songwriter.

Marie Esther Bangura (1997) Sierra Leonean - model and Miss Universe Sierra Leone 2018.

LifeWithJerry (1998) Sierra Leonean - youtuber.

Estella Daniels (?) Sierra Leonean - actress and dancer.

Kira Madallo Sesay (?) Sierra Leonean / Russian - actress, producer, and writer.

Sarah Niles (?) Sierra Leonean - actress.

Wendy Bangura (?) Sierra Leonean / Indian, Lebanese - actress and producer.

Alberta / Alberta Sheriff (?) Sierra Leonean - singer.

DJ Omu (?) Sierra Leonean - DJ.

Kiva Hewett (?) African-American [including Limba Sierra Leonean, Bissau-Guinean] / Unspecified White - singer-songwriter, actress, and producer.

Yalissa Kargbo (?) Sierra Leonean - model and former pageant queen. 

Marita Massaquoi (?) Sierra Leonean - actress.

Antonia Sevalie (?) Sierra Leonean - model (instagram: salonebeauty_). 

Marjo Bona (?) Sierra Leonean - dancer and choreographer.

Heyden Adama (?) Sierra Leonean - musician and actress. 

Eva Khyne-Sam (?) Sierra Leonean - model. 

Valerie Bah (?) Sierra Leonean - model. 

Clara Sesay (?) Sierra Leonean - model. 

Rebecca Arthur (?) Sierra Leonean - singer. 

Star Zee / Linda Samai (?) Sierra Leonean - singer. 

Naomi Kay (?) Sierra Leonean - model, actress, and Miss Rainbow SL.

Fareda Johnson (?) Sierra Leonean - model.

Masakatstyle (?) Sierra Leonean - model.

Isat (?) Sierra Leonean - singer (instagram: officialisat).

Abena (?) Sierra Leonean  - singer (instagram: abenastar_).

Mselliss (?) Sierra Leonean - instagrammer. 

Zainab .O. Sheriff (?) Sierra Leonean - instagrammer. 

Zenobia (?) Sierra Leonean  - model (instagram: zenobia16).

Rosaline Thembizwa Kanneh (?) Sierra Leonean, South African  - model.

Rae Rogers (?) Sierra Leonean  - instagrammer (only_one_rach). 

Rubie Timbo (?) Sierra Leonean, Fula, Temne - model.

Foxy (?) Sierra Leonean, Ghanian - model (instagram: abi_adjuah_). 

Enid Jones-Boston (?) Sierra Leonean - Miss World Sierra Leone 2019.

F - Athletes:

Julia Armstrong (1959) Sierra Leonean - runner.

Emiliya Turey (1984) Sierra Leonean / Russian - handballer.

Eunice Barber (1974) Krio Sierra Leonean - heptathlete and long jumper.

Ola Sesay (1979) Sierra Leonean - long jumper.

Ebony Hoffman (1982) African-American [including Sierra Leonean] - basketball player.

Katerina Keyru (1988) Sierra Leonean / Russian - basketball player.

Jeneba Tarmoh (1989) Sierra Leonean - sprinter.

Hafsatu Kamara (1991) Sierra Leonean - sprinter.

Isatu Fofanah (1993) Sierra Leonean - sprinter.

Marissa Kurtimah (1994) Sierra Leonean - sprinter.

Michaela DePrince (1995) Sierra Leonean - dancer.

Maggie Barrie (1996) Sierra Leonean - sprinter.

Napheesa Collier (1996) African-American [including Sierra Leonean] - basketball player.

Bunturabie Jalloh (1998) Sierra Leonean - swimmer.

M:

Louis Gossett, Jr. (1936) African-American [including Sierra Leonean, Liberian] - actor.

Charles Burnett (1944) African-American [including Sierra Leonean] - actor, director, producer, writer, cinematographer, and editor.

Franklyn Ajaye (1949) Sierra Leonean / African-American - actor and comedian.

Tom Joyner (1949) African-American [including Balanta Sierra Leonean] - actor and radio host.

Joe Madison (1949) 7/8 African-American [including Sierra Leonean, Mozambican], 1/8 Unspecified White - actor and radio host.

Steve Ferrone (1950) Sierra Leonean - drummer.

Paul Barber (1951) Sierra Leonean / English - actor.

Howard Hewett (1955) African-American [including Limba Sierra Leonean, Bissau-Guinean] - singer-songwriter.

Isaiah Washington (1963) African-American [including Sierra Leonean] - actor.

Michael K. Williams (1966) African-American [including Mende Sierra Leonean] / Afro-Bahamian - actor.

Bai Kamara (1966) Sierra Leonean - singer. 

Steady Bongo / lansana Sheriff (1966) Mende Sierra Leonean / Mandingo Sierra Leonean  - musician and record producer.

Idris Elba (1972) Sierra Leonean / Ghanaian - actor, rapper, singer, DJ, producer, and writer.

Freddy Will / Wilfred Kanu Jr. (1977) Sierra Leonean - rapper, blogger, and author.

Emmerson Bockarie (1977) Mende Sierra Leonean - singer. 

Daddy Saj / Joseph Gerald Adolphus Cole (1978) Krio Sierra Leonean - rapper.

John Legend (1978) African-American [including Mende Sierra Leonean, Fula Bissau-Guinean], Scottish, Cornish, Welsh, English - actor, singer-songwriter, keyboardist, director, and producer.

Harvey / MC Harvey / Michael Harvey Jr (1979) Sierra Leonean - actor, rapper, tv personality, and former footballer.

Cy Fergusson (1979) Sierra Leonean - actor.

Patrice / Patrice Bart-Williams (1979) Krio Sierra Leonean / German - singer-songwriter, producer, and filmmaker.

N'fa / N'fa Jones / N'fa Forster-Jones (1979) Sierra Leonean / Unspecified White - rapper.

Warren Stacey / Warren Jituboh (1979) Sierra Leonean - singer.

Rickie Haywood-Williams (1980) Sierra Leonean - DJ and tv presenter.

Blood Orange / Lightspeed Champion / Dev Hynes / Devonté Hynes (1985) Sierra Leonean / Afro-Guyanese - singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, cellist, director, and producer.

Adetokumboh M'Cormack (1982) Krio Sierra Leonean - actor. 

Daniel Anthony (1987) Sierra Leonean - actor.

Sampha / Sampha Lahai Sisay (1988) Sierra Leonean - singer-songwriter, keyboardist, percussionist, and producer.

MB Salone / Mohamed Bailor Barrie (1990) Sierra Leonean - musician.

Kainawa / Matthew Ganda (1990) Sierra Leonean - singer and producer.

Naji Basma (1992) Sierra Leonean / Lebanese - actor and dancer.

Maxsta / Ian Koromah (1995) Sierra Leonean - rapper.

Cali Cal / Kalvin Kosha / Calvin Fitzgerald (1995) Sierra Leonean - actor and singer-songwriter.

Musa Goba (1996) Sierra Leonean - actor.

Josephus Conteh (1997) Sierra Leonean - singer.

Weah Bangura (1998) Sierra Leonean - model.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason (1999) Sierra Leonean / English - cellist.

Cornelius Macarthy (?) Krio Sierra Leonean - actor and singer. 

Sahr Ngaujah (?) Sierra Leonean - actor and director.

Jonima Diaby (?) Sierra Leonean / Guinean - actor.

Desmond Finney (?) Sierra Leonean - actor. 

Patrick Amara (?) Sierra Leonean - model and actor (instagram: patrickthemodel).

Memsor Kamarake (?) Sierra Leonean - tv personality and celebrity stylist.

Warren Nettleford (?) Sierra Leonean - tv presenter.

Tejay Bah (?) Sierra Leonean / Americo-Liberian - actor, producer, and writer.

DJ Chef / Chefal (?) Sierra Leonean - DJ.

Foday Sillah (?) Sierra Leonean - model and actor (instagam: kingfo101).

DJ WilSAF / Wilmot Selwyn Faulkner (?) Sierra Leonean - DJ and radio personality.

Anis Halloway (?) Sierra Leonean - singer. 

Jimmy B / Jimmy Bangura (?) Sierra Leonean - musician, filmmaker, producer, and entertainer.

T.J. Cole (?) Sierra Leonean / Nigerian - actor, producer, director, and screenwriter,

K-Man / Mohamed Saccoh (?) Mandingo Sierra Leonean - rapper. 

Daniel Lawrence Sesay (?) Sierra Leonean - model. 

Ray Mondo (?) Sierra Leonean - drummer. 

