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lovesomehate · 2 years ago

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MovieStar-Laura & Bodyguard Travis pt3

✨Travis is having a bad day and Laura isn't sure what to do. Sometimes she's seen Travis be a bit moody or even angry, for valid enough reasons and frustrations, but that's not this. He's surly and snappy. He looks miserable. He's doing his job but he looks like he'd rather not be or rather be shot.

When Laura probs he tells her off rather harshly and she stomps back to her room. Later Travis knocks on her door and Laura opens it only a little, he apologizes for his behavior and explains it was due to a very bad family-related nightmare.

She doesn't ask for further detail but offers to make him something, he somewhat agrees but only if she eats/drinks with him.

******

✨Laura has turned down the role in a movie, to take a role in a horror mini-series called The Quarry. Travis can't help but laugh a little when he learns about her character.

"Please don't tell me you said yes to this because your character is soon to be a vet?"

"It might have done a little something to do with it. But just a little. Never done horror before, so it could be fun. My manager is down for it given there's a lot of other stars in it."

Laura comes over and sits next to him with two copies of her script.

"So do you want to help me rehearse for the first two episodes?"

"...you're kidding right?"

"Come on it'll be fun. You don't have to put so much into it. I just need someone to act against."

She's so excited when he takes one of the scripts.

******

✨Filming is setting Travis on high alert. He isn't comfortable with them having to shoot in the dark for the first episode. He's further away than he was at the premiere of her last movie.

But things go well and he relaxes the moment she's closer.

******

✨"Laura stay there." Travis gestures her back some, she's panicking a little, but doing her best to keep her breathing under control.

Their car has been vandalized threats painted onto the side and her pictures are taped to the front and back, some vandalized crudely. Outside of that nothing else is going on with the car, which they then have towed.

They ask for a ride from one of the production people.

******

✨"Can you sleep in my room?" Laura asks and Travis isn't really that surprised.

"Sure." He says.

He checks her room and then exits briefly to let her change clothes. When he comes back in he takes one of her pillows and sets himself up in her desk chair.

"You're not going to be uncomfortable like that." Laura asks from the bed.

There's a pause, they know why that question made the room feel awkward, but they also know the answer.

"I'm good right here. Don't worry." He pauses. "But thank you." He was aware that wasn't really appropriate to say.

******

✨When Laura wakes, Travis is there awake and watching her.

"How long have you been staring at me?"

"I'm not really staring. And I've only been up for about two hours."

He approaches the bed looking down at her.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Laura looks up and she gets a good look at him. He's gazing at her with the kindest eyes and she feels safe and warm.

"Yeah, I think I'll be okay."

"Right, but we'll still take it easy."

******

✨ Laura tries to stay calm as best she can but it is a bit of a struggle to do so. Travis helps her though.

She still goes out, but sometimes isn't as lively as she usually would be. She continues filming though and she starts feeling a little normal as she does so. Travis is proud.

******

✨They have a new car and Travis has to make plans to check on it frequently enough without leaving Laura alone too long.

While filming Travis enjoys watching her act and is impressed. He catches himself before he fully laughs when Laura improvises a line. Everyone no one catches it, but she does and she loves that she made him do that.

******

✨"Turns out you're a pretty good actress." He jokes as they drive home.

"Oh, so I've impressed Mr. Travis Hackett!" She plays it up. "In that case maybe I should quit once the show is done filming. I've hit the peak reward for acting."

"Smart-aleck."

They bask in the levity and it encourages Laura to do a tiny bit of shopping.

"Can we stop here?"

Where she stops is an outside area with a few small shops curving around it.

"Anything in particular that you're getting, or is this just a little window shopping?" Travis has already located a parking spot.

"A little of both. There's a store where I like to buy CDs from. The stores are a little different so maybe I'll see you actually buy something neat for yourself."

Travis looks over at the small shopping and outside food court.

"The pretzel cart looks like."

Laura slaps the back of his car, groaning at his stupid comment.

******

✨"What are doing?" Travis asks watching Laura round the car to the passenger side.

"Come on, is it really that important that I'm in the back." She puts on a cute pout.

"Why all of a sudden?"

"Cause I just bought a new CD and I want the closest view on how you'll like it."

"No, you're getting in the back and I'm not listening to that." He looks at the CD like it'll jump out of Laura's hands and attack her.

"Please just this once!" She begs. "This isn't even a mainstream artist. Not yet anyway she's getting more popular. Never mind just open the door, Travis."

He does and she immediately pops the album in. Travis never seems to show much emotion to the songs save for two he clearly found annoying. But she did at least catch him tapping his finger to the beat of three songs. When the album is done Laura is now in charge of the radio. Some stations play older songs that Laura takes not of the bands and types of songs.

******

✨After filming the fourth episode of The Quarry Laura and her co-stars go out for some drinks. They joke about how super important they feel with Travis standing and guarding their booth.

Travis spots someone staring intensely in their direction and he takes in as many details about the man as he can. He follows Laura closely when she crosses the bar for the restroom he keeps track of the man until he leaves the club.

When Laura finally comes out and they head back a drunk guy blocks her path creepily and grossly compliments her trying to get a drink and more out of her. Travis tells him to piss off. The guy tries to get in Travis' face he merely pushes the guy roughly away. When the drunk tries to retaliate Travis just grabs his arm and restrains him until the bouncers come.

Laura gets closer, essentially pressing against him.

"That was pretty cool." She shouts over the music.

Travis is impassive.

******

✨When it's time to leave the club it is pouring. Using Travis' jacket as a shield doesn't really do much. They're soaked when they get to the car and soaked when they get upstairs. Travis does his usual sweep of the house careful about the water dripping off of him.

"Clear, but I made a little bit of a mess." He says when he comes back.

Laura hears him but doesn't. She caught herself staring at his body now that the rain made it sheer and cling to his skin.

"Ms. Kearney." Brings her back to the now.

"Don't worry about it. Just need a towel, it's not that bad." She hands Travis' jacket to him.

Travis' takes it but wishes that she didn't hand it to him and that he didn't take it. Her shirt is thin its showing too much. He can make out that she's wearing a lace bra. The weight of the rain dragged her shirt down, so he can see more of her shoulders as well. The sight together is more alluring than he wants to admit. He'd already been trying to keep the fact that she was beautiful as a passive thought.

"I'm going to take a shower and then go to bed," Laura said and headed to her room.

Travis admonished himself.

In her room, Laura is preparing for her shower, but all the while she can't stop thinking about the fact that she is falling in love with Travis.

******

✨She starts looking at Travis a little differently.

"I take it that a job like this makes having a love life difficult." She says out of the blue one morning.

Travis doesn't look fond of the subject matter but responds anyway.

"It's very difficult. I've heard some others in my field making it work out. Not that it really matters to me. My love life has been pretty dead for a while."

"Sorry to hear that."

"It is what it is." Travis says with a shrug.

"Have any of the bodyguards you've heard about had relationships with their clients," Laura asks, and that gives Travis actual pause.

"Why?" He sounds gruff and suspicious when he asks.

"Seems like a logical follow up."

"...I think I've heard of two, but neither of them last long. But I don't really know."

"Okay."

"Right, so what exactly are you going to be doing today."

"Food shopping. My friend is coming over for movies and snacks. Hope you're ready."

He rolls his eyes.

*****

✨When it happens, when everything changes for them. It's after an interview. It's taking place at a mall event, so when they leave there's an ocean of screaming fans. Laura is waving and managing to sign a few things despite Travis' request to do otherwise.

The mysterious man from the club comes to the front of the crowd just ahead of Laura and Travis. He has a knife in hand and charges at Laura. He's fast and Travis only has just enough time to pull Laura behind him, taking the knife to his stomach in her stead.

He still manages to twist the knife out of the man's hand and pin him down. After he's arrested Laura accompanies Travis to the hospital.

******

✨Thankfully it's not too bad and he leaves with several stitches. Laura is still shaken up and feels guilty about it. Travis tells her not to worry.

When they get home, it takes a lot of convincing, to make Travis skip out on a sweep of the home. He keeps telling Laura he doesn't need help but she's glued herself to him. They make it to the guest room/his room and take a seat on his bed.

"Ms. Kearney, please it's not that bad. Ms. Kearney." His grunting doesn't help, but he wants Laura to stop.

At the moment she had, not thinking, pulled up his shirt to look at the wound.

"I'm so sorry." She says for the umpteenth time.

"Again, it's fine. It's not your fault. And it's my job." He gently pushes her back.

"If you want to help, then please hand me a shirt. Top drawer."

Laura does just that, pulling the dresser drawer open. There's not much in it. Three shirts and the same number of pants.

'Should get him some pajamas as a gift.' she briefly muses before pulling out a dark blue shirt.

When she turns around Travis has removed his shirt and undershirt. It's not the time, but Laura feels warm. Travis gratefully takes the shirt.

"You're staring." He tells her. "There's not much else I can say about them." He's talking about his scars.

She gets closer until she's standing in between his legs, gets on her knees, and looks at him.

"You've got another one thanks to me." She said and in some sort of trance, she puts her hand safely and carefully above his knife wound.

She moves her hand slowly up his stomach and chest, gently running her finger over each one. She doesn't miss the way Travis' breath hitches.

He's looking down at her, watching carefully with his eyes darker than normal, She keeps going, over a bullet wound on the upper part of his stomach. A scar that starts only just a little under his chest, at an angle over his left pec, and stops near his clavicle. She's run out of scars to touch and simply continues up to his neck, up to his jaw. She rubs it tenderly.

Travis is enamored and lost in her touch and eyes. The air is tense and suffocating. Following her feeling? The mood? Personal instinct? Laura leans down prepared to kiss him when Travis comes back to reality he takes hold of the hand touching his face.

"Laura." Travis began, coming back to himself. "Thank you for your help, but we should both to bed."

Laura was broken out of her own stupor.

"That's the first time you've used my name." She'd be upset about him making her stop, if she wasn't so thrilled about him saying her name.

But it's ruined.

"Ms. Kearney it'd be for the best if we both went to bed." He corrects himself.

Laura frowns and murmurs a goodnight. Travis feels exhausted when she leaves and tries to compose himself from what just happened, what he honestly wished he'd let continue.

That was soooo good 😩💙

“Laura” both me and Laura lost our shit at him saying her name mfjrjsnfjdjfhjsnfja

There’s no coming back from that Travis my man 😂�� you both fucked now!

I love how she’s doing The Quarry as a tv show 😂 is there’s a Travis in it? 😂😂😂😂😂

#ask #anon #travisxlaura #bodyguard au #I’m creating a tag for this 😂#fics

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brian-in-finance · 3 years ago

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5 stories • 5 links

Charlie Gray for Focus Features

I grew up on the outskirts of Belfast and I go back all the time; one of my sisters is still there, and my late father lived there for most of his life. The city has grown so much: every time I get back, someone says, “Oh, there’s a new place doing this!” And everything is half an hour away – everything. If you want massive mountains, woodland areas, the city, the beach, it’s all so accessible. It’s why they shoot things like Game of Thrones there. If you can live with the rain, which is pretty constant, it’s a great place to be.

I’ve filmed a few things myself here: my new film Belfast, and before that The Fall. Back then, I stayed in the dockyards area where the main tourist attraction is the Titanic Belfast museum, because it’s where the liner was built. It’s a beautiful building that mirrors the bow of the boat from certain angles; inside you can do a virtual tour of the old shipyards. Just don’t mention that it sank! For some reason, we’re very proud of it nonetheless.

Dornan with his sisters Jessica (left) and Liesa in 1986

https://www.irishfilmtv.com/

Actress Caitriona Balfe may be riding high these days as she garners Oscar buzz for her performance in Kenneth Branagh‘s stunning, semi-autobiographical film Belfast—and, of course, as fans get ready to see her starring again as Claire in Season 6 of the Starz hit series Outlander (all while becoming a new mom!). But as the 42-year-old just revealed in a game of “Never Have I Ever,” she’s experienced her fair share of disastrously awkward low points in her life—like the time she embarrassed herself in front of none other than legendary icon Prince!