Kevin Bob (?) Sierra Leonean - actor, producer, and screenwriter.

Drizilik / Benjamin Menelik Gorge (?) Sierra Leonean - singer. 

Kevin Ademu-John (?) Sierra Leonean - model and athlete (instagram: kevinbeseolu). 

Delpaneaux Wills (?) Sierra Leonean, Cuban, Unspecified - actor, writer, and model.

M - Athletes:

Billy Boston (1934) Sierra Leonean - rugby player.

John Conteh (1951) Sierra Leonean - boxer.

Danny Wilson (1955) Sierra Leonean / Welsh - rugby player.

Columba Blango (1956) Sierra Leonean - decathlete.

Chris Kamara (1957) Sierra Leonean / English - footballer.

Abdul Mansaray (1961) Sierra Leonean - sprinter. 

Leroy Rosenior (1964) Krio Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Victor Cole (1968) Sierra Leonean / Russian - baseball player.

Mohamed Kanu (1968) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ibrahim Bah (1969) Sierra Leonean - footballer. 

John Keister (1970) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Abdul Thompson Conteh (1970) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Musa Kallon (1970) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ryan Giggs (1973) Sierra Leonean, English / Welsh - footballer.

Leonard Bundu (1974) Sierra Leonean - boxer.

Chris Bart-Williams (1974) Krio Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Denni Conteh (1975) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Clarence Seedorf (1976) Afro-Surinamese [including Sierra Leonean, Maasai Kenyan, Nigerian] - footballer.

Ansu Sesay (1976) Sierra Leonean - basketball player.

Kewullay Conteh (1977) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Faisal Antar (1978) Sierra Leonean / Lebanese - footballer.

Etan Thomas (1978) Afro-Grenadian [including Sierra Leonean] - basketball player.

Bobby Newcombe (1979) Sierra Leonean - American football player.

Mohamed Kallon (1979) Mende Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mustapha Sama (1979) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Roda Antar (1980) Sierra Leonean / Lebanese - footballer.

Alpha Bangura (1980) Sierra Leonean - basketball player. 

Lamin Deen (1981) Sierra Leonean - bobsledder.

Kabba Samura (1981) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Madieu Williams (1981) Sierra Leonean - American football player.

Gibril Wilson (1981) Sierra Leonean - American football player.

Albert Cole (1981) Krio Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Paul Kpaka (1981) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Manny Williams (1981) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Steve Kabba / Sorfitu Kabba (1981) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ibrahim Kargbo (1982) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Carlton Cole (1983) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mohammad Rashid (1983) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Gibril Sankoh (1983) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Aluspah Brewah (1983) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Tyrone Mears (1983) Sierra Leonean, Jamaican / English - footballer.

Malvin Kamara (1983) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mohamed Sillah (1983) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Chauncey Davis (1983) African-American [including Mende Sierra Leonean, Temne Sierra Leonean] - American football player.

Justin Mensah-Coker (1983) Sierra Leonean - rugby player.

Kei Kamara (1984) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Liam Rosenior (1984) Sierra Leonean / Unspecified White - footballer.

Nigel Reo-Coker (1984) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Brima Koroma (1984) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ahmed Deen (1984) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mohamed Sesay (1984) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Victor Keyru (1984) Sierra Leonean / Russian - basketball player.

Albert Jarrett (1984) Krio Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Sallieu Bundu (1984) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ismail Sillakh (1985) Sierra Leonean / Ukrainian - footballer.

B. J. Tucker (1985) Sierra Leonean - American football player.

Alfi Conteh-Lacalle (1985) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Curtis Davies (1985) Sierra Leonean / Irish, English - footballer.

Ibrahima Camara (1985) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Brima Pepito (1985) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Patrick Bantamoi (1986) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Samuel Barlay (1986) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Shaka Bangura (1986) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ibrahim Kabia (1986) Sierra Leonean - sprinter. 

Sheriff Suma (1986) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Michael Lahoud (1986) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Hassan Mila Sesay (1987) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Umaru Bangura (1987) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Alimamy Jalloh (1987) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Solomon Bockarie (1987) Sierra Leonean - sprinter.

Unisa Bangura (1987) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mustapha Dumbuya (1987) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mohamed Kamara (1987) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Al Bangura (1988) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mohamed Kabia (1988) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Alfred Sankoh (1988) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Christian Caulker (1988) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

John Kamara (1988) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mohamed Bangura (1989) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Abdul Rahman Kamara (1989) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mustapha Bangura (1989) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ibrahim Koroma (1989) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mohamed Sanu (1989) Sierra Leonean - American football player.

David Simbo (1989) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Alusine Kamara (1989) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Teteh Bangura (1989) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ola Kamara (1989) Sierra Leonean / Norwegian - footballer.

Moses Barnett (1990) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Israel Sesay (1990) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Rodney Strasser (1990) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

George Wyndham (1990) Sierra Leonean - paralympic table tennis player. 

Bill Hamid / Bilal Hamid (1990) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Solomon Morris (1990) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Will Claye (1991) Sierra Leonean - long jumper and triple jumper.

Sulaiman Sesay-Fullah (1991) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Steven Caulker (1991) Sierra Leonean / Scottish - footballer.

Abdul Sesay (1991) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Lamin Suma (1991) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Charles Mammie (1992) Sierra Leonean - basketball player. 

Abdulai Bell-Baggie (1992) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Victor Oladipo (1992) Sierra Leonean / Yoruba Nigerian - basketball player.

Abu-Bakarr Kargbo (1992) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Khalifa Jabbie (1993) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Charles Banya (1993) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Alhassan Kamara (1993) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Aziz Deen-Conteh (1993) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Thomas Koroma (1993) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Antonio Rüdiger (1993) Sierra Leonean / German - footballer.

Nathaniel Chalobah (1994) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Alie Sesay (1994) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Julius Davies (1994) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Elliot Kebbie (1994) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Josh Siafa (1994) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Amara Darboh (1994) Sierra Leonean - American football player.

Alhaji Kamara (1994) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Fankaty Dabo (1995) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Sahr Senesie (1995) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Glen Kamara (1995) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Sullay Kaikai (1995) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mohamed Buya Turay (1995) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Amadou Bakayoko (1996) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

George Davies (1996) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ibrahim Conteh (1996) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Nate Tongovula (1996) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Kwame Quee (1996) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Osman Kakay (1997) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mustapha Bundu (1997) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Augustine Williams (1997) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Victor Mansaray (1997) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Suleiman Samura (1997) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Jonathan Morsay (1997) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ismail Kamara (1997) Sierra Leonean - sprinter. 

Alusine Fofanah (1997) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Sheka Fofanah (1998) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Frances Tiafoe (1998) Sierra Leonean - tennis player.

Josh Koroma (1998) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Trevoh Chalobah (1999) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Idris Kanu (1999) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Augustus Kargbo (1999) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Ibrahim Kargbo Jr. (2000) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Mohamed Daramy (2002) Sierra Leonean - footballer.

Problematic:

Whoopi Goldberg (1955) African-American [including Mende Sierra Leonean, Balanta Bissau-Guinean, Kru Liberian] - actress, comedian, tv personality, and author. - Supports Roman Polanski, supports Bill Cosby, and slut-shamed Bella Thorne after her nude photos were leaked.

Chadwick Boseman (1977) African-American [including Limba Sierra Leonean, Krio Sierra Leonean, Yoruba Nigerian] - actor and producer. - Misogynoir and rape apologist.

Michael Ricketts (1978) Sierra Leonean - footballer. - Domestic abuse.

[lovemychoices]

Heirs : A Vigilante Series

New Series Coming Soon. (TRR X TRH)

The next generation of the TRR gang. This series will mainly focus on King Liam’s daughter Ruby Rys. By day she is the Crown Princess of Cordonia and by night she is secretly a Vigilante trying to save her city and it’s people who can’t fight for themselves while seeking vengeance on those who wronged her family.

MC Character inspiration : Thea Queen aka Speedy from DC Arrow.

A/N : I have a few HEIRS series in the making, they will all take place in different AUs but I will most likely reuse some of the characters in this first series. I’ve had this idea sitting in my draft file for a few weeks now although the first chapter isn’t quite done. Thank you @ao719 for the Luke Beaumont Face claim 🤣

Pixelberry owns the characters from TRR, all the OCs are mine.

Warnings : This series will be action packed, a little dark, angsty(probably?), Little Nsfw+ish (maybe?) and the occasional fluff. There will be VIOLENCE! If you're reading this series you agree that you are 18 years old and above.