Playing the game alongside Belfast co-star Jamie Dornan for British Vogue, the two stars were compelled to confirm whether or not they’d ever fallen over in public. Balfe turned around her paddle to read “I Have,” then said, “One of my most embarrassing moments is I fell off a stool in front of Prince when I was inebriated.” Balfe didn’t reveal any more details about her mortifying wipeout in front of the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince—but considering Prince passed away in April 2016, two years before Outlander Season 1 premiered, it could’ve happened either during Balfe’s modeling days or when she was first receiving notice as an up-and-coming actress.

(Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Image)

Remember… The last time I came back, I actually went straight down to the beach by Holywood. I used to sail competitively there when I was younger – nowadays it’s my sister who goes swimming at Helen’s Bay. She goes in whatever the weather – it’s so cool. It’s also quite lovely walking or jogging the towpath along the River Lagan, which runs through Belfast. — Jamie Dornan

#Tait rhymes with hat #Good times #BelfastMovie #Grazia UK #11 January 2022 #Financial Times #IrishFilmTV #Parade #BBC Archive #21 January 2022 #Belfast #Worldwide 2022 #Twitter #Instagram

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somethinginthewayiam · 5 years ago

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Press tour confessions Part 1

Pairing: Henry x reader

Warnings: none, a little fluff, angst

Words: 1914

Summary: You’re part of the cast of Mission Impossible Fallout and joined your costars on the press tour in Japan. A question of an interviewer gets out a confession of you that Henry can’t seem to let go...

A/N: after seeing videos of the MI Fallout press tour in Japan, I came up with a little something. Wanted to do just a little paragraph, but I can’t keep things short, even if my live depended on it. Hope you like it!

You were part of the Mission Impossible Fallout cast and joined Tom, Simon, Henry, Vanessa and Rebecca on the press tour in Japan.

They paired you with Simon, Tom and Henry for the second part of the day when you got to play some games for a Japanese game show.

The game up next was feeling a mystery object inside a box. Everybody else could see but you. The three men had solved their boxes with ease and composure but you were always a little easy to squeal.

When it was your turn, you expected the worst. “Oh no, Y/N, you’re not gonna like this”, came from Simon somewhere close by. You had actually closed your eyes as you started to reach your hand inside the box. After hearing Simons words, you immediately pulled your hand back.

“Stop it, Simon!”, you exclaimed, pressing the hand against your chest. You saw Henry next to you out of the corner of your eye. “Hold my hand, Henry”, you said and stuck your other hand out towards him. He took it with a chuckle.

You started to put your hand inside the box again, the Japanese woman on the other side of the box doing the same. “Come on, Y/N, you got this”, you heard Tom, always the encouraging friend he is.

With shaky fingers, your hand inches forward, your eyes closed again. You reached further and further until the tip of your index finger touched something cold. Without thinking, your finger pressed even further into the thing and you felt something liquid run over your finger.

You immediately pulled your hand back with a high squeal that would make every Japanese girl proud. You even jumped back a step, landing against Henry’s chest. He wrapped his arms around you, laughing. He, of course, already knew what it was.

“What the hell was that?”, you asked out of Henry’s arms. Simon and Tom laughing hysterically. Simon went over to the box, reached inside and pulled something brown out. “It’s just a wet sponge, Y/N. I had god damn soup!”, he cackled and put the sponge on top of the box. “Ewww, that’s gross. Come on, you guys”, you exclaimed into the room. Henry let go of you so he could press his own finger into the sponge to see how wet it was.

You heard the voice translating the Japanese into English in your ear and suddenly heard your name. “Excuse me? I didn’t quite catch that”, you said and pointed at your ear.

One of the Japanese hosts turned to you and repeated what he said. A second later, you heard it in your earpiece. “Are you and Henry together? A couple?”

Your co-stars got the same translation over their earpieces and Henry’s head shot over to you as you two were still standing next to each other.

“Oh, uhm, no, we’re not together”, he cleared up. “No, no, he doesn’t want me”, you spoke almost at the same time Henry did.

“God knows I tried”, you added jokingly and made Simon and Tom laugh. Henry looked a bit irritated at you, but smiled for the cameras.

When the taping for the game show was over, press was done for the day and you were on your way back to your hotel. The four of you, assistants and your PR people headed out of the room together and into the elevator. “What was that in there?”, Henry suddenly asked you. You two were standing at the back of the elevator. “What exactly? There were a lot of strange things happening in that room just now”, you remarked. “The part where you said, you tried, when they asked if we were together”, Henry reminded you.

“Oh, this is gonna be good”, you heard Simon as he turned around to face you. Tom was talking to his assistant. “Why? What about it?”, you asked him and felt a little uncomfortable. Was the elevator getting smaller?

“Why did you say that? There wasn’t anything going on between us when we were filming”, he reminded you. “I’m aware, believe me”, you told him and felt your cheeks blushing. “Dude, she was totally in love with you, everybody knew”, Simon stepped in. “Woah, hey, I wouldn’t say in love, alright?”, you put your hands up in defense towards Simon. “It was more like a crush”, you added towards Henry, barely able to look at him. He only looked back at you in total surprise.

“I thought you knew? Like Simon said, everybody knew”, you told Henry. “I clearly didn’t”, he replied. “Well, now you do”, Simon grinned. “Well, don’t worry about it. I knew I was bad at flirting”, you waved it off. “Not so bad that someone wouldn’t even notice, but bad enough”, you added mumbling but both, Simon and Henry, heard you.

“Hey, Tom, when I say to you, what was the one thing on set about Y/N everyone knew about, what am I talking about?”, Simon turned over to his friend. “That she had a crush on Henry”, Tom answered without skipping a beat. “He didn’t know”, Simon added and pointed behind him towards Henry. “Hey, even I knew and I had a broken ankle to worry about”, Tom laughed and turned back to his assistant.

“Could you please stop talking like we’re not here?”, Henry said over everybody’s head as he was the tallest in the little room.

“When is this elevator ride finally over? Good god!”, you exhaled loudly, staring at the ceiling of the metal box you were in. You had enough of it when you were the joke on set, you didn’t need seconds on that embarrassment.

The doors finally opened and you were able to get out and get some literal space between you and Henry. “We’re gonna talk about this”, Henry said before you parted ways as you rode in separate cars. Tom, Simon and Henry had another thing to go to, you would drive back to the hotel with Vanessa and Rebecca.

“But there is nothing to talk about. Henry!”, you called out as he already got into his car and left you standing there. You grunted in frustration before you got in your own car. “Do we want to know what just happened?”, Vanessa asked as you put your seatbelt on. “I’m sure Simon will be more than happy to tell you at dinner”, you pouted as the car started driving, referring to the cast dinner that night before the big premier tomorrow.

You’d think that Henry would have forgotten all about it during his next appointment with Tom and Simon and that’s why it caught you by surprise when he knocked on your hotel room door a few hours later. You were in the middle of getting ready for dinner, when you heard the knocks and quickly put on the hotel robe before you opened the door.

“Henry? What’s up? Am I late for dinner?”, you asked with furrowed brows. “No, I wanted to talk about what happened today at that game show taping”, he reminded you. “Wow, you really can’t let this go, can you?”, you asked almost a bit annoyed. You were finally starting to get over him, although, doing the press tour with him got in the way of your plans of getting over your crush.

“Let’s go downstairs and get a drink at the bar”, he offered. “Henry, this conversation wouldn’t even last long enough for us to order”, you sighed. He looked at you with an indecisive expression on his face.

“Listen, Henry. I don’t really get what you want from me here? Yes, I had a crush on you, yes, I flirted with you and you obviously didn’t notice either. End of story”, you concluded. For the fact that you were talking so openly to your crush about your crush on him, you were weirdly calm.

“Can we not discuss this out here? May I come in, please?”, he asked. “Again, not knowing what’s here to discuss, but, yeah, come in”, you said with a shrug and stepped aside for Henry to enter your hotel room. You closed the door behind him and followed him into the little suite.

“Why is this riling you up so much, Henry? You must be used to people crushing on you all the time”, you told him. You walked over to the couch, standing behind the backrest, leaning against it with your hips. Henry stood across the room next to the tv.

“But you’re not just people”, he said and you had trouble, interpreting what that could mean. So, you decided to just let it slide.

“You didn’t know about it until a few hours ago and lived your life happily. And I moved on too. This happens to me constantly, believe me”, you told him, trying to ease the mood and somehow get him to back off.

“You moved on? Are you seeing someone?”, he asked. “Oh, what, me? No!”, you had to hold back a laugh as he wouldn’t understand how absurd that sounded to you. “No, I…just seem to have…let’s call it a pattern. I work with someone, I think he’s cute and I develop a crush. I flirt or at least try to and it never pans out. And in the end, I somehow get over it one way or another”, you told him. You didn’t know why you were so open with him all of a sudden.

You became friends while filming, but due to your crush, you always were a little inhibited around him.

“I’m sure you have a girlfriend back home”, you said to put the focus on him for a change. “Not really, no. I’m mean, I’m seeing someone, kind of”, he said to you. “Kind of?”, you raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, just a few dates, nothing serious. I don’t even know if I want to go any further”, he told you.

“But see? There you go. And although I probably don’t know her, I already know she’s better at getting your attention then I am”, you joked. Too soon?

“But you must be seeing someone, come on”, he said after a few moments of silence and it sounded like he was insisting on it. “No, I’m not”, you shook your head. “Come on, you can tell me”, he said like he wanted a confession from you. You almost told him that if you were seeing someone, you’d make sure that everyone knew that someone finally wanted you, but pushed that joke back down.

“I’m not! Really. I’m never seeing anybody”, you said and wished it was just a joke. “Why?”, he asked. “BECAUSE NO ONE SEES ME!”, you blurted out in frustration. You felt a lump forming in your throat and tears were burning in the corners of your eyes.

Henry looked at you a bit shocked. You slowly realized what you’d just said and how you’d said it and felt your cheeks burning.

“Alright, I think I have embarrassed myself enough for one day. Also, I have to get ready for dinner”, you told him, although you weren’t hungry anymore.

“Y/N, I didn’t mean to offend you”, Henry apologized. “I don’t get offended that easily, Henry, so keep your apologies”, your voice was a mix of sadness and defeat. “I’ll see you downstairs”, you said and walked back into the bathroom, closing the door behind you. You assumed that Henry would find his way out.

A/N: Did you like it? Would you want to read more? I kinda think it has potential for a sequel, but I’m not sure... Let me know what you think!

UPDATE: I continued the story due to popular demand. You can find Part 2 here!

#henry cavill #henry cavill imagine #henry cavill angst #henry cavill fluff #mission impossible #mission impossible fallout #press tour #press tour confessions #part 1

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mantra4ia · 4 years ago

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Desires: Lucifer season 5 on Netflix

Created: August 21, 2020. Last Modified: August 22, 2020.

Preface: Alright my Lucis, here’s the sitch: it’s been a minute. Life got a bit chaotic I wasn’t able to start season five quite on time when it premiered on August 21st because I haven’t finished the great 2020 Lucifer rewatch. I’m nearly done however and should be able to jump into it either later today or tomorrow, which is why beforehand I want to — as I’ve traditionally done for a few seasons — create a desires list and keep a tally throughout the season to see how many are met. I am going to try to pace myself, not binge, and watch a single episode a day so don’t spoil me. Likewise I will tag my spoilers. Here we go... #21DaysofLucifer

Season 3 and 4 Roundout - Desires Fulfilled / Questions Answered

✔We’ve seen other demons “like Maze” and a bit of what havoc they can reek. Well sort of. To be quite frank, although it was cool to see them possess the recently deceased, it wasn’t as impending doom as I was expecting. They didn’t seem nearly as disciplined or intimidating as Mazikeen, even Dromos, more bored and desperate.

✔ We’ve seen a little more or the heavenly host in Remiel. Remi was cool, if a bit intense. Her character, and her affinity to Amenadiel was a nice foil to see how far his character has come in evolution. But again like Uriel was for Lucifer, she kind of became a driving force character device to push Amenadiel’s growth. So I wonder if we’ll get to see more of her or not.

✔ (s3) The backstory of Lucifer’s arrival in LA, finding LUX, and making a deal with Amenadiel.

✔ (s3) Cain finally went to hell, YES! Not that I didn’t like Marcus Pierce/Tom Welling, there were some great interactions there, but I just think he was a wishy-washy antagonist based on how he was written and I can’t wait to trade up for Michael.

✔ Maze finally had some happiness and attachment to this silly mortal coil and it slipped away! Why Eve why? I love Maze’s bonding with humans, Linda, Trixie, Chloe. But I love that after a Millennia of serving, and then watching Amenadiel and Linda be happy in a family unit, that she might actually make her own and my hopes were dashed.

Things we got that we didn’t even know we wanted. SO GOOD:

Season 4 ep 8: Amenadiel bonding with Caleb and confronting community violence, police brutality, and systemic racism. It was a rough episode to be sure, but absolutely needed,

Chloe talking Lucifer down and out of a self-hatred spiral and his transformation into full-fledged devil and back again.

Lucifer playing Creep on repeat while missing the detective (even after insisting in a therapy session that “he’s not a teenager playing Adele on repeat) and Mr. Said Out B**** trying to rob Lucifer and gun point and ultimately get rich. What a fun twist.

The Dan and Maze Los X’s fight. They are wicked good at laying down the hurt on the criminal element and I was wondering when they’d pair up again after dispatching Warden Perry.

The devil in a bar fight! I mean, it’s only fair since the ladies had their brawl. I love how this fight sequence was filmed in bursts of slo-mo from various angles, involved everything from fists, to tasers, knives, bottles, and the infamous pool cue, and they picked the perfect song for pacing (Jake Bugg, Lightning Bolt, could listen to it all day on repeat.)

Time for all good demons to go home / Enough, you will bow down to your king. Go home! (aka appropriate use of Devilish intimidation face)

Amenadiel vs Remi

A Rocky montage with Lucifer and Amenadiel / Amenadiel’s face the first time Lucifer drives the Corvette

Lucifer at the roller derby

Chloe the YA fangirl

Maze teaching Trixie about knives, with each handle decorated in a different toy.

Amenadiel and Chloe catching up: your father is so proud of you. Like and angel BOSS!

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

★ (s3) Amenadiel taking Charlotte home

★ Dan being comforted in his grief by Amenadiel

★ Amenadiel’s wrath and the brotherly duo tag team to lay the hurt on the drug dealer that got Charlie killed. It’s been a while since we’ve seen warrior angel ready to dispatch anyone in his way. And it was glorious!

★ (s3) Lucifer’s almost driving lesson with Trixie “Morningstar”

★ (s3) Maze torturing Lucifer by making him think he’s the Angel of San Bernadino

★ (s3) Amenadiel and Lina helping to dispose of Lucifer’s wings

★ Lucifer kicking Julian, Tiernan’s son, through a glass pane window

★ The goodbye kiss between Lucifer and Chloe

DIDN’T LIKE:

☒ (s3) Cain playing guitar and singing. What is he, a crime lord, a top cop, or an act that the improv club wouldn’t take?

☒ Eve. I liked Eve, but we mostly got to see one side of her around Lucifer, and a kind of floundering an confused side when she was with Maze. The side that I would have liked to see more of was the maternal side that came out when she briefly talked about Abel or was interrogated by Trixie. That made her more layered.

☒ Father Kinley. That dude is just meh.

☒ Dan’s broken heart and rebounding with Ella. Don’t get me wrong, its a good arc, but I don’t see it lasting

☒ (s3) Abel and Reese. Those were two side stories I could have done without, although they had great moments of humor. I quite enjoyed Reese’s character, and although I didn’t like Abel Lucifer’s stick-figure comic illustration of Cain fighting with him over a rock was quite enjoyable.

WHAT I TRULY DESIRE: SINFUL SEASON 5, my BURNING QUESTIONS, and SPECULATIONS

Obviously, don’t spoil anything for me, but if any of my desires end up coming true in any of the first eight episodes maybe drop me a hint in the comments...

A big time jump. We need to see the lasting impact of Lucifer’s absence. I know that time in hell works differently per that episode where Lucifer saved Chloe and almost got stuck in a loop, but we still need enough time to elapse that the impact is felt on the mortal side. Or, we need to see the passage of time through a series of events without Lucifer, like a montage of character development. At least a year or so, if for no other reason then Trixie is growing up and I actually want to see her take driving lessons with Lucifer.

Last season Maze gave baby Charlie a gift, something she’d wished she’d had growing up, and previously had alluded to the language of demons, her many siblings, and teased her mother, the mother of all demons. Will we finally get to meet Maze’s mom Lilith (or however they address her)? And, in spite of Mazikeen’s found family, she still has restlessness and abandonment issues. Will her mom finally finally bring her peace, or will clashing with her resolidify Maze’s purpose on earth?

A Decker/Mazikeen team-up or girls night out 2.0 would always be appreciated. At this point its probably 4.0 if you count the bar fight and the bachelorette party.

Will we see tougher, scarier demons, or are they just warmup to the really scary depths of hell?

Speaking of hell, more hell. Tons of hell. I want to know the minutia of all the mechanics. If Lucifer’s gotta be down there in self-imposed exile, he may as well show us around. Pour us a drink.

Will Lucifer see Cain in Hell? Not that I’m dying to see more of “sad Cain” but it would be interesting to see a more dark or desperate or cunning side to him at least now that he’s actually neck deep in torment. Or, alternatively, I’m hedging my bets that he could be a good candidate to light the fire under Lucifer’s *** to get of hell back to the earthly realm. Even in hell, I’m betting Cain would have a soft spot for Chloe, and if news reached Lucifer that Michael were trying to abscond with his life and with Chloe, it would give Cain and Lucifer one last bit of “A-Hole brothers” common ground to bond over. Like “Brothers, am I right? Go kick, get Chloe back, I’ll still have enough guilt to torture me with in a few thousand years when you get back,”

Will Lucifer fall into peril in hell of once again potentially getting distracted and stuck in a hell loop? Will his servants be satisfied with his return? Will Amenadiel bust him out.

Mr. Said Out Bitch needs a role reprise. He’s been in every season opener 2-4, we’ve gotten to know his undergarments very well. Its high time we get to know his name and story. He’s put in the work!

Amenadiel should be running LUX in Lucifer's absence. We got a tease of that in previous seasons (remember when he asked what would Lucifer do?) its time for that to come to fruition. Plus, any excuse to put DB Woodside in a suit, just because he wears them so well. It would also be interesting if, after that tragedy he’s experienced, Amenadiel will start taking after Luci. Maybe not the punishing, not yet, but wanting to seek out evil and corruption. It has been teased since s1 “fall as I did.” Perhaps he’ll start developing a taste for his bother’s line of work whereas he found it repugnant in the early days

Dan and Maze or Dan and Ella pair up. Both Dan and Maze are due for some happiness.

An Azrael reboot, when need more of her. She’s the angel of Death for pity’s sake. I don’t know if the original actress is still available or if they would have to recast, or if the character concept by Netflix would even be the same, but I need Azrael to be capable of sweet and unassuming and on a coin flip downright menacing.

More of Lucifer as a godparent, bless! And maybe a cool montage of “cousin” Trixie and Lucifer co-babysitting Charlie please.

Whilst on the subject of Lucifer and parenting, and without putting Trixie too much into harm’s way, I need to see what “I would do anything to protect that little urchin” looks like. Trixstar ride or die.

Father Frank, come back! I need a cameo or recurrent role pleeeeease.

Trixie in every episode. This is non-negotiable, much like chocolate cake. Beatrice is an all-star. In fact, I’ve decided that when Dad/God finally does show up, Trixie needs to be the one to get to know him / introduce him first. She’s been captain on the celestial cheer squad for four seasons, she’s earned this.

Who's going to see through Michael's facade first? I mean, I know that trailer shows Maze torturing it out of him, but as far as intuition goes, I've got a 50/50 split between Trixie and Linda, with an honorable mention to Dan.

If Michael is Lucifer's twin, does he have the same angelic compulsion skill set? Or something different? And will it work on Chloe or is she universally immune?

A “be like Mike” pop-culture reference. ******Spoilers: ******* all the trailers have revealed Michael already, so they owe us this for letting the steam out.

As far as pop-culture, how many movie and TV references will we get from Lucifer and ensemble this year? I expect A-game, from sci-fi to 80s action, on par with the previous likes of Parent Trap, Star Wars, Home Alone, Kim Possible, and Rocky.

Will Amenadiel’s necklace make a reappearance, even after he put it around Caleb’s neck in the morgue? Heavenly artifacts have a way of causing trouble in this show.

Will what finally learn what, if any, significance there is to Lucifer’s ring? Again, as all my fictional writings will attest, I really kind of want it to be a stolen little trinket from him Dad.

Plot twist: will we get to see Hell and the silver city all in one season, or is that too devilishly good to ask? It would be intriguing if Lucifer fell from Heaven for rebelling and now some threat like, for example, the mother of demons would pose a threat to the gates such that Lucifer was called upon to defend them. Not expecting anything Endgame level with a host of Angels popping up like sorcerers...but it is food for the imagination.

Plot twist: will Michael, duplicitous twin that he is, be revealed as the reason that Lucifer does not lie and can’t stand liars? Will be get a Michael back story? Is he perhaps the true rebellious son? see: my original fan conjecture here.

Additional links to previous recaps, roundouts and wishlists:

Season 1: Best Moments // Season 2: Predictions, Desires, Roundout, Best Moments // Season 3: Speculations, Quick-shot summary

#21 days of Lucifer #Lucifer season 5 #lucifer on netflix #Lucifer s5 desire #Lucifer Morningstar #trixie espinoza #Chloe Decker #amenadiel #trixtstar #deckerstar #lucifer s5

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afictionaladventure16 · 5 years ago

Note

So you’re asking for Chris Evans requests? Would it be possible to get a Chris Evans single dad x teenage daughter reader? Chris had too reshoot some movie scenes and missed the readers softball game. The two fight about it but eventually make up. Maybe the reader says something like she wished she choose to live with mom instead. Hurt/comfort. Please and thank you!

The Main Source of Her Pain (Chris Evans x Daughter!Reader)

Actor Fics Masterlist

A/N: I loved this request!! send me more requests like these! I loved writing this fic!

Song Title: When I’m Gone by Eminem

Warnings: hurtful words, fluff

Word Count: 1,972

*Not my gif

Chris looked at his phone, a reminder popped up that your softball game was today and he couldn’t be late. He made a mental note about it and went back onto the set. He knew how important this game was to you, you’ve mentioned it multiple times and just having your father there to support you, meant the world to you. Especially since your mother lived all the way in California, you knew if she could she would be there for the game, as well.

You were batting, you just needed one home run to win the game, you could feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. You glanced at the stands, hoping to see his familiar face. You spotted your Uncle Scott, he smiled and waved at you. You sighed and focused your attention back at the pitcher in front of you. Your eye on the ball, you gave the bat a good swing, hitting the ball. You were shocked at how hard you hit it, the way the bar went high up in the air, “RUN!” You heard your coach yell, you quickly scrambled through the bases, making that home run.