Using tags from Before There Was You Series. If you want to remain on this series let me know. For new comers if you want to ve added let me know as well.

@thecordoniandiaries @leelee10898 @ao719 @annekebbphotography @desiree-0816 @rainbowsinthestorm @emceesynonymroll @the-soot-sprite @carabeth @cora-nova @charliejane-blog @dcbbw @hopefulmoonobject @cmestrella @jlpplays1 @pixieferry @jessicabruno @romanticatheart-posts @gnatbrain @lodberg @kingliam2019

Introduction to the Team

1. Ruby Rys, Crown Princess of Cordonia. 27

Alias: Scarlet Archer

Weapon of choice: Bow and Arrow.

Ruby is the oldest daughter of King Liam Rys of Cordonia. She is kind, fearless and intelligent but also reckless, stubborn and rebellious. Has trouble trusting people even those closest to her but learns to open up more in futher chapters. Has a younger sister Gwen.

2. Derek Nevrakis-Walker. 28

Alias: Mr.Firearms (He doesn’t like it but it’s what the team calls him so he’s stuck with it.)

Weapon of choice: Guns

Derek is a possible love interest for Ruby, he is also her assigned bodyguard. Derek and Ruby have been close friends as kids, he is a year older than her. He Is the second Child of Drake and Olivia. Has two other siblings, an older brother Jackson (Not part of the team) and younger sister Zenobia. He is loyal, daring and protective.

3. Zenobia Nevrakis-Walker. 26.

Alias: Fiery

Weapon of choice: swords, daggers (basically anything with a pointy end.)

Third child of Drake and Olivia. Character traits takes after her mom don’t let that prickly attitude fool you deep down is a sweet marshmallow. Has two older brothers you don’t want to mess with eventhough she can take care of herself. Also best friends with Ruby.

4. Kenji Lee-Nakamura. 27.

Alias: Oversight

Weapon of choice: His mind and also his cool gadgets.

First born of Hana Lee and Akio Nakamura, his father owns his a successful tech company around Europe and Asia. He is very smart, is the teams hacker/engineer (makes cool toys for the team.) He is basically their eyes and ears when they are on a field mission.

5. Luke Beaumont. 22.

Alias: Breakdance

Weapon of choice: N/A

The second son of Maxwell Beaumont, has an older sibling. Character traits like his father, he is always optimistic, an awesome breakdancer and gymnast. Possible love interest for Gwen. Has been in love with her since they were kids but only ever seen as the best friend. Has MMA training and is a tech geek.

6. Gwen Rys, Princess of Cordonia/ The spare. 21.

Alias: Nightingale

Weapon of choice: Batons

Gwen is the second daughter of King Liam Rys, the spare. She is 6 years younger than Ruby. Although she only joins the team later in the story. The Damsel in distress turns Vigilante. While they say her older sister takes a little after her uncle Leo, she takes after her Father the King.

[tornbetween2loves]

Choices

This is a fic based on February prompt 15 “Unrequited Feelings”. I have to thank my bestie @kennaxval for being my proofreader and my go to source for all things TC&TF. For those of you who read my ASWT series, you know that I am a Val stan. But for those of you who also know the premise of my blog “I Can’t Choose” you know that I romanced all the LIs in this series, as I do in all the books. I don’t apologize for my MCs’ thotting ways. Anyway, I feel like TC&TF has some of the best LIs and they all had such strong feelings for Kenna. I wanted to write a fic from each LIs point of view describing how they felt when Queen Kenna did not chose them. Except for Val of course, since she is the chosen one.

Warnings: other than it being a little angsty and a bit of adult suggestion, this fic is rather tame. I would still say it’s not suitable for readers under the age of 18. And there’s a lot of broken hearts happening in this fic, so be prepared.

All characters belong to Pixelberry. I am simply borrowing them.

Word Count: 3,453

I’m just going out on a limb and tagging everyone I can think of. If you don’t like this pairing or this book then please just ignore this fic. But I literally have like 5 people on my TC&TF taglist and I’d love to get this fic a bit more exposure. So please consider reblogging.

@kennaxval @indiacater @carabeth @bella-ca @boneandfur @bobasheebaby @stopforamoment @alesana45 @debramcg1106 @speedyoperarascalparty @drakewalkerwhipped @femmeshep @hhiggs @lizeboredom @pb-boeboe @klaudiana-beaumontkkreal @tmarie82 @katurrade @lodberg @hopefulmoonobject @missevabean @walkerismychoice @eileendannie @museofbooks @jared2612 @h3llostrang3r @ooo-barff-ooo @cora-nova @jovialyouthmusic @gardeningourmet @innerpostmentality @furryperfectionlover @blackcatkita @darley1101 @begging-for-kamilah

I sat and watched the beautiful queens of Stormholt glide across the dance floor in each other’s arms. The smiles and laughter on their faces and the sparkling in their eyes was bedazzling. It was obvious that they were smitten with each other. And I was truly happy for them. I smiled at them as they passed close by me, raising my goblet to them in a toast. Kenna caught my eye and gave me a little wave behind Val’s back. My heart fluttered and my smile faded as they moved away from me. Would she always have this affect on me? I downed the rest of my wine and set the empty goblet on the table in front of me. “Would you like another?” I turned my head and met the soft gaze of Aurynn’s brown eyes. She placed a hand on my arm and I forced a warm smile. She really was a lovely girl, I found her shyness irresistible. And she fell for every one of my charms, not that one could blame her. But she wasn’t her. My heart didn’t long for poor Aurynn as it did for Kenna. I nodded as she stood to fetch me more wine.

I remember the first time I laid eyes on Kenna Rys. It was at the party in Aurelia, her beauty was breathtaking. I was mesmerized by her from the start. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. And maybe it was bold of me, but I told her as such when we first met. I admitted I had been watching her since her arrival. When she joined me for a walk in the gardens later that night my heart skipped a beat. I impressed her enough with the bouquet of flowers I presented to her for her to allow a brief kiss. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I remembered the first time I tasted Kenna’s sweet lips. I still remember the feel of our lips pressed together and my senses were on fire with her taste and smell. I could feel her in my arms, it was as if I were dreaming.

My dream was shattered as I watched Kenna and Val exchange vows. I somehow managed to keep a smile on my face as they pledged their lives to each other, then shared a passionate kiss. I applauded along with everyone else as Val took her wife’s hand and held it in the air with a loud “Whoop!” And I stopped them both on their way back down the aisle to offer my congratulations and a kiss on each of their cheeks. I really did have strong feelings of love and admiration for both of them. But the devastation that settled on my heart was overwhelming. I had lost. I was holding out hope that maybe she would change her mind at the last minute. Maybe if I looked at her with enough love and longing she would realize she was making a mistake. But I was wrong. My love was unrequited. I had to move on.

A light touch on my arm brought me back from my thoughts as I opened my eyes. Aurynn sat down next to me and placed a goblet of wine in front of me. She looked at me with concern. “Are you ok Raydan?” I was suddenly aware of tears streaking my face and I felt foolish. I quickly wiped my tears away and smiled and nodded at the woman in front of me. “Yes, of course I’m ok. I am simply overwhelmed by happiness for my dear friends.” I took a big gulp of wine and stood up, offering my hand to Aurynn. I met her eyes and smiled. “Will you dance with me?” Her face lit up as she grinned and nodded and took my hand. I led her to the dance floor as I pushed my feelings for Kenna down deep and tried to open my heart to the woman in my arms.

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

I sat at the bar and tried not to glance in the direction of the merriment on the dance floor. Everyone was cheering as Queens Kenna and Val shared their first dance together as a married couple. My will power faded as I heard shrieks of Kenna’s laughter filling the air and I had to look. I turned around on my stool to see that Val had dipped Kenna back very low to the ground, her long tendrils brushing the ground. Her smile pierced my heart as I felt myself aching for her. I remember thinking that I might actually have a chance. I thought we shared something special. I opened up to her like I had to no one else.

I remember my heart being in my throat as she approached me after Azura’s defeat. She was smiling at me softly, a look of gratitude in her eyes. I returned the smile and got down on one knee. I awaited her words, wanting desperately for them to be declarations of love. What a great pairing we would make! The union of the Rys and Nevrakis families would certainly be one for the ages. A union of such significance would be so powerful. Together we could rule over the united Five Kingdoms and it would be glorious. And let’s not forget that I was hopelessly in love with this woman. Her beauty knew no rivals. And ever since that day on the airship she had gotten under my skin.