Your team ran over to you, cheering, your team won and you guys would be going to the state championships. It wasn’t long for the excitement to die down, you grabbed your gear and walked over to your Uncle Scott who sat on the bleachers waiting for you, ��what’s his excuse this time?” you asked with a hint of anger in your voice.

“(Y/N),” he said softly, you shook your head, “you know he wouldn’t forget it.”

“Then where is he?” Scott stayed silent, you let out a scoff, “just take me home.” The ride home was silent, you focused your attention at the dark clouds coming in, the calm before the storm. You thanked Scott for dropping you off and quickly walked inside the house, instantly being greeted by Dodger. You placed your gear by the door, then placed Dodger outside to do his business, then you ran upstairs to shower.

Once you showered you went into the kitchen, heating up leftovers from the night before. Your dad had promised pizza for the special occasion. Your dad had also promised he wouldn’t miss the game but he broke that promise too. Once you ate, you sat on the couch in the living room, watching T.V. and waiting for him to come home.

You heard the garage door opening, and then you heard his footsteps, “you’re still up?” He asked as he came into your view. You gave him a small glare as you focused your attention on the T.V. show. “(Y/N)?” You raised the volume on the T.V. your dad let out a frustrated sigh, grabbing the remote, turning the T.V. off.

“What the hell!?” You exclaimed as you got up off the couch.

“Language, young lady!”

“Sorry, Cap,” you retorted as you sat back down on the couch.

“What has gotten into you? What’s with this attitude?”

“You don’t remember what today is?!”

Chris felt like he was married again, forgetting his anniversary, he looked at you confused. That’s when he spotted your softball gear, “shit,” he muttered to himself, “I’m sorry, (Y/N), we did some reshoots and it just slipped my mind!”

“When doesn’t it?” You snapped.

“Don’t be like that, (Y/N).” The sound of thunder erupting caused you both to stop talking for a second, Dodger whimpering at the sliding doors begging to be let in, Chris walked over and let the dog in. A second later the power went out, “shit,” Chris muttered as he quickly turned on the candle that was on the coffee table.

“You never go to my games,” you whispered, “it would’ve been nice to have you there for once.”

“(Y/N), you know if I could I would, but with my schedule-”

You groaned, “forget your damn schedule! What about me!? I exist too!” You felt tears well up in your eyes, you were thankful for the power outage, thankful that he couldn’t see the tears.

“I’m doing this for you!” He remarked out of frustration. He had a long day at work and all Chris wanted to do was relax, not argue with his daughter.

“That’s what you said to mom and she still left,” you scoffed, you regretted saying it but it was true.

“(Y/N)!” Chris was taken back by your words, “It’s just a game!”

“Just a game!?” You pushed him, you actually pushed him out of anger, “it’s just a movie! It’s just a show! It’s just a premiere! I’m just a kid!” you yelled, pushing him with almost every word and he let you push him, your pushes, after all, didn’t have much effect on him, “I’m sorry, I bother you with my ‘Just a game’!” You were fuming, “I wish mom got custody of me instead of you!”

Chris felt his heart shatter, but he let his anger get the best of him at times, “maybe it would’ve been best if she did.”

You looked at him in shock, “you sure are the world greatest father,” you said sarcastically as you ran up the stairs, Dodger in toll, and into your room.

Chris let out a frustrated sigh as he sat on the couch, he let his emotions overcome him, he felt like he was doing a horrible job at this parenting stuff. Especially with being a single dad to a teenage daughter. He took out his phone and called the one person that he knew was best at this stuff, “hello?”

The sound of the soft voice brought comfort to Chris, “hey, mom,” Chris sniffled.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?” Chris then explained what had happened, not forgetting to mention that you wished your mother got custody instead of him. “Hon, I hate to say this but you’re both in the wrong.”

Chris understood how you were wrong but he quite didn’t understand how he was wrong, “how am I wrong?”

“Sweetie, when you have kids, you have to push things aside to make time for them and that means your work too. I understand, the acting industry is different from the domestic lifestyle but sweetie, you still have a say. You have to put your foot down and say that you have a priority at home because right now, to her, it just looks like she isn’t even a priority. She probably feels like you don’t even care about her.” The electricity turned back on, Chris looked over to the photo on the mantel. He walked over to it, gently grabbing the frame, you were just a toddler in the photo. It was as if Chris blinked and you were a teenager.

“She means the world to me, mom,” Chris said softly, “it hurt when she said that she wished her mother had custody of her. (Y/N), just brings me so much joy, I don’t know how I would handle it if she lived all the way over in California.”

“Chris, Sweetie, you need to apologize to the poor girl and you need to show her that she is your main priority in your life.” Chris knew his mother was right, he thanked his mom before hanging up. He looked at the time and decided to go to bed, all this took an emotional drain on the guy and it was already almost midnight. Chris walked up to the stairs and into his room, getting into his PJs and then drifting off into a deep sleep.

Chris woke up in a panic, he glanced at the bedside clock, 3:04 A.M. it read. He sighed, deciding to grab a glass of water, he walked out of his room, passing your room, but the sound of sniffling stopped him from walking further. He walked over to your door, opening it slightly, you sat on the floor beside your bed, “(Y/N)? Sweetie?” Chris said softly.

You quickly wiped away your tears, “Go away,” you grumbled.

Chris sighed, he hated seeing you this way. He walked over and sat on the floor beside you, wrapping an arm around you. The gesture was enough to break the damn inside you, you let out a sob into your dads chest, “I’m sorry, hon,” he said softly as he placed a kiss on top of your head, “I don’t want you to live with your mom, I don’t think it would have been best and I’m sorry I missed your game. I didn’t have my priorities right, from now on you will be first, I promise.”

“I’m sorry,” you choked out, “I didn’t mean anything I said, I was just-”

“I know,” he whispered, “you were hurt and that’s my fault.” Your dad sat with you on the floor, gently rubbing your back as you calmed down.

“Tell me about the game,” he asked as soon as you calmed down.

You wiped your tear stained cheeks with your sleeve, “I’m pretty sure Uncle Scott recorded it but I got a home run and we won because of it,” you said proudly.

“No way! I’m gonna have to ask Scott to show me that video!” Chris beamed, “I’m proud of you, (Y/N), I really am,” He placed a kiss on your forehead.

“Hey, we’re gonna have to reshoot that scene,” the director said to Chris.

Chris sighed looking at his phone, he was going to be late. He shook his head, “I can’t, sorry, we’ll have to do it tomorrow or something but right now I have to be somewhere.”

“Seriously, Evans?”

“Yes, seriously, my daughter is playing State Champs today! I can’t miss it!” Chris said as he walked over to the make-up trailer, hoping they could get the make-up off quickly.

You let out a huge sigh, as you looked over at the crowd from the dugout, you spotted Uncle Scott with his phone in hand, recording everything. You rolled your eyes at him, “Evans!” You heard your coach yell, “you’re up!” You felt anxious, you grabbed your bat and gave the crowd one last glance.

You beamed at the sight of your dad making his way over to your Uncle. Your dad looked over at you and waved, he didn’t break his promise.

“Come on, Evans! We don’t got all day!” You heard your coach say, you smiled and ran over to the plate.

It was starting to be a close game, Chris was beginning to feel anxious. It was your turn, one home run and the championship was yours.

“She’s got this,” Chris said as he watched you step up to the plate once more. “She’s got this, Scott.”

“Are you trying to convince me or you?”

Chris rolled his eyes at his brother, focusing his attention on you, “Come on, baby, you’ve got this!” Chris yelled causing you to turn and give your dad a thumbs up. Chris turned to his brother, “this is more intense than the superbowl.” He watched as you got into place. Swinging and hitting the ball. Chris stood up as he watched the ball go high up in the air, he then focused on you, you were passing second base, “Come on, (Y/N)!” He yelled. Chris and Scott cheered as you hit the home plate, “that’s my girl!” Chris yelled.

Everyone began to run onto the field, you slowly got up from the ground, dusting off the dirt. You looked up to see your dad running towards you. You smiled and ran into his embrace, “you did it!” He yelled as he let go of the embrace, cupping your face with his hands, “I’m so proud of you!” You were so happy, not only because your team had won your softball state championship but also because your dad was there to see it.

Permanent Taglist: @otomefan @dejaazaro @culturebay @kpopishilarious @fireproof-heaven @iloveyouthreethousand-o6 @weappreciatepower @whereyoustand @white-wolf-buckaroo @spider-woman22 @coffee-habit @supernaturallover2002 @barnes-parker @therealmrshale @myinternetissoslow @myhippiehopes @benhardyswifeee @snowangle1994 @celyndavies @xzowiex @unapologeticallymimi @glitterquadricorn @lady-of-lies @cassmoreiraxo @just4muggles @mellorine-paprika @agirlruinedbybands @yougottalovefandoms @avngrsinitiative @lizlil

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let-it-raines · 6 years ago

Text

Betting on the Bullseye (18/?)

Summary: Emma Swan loses a bet that means she has to ask her celebrity crush to be her date to her office’s annual fundraising gala. Killian Jones is that celebrity crush. She expects all kinds of humiliation and for her dignity to be completely lost. What she doesn’t expect is for him to say yes.

Rating: Mature

A/N: I wrote this chapter awhile ago, and I was so proud of the movie title I made up…I checked Netflix the other day, and they have the same movie. So, you know, either I saw the movie without realizing it, or Netflix has some explaining to do…I kid, I kid :D Thank you guys for continuously being the best!

AO3: Beginning | Current

Tag list: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @wellhellotragic @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @mayquita @captainsjedi @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @artistic-writer @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @kmomof4 @ekr032-blog-blog @galaxyzxstark @lifeinahole27 @andiirivera @ultimiflos @hollyethecurious @thejollyroger-writer @superchocovian @cs-forlife @qualitycoffeethings @jonirobinson64 @notoriouscs

When he got the call in the middle of August, he felt actual butterflies in his stomach. He’s always hated that turn of phrase, but oftentimes, it’s the only phrase he thinks can actually describe what it’s like to be so damn nervous that he feels as if something seriously wrong is going on in his body. He could feel it in his stomach and in his throat. Hell, he could feel it in his fingers some days.

He was excited.

He was terrified.

It happens sometimes. He wishes it happened more often, but honestly, he wonders if it keeps the excitement for what he does alive to get to read through scripts to find the rare gem that actually speaks to him instead of liking everything that passes over his desk. This one, though, the more he reads it, the more he thinks about it, the more he gets inside of Michael’s head…the more he wants it.

Which is probably why he’s about to throw up as Robin drives him over to meet with the producers and the casting directors. He’s not even really auditioning, just talking to them, but it feels like he’s doing his first audition all over again. It had been for an extra with one line in Grey’s Anatomy, and he felt as if he was attempting to prove himself to be Tom Hanks or something.

It was ridiculous.

He didn’t even get that role. It was one line. He’s pretty sure he was supposed to be ordering coffee or something.

His phone buzzes in his lap, and Emma’s name pops up, instantly calming him down for a moment.

Emma: Go kick ass today, KJ! I love you!

Emma: I also love your ass, but that is totally unrelated to what I’m supposed to be telling you right now.

Killian: I love you too! I’ll try to kick arse with my good arse just for you!

Emma: That’s all I ask.

He does kick arse if he says so himself, the meeting going far better than expected. They want him. He knew that they wanted him, but they actually, seriously want him. He’s still got to do negotiations, to work out a few details and to screen test with potential costars, but he’s got the role if he wants it. It’s all early in the preproduction stages, but damn is he excited.

“You look like Roland after I let him eat more than one donut,” Robin laughs as they drive away from the lot and make their way to go get lunch. “You excited?”

“Obviously, mate.” He pulls out his phone and texts Emma about everything, knowing that she’s at work right now and can’t really talk. He really wants to tell her anyways. “And nothing compares to your son on a sugar high. Absolutely nothing. It’s like he’s been possessed.”

“He has been. By sugar.” Robin pulls off of main road and down into one of the business districts. “You want to go in somewhere or do take out?”

“We can do take out. Just pick something out Roland will like since we’ve got to pick him up from school.”

“He’s not going to be hungry.” “He is if we have any kind of junk food, and I feel like we deserve junk food.” “Because we’ve worked so hard today?”

“Exactly.”

Sure enough, when they pull up to pick-up at Roland’s elementary school, the boy climbs in the backseat, buckles himself in, and then immediately asks for some of the fries Killian is eating.

Like clockwork.

-/-

He swears that every Labor Day weekend his corner of Santa Monica gains at least half a million tourists. He’s sure that’s a bit excessive, but it’s only Thursday and people are absolutely everywhere. It’s to the point that he’s in the grocery store trying to stock up for the weekend, and he can’t turn anywhere without running into a cart with someone stocking up on beer and any kind of junk food he can imagine. He can’t really say much, not when he’s doing the same thing, but he absolutely cannot wait to get his things, check out, and get home before he has to drive to the airport to pick Emma up for the weekend.

He should have just ordered online and had his stuff delivered, but he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted when he thought about it the other day after he and Emma had talked.

Emma’s had a hell of a few weeks at work, has pretty much wanted to pull her hair out nearly every day, and even though he saw her two weeks ago before he had to come back to California to meet with the producers for this movie (he wishes they’d give it a temporary name other than Project 783 because he’s a bit tired of calling it that), she was too stressed for either of them to really enjoy it. It’s been a long summer. A good one but incredibly long.

He’s pretty sure there’s several songs about long hot summers, and that’s pretty much been his entire summer. With a lot of airports and Uber rides and living out of his overnight bag.

But Emma’s coming in today, is already on her plane, and is staying through Monday. They’ve got his premiere for Highland Waters tomorrow night, a day to themselves on Saturday, and then they’re spending Sunday out on the Jolly with his family, Anna and Kris included. He’s pretty sure Anna has texted him at least five times a day double checking that Emma is definitely going to be here this weekend. Despite how much time Emma has spent with Elsa, she keeps missing Anna.

Anna is not okay with it in the slightest. Sometimes he thinks she’s been his sister-in-law for his entire life instead of five years with the way she treats him. She’s refreshing, and he’s completely sure that she and Emma need to meet on soft ground for when Anna inevitably tackles her.

Yeah, she’s definitely going to tackle Emma.

After he finally checks out and loads his groceries in the car, he drives home a little faster than he should and quickly puts everything away. He’ll have to tidy it all up later, but he needs to go ahead and make his way to LAX because he already knows that traffic will be awful. It nearly always it, and this weekend is going to make it worse.

Sure enough, he’s late to show up, but he hasn’t gotten a text from Emma letting him know that she’s landed, so he parks in hourly parking and makes his way inside, taking the long route to avoid the photographers that stake out at the exit nearest to the parking lot. He doesn’t see her anywhere, but considering it’s at least thirty times more insane than the grocery store in this small corner of the airport, he doesn’t exactly expect to right away.

Killian: Have you landed?

Emma: Yeah, but we’re taxiing right now.

Emma: My legs are so stiff, and the man next to me has talked for this entire flight.

Emma: Ah, shit. He just asked if I’d get dinner with him.

Emma: Why are people so weird?

Killian: What did you say?

Emma: Obviously I said yes.

Killian: Bring me some takeout from wherever you go.

He keeps texting back and forth with her until the texts stop and he’s left simply standing there watching and just waiting for her to show up somewhere.

“Hi, hi, hi,” Emma sighs as she jogs up to him at the airport, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding onto him as he tugs her closer, the bill of her baseball cap rubbing into his cheek with the sudden embrace. “How long have you been waiting here? It took forever taxiing after we landed, and then I had to pee, which I pretty much refuse to do on the plane which was hard because I had coffee…and yeah. Sorry for being late.”

“I absolutely do not mind,” he promises, quickly brushing his lips over hers as many times as he can before things turn inappropriate in a very public place. “Even if you were obviously going out to dinner with that man. I’ve just been watching people get black suitcase after black suitcase mixed up with other people’s very similar suitcases.”

“Sounds like quality entertainment.” “Right? Your flight’s luggage is coming out on this belt in front of me, so yours should be here soon. I’m surprised you didn’t do carry-on.”

She shrugs, pulling back from him and tightening the plaid shirts that’s wrapped around her waist. “Too much stuff. I wasn’t exactly sure what to wear tomorrow, and Ruby convinced me to bring…a lot. I figured you could help. Plus, my foundation went over the TSA limit for liquids weirdly enough, which I found out at security. That was a fun time.” “Sounds like you’ve had quite the adventure, Swan.” “I have. Look, there’s my suitcase. Let’s go.”

Emma practically jogs off to get her luggage, and he wonders just how much coffee she’s already consumed this morning. It’s got to be quite a bit, and he knows that she’s definitely going to crash in the middle of this afternoon. But it doesn’t matter. She’s here. She’s here, and he’s absolutely convinced that they’re going to have a wonderful Labor Day weekend with all of the plans that they’ve been making.

He hasn’t been this excited for a weekend in a long time.

-/-

“I like this,” he croons as he walks up to Emma at the counter in his bathroom that he’s come to think of as her counter. All of her stuff is there, the things she leaves behind both on accident and on purpose, including the damn toothbrush she ordered replacements heads for and had them sent here instead of to her home. He’d already signed up for the refurbishment ones, but he didn’t let her knows that when she texted him about the delivery. So now he has an entire dentist’s office worth of toothbrushes.

“Thank you.” She finishes putting her earring in and then turns around. “If I move from side to side, the fringe shakes.” She demonstrates for him, twisting and turning so that the white fringe on her dress moves with her, and he’s about as fascinated with it as he is with the smile on Emma’s face. It’s almost like she’s living some kind of childhood moment she never got right now, and all he can think is how happy he is that she’s happy. And how much he wants to spend the rest of his life with her.

He’s known it for awhile even if they’re not there yet, but he’s there. And he’s perfectly happy to go at Emma’s pace. He knows that she’s it for him. All this summer, the months of flying back and forth, of getting brief moments of time together and even more talking on the phone, it’s been difficult, but it’s kind of reaffirmed things for him on what he wants out of life. Emma’s not the first woman he’s been in love with, she’s not even the second or the third, but she’s it in every big sense of such a small word. He somehow…somehow he just knows it with every fiber in his being.

God, he loves her. More than anything.

“See?” Emma laughs, looking up at him as the fringe stops moving, resting back in place and framing her body. “I bought this dress forever ago and have never worn it. It looks okay for the premiere, right?”

“You look stunning, my love,” he promises, taking her hands and kissing her knuckles so he won’t mess up her makeup. His lips move along the skin of her hands until he’s kissing her wrist, right on the small black dot. “And this is perfect.”

“Thanks. You look nice too. Very handsome but,” she reaches up and runs her hands through his hair a little bit, “your hair is too flat. You gotta add a little life to it.”

“How embarrassing will it be for me to admit that I usually have someone do my hair for things like this?”

“Only a little,” she laughs, continuing to mess with his hair, which feels far too good than it has any right to feel. “Why didn’t you for tonight?”

“Smaller event. I’m not even wearing a tie or anything.”

Emma rolls her eyes before turning around and picking up her lipstick and reapplying the red, her tongue poking out the slightest bit. “You are obviously in shambles.”

“Thank you for your never ending support.” He can see her wink in the mirror. “Always.”

The show sends him a driver, which he really didn’t understand for something like tonight when it’s simply a miniseries premier and not a movie, but he’s not going to complain about not having to worry about how much he’s had to drink when thinking about them getting home. So he thanks Steve, before helping Emma into the back of the car, her dress seemingly always in movement, and loading in himself.

Robin’s waiting for him when they pull up to the hotel where they’re hosting this thing tonight, and Steve drops them off at the front entrance where he can see Isabelle getting out of her car as well. Apparently, the producers are trying to schmooze them one last time.

“You ready, darling?” he asks Emma, taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as Robin walks them through the front doors. “Yep,” she says quietly, her eyes darting around the room that’s bursting with people. “This is kind of weird.” “Aye, I know. It’s pretty unconventional.” “A pipe burst down at the theater where they were going to do this,” Robin explains, “and they’re having to redo all of the upholstery. And this was a good last-minute option even if things are a little unconventional for it being a show.”

“That’s shitty luck.”

“It is, but this is a nicer place if I’m honest.” They walk into one of the ballrooms, and there’s a wall set up for them to take pictures by, a group of photographers and journalists already taking pictures and interviewing some of his costars. “Jones, you know what to do here. Take your picture alone, then some with Isabelle, and then you’ve got one interview at the end. Emma, you can stay with me if you want to.”

He looks over to Emma, and she nods her head, smiling at him even if her eyes are blown a little wide. “You going to be okay, darling?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She squeezes his hand before releasing it. “Go do your thing, KJ.”

So he does, standing and taking pictures, alternating between smiling and staring at the cameras with an emotionless look. This, to him, has always been one of the most awkward parts of his job. It’s not the interviews. It’s standing alone and having people take pictures of him. So he’s eternally thankful for when Isabelle finishes hers and comes to stand next to him, wrapping her arm around his waist and smiling.

“You’ve got these crazy eyes going on right now, Jones,” she laughs, all the while her pose never fades. “I’d try straightening those out.”

“It’s the damn flashes and the way it’s far too dark in here.”

“You’re supposed to be a professional,” she teases. “Get it together.”

“I would, but your shoes are just so bright that I’ve been blinded.”

She hits his back – hard – and he laughs while they continue to move across the small carpet until they separate to do their own interviews. She’s one of his favorite costars, someone who he actually likes to talk to outside of work, and even though they’ve been finished filming for months, he knows he’s going to miss her when she flies back home to New Zealand instead of staying here.

When he’s finished talking, having gone through Ezra’s entire backstory once again as well as explaining just how excited he is for the miniseries to begin, he makes his way through the doors, figuring that’s where he’s supposed to go. It’s definitely different than he’s used to, not at all familiar, so he waits inside the impromptu theater that he’s just stumbled into until Robin and Emma also come through the doors with smiles on both of their faces. Good.

“You want to get something to drink, KJ?” Emma asks, coming up to him and poking her fingers at his chest. “Because I know for a fact that you hate watching yourself on screen, and I feel like you are going to need a couple glasses of rum for that.” “Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“No,” she promises, wrapping her arms around his neck while he rests his on her hips, feeling the soft material of her dress under his fingertips, “I am not. I’m just trying to make life more bearable for all of us before you whine and moan all about your performance in the show.”

“She’s right, mate,” Robin laughs. “You’re going to give us all hell this entire time.” “See?” she nudges, running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and pleasantly scratching his skin. “You need something to drink. Plus, I think there may be food.”

“Swan, I would never dare bring you somewhere without food. I’m not a madman with a death wish.”

“That’s a good plan for you.”

After they get their drinks and Emma finds herself some food (“They have mini cheeseburgers, KJ. I knew your job wasn’t worthless.”), they settle themselves down into their seats while people continue to move around them. Isabelle comes to sit next to Emma, and they absolutely hit it off. It’s wonderful, even if most of it is them teasing him, but Emma’s just got this smile on her face, her eyes lighting up with joy…and it’s all he wants. He wants her to be happy, and if it means him suffering through being made fun of and having to watch himself on screen, it’s completely and totally worth it.

Plus, there are other scenes that he’s not in, and those are okay to watch. Those are brilliant to watch because it’s a bloody brilliant show. Emma gasps in all the right places, laughing at all of the totally inappropriate places when he’s doing something like sword fighting, and she spends the entire time whispering a live commentary in his ear that has his stomach rolling while he stifles his laughter in her hair and in her shoulder as he runs his lips across her bare shoulders every time he gets a chance. She smells like her hairspray, her perfume, and a little bit of rum on her breath. He enjoys the spice of it.