But it was not meant to be. I looked up into her eyes as I kneeled before her, my heart on my sleeve and my eyes hopeful. She smiled and motioned for me to stand. “Please, Diavolos, there is no need to kneel before me. I know your allegiance.” I stood and smiled down at her, eager for her to say she chose me. And in a way, she did. “I want you to rule Abanthus in my stead as co-regent with Zenobia. I feel you are the only one who can keep her in check.” I smiled at her warmly even as my heart sank into the pit of my belly. “Of course. I would be honored.” I bowed my head at her and she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug. “Please, no formalities between us. I feel we are past that.” I nodded and longed to lock my lips on hers. Perhaps I should’ve done just that. I should’ve told her how desperately I loved her and wanted to rule beside her as her King.

The dance ended and everyone applauded and cheered. I smiled and held my hands high above my head as I clapped. Kenna and Val held hands and bowed in several directions. I turned and downed my mug of ale, taking large gulps then I slammed the mug back on the bar and ordered another. I needed to drown out this pain. Why did I come here in the first place? Because even though she loved a good party, Zenobia refused to attend. I found certain things about my sister infuriating. She still showed loyalty to our father, even after his death. And she refused to attend Kenna’s wedding since she killed him. I did not share her views. Abanthus needed to be represented at this event. So here I am. Doing my duty as ruler despite the aching in my chest.

I downed the other mug of ale and ordered another as I tried desperately to push my feelings down deep inside. I needed a distraction. I looked around the bar for someone, anyone who would help me forget this pain. I smiled as I caught sight of a beautiful woman with long golden hair that flowed midway down her back. Her gold gown sparkled in the evening twilight and I found myself mesmerized as I watched her bring her goblet to her mouth and sip her wine. I had always known the beauty of Queen Annelyse, but this was the first time I really took notice. I watched her silently from the other side of the bar, wishing I could be that goblet each time she brought it to her ruby lips.

I must’ve been staring, because I watched her lock eyes with me as she downed the last of her wine and left the goblet on the bar. She smiled and stood up and headed in my direction. My heart pounded so loudly I was afraid everyone could hear. I downed the rest of my ale before she arrived and turned to face her with a wide smile. “You look absolutely radiant tonight. I apologize for staring. I simply could not take my eyes off your splendor.” She blushed slightly and smiled as I took her hand and brought it to my lips. I closed my eyes and breathed in her scent of vanilla and honey as I brushed my lips across her knuckles. She bowed her head then looked straight into my eyes. Her pupils were big and dark and I had a feeling we were both looking for the same thing. “Thank you, Diavolos.” She took my hand and brought it to her chest, laying my palm over her left breast. My breath hitched at the softness of her skin and I shifted to hide my hardening member. “This is not an easy event for either of us is it,” she spoke softly as she held back the tears that were forming in her eyes. I was unable to speak, suddenly overcome with emotion. So many people loved Kenna Rys. So many people were here trying to disguise their broken hearts, just like me and Annelyse. I shook my head slightly as I fought back my own tears.

After a moment, I regained my composure and cleared my throat. The orchestra began playing a new waltz and I smiled at Annelyse brightly. We would get through this evening together. “May I have this dance?” I stood up and bowed to her slightly as I extended my hand. She smiled and placed her hand in mine and I led her to the dance floor.

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

As I watched the lovely Queen Kenna Rys exchange vows with her bride, I couldn’t stop the wave of sadness from washing over me. I had been enraptured with Kenna since our first encounter. It was a lifetime ago, the events that set all of this in motion. The day that Luther Nevrakis killed Kenna’s mother and my father. The day that she saved my life. I swore more than just my allegiance to her that day when I gave her that orb. I returned to rule Fydoria and fought to keep my lands free from Nevrakis rule. The whole time Kenna was never far from my thoughts. I waited to hear from her, waited for her to need my assistance at reclaiming Stormholt. I used the orb a few times over that period of time, which seemed to stretch on longer than 2 years. I used to fantasize about what it would be like once the war was over. I was so sure I could win her affections as she had mine. After all, I was King Tevan Drammir. Fydorian women were throwing themselves at my feet everyday. Everyone knew I would soon need to choose a queen to rule by my side.

But I was buying time. I knew the queen I wanted.

It wasn’t meant to be. I pulled out all the stops. All of my charms, all of my rationalizing, all fell on deaf ears. Kenna only had eyes for Val Greaves. It really was so obvious to anyone who spent any real amount of time with them. I remember on several occasions watching Kenna’s eyes glaze over while I was turning on my charm. I would follow her gaze and it always led to Val.

I smiled and clapped as the beautiful queens made their way back up the aisle, hand in hand. Kenna’s eyes met mine and I nodded and winked. She smiled and winked back. And my heart cracked just a bit more. I was happy for her, truly I was. I followed the crowd out to the courtyard for drinks and dancing. I found the bar and took a goblet of wine, gulping it down quickly. I picked up another and looked around, trying to find someone who could distract me from the beautiful queens as they made their way onto the dance floor. But try as I might, my eyes kept wandering back to them. Their beauty really was overwhelming. I watched as they glided effortlessly across the dance floor, Kenna in her white sparkly gown with her hair falling in tendrils down her back and Val in her red velvet gown, her hair down and flowing over one shoulder. They both glowed with happiness. My breath was taken away by their beauty.

I blinked rapidly to keep the tears from overflowing and took a couple deep breaths. Yes, this day was bittersweet for sure. I was happy my queen found what makes her happy. And yet I was heartbroken that it wasn’t me.

I guess it was time to pick one of those other women. Hopefully there was someone who could help heal my heart.

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

I smiled as I watched the beautiful Queens of Stormholt glide gracefully across the dance floor in each other’s arms. I knew that Val wasn’t really fond of me, I think she just put up with me because of my relationship with Kenna. Which is a shame really, because I think she and I actually have a lot in common. I have to tell myself that that’s why Kenna was initially attracted to Val in the first place. I like to think that Val’s silliness and playful nature reminded her of me. So she was comforting in my absence. Of course this is a scenario created in my own mind, with no basis in reality. But I have asked myself a million times how I lost her. She was the love of my life. I have loved her for as long as I can remember. I still love her now. I will always love her, until my dying breath.

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. I was not going to allow my sadness to show. Kenna would pick up on it immediately and feel bad. I wasn’t going to ruin her perfect day, her perfect happiness. But I couldn’t help trying to pinpoint when and how I had lost. I remember the day we first saw one another after being apart for two years. The time we spent together in the woods just outside of Stormholt castle felt so special. She loved me then. I know she did. I heard it in her voice, saw it in her eyes and tasted it on her lips. What a blissful night that was. But it all went downhill from there. I lost control of myself and in my rage I burned her badly. For the first time, I didn’t trust myself to protect her. I failed her that day. So I left, vowing to train my abilities and not return until I learned to control them.

Perhaps that was my mistake. Maybe I should’ve stayed. I should’ve stayed and shown her everyday how much I loved her. I shouldn’t have left her side ever again. Then maybe she’d be twirling across that dance floor with me instead.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn’t realize someone had sat down next to me. “Quit beating yourself up over your choices, Lowlander. You made the right decision.” I snapped my head up to meet Sei’s eyes. “How can you say that? You don’t know what I’ve lost.” Sei narrowed her eyes at me. “Do you really think I can’t relate to what you’re going through?” I saw the pain in her eyes as I sighed. “No. I know you are probably the only person in the world who understands what I’m going through. I’m sorry. I’m just....” I couldn’t find words. She nodded and grasped my hand.

“I know the decision to leave her and train was difficult to make. And I’m sure it seems like you leaving had pretty dire consequences. But it would have been worse if you had stayed. Believe me, I know.” I looked into her watery eyes, at the pain swimming there. I remember when she first told me about how she killed someone when she was younger, someone who meant a lot to her. It was a mistake, before she learned how to control her magic. And I was always struck by how emotional she got whenever she was even speaking of it in reference. I smiled at her sadly as I reached up and brushed a single tear from her cheek. “You’re right, Sei. It was the right decision.” I looked at Kenna, laughing as Val dipped her backwards close to the ground, and I smiled brightly. It was all worth it to hear her laugh. To see her in the arms of someone else. Because if I had stayed, there’s a good chance I would’ve killed her. My desire to protect her outweighs everything else. If I hadn’t learned to control my magic, I would’ve thrown all of the Five Kingdoms into despair.