He enjoys her.

“That was brilliant,” Emma sighs when it’s over while the room claps. “Is there any way you can get me the entire thing, like, right now? I kind of want to know what happens next without you giving me spoilers.”

“I don’t think I have that power.”

She groans, stretching out her legs in the seat while her head falls back. “What good are you?”

“I thought we already established that the sliders you consumed earlier were what I was good for.” “That’s what your job is useful for. You, on the other hand, need to be worth something.”

“I’ll just have to think on that, love.”

He’s not sure if he ever comes up with something he can be good for since he can’t get Emma the entire season on Highland Waters, but he does get her some more food and a refill on her drink as everyone settles around the bar, chatter and laughter filling the room while music plays on the speakers overhead. He’s not exactly sure who all is here, most of the faces unrecognizable to him, so he assumes they’re executives instead of the crew he was so familiar with while filming. He would recognize the crew.

“So tell me,” Isabelle sighs as she comes up to he and Emma in the lounge by the bar, the wine in her glass sloshing around, “how in the world does Killian Jones get someone who is such a catch like Emma here?”

“I ask myself the same thing every day,” Emma teases, settling herself down on his thigh while he wraps his free arm around her waist, the other hand holding his glass.

“You have literally known her for three hours, Isabelle.”

“Yes, but in those three hours, she has informed me that you organize your fridge and pantry as well as everything else in your house like you’re in some kind of organization club.” “I am not embarrassed by the fact that I’m organized. Emma should be embarrassed by how much of a slob she is.” “Hey,” Emma laughs, adjusting herself in his lap while she slaps his hand over her stomach, “I am not a slob. I’m not a slob,” she repeats to Isabelle, “and really, the weirdest thing about Killian is definitely that he eats his salad without combining ingredients. Like, if there are strawberries in there, he eats all of them before moving onto the lettuce.” “That’s not weird.” “That’s really weird, Jones. I can guarantee it’s not the weirdest thing about you, but it’s pretty weird.” Someone calls out her name, and Isabelle looks away, practically tripping over her own heels even as she stands still. “I’ve got to go, but I’m going to come back and find you guys later.” “So she’s drunk, right? She can’t actually that clumsy all of the time, and if she is, that was incredible acting in that first episode.”

“She’s definitely a bit intoxicated,” he chuckles, tilting his head to the side and brushing his lips across her jaw and down her neck while she moves and gives him more access to her skin, little moans escaping her lips. Bless her. “I think we may be too, but we’re sitting down.”

“Because we’re, ah,” she gasps when he bites down on her skin, and it sends a shiver down to the base of his spine, “intellectuals.”

“Big word there.”

“You really are drunk if you think that’s a big word.”

He hums, leaning back in the chair and yanking her back with him so that she giggles, the sound high and lilting even with all of the sounds in the room. “I think we should go home, Swan,” he growls into her ear as his finger start moving over her stomach, wishing the damn fringe wasn’t in the way. He loved it at the beginning of the night, loved the way it made Emma feel, loved the way it hugged her curves, but he’d really rather she not be wearing it right now.

“I think that sounds like a plan, Stan.”

They load back into the car and get a ride home from Steve. He can’t say he’s ever made out with a girl in the backseat of a car, not since he was a teenager and Liam would have lost his mind had he and Hannah Kirpatrick been in the house, but now as a thirty-three-year-old man, he does just that. She tastes like the spice of the rum they’ve both been drinking, maybe a bit like the chocolate she ate right before they left, grabbing it on the way out the door, and it’s intoxicating as always as her lips move against his over and over again.

They’re probably scarring poor Steve, but he honestly doesn’t care when there’s a white fringe dress on the floor of his living room.

-/-

“Okay, so remind me that I am not twenty-two anymore the next time we decide to go out and drink so much,” Emma groans when she wakes up the next morning, her voice far too loud for how much pain he’s in.

“You’re talking far too loudly.”

“Oh my God, so are you.”

He chuckles, even as his head pounds, and wraps his arms further around his pillow, burying his face in the softness while he tries to will everything away. “You are nearly five years younger than me, so you’re much closer to twenty-two and not feeling dead from drinking too much.”

“You have a bigger body mass. Harder to get drunk.”

He kicks out on the other side of his bed until he finds flesh with his foot. He’s honestly not sure what part of Emma’s body he’s kicking, but he doesn’t care. “Rude,” he mumbles into his pillow, turning a bit and opening one eye just so he can see her stretched out as well, her hair covering her face from his view. “You’re not supposed to comment on a man’s body mass.”

“You’re taller than me and weigh more. Your body mass is bigger. It’s not an insult.” He kicks at her again until she yelps. “I hate you so much.”

“You don’t.” “I do.” “Will you still hate me if I go make us some hangover food?”

“Pancakes with chocolate chips and whipped cream would be acceptable. And coffee. And bacon. It has to be cooked in the oven and not the microwave though.”

“Bloody hell,” he grumbles, rolling over in bed and letting his eyes adjust to the light, “how are you being so specific about what you want?” “I am a specific type of person.”

“Okay,” he sighs, slowly getting up from bed and letting his eyes adjust to light, “I will go make us all of that food, but I’m also going to make you eat some fruit, yeah?”

“Fine, Mary Margaret. I will eat all of my food groups.” “Don’t tease Mary Margaret when she’s got a good point. Besides, you eat salads all the damn time.” “Not when I’m miserably hungover and not picking everything out like you do.”

He’s miserable pretty much the entire time that he’s making breakfast, the medicine he took and coffee he’s drinking helping a small bit. Emma eventually joins him, her hair wrapped up in a towel on the top of her head while she’s changed into the sleep shorts she likes and one of his older t-shirts that she must have gotten out of one of the drawers in his closet. Misery loves company, so as he and Emma grumble and groan all while waiting for their food to be cooked, it’s not quite as miserable as it was.

Or maybe it is. He did drink a hell of a lot of rum yesterday.

But eventually he feels less like death and more like a human being. The food helps, even if he does have a lingering headache, but honestly the fact that they hoard themselves away in his bedroom with his curtains closed to block out the sun and do nothing but hide out under the covers while the rest of the country likely has a nice Labor Day Saturday helps the most. Plus, Emma grabbed bags of chips out of his pantry and brought them upstairs with her so they really don’t have to leave his room at all.

Except to go get water. Neither of them thought about water when they both really need it.

“I’m proud of you, you know,” Emma speaks out of nowhere, making him turn his head to face her. She’s got a bag of salt and vinegar chips in her lap, something he already knows makes her tongue break out because his does the same, not that she cares about that, and if he were to shake out his comforter, he knows there’d be crumbs everywhere.

“For what, sweetheart?”

She shrugs, the bit of sunlight that’s peeking through the window casting across her face and hitting the green of her eyes, making them shine even more brightly than usual. “For your premiere yesterday, for getting the role for that movie that doesn’t have a name yet. I totally think it should be called After Life, though. People will think it has supernatural stuff in it when it doesn’t. It’ll just be about what happens after life is over for someone you love.”

He laughs, scooting up on the mattress and inching closer to her, nearly sitting up himself. “I’ll have to tell the producers that. Get you a paycheck for the name and everything.”

“Always looking out for me.” “Undoubtedly.”

“But I’m also just…” she sighs, her entire body heaving with the movement, and it’s what gets him to sit up against the headboard with her. “I’m proud of you for who you are, for getting this life for yourself, for not letting your past define you any more than it has to.” “Emma, what’s all this about?”

“Nothing,” she promises, putting the chips on the table next to her while he watches her features, watches to see if there’s anything she’s not telling him. “I don’t know why, but I was thinking about the Sorellino’s, about how I was late because of work, and how at the end of the night you told me how proud you were of me. That meant so much to me, probably more than I can ever tell you, but I also realized that I never told you how proud I am of you for the life that you’ve built.”

Emotion lodges itself in his throat, as do the words he wants to say in response. He remembers that night. How could he not? He remembers telling Emma how proud he was of her, remembers the way her eyes lit up and her lips trembled a bit, and he also remembers her telling him that his mum would be proud of him if she were here to see him. And while he doesn’t think what he does is changing the world, he’s glad that he does what he loves. Emma telling him that his mum would be proud of him, well, that was just the same if not better than anything else she could have said.

It doesn’t change the fact that he can feel his entire body heat all the while thinking about Emma and how she thinks him to be a man who she’s proud of, a man who she wants to be with despite all of his shortcomings and failures.

“Thank you, my love.” He leans over and brushes his lips over hers, tasting the chips she’s been eating.

“You taste like onions,” she groans, her entire demeanor lightening instantly so that he laughs against her lips.

“You taste like vinegar, so you really can’t complain.”

“Lucky for you, I do have a fancy toothbrush compared to your regular, manual one.”

“You and that damned toothbrush, Swan.”

She winks, reaching over and grabbing the big of chips before popping a large on in her mouth. “You’re really going to appreciate it when I eat this entire family-sized bag of chips all by myself in the next hour.”

“Those were for you and Anna for tomorrow. She’s going to kill you before she even meets you.”

“Don’t be so salty, KJ.” Emma pops another chip into her mouth while he groans, scrunching up his face. “Totally worth using the word salty for the look on your face right now.”

#betting on the bullseye #captain swan #cs fanfic #cs ff #cs fic

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tenscupcake · 6 years ago

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Kingdom Hearts 3 - An Honest Review

I’d like to preface this review by saying I am an unabashed Kingdom Hearts geek. Like, through and through. I played KH1 when I was just a tween, and have picked up a copy every installment since (in some cases, even bought the entire console just to play that one game). I still have CDs of the game soundtracks, a few discs which have nearly burnt out on replay in my car. Sanctuary After the Battle will forever make me cry, whether or not I’m watching the cutscene that goes along with it. I’ve replayed most of the titles multiple times. Wasted away hours on YouTube watching Story So Far recaps and funny commentaries about the games in preparation for KH3. Like millions of other enthusiasts, I have been eagerly and patiently (all right, sometimes not so patiently) awaiting the arrival of KH3 since the moment I first finished KH2 – 13 very, very long years ago.

At around eight o’clock on premiere night, I took my place in line at my local GameStop wearing my Kingdom Hearts t-shirt and pajama pants, brandishing the miniature Kingdom Key clipped to my lanyard. Finally holding that blue case in my hands was absolutely surreal. One of those natural highs it took me hours to come down from. Tears welled up in my eyes at the first few somber piano keys as the title screen faded into view.

Lots of people asked me, in the weeks and even months leading up to the release (because believe me, at any opportunity, I would not shut up about how excited I was about this game), if I thought it would live up to the hype. Pfft, I thought. People outside the KH fandom never understand. Of course it will. Sure, the series has had its weak links, its hiccups (the battle system in COM and the perpetual re-releases of old games with minor tweaks, to name a couple). But with the compelling cinematic storytelling and uniquely delightful gameplay of the main series’ smash hits - KH1, KH2, and BBS – in their repertoire, I knew the team at Square was capable of pulling this off. To me, it was just a given that it would be epic. That playing it would be worth all the years of waiting. I had absolutely no doubt in my mind this game was going to be lit. As. Hell.

I’m only saying all this so as not to give the impression I went into this game looking to find flaws, to nitpick it. Or with the expectation of being disappointed. In fact, quite the opposite.

I wanted to love this game. To me, loving KH games is one of very few constants in my life. I was supposed to love this game. I needed to love this game.

But the truth is, I didn’t.

That statement has been pretty difficult for me to come to terms with.

In what few early reviews and videos I’ve found of people discussing their thoughts on the game, I’ve found fans to be quite split: with some unreservedly loving, others downright hating the game.

I fall somewhere in the middle of the polarized fandom. I did NOT hate the game. It was actually a good, if not great game. But putting it on a sliding scale of satisfaction and disappointment, I would say it’s tipping toward the latter. And as it’s taken me hours of mulling, reading, and discussing with other players to characterize and articulate precisely why, and because I think I owe it not only to the series and the characters therein, but also my younger self to leave no stone unturned, this review is going to be a long one.

I’m finding it easiest to break it down by category:

Graphics.

This game is beautiful. It was sort of a dream come true to meander around in real time with the gorgeously, smoothly animated versions of Sora and the gang that we’d previously only been able to see in the rare cinematic cutscenes at each game’s beginning and end. Most of the Disney and even Pixar worlds and characters are rendered to nearly the same quality as their film counterparts. I often found myself just standing in place for a while, admiring it all. The vivid green landscapes of Corona, the beaches and sprawling sea in the Caribbean, the towering cityscape of San Fransokyo. And walking on water where the sky meets the sea? Stunning.

Gameplay.

All in all, this game is pretty damn fun to play. It was all I thought about during long days at work: I couldn’t wait to jump back into the action. Pounding on Heartless still brings me back to the good old days. And who doesn’t want to run up the side of buildings as Riku and Roxas demonstrated so epically, so long ago, in the World That Never Was? Soar to sky-high Heartless as easily as you can lock onto them? These new movement aspects brought an almost superhero-esque quality to the game, reminiscent of Spider-man’s wall-crawling or Batman’s grappling hook, that, if a bit unrealistic, I found to be immense fun. And compared to previous games, worlds are no longer cordoned off into many separate areas, and with the sheer scale of them, KH3 experiments with a quasi-open-world style that is rather freeing.

I also really appreciate that the character interactions with your party and with NPCs felt much less clunky. For one thing, they FINALLY did away with the press X-to-progress text-only conversations that were so prevalent in previous games, with all the dialogue left to voice actors. Even minor NPCs that only show up one time were given a voice, making every interaction that much more immersive. Transitions from cutscenes to the action were also much more fluid, and Sora and his current teammates talk to one another as you pow around. Even if it’s just a warning from Goofy you’re going the wrong way, or a heads-up from Donald there’s an ingredient or lucky emblem nearby, it was still a new feature I was glad to have.

Combat-wise, this game has a lot going for it. This installment brings nearly all the combat styles we’ve seen up until this point: magic, combos, form changes, flowmotion, shotlock, companion team-ups, and links. And it even introduces a few new ones on top of all this: the ability to swap between three different keyblades at will, and the new Disney parks-inspired attraction commands, where you can summon roller coasters, tea cups, and spinning carousels to your heart’s content. What this enables is for the player to never get bored during a battle. With so many options to choose from in each new enemy encounter, you never have to stick with the same combat style or get stuck in a rut of just mashing X to hack and slash everything. All things considered, Sora’s got some pretty sick moves this time around. Whipping out Thundaza, watching lightning explode across the screen and zap all the enemies in sight with it? Wicked. Floating above the ground, wreaking ethereal, glowing havoc with the Mirage Staff? Awesome. Surrounded by a sea of Heartless, locking onto 32 different targets at once and unleashing a flurry of lasers to slash through them all? Amazing. Thumbs getting fatigued fighting the third maddening iteration of Xehanort? Give yourself a break from the chaos in a giant, technicolor pirate ship, watching it thwack your adversary on every rock back and forth.

On one hand, the hefty damage most of these combat options deal gives the game an almost Ratchet and Clank-esque ‘blowing shit up’ vibe, which is undeniably fun. But, this array of choices does become a double-edged sword. With grand magic, attraction commands, form changes, and team attacks all fighting for space atop the command deck, they tend to pile up quickly. It’s not at all uncommon to rack up three or four different situation commands after only about 30 seconds of fighting. Sometimes, the constant need to make a choice, especially in a busy battle, can be more of a burden than a blessing. Having to shift between situation command selections on top of attacking, blocking, and accessing your shortcuts can be a bit cumbersome.

Unlike in previous games, there also aren’t many consequences for over-using special attacks. In KH2, your drive gauge ran out and needed to be slowly refilled. You also ran the increasingly high risk of morphing into the near-helpless Anti-Sora by relying too much on drive forms. But here, no matter how many times you’ve used a special attack, your MP will reload in a few seconds, and you can easily just ignore the situation command for Rage Form when it pops up. In BBS, it felt like it took a good while to power up to a form change, whereas in KH3 it seems like you can spend just as much time in a powered-up keyblade form change as in regular combat.

And, because so many of these situation commands are so powerful and frequent, they tend to dominate the entire battle, making the combat in the game much easier than previous games. Bordering on too easy. Where in other entries in the main series, I usually had to die several times on each boss in Proud mode before I devised the right strategy to defeat them, I rarely died at all in this game. On the surface, that isn’t such a bad thing. As I like to say a lot of the time, when I play a game “I’m here for a good time, not a hard time.” But there comes a point when the combat is so easy that it no longer gives you that sense of accomplishment when you progress past a tough batch of heartless or a particularly merciless boss – you know, that punching the air, whooping to yourself sort of pride. I was definitely missing that, at times.

Believe it or not, I think the Disney attraction commands, though powerful, and at first hilarious, were a bit too extra. After only a few hours in they just became annoying, and I was doing my best to ignore them when they popped up, even wishing I could turn them off. Now and then, I’d accidentally trigger the Blaster or the raft ride and just roll my eyes while canceling back out of it. Because it doesn’t really feel like you’re doing any fighting, let alone the real-time keyblade-style fighting uniquely special to this series. And forget trying to effectively aim while you’re in one. After a while the only thing I found them useful for was, as I mentioned earlier, taking a break from a fight when you’re fatigued, as they give your thumbs a break and cause you to take much less damage. While they were cool at first, my final impression of this addition to the combat was all flash, no substance.

I was one of the few who actually liked and took advantage of flowmotion in DDD, and was excited to see it brought back here. But this, too, turned out to be mostly another annoyance. I’m not sure if it’s because the actionable objects are so much more spread out in KH3, or because they actually built in restrictions on combos here, but I was unable to keep a flow going at all. After only one successful strike after leaping off a wall or pole, the blue glow of momentum vanished. It didn’t feel like “flowmotion” at all, just a one-and-done special attack that tended to kill any rhythm I had going moreso than facilitate it. So while conceptually and visually it was promising, I unfortunately no longer found it very useful.

Also, and I realize this is completely subjective, but I found the form changes to be stylistically underwhelming overall. I thought the drive forms in KH2 (especially Master and Final) were visually and stylistically cooler, and seemed to have more finesse.

Worlds.

When I was whisked away from San Fransokyo and landed in the final world of the game, I found myself disappointed by the number of worlds I’d been to, expecting there to be a handful more. Though, when I counted the worlds up, the tally was at nine. So I asked myself why it felt like so little, when nine didn’t seem like a small number. But, tallying up the worlds in previous games, KH1 had 13, KH2 had 15, and BBS had 10. Which does put KH3 on the low end of world count. Also, in all three of these previous games (especially KH2 and BBS), you had to return to these worlds more than once, usually unlocking new content and/or areas each time, leading it to feel like there were more worlds than there actually were. Though KH3 has a comparable length of gameplay to complete the story, it definitely does feel like it comes up short in terms of variety of worlds you get to visit. As a result, some of the worlds where you spend 3 or 4 hours at a time can start to feel like they’re dragging on a little bit. And on the flipside of that, there are certain worlds that you technically do visit in KH3 I did not include in the world count, because you are there for such a fleeting amount of time, or in such a tiny portion of the world – e.g. Land of Departure, the Realm of Darkness. Worlds that would have been awesome to get to actually explore! And perhaps the biggest letdown of all, though you get to visit Destiny Islands and Radiant Garden via cutscenes, there is no play time in either. Serious bummer.

As far as the worlds they did choose to include, the selection admittedly left me ambivalent. I was really glad to see Toy Story, Monsters Inc., and Big Hero 6 included, but wasn’t over the moon about any of the others. I was really counting on having a Wreck-It-Ralph world (I mean, how perfect would that be?), and would love to have seen them tackle Zootopia, Wall-E, Meet the Robinsons, or the Incredibles. I’d even settle for a return to Halloween Town (shameless NBC fangirl, what can I say). The Emperor’s New Groove could have been pretty damn funny. Even A Bug’s Life or Finding Nemo could have offered some unique gameplay opportunities. Certainly better content to work with than Frozen, at any rate.

As far as the plot/experience within the worlds, I also found it to be a mixed bag. I did enjoy all of them, even ones I did not expect to enjoy too much (i.e. Frozen and Pirates). Honestly, though, I found myself a bit bored in worlds where they followed the plot of the films too closely, to the point that it felt like an abridged re-hash of the movies. I know they’ve taken this approach before with earlier Kingdom Hearts games, and I may sound like a hypocrite for only critiquing it now. But I think even in stories where they did do this earlier, like Tarzan or Aladdin, they executed the re-tellings more successfully. The plotline was altered just enough to ensure Sora was a part of the action through and through. After playing those games, Sora was indelibly inserted into those films in my head. To where the next time I watched them, I was jokingly asking myself “Where’s Sora?” But that was not the feeling I got here. In worlds like Corona or the Caribbean, Sora was just sort of jammed into the plot where he didn’t really fit. In many of the longer cutscenes, I actually forgot Sora was even there – even forgot I was playing Kingdom Hearts. Sora didn’t really feel needed. I definitely found it more enjoyable to be part of a new adventure with the characters – like what was done with Toy Story and Big Hero 6, where Sora was able to play more of an active role in progressing the subplot. It was nice to feel like I mattered!

Extras.

These were hit-or-miss for me. I actually screeched with excitement when Sora and the gang ran into Remy, and enjoyed the scavenger hunt for ingredients. And while cooking with little chef was a treat I wouldn’t want to see cut from the game, I found most of the cooking mini-games to be simultaneously too short (less than 10 seconds each!) and needlessly hard to master (especially cracking that egg).

Admittedly a Disney and Disneyland fanatic, I also got a kick out of the lucky emblems (aka hidden mickeys). I thought they were one of the most fun collectibles we’ve seen to date in the franchise.

Which brings me to one of the more controversial extras in the game: the gummiphone! While a lot of people are ragging on the inclusion of this dynamic, I enjoyed it. The Instagram loading screens were a little jarring at first, but they really grew on me. And being able to point the camera at Goofy, Sully, or Hiro and watch them pose for a picture in real-time was nothing short of adorable.

Another thing that surprised me? The game’s occasional self-awareness. I almost included a separate category for this, because I’ve never seen another game do this, and did not see it coming! But the “KINGDOM HEARTS II.9” title screen gave me a good chuckle. It doesn’t make up for all the 1.5, 2.8, 0.2 nonsense we’ve had to put up with, but it’s at least nice to see they can poke fun at their own ridiculousness. And when Sora laments how long it’s been since he’s seen the folks in Twilight Town; then Hayner, confused and even a little creeped out, says “It hasn’t been that long”. Simply acknowledging the vast disconnect between the short time that’s passed in-universe since KH2 and how egregiously long the fans had to wait – well, it had me in stitches. It was morbid laughter, sure, but refreshing nonetheless.

Um, the folk dancing in the square in Corona? Literal funniest thing ever.

One thing that I really missed? Closing keyholes. Finishing worlds wasn’t the same without them.

At this point in the review, I’ve covered basically every aspect I can think of save for one: the story. I’ve purposely saved it for last, because it’s the most important aspect of the series to me, the one that can make or break a Kingdom Hearts game.