I smiled genuinely at Sei as I laced my fingers through hers. “Thank you, Sei. You have an amazing ability to make me feel better.” She smiled at me. I stood up, keeping her hand in mine. “Dance with me Sei. Please?” Her smile faded as she shook her head, but I wasn’t taking no for an answer. I dragged her up to the dance floor and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her close to me.

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

I can’t believe this is really happening. I just married the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Her beauty can not be denied. I couldn’t take my eyes off of hers as I waited anxiously to hear the words I had been waiting for.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

And I did. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to hers, trying to convey all the love I was feeling through my kiss. I deepened the kiss and pulled her close so our bodies were flush. We pulled apart a few moments later, breathless, and turned to face the crowd. I scanned the crowd as I raised our joined hands in the air and let out a whoop! This wasn’t just a wedding celebration, this was a victory. I had won the most wonderful prize. My dear sweet Kenna was the object of many peoples’ affections. I’m not sure if she is aware of the love people have for her, but I sure am. I can see it on the faces of our friends as we make our way up the aisle and out to the courtyard. We stopped at the bar first, I pounded down a mug of ale and handed a goblet of wine to Kenna. She took a sip as we made our way to the dance floor. I twirled her around then wrapped my arm around her waist. She smiled at me. “Are you happy, love?” I chuckled. “Are you kidding me? Happy doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling. I hope I can make you happy. You deserve everything. I want to give it to you.” Kenna smiled warmly as she stroked my cheek. “You have already given me everything I could ever want when you agreed to be my wife.”

I felt my cheeks grow hot as I looked down at our feet. “Are you sure? I feel like there are others who would be happy to give you so much more than what I can offer.” She tilted my head up to look in my eyes again. “That simply is not true. I don’t care what those other people can offer. I only want you. I only love you.” I couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across my face as I kissed her deeply. Then I dipped her back low to the ground, her peals of laughter bringing the greatest joy to my heart. It was easy to see why everyone loved my wife. I can’t believe I’m the one she chose. This beautiful queen picked me, the foul-mouthed, crass, rough-around-the-edges mercenary. I looked around the room at all of the choices she had. A spymaster, a prince, a queen, a king and a childhood friend.

How did I ever get this lucky?

[thotyssey]

Saturday (12.15.2018)

UPTOWN 

BOXERS WH: Zarria Van Wales   Ari Kiki &  DJ Nesto (11pm)

SUITE: Octavia Anyae  (11:30pm)

BOXERS UES: TBA

HELL’S KITCHEN

BOXERS HK: Poker with Butch Cordera (6:30pm);  CAFE CON CREMA Latin dance party (10pm) 

GOSSIP BAR: Gay Geeks of New York holiday party (8pm)

LUCKY CHENGS @ STAGE 48: Phaedra Phaded (8pm)

HARDWARE: Tina Burner  Shuga Cain (7pm);  DJ 2Face with Ruby Roo & Lagoona Bloo (10pm)

SONY HALL: SUPER TRADE circuit party (10pm)

RITZ: DJ Aron (10pm)

ATLAS SOCIAL CLUB: DJ Xavier & Miss Ogeny Tammy Spanx Toys For Tots holiday party (10pm)

CASA / CLUB 51: XTREME circuit party (10pm)

POSH: DJ Kamil (10pm) 

THERAPY: DJ Scott Jones (10pm)

VSBU: Chaka Khanvict (midnight)

EAST SIDE

LIPS: “Glitz & Glamour” (5pm);  “The Dirty Show” (11:30pm)

UNCLE CHARLIES: Piano bar (9pm)

TOWNHOUSE: Live Doo Wop (9pm);   Gogo boys downstairs (10pm)

CHELSEA

REBAR: DJ Natazu (5pm)

BOXERS CHELSEA: RIOT SATURDAYS (9pm)

EAGLE NYC: Saturday party (11pm) 

WEST VILLAGE

ROCKBAR: ARCADE happy hour (3pm); PHUNKTION feat. Will Sheridan with Amazon Tinkerbell & DJ Accident Report (10pm)

PIECES: Heidi Haux with Kendra H Kinx (5pm); Bootsie LeFaris with Jada Valenciaga & Gigi Cutina (11pm)

STONEWALL: Prada G. Major (8pm);  2 floor dance party (10pm)

LE POISSON ROUGE: Bingo with Linda Simpson (7:30pm) 

MONSTER: Holly Dae & the men of SPUNK (10pm)

HENRIETTA HUDSON: DJ Culi (10pm)

HANGAR: DJs Ted Bishop Nieves & Om-Amari (9pm)

EAST VILLAGE

BEDLAM: “A+ Pan Asian Revue” feat. Emi Grate with Kiko Soirée, Agent Wednesday, Petti Cake, Untitled Queen & more (7:30pm);  TANZEN dance party with Deryck Todd (10pm) 

JOE’S PUB: Justin Vivian Bond: Refrigerated (9:30pm)

CLUB CUMMING: Alan Cumming, Daniel Nardicio & Daphne Always with DJs Sammy Jo & Darren Dryden plus Zenobia (10pm)

THE COCK: DJs Kindbud & Aaron Cobbett (10pm)

BEAUTY BAR: DJs Michael T & Twig the Wonderkid (10pm)

NOWHERE: DJ Jeff Jackson (10pm)

PHOENIX: Ari Kiki & Alotta McGriddles with DJ T-Boy & Catrina Lovelace (11pm)

BROOKLYN

BIZARRE: JUMP SHARK open stage (7pm)

METROPOLITAN BAR: DJs Reaubert (9pm);   Frankie Sharp’s METROSENSUAL feat. Scarlet Envy (10pm) 

3 DOLLAR BILL:LOVE PRISM feat. DJ Ty Sunderland with Linux, Ruby Fox & more (10pm)

ROSEMONT: SEXY PARTY 2 feat. Tammie Brown, Crystal Mesh, Queen Robert, Magenta, Baby Love & DJ Bill Coleman (10pm)

CLUB XSTASY: Latin dance party (10pm) 

MACRI PARK: BROWN SUGAR feat. Merrie Cherry & MoMo Shade with Neon Calypso & DJ Ickarus (10pm) 

BOSSA NOVA CIVIC CLUB: DJs Frednzone, Will Automagic, Carlos Sanchez & Kellam Matthews (10pm)

DREAMHOUSE / SPECTRUM: Ova the Rainbow finale (10pm)

DEEP END: HARDER (11pm)

LITTLEFIELD: BE CUTE feat. Horrorchata with Charlene, Serena Tea, Nyx Nocturne, the Salami Sisters & Devo Monique (11pm)

QUEENS

ALBATROSS: Candy Samples (8pm);   Sutton Lee Seymour (10pm) 

ICON: Boudoir LeFleur (10pm) 

NOWADAYS: DJs Lauren Flax & Jasmine Infiniti (10pm)

CLUB EVOLUTION: Latin dance party (10pm)

EL TRIO LOUNGE: Latin party & show (10pm)

NEW JERSEY

PARADISE: Dance party (10pm)

TOPPS LOUNGE: VALE TODO Latin party (8pm) 

FEATHERS: Dance party feat (10pm)

GEORGIE’S: Karaoke (9:30pm)

THE ROYAL: DJ BeBel Viana (10pm)

Full List Here 

[evenstevensranked]

#6: Season 1, Episode 18 - “Movie Madness”

Louis takes a stab at directing a short film in hopes of winning the Sacramento Young Peoples Film Festival and it is absolutely incredible. Not the film, the film is god awful. But Louis’ blatant, unfiltered narcissism -- THAT is something to behold. The subplot follows yet another one of Ren’s attempts to approach Bobby Deaver for the first time but somehow results in some glorious miscommunication between her and recurring character Ivan.

This one opens in history class with a teacher named Todd Zanders who only appears in this one episode. I kinda love this guy and wish we saw more of him. He’s a total hippie and is making the class take “deep, cleansing breaths -- in with the good, out with the bad” when Louis comes running in late and disrupts the peace. Louis is clearly excited about something so Todd pulls the old “why don’t you share with the rest of the class” card, probably hoping that will intimidate Louis and shut him up, but this is Louis Stevens we’re talking about here. Todd technically gave him the floor, so ya know Louis is gonna run with it. He gets up on his chair and announces to everyone that he’s going to be entering his currently non-existent film in the Sacramento Young Peoples Film Festival. 

“I, Louis Stevens, will be entering my film in the Sacramento Young Peoples Film Festival. And after I win first place in the festival and get my million dollar movie deal... I will, sadly, be moving to Beverly Hills to a sprawling ranch home.” -- The narcissism is already in full swing. I love it. I also love that Louis says he’ll be moving to a ranch home because he already stated in Episode 15 that he’s “always liked ranch style!” houses. Good continuity. 

Louis goes on to say he’ll be needing a limo driver, a gardener and even suggests that Todd should be his personal chef. Oh my god. He tells Tawny, Twitty, and Tom to meet him at his house after school to discuss the logistics of the project and its million-dollar plot.

It cuts to the subplot where we meet both Ruby and Bobby for the first time! Ruby is reporting to Ren with her latest gossip column and the two of them end up checking out Bobby Deaver from across the hall. I just gotta include a gif of Bobby’s first appearance because the level of intentional dramatic cheese is hilarious. 

Ren is gushing over Bobby from afar saying things like “He’s so cute. Look at his hair... It’s perfect. Look at his walk! He’s so cool!” and for whatever reason, everyone’s favorite lackey Ivan is within earshot and assumes Ren is crushing on him. He’s flying solo in this episode and I guess this shows us why he’s a hanger-on every other time we see him. Ivan on his own is pretty sad and shy. 

Ivan under the impression that Ren’s compliments are directed at him. 

Ruby inspires Ren to talk to Bobby but warns Ren that she should write down everything she wants to say to him beforehand to ensure their first conversation will be absolutely perfect. We get a bit later on where Ren is in her room trying to come up with an ideal icebreaker and oh my freaking god. This has got to be one of my favorite Ren scenes in the entire series. Good LORD! She imagines how each scenario could play out in her head and I die laughing every time. Two brilliant ideas she comes up with are to walk right up to Bobby and say “Hey, Bobby. Nice belt!” or my personal favorite: “Hey, Bobby! Oh, I wouldn’t try that Salisbury steak if I were you!” The writing on this show is so incredibly random sometimes that it only ever results in greatness. Also “Nice belt!” is so disturbing. She says it in the most suggestive way too. Why are you staring at.. that... region, Ren?! Each ridiculous scenario ends with Bobby making the most irritated and confused face and completely ignoring her... because, I mean... would you know what to say to someone who walks up to you, creepily smiles, and tells you to avoid eating Salisbury steak with no further explanation? 

I just realized that this show often depicts girls as being the first ones to make a move or initiate a relationship, which is kinda cool since we’re pretty much conditioned to sit around and wait. 

After everything, Ren ultimately decides that marching up to him and saying “Hi, Bobby! I have a big crush on you and I just wanted to let you know how I feel!” is the best way to go. 

It cuts to Louis’ room where he’s having that meeting with Tawny, Twitty, and Tom. Once again, we see Louis determined to find his "thing." That’s pretty much what the overall theme of the show originally set out to be. In addition to our lovely bickering siblings, of course. Here, he’s super optimistic that he’s finally found his “thing” in writing/directing. Sweetie!!! Your thing is comedy!! We all know this already!!!! But, still. I really enjoy the idea of Louis constantly searching for something to excel at. He explains to them that “Everyone has their thing. Twitty has his music! You’ve got your poetry! Tom’s got..... his... parents!” HAHA. Poor Tom. 

Louis goes on to brief the gang on the plot of the movie which he describes as “the classic love story about an alien (Tawny) and a cowboy (Twitty).” An instant classic, honestly. Louis truly believes that they’ll “walk in as nobodies, and walk out as stars” after appearing in his movie. Well, everyone except Tom -- who he relegates to the role of his assistant. 

”I see stars.” 

It cuts straight to filming and boy do things really get going now. Louis has transformed part of the living room into a tinfoil explosion, which I’m assuming is supposed to be the inside of a spaceship. (see cover photo.) This episode is FULL of amazing dialogue and quotes from Louis. It’s insane! So, as usual, it’s going to be very difficult for me to not quote every single one. Twitty decided that his cowboy should have giant mutton chop sideburns and speak with an English accent without consulting Louis, Louis gets insulted because “that’s not in the script” -- which Twitty and Tawny haven’t even been given yet. Once they get their scripts, however, they’re confused as to why it’s only one page. Louis, being the informed and gifted director he thinks he is, condescendingly explains “We’re only shooting scene 27 today. We shoot out of order. It’s called filmmaking.” Except everyone knows that films shoot out of order due to the availability and scheduling of the sets/locations and actors, etc. Louis Stevens has only two actors at his indefinite disposal and seemingly one set location. He’s literally shooting out of order for no reason and is completely oblivious. It’s great. 

Louis can’t be bothered with rehearsals, blocking, or any other necessary steps towards making a movie and jumps straight to filming. Tawny is unsure of what he wants her to do because “all that script said was ‘the spaceship lands and the alien looks around.’” Louis has no time for her valid confusion and snaps “THAT’S RIGHT. YOU’RE CONFUSED AND FRUSTRATED. DID YA READ IT?!?!” I love this so much. Louis starts recording and Tawny vents out of character/as herself: “This is ridiculous. I don’t know where I am! I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING!” and Louis praises her ‘performance.’ HAHAHAHAHAHA. 

“GENIUS! THAT IS GENIUS! RIGHT ON THE MONEY, BABE! RIGHT ON THE MONEY!”

I’m not even sure how to review the next part of the episode because the performances truly speak for themselves and I gotta stop myself from typing out a transcript of the whole thing, lol. Basically, Louis goes into full meltdown mode. Freaking out over Tawny saying “Hi, Cowboy” instead of “Hello,” Twitty’s unauthorized addition of a gold tooth for his cowboy, and Ren interrupting a scene. “PEOPLE, THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY. THIS IS A MOVIE. IT’S MY MOVIE. WHICH I WILL NOT LET YOU MESS UP!” He instructs Twitty and Tawny to meet him outside for a saloon scene. Except Louis doesn’t have saloon money: 

Twitty: “Louis! What is this, man? Where’s the rest of the saloon?!” Louis: “CUT! Twitty, it’s a close-up. No one’s gonna see the saloon!! Let’s try it again. But this time, give me a little more.” Twitty: “More what?!”  Louis: “JUST MORE!!!!!!”

-- Louis Stevens, everyone. The greatest director of our time. 10/10 would recommend. 

We get possibly the greatest line in the whole episode when they start filming and a lawnmower revs up as soon as Louis shouts ‘action.’ He cannot believe the audacity of his neighbor and shouts “WHAT IS THAT? WHAT IS THE NOISE?! WHO MOWS THEIR LAWN ON WEDNESDAY?!?!?!” Things only get worse when the sprinklers randomly turn on too. At this point, Louis is #confirmed crazy. 

“TOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I also love Louis’ little toilet paper roll that serves absolutely no real purpose. 

The next day, they move on to filming the big finale scene where Zenobia the Alien takes off in her spaceship, leaving her cowboy lover behind. Louis originally intended for it to take place during a harsh winter blizzard and assigned Tom the responsibility of making convincing snowflakes. Tom shows up with this: 

“TOM, YOU CHOWDERHEAD! I ASKED FOR SNOWFLAKES, NOT DOILIES!”

Louis has no choice but to ditch the blizzard and changes it to “a blazing desert windstorm in the middle of fall.” Okay. Zenobia’s spaceship is a tiny tinfoil thing way up in the trees and Tawny’s like “......how am I supposed to get up there?!” and Tom arrives with a “harness” that’s actually just a freaking elastic luggage rope as if that’s going to handle Tawny’s weight. But Louis assures her “of course it’s safe!!!” because he had Tom test it on a 20-pound sack of potatoes. Sounds legit. 

Is he gonna add that “blazing desert windstorm” in post, or? 

They start filming and sure enough, the “harness” breaks and Tawny falls a good 8 feet to the ground. Louis couldn’t care less though and the gang is D O N E with him at this point. They all quit the project on the spot, leaving Louis to finish the movie himself. Tom was the last one to quit and it’s pretty sad. Louis immediately looks to Tom as a last resort and expects him to step in and help finish the movie, but Tom flat out says “you’re only nice to me when you want something” and Louis has no remorse like “yeah, so?” -- This is the only part of the episode that kills me. But even so, you can tell that Louis is realizing the error of his ways pretty quickly. 

Louis left sad and deserted. “I CAN FINISH THIS MOVIE BY MYSELF!!! .....It’s my ‘thing’.”

Unfortunately, finishing the movie himself includes having to play every role himself as well. Louis is confident that if he shoots at the right angle and disguises his face and voice, no one will be able to tell the difference: “It’s called Movie Magic.”

Ren: “I’m sorry, little three-eyed girl, but do you know where my brother is?”

It cuts back to the subplot. Remember how Ren wrote a hypothetical note to Bobby just to get her thoughts down? Well, she gave it to Ruby to read and Ruby proceeded to stuff it into Bobby’s history textbook without Ren’s permission. Great job, Ruby. Unsurprisingly, Ren is livid. I would be too. Ren is a mess during history class, sweating the moment when Bobby will take out his book. So she crawls on the ground and tries to sneakily retrieve the note from his backpack. This is pretty funny. Her teacher is the same hippie guy, Todd, and this time he’s making Ren’s class do stretches “for knowledge, focus, and concentration.” Once Ren is spotted on the ground lookin’ like a weirdo, she makes up some bogus excuse that she was “squatting for truth!” HAHAHA.

She’s unable to get the note back in time, but amazingly... the note isn’t even in Bobby’s book! Turns out Ivan and Bobby bumped into each other in the hallway earlier and accidentally swapped books in the process. Therefore, the note was delivered to Ivan. You guys know I love a good miscommunication plot. They never fail to make me laugh. Ivan dramatically approaches her later and says “Ren... It needs to end. The looks in the hall, love notes...” I really love Eric Jungmann’s performance here. He’s pretty hilarious and obliviously arrogant, thinking that Ren is in love with him. One thing I never understood was how Ivan could think the note was written for him though? Because I’m SURE Ren must’ve written Bobby’s name somewhere on there! Unless she was keeping it super mysterious for whatever reason. Anyway, Ivan says “Please, Ren. Don’t speak. I’m gonna walk away now. Try not to watch me.” I love it. That’s the end of the subplot. Much like in Surf’s Up, I wish this miscommunication plot had more layers!! 

Ren just stares at him all ~fake-emotional~ and lets him believe what he wants to believe lol.

CUT TO THE FILM FESTIVAL!!! Which takes place at the real-life Vista Theatre in Los Angeles. (Another filming location I’ve added to my bucket list, tbh.) Louis is clearly anxious while waiting around for the festival to kick off and is kinda dreading the ~big premiere~ of his million-dollar movie. He’s sort of standing there rambling random things off to people like ‘have your people call my people!’ and at one point walks alongside a guy and says “yada, yada, yada... let’s just talk about somethin’!” -- Seinfeld reference, anyone?! Crazy to think that the “Yada Yada” episode first aired a mere 4 years before this at the time. I just thought that line was another awesome, subtle thing to throw in and makes for a cool connection to Louis’ Kramer poster. Of course, Louis Stevens would casually quote Seinfeld! I bet it was an ad-lib, honestly. Shia’s the best.

In the end, Twitty, Tawny, and Tom eventually show up in support of Louis and his movie. Louis apologizes for acting like a jerk and Tom even vows to put  “the snowflake incident” behind them. It’s a nice moment before the premiere of what might be the best worst movie ever made, only in competition with Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. 

Let’s just say, “Three Eyes Wide Shut” premiered to... mixed... reviews from the audience. It's very embarrassing. We never actually see the finished product. They only show us a few scenes, which always bummed me out. So I took it upon myself to edit together what “Three Eyes Wide Shut” might’ve turned out like given everything we saw Louis film. And it’s... something:

The intro alone kills me. You know a movie’s gonna be a doozy when the opening credits are typed in Comic Sans. Notice how at the very end Tom mispronounces his own name?! He definitely says “Tom Griblaowski.” Really weird. 

Needless to say, Louis is absolutely mortified by how awful his movie was. He tries hiding by attempting to blend in with some cardboard cutouts in the lobby, but... you can kinda see him there. 

Fun Fact: I was recently binge-watching “That’s So Raven” in preparation for the “Raven’s Home” spin-off, and I was so shocked to discover how many actors they recycled from Even Stevens. Beans, Cynthia Mills, The Asian radio announcer guy, the “Look Smart, Be Smart” instructional tape guy, Beans’ cousin Chris, Mr. Crappizi the school photographer -- the list goes on and on. And if that wasn’t enough... THEY EVEN RECYCLED THESE CARDBOARD CUT-OUTS!!!!!

I DIED LAUGHING AS SOON AS I SAW THIS. Oh my god. I obviously recognized it right away. All of this recycling makes sense though, as both shows were produced by Brookwell/McNamara. But, like... wow. Amazing. After the movie, Twitty and Tom try to make Louis feel better by telling him “You got into the festival, didn’t you?! And they only took the Top 10 entries!” Which would’ve been nice... except Louis explains “Everyone got accepted. There were only 9 entries.” HAHAHAHA. As Twitty and Tom head home, Tawny emerges from the theater and her mind is still reeling from the movie. She’s the only other person on the planet who understood the message Louis was trying to convey which is apparently “feeling like an outsider and wanting to be accepted by your peers.” Yeah, right. 

I always thought it was a nice touch that Tawny wore a green shirt with eyes on it to the premiere of the movie. Definitely feels like a little tribute to Zenobia, lol. 

This is really great though because it sets up Louis and Tawny again nicely. It further establishes that Tawny understands Louis better than anyone else. She got the point of his film when no one else did. She asks if they can watch it again and after they do, all we hear is a sultry voiceover of Tawny saying "I liked it even better the second time" - Oh, God. This always made me really uncomfortable lol. The episode ends with fake “bloopers” from the making of the movie and I can’t deal with it. Interestingly, I watched this episode on TV not too long ago and they cut out Tom's rapid-fire accented quote "Taco burrito, nacho's premio, $1.89 for a limited time, you know what I'm saying?" -- Is that considered offensive or racially insensitive now? I’m assuming. I have no idea but, I thought that was weird and suspicious. 

And that’s it!

I love this episode. So, so much. There’s an aspect to it that is very ahead of its time. Like I mentioned, quality quotes are flying left and right in this one! The humor is ON POINT and the performances are stellar. Especially from Shia! I always say that this is one of the episodes where Louis is at his most ‘Michael Scott.’ There’s just this level of hilariously endearing narcissism that Michael exudes all throughout The Office’s run mixed with that signature dry humor and I get those vibes from Louis so strongly here. It makes me SO HAPPY. I mean, yeah, I usually don’t like it when Louis’ ugly side makes an appearance, but it’s beyond tolerable for me in this one because the plot is just so hysterical. As entertaining as Michael’s narcissism was, it also got him in a lot of trouble as well. Often resulting in very cringe-worthy moments or people resenting him, which we see happen to Louis here. Idk. I just love finding similarities between my favorite shows. This episode also reminds me of when Michael wrote and directed his own terrible movie “Threat Level Midnight.” HAHA. 

I love Ren’s side story, too. It’s one of her stronger/funnier ones for sure. The miscommunication always gets me and the plot is also pretty important because we’re introduced to Bobby and Ruby! I’m ranking this one juuuuust shy of the Top 5 due to it having two separate plots. My Top 5 are all episodes that interweave A and B plots because I feel like Even Stevens just works better that way in general. But, still. That doesn’t take away from how solid this episode is. It literally meets all of my criteria: Personal favorite, quality plotline, quotable dialogue, hilarity, iconicness, overall entertainment value, and there’s even some character development too! So good. 

Thanks for reading!!

Just so y’all know, I actually managed to get “Three Eyes Wide Shut” listed as a legitimate short film on IMDb. I am not kidding. Please feel free to leave a sarcastic review. It’s currently boasting a 6.0. LOL! 

For this episode’s Redbubble design, you can get a reproduction of the Three Eyes Wide Shut theatrical poster!! Omg. This is one of the first things I designed and it’s been sitting in my Redbubble drafts for months. I’m so excited to publish it! haha. The poster can be seen on Louis’ bedroom wall throughout the series! I also made a little “A Louis Stevens Production” design (Comic Sans and poor capitalization and all) with Louis as the MGM Lion, lol. 

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Redbubble 

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Full pics of the ladies

And they have birds!!!!!

[lunarymagic]

Fave Female Characters meme

Rules: list ten of your favourite female characters in different fandoms and then tag ten people

I was tagged by @edgeoflight! <3

I wanted to include my original works but then I realized I would have a hellish of a hard time trying to narrow my faves from my own works, and it's hard enough with fandoms, so...! XD (actually I still did that...check the bottom, hahahahaha!)

As always, I worry these things get long, so I’m using a cut. :D

1. Voltron: Legendary Defender • Allura! Haggar! Pidge! Colleen Holt! (OMG someone give her a hug!) Ryner! I love them so much! :D I told you this will be hard, hee. Oh, and Te-osh! :'D 2. Tolkien's legendarium • Aredhel. Of all the characters I would say Aredhel. I obsess over her a lot. :3 3. RWBY • I fell in love with Ruby Rose first but by now all of Team RWBY and JPNR have my heart. Also Penny because androids and cyborgs are totally my thing! <3 And Glynda Goodwitch because...witch! :D 4. A Redtail's Dream • I love so many of the characters but if I have to settle on one: Paju Kinnunen. I mostly ship Jonna/Riikka (and only recently attempted an OT3 with them and Paju) but I'm just fascinated with writing and exploring her, our little pissed off teacher in training. :D And I think if I can't have Samuli/Hannu then Samuli/Paju would be equally as intriguing. Hummm. But I'm as much intrigued by the older female characters as well: Anu, Åsa, Vuokko, and Kielo. 5. Year in Hereafter • Siiri Harmonsuo! SIIRI SIIRI SIIRI OMG WHAT A FREAKING BADASS MAGE AND THE CURRENT PAGES HAVE MY SCREAMING MY HEAD OFF! I also love Ieva and Inkeri, but...Siiri, man. Siiri. <3 6. Gorillaz • Noodle! <3 Adorable in Phase 1 and so badass by the time of Phases 3 and 4! :D 7. Avatar the Last Airbender / The Legend of Korra • This is so hard to pinpoint...Korra I love, also Toph (I relate to her a lot), I love Mai (because we share a name even if we're polar opposites in personalities! :D ), and Jinora <3 8. Marvel/MCU • Scarlet Witch! Also Kamala Khan because yessss at last Muslim superhero! <3 Also, Gamora, Nebula, and Mantis from the GotG film were awesome <3 (so was Ayesha tbh? She was intriguing! :D ) 9. Giant Robo • nostalgia fandom but whatever...Ginrei <3 but also Sunny the Magician! <3 <3 <3 and Yoshi too! That's...basically all the female characters in the series but you know what? I love this wacky-as-hell canon and had so much fun with it when I was younger! :'D 10. Sailor Moon • Another childhood favorite, but: you know...all of the scouts? XD I think Jupiter was my favorite and I was most like Mercury. But Sailor Moon herself drew me in more and more as time went on, especially as I experienced more in life looked beyond the characters and looked into they stood for. I fell in love with how Moon embodied agape. I just love that theme and it's something that I try to emulate in my own works.

So, umm...in case you're wondering about SOME of the characters I love in my own works, in this tired state I can name: Patrice (always <3 ), Aneidra, Mírchu, Janilla, Kimasabi, Marmala, Daisy Goodfellow, Zenobia, Ruba, the dragon Naranath...um, the Moon Mother herself (yeah, my online handle is based on the central myth figure of my mythos. XD Her name is listed somewhere here...in case you've ever wondered what the text in my side is all about, it's an excerpt from my mythos, written in an ancient tongue. :D Because creating languages are fun!)

I tag: @pyropelove413, @inside-the-mountain, @superheroladies, @eatyourgrapes, @the-wavesinger, @independence1776, @yuuago, @squirrelwrangler, @naryrising, @kainoliero, and anyone else who wishes to do this! <3 :)

[gwaoopa]

sims 4 names list!!

• wow, I actually sat down and did something this tedious? it took me a few days, but the answer is hell yeah !!

• I actually made this a while ago, and finally decided to share it because it’s helpful to have a list on hand.

• heavily inspired by @cupidjuice !!

here it is:

Aero Atlanta Aegis Adair Axel Avian Apricot Ada Alphys Amber Amethyst Arsenic Asa Addie Apple Anna Babe Beige Bunny Benny Bunte Brew Cedar Constantine Cinnamon Charles Cotton Cobalt Courage Cora Clementine Candy Doe Dehva Dawn Decha Dorothy Dandelion Dottie Dajh Duckling Ehris Ella Eveire Effie Emma Eona Evyl Eva Ezra Eicca Eliza Eva Fawn Ferris Fae Finn Fehl Gihng Ghidol Garrison George Gideon Gecha Gihntom Holly Hymn Heidi Hyphen Herman Harriet Honeydew Henry Hope Heliotrope Indiana Indigo Ivihs Imogen Ivory Iola Isolde Isotope Juniper Jem Jhidol Juliette Jane Josie Jana Kahlie Karyotope Keilani Keht Kahl Lake Lehtrom Leihla Lilac Lily Lydia Lucy Lizzie Maroon Margot Miles Mikado Mustard Mary Malachite Maple Nova Nyx Nyra Navy Nihva Oak Oscar Opal Ochre Ophelia Olive Orchid Odelia Odiane Odyssey Oralie Pumpkin Peach Plum Pine Polly Pearl Peanut Periwinkle Penelope Paige Paisley Persephone Patience Quella Qiana Qadira Qihtom Qunwa Raine Riley Rae Ruby Robin Reagan Sundae Sabrina Sally Sazh Sangria Tamryn Teagan Tony Tristen Thyme Tait Tangerine Umbre Urie Undyne Ursula Uminah Vehn Vanille Valentino Valiant Vasyl Vega Willow William Wenge Walden Wayne Winter Wysteria Wren Walter Xanadu Xavier Xena Xhosa Xio/Xia Xylum Xiomara Yvonne Yan Yhara Yuka Yihmon Zehta Zain Zelda Zenobia Zach Levi + Elizabeth Roger + Catherine

p.s. the names at the end are tacked on together bc I got those from a cemetery! and they were married couples! so I decided to put + and add them 2gthr so that I never make them apart :-)

feel free to send me suggestions!

[ceridwenofwales]

Zenobia: Ceridwen, I'm in the mood to play twenty questions today, so here's my next one: What are your favorite gemstones? Mine are amber, ruby, black pearl, jade, amethyst, heliotrope, and garnet.

Well, I appreciate amethyst, emerald, sapphire and tanzanite.

[daltonboettcher]

The Big Sick (2017)

From stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani and writer Emily Vance Gordon comes this delightful little picture, written by the two and loosely based on their own believe-it-or-not love story (the two were married in 2007). Nanjiani plays himself, a comedian and Uber driver working in Chicago, and Zoe Kazan (The Monster, Ruby Sparks, Meek’s Cutoff) plays Emily, who makes her introduction by heckling Kumail at one of his shows. The two soon form something of a romantic relationship, even if they have a hard time acknowledging it themselves (they playfully agree that they’re never going to see each other again after an early date, and shortly thereafter, a coy acknowledgement that they truly do need to stop seeing each other leads to their first overnight).

Yes, The Big Sick is a romcom, but it’s a smart one, and it has a lot to say. The relationship at the heart of the film is really that which exists between parents and their children (or parents and the romantic interests of their children). When Emily ends up at a hospital in a medically induced coma (“the good kind” per a hilariously fumbling Kumail) and the film’s title suddenly reveals itself, we are introduced to her perfectly flawed parents (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) and all the ways they express their love for her. Watching them form a relationship with Kumail under the circumstances brings not only abundant laughs, but also genuine insight into the human condition.

I mention the flaws of Emily’s parents, but Nanjiani and Gordon’s screenplay is especially sharp, and not a single character exists without them. Kumail in particular makes a few choices that keep him from being an adored-without-hesitation protagonist. Yes, the film is based on a real story, but it’s the honesty with which Nanjiani and Gordon bring that story to screen that really makes it so rewarding. We don’t love these characters for their love-conquers-all story; we love them for their flaws and the way they work through them.

Kumail’s parents (Zenobia Shroff and Anupam Kher) also play a central role in the film, as do his brother and sister-in-law (Adeel Akhtar and Shenaz Treasury). Family dinners at which Kumail’s mom repeatedly brings over potential spouses for Kumail (“oh, who could that be?”) are a recurring motif. Without consideration, Kumail continuously throws photos of the would-be-wives into an old cigar box—an action of deferred conflict that will eventually catch up with him.

As much as anything, this is a film about culture and tradition and the friction that results from the intersection of two different ones. I don’t doubt that Nanjiani and Gordon’s screenplay is so sharp and insightful because they’ve lived through the friction firsthand (is it any wonder that its occasional stumbles come in the fabricated conflicts of the romantic relationship?). And so I wonder if the penultimate scene (in which a conversation between Kumail and his father underscores so many of the film’s themes) was written from experience or specifically for the picture? Regardless, it perfectly punctuates the story we see on screen, and The Big Sick remains as funny and messy and real as anything to hit theaters in quite some time.

★★★½