From the categories I’ve judged thus far – content, visuals, gameplay, extras – I’d probably give this game a solid 8 or 9/10. I had some issues with the overly cluttered combat, the difficulty level, and the slight disappointment with which worlds were included and the ways they chose to play out the subplots in each. But in the grand scheme of things, all these complaints are minor, and don’t detract from the fact that it’s just plain fun, in a new league with some of the most entertaining and most beautiful titles out there.

But that’s exactly it. Beautiful graphics are the new bare minimum for this generation of console gaming. If a game released for the PS4 or Switch isn’t visually outstanding, it runs a real risk of faltering behind the competition. There is no shortage of beautiful games on the market in 2019.

And if I want a fun game, I can pop back into Mario Odyssey or get a group together to duke it out in Super Smash Ultimate. I can easily download a dozen fun platformers on Steam for less than 50 bucks.

Yes, KH3 is really beautiful, and really fun.

But that’s not why I was so excited to play it.

A legion of kids and teenagers stuck with this series well into their twenties and thirties, never giving up on the release of the next installment. Trudged through handheld games and blocky graphics and clunky battle systems and convoluted plot lines. Why? Well, of course I can’t speak for all KH fans, but for me, and all the ones I know personally, it’s because of the story. It’s always been what, in my mind, sets KH apart from any other video game I’ve ever played. It’s the only game series that’s ever made me cry. The only one I’ve ever owned merchandise for. The only one I’ve ever been so invested in that I can discuss it with friends, even acquaintances, for hours on end. The only one that’s made me care so much about the characters that they feel like my friends. With how much time has passed since I started, maybe even my kids. No pun intended, the series has heart. It contains the same sort of magic that going to Disneyland as a child did. Or, it used to.

Kingdom Hearts 3 didn’t need to just be a great game. It needed to be a Kingdom Hearts game. One that built a wove a compelling story filled with intrigue and emotion from the first hour. One that did justice to all the characters (and by now, there are a lot of them) that we’ve grown to love over the last 17 years. One where a prepubescent kid can yell a speech up at a threatening villain that makes you believe, harder than you’ve ever believed, in the power of friendship. One that instills a childlike optimism that no matter how dark the world gets, as long as someone keeps fighting, good can still triumph over evil. One that tugs on the heartstrings in just the right ways, at just the right moments, to manage to make you cry – repeatedly – over a gang of outspoken, angsty kids with clown feet.

The thing about the story in KH3 is: it’s not inherently a bad story. Sure, it’s a mess, it doesn’t make much sense, it leaves you with more questions than answers, it’s incredibly cheesy, and it retcons a good deal of lore from previous installments. But many of these things could be said of other Kingdom Hearts games. The fact that these descriptors apply to KH3 isn’t what disqualifies it as a worthy entry in the series, in my mind.

For the most part, it’s not the story itself I found disappointing. After all, think about how a summary sounds on paper: reunions with long lost characters, long-awaited battles, conclusions of lengthy character and story arcs.

The biggest problem wasn’t so much the concept of the story, but rather the execution.

First of all, the pacing. The pacing was terrible. Almost nothing happens the first 20-25 hours of the game. I can think of maybe two scenes that got me on the edge of my seat, gripping my controller in the hopes it would advance the plot further: the scene with Mickey and Riku in the realm of darkness where you get to play as Riku for a few minutes (sadly the only time in the game that you do), and running into Vanitas in Monstropolis. Nothing. Else. Happened. Sure you run into Larxene in Arendelle, and goof around chasing Luxord in the Caribbean, but none of this is actually relevant to the plot we care about. Certainly not the plot the story is telling us to care about from the beginning.

And that leads me to the second issue – how vague your objective actually is. The ultimate objective of the game seems clear enough: rescue Aqua from the realm of darkness, maybe worry about the other two Wayfinder trio once we’ve found her, and defeat Xehanort. But this is not Sora’s given objective. Rather, it’s to find the ‘power of waking.’ Which is not explained, either to Sora or the player. Sora, on the other hand, appoints himself to another mission entirely: contemplating the unfairness of Roxas’ disappearance, he seems to mainly be focused on finding him and restoring him to a physical existence. However, this mission is starkly at odds with the canonical explanation of Nobodies in general and Roxas, specifically. The last time we saw Roxas (chronologically speaking) he reunited with Sora, and as far as we know, he’s still part of Sora. So, the mission to “find” Roxas as if he exists as an entity in the real world is perplexing. Second, lacking hearts, Nobodies can’t exist as a whole on their own. So even assuming we can “find” him in Sora, how far we going to bring him back without splintering Sora into a Heartless and a Nobody again? Even according to the series’ own complex lore, it doesn’t make sense. Therefore, the first half or more of the game seems aimless, not really knowing what we’re meant to be doing, or how. It’s hard to be invested in a story with no clear objective. Not something we can easily get on board with like “Find Riku and Kairi” or “Track down the Organization.” Just “Go find the power of waking.” Okay.

And while a lot (and I mean a lot) happens in the last 4-5 hours of the story to tie up loose ends, it’s crammed together in such a jumbled rush that it’s almost impossible to appreciate any of it.

After collecting Aqua and Ventus, long lost characters reappear on screen one right after another assembly-line style, to the point that none of them feels special or poignant anymore.

Not only that, but the characters who are brought back, many of them beloved protagonists from earlier installments in the series, are not given any time to shine.

It was promising when they let Aqua fight Vanitas in the newly restored Land of Departure. Ven is her friend, her responsibility; it was her fight. But with this taste of getting back a playable character from the franchise, I expected that as the plot progressed, it would open up plenty more chances for past protagonists to take the stage. That we’d be able to step back into the oversized shoes of other playable characters we’d missed. That when (or if) others returned in all their glory, they’d get to strut their stuff.

But that is precisely the opposite of what happened.

I mean, Ventus didn’t get to steal the spotlight for the final clash with Vanitas? By definition, his natural foil?

Terra didn’t get to exact his revenge in an epic showdown with Xehanort, the guy who stole his body and enslaved him for more than a decade?

Roxas and Axel, reunited, couldn’t team up to pound on the Organization members that tormented them? Instead, after his surprise entrance, Roxas got hardly any screen presence at all, and Axel’s epic new flaming keyblade got destroyed, making him sit out most of the fighting after all the build up that he was training to fight?

Oh, and you know who else was utterly useless through the final battles, demoted once again to a damsel in distress despite years of hype that she’d wield a keyblade in this installment, and multiple cutscenes indicating she, too, was training to actually fight? Yup. I don’t even need to say the name.

And to only get one small boss fight as Riku, when in the previous installment he had half the screen time?

The heroes we’ve missed for so long and longed to return to the screen are not resurrected with the dignity and respect they deserve. They are relegated to side characters, who are either completely sidelined for the final battles, or else just hacking away mindlessly in the background as you marathon one ridiculously easy “boss” after another Olympus Coliseum-style.

Speaking of resurrecting characters: the manner in which they brought some of them back was so nebulous it was impossible to understand, let alone experience any sort of emotional reaction.

For one: Roxas. For starters, it’s pretty lazy writing to have Sora be the one pursuing his return (however that was supposed to happen), only to have that pursuit peter out completely, and for Roxas to just appear at the final battle with no resolution or explanation of how. (Nor the satisfaction of fleshing out how Sora achieved it.) But more importantly, where did he come from? There was no scene in which he emerged from Sora’s being. So, where was he? Also, I get that they must have used the replica Demyx/Ansem brought Ienzo as a vessel for him, but how does he have his own heart now? There was no evidence to indicate Sora or Ven lost theirs again. This is a pretty glaring plot hole.

Second? Naminé. This one really came out of left field. No one had even spoken about Naminé the entire game, save one throwaway line. Then all of a sudden, near the very end of the game, everyone cares about bringing her back, too? Even Sora, despite his hours-long obsession with bringing back Roxas without a word about Naminé, sees a newly empty vessel and asks “Oh, is that for Naminé?” All I could do at this point was laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Even more confusing? Xion. She was a replica, with no heart, no personality... a walking vial for Sora’s memories. How on Earth did she get brought back? What was there to bring back? And what was the point? Xion always felt far more like a plot device than an actual character.

At this point, so little made sense and so many characters had appeared in a row with no regard for continuity or maintaining canon that my heart was really starting to sink. It all felt like it was meant to be fan service. Bring back everyone’s favorite characters: they’ll love that, right? But the issue is they did it no matter what rules they had to break, or canon they had to ignore. Sure, I wanted a lot of these characters back, I think a lot of people did. But not at the expense of good writing.

Even if one completely excuses the hole-filled poor writing that got us there, it didn’t even feel real that we had these awesome characters back. Because they just sort of existed, as high-def cool anime hair and porcelain skin and not much else. Not only did they not get to show us what they’re made of in epic fight sequences, but there was no meaningful dialogue from any of them. Where was Terra giving his friends any sort of recollection of his time as Ansem’s guardian? Riku and Roxas making amends? Aqua thanking Sora for keeping Ven safe? A brofest about protecting their friends between Riku and Terra? Axel saying anything at all meaningful to his best friend when he finally saw him again? For all the reunions we got, it was shocking how little substance there actually was in any of them.

It was an insanely rushed ending, with stunted, shallow dialogue, and awkward tears that felt forced rather than genuine.

KH3 is to KH1&2 what Moffat Who is to RTD Who. A lot more flash, a lot less substance, and hollowed out characters that no longer provoke deep emotion.

Characters’ emotions were not handled well in this game. Like when Sora, notorious for being a persistent optimist, dissolves to hysterics and claims he’s “nothing” without his friends. But we never get to see this sharp departure from his M.O. (because he has lost his friends over and over throughout the series without reacting this way) really wrestled with. It’s just swept under the rug after a single line from Riku. It’s okay for characters to hit rock bottom: in fact, it’s good for them. But such episodes have to be properly fleshed out, or they won’t have an impact.

Also, just my two cents? Making your characters cry is not a shortcut to get your audience to cry. It’s a lazy way of demonstrating feeling. In the writing world, there’s something called “show, don’t tell.” Making characters cry left and right with hardly any time devoted to the proper dialogue and action is the equivalent of telling, rather than showing. This series is unique to me precisely because it’s the only video game to make me cry (repeatedly). But I didn’t shed a tear in this game. And I think that is so telling. I always think of this behind the scenes video I watched for Doctor Who, in which they filmed different versions of a (very) emotional scene. In one of these versions, the Doctor properly breaks down and cries. David (the actor) upon seeing this version played back to him, said: “I worry if you see him breaking down, it stops you breaking down, as well.” He was onto something there. They didn’t end up using that take in the episode, and I think everyone would agree it was the right call. I’m not saying crying is inherently bad and always to be avoided. In fact, the opposite: it can be very powerful if used sparingly, and at the right moments with the right build-up. But overusing it, with no apparent regard for characterization nuances, basically making it your only method for tell your audience a character is emotional? It’s a little insulting. You also need good dialogue, good acting (or in this case, good animation and voice acting), and proper timing if you want to strike a chord with anyone.

Which, speaking of, I thought both the dialogue and the voice acting in the game as a whole left something to be desired (and seemed almost painfully slow?), and I think a big reason why emotional moments tended to ring hollow.

Onto another aspect of the story: how it ties in to earlier installments in the series. There was a fair amount of speculation going into this game whether or not smaller, handheld-console based installments and extra nuggets from mobile games and re-releases would be relevant in KH3. But regardless of which side of the argument fans fell on, the fact remains that many fans had only played KH1 and KH2, possibly BBS, prior to playing KH3. Many people don’t have the money or the interest in playing on multiple handheld consoles (me being one of them, though I toughed it out in this case) or cell phones, nor the tireless dedication and yes, more money, to purchase games a second time for Final Mix versions and secret endings. This is not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean they are bad fans, or less deserving of playing or enjoying KH3. Someone should not have to be a zealous super-fan to be able to enjoy a video game, or any form of entertainment. If you show up to Avengers: Endgame without having seen some of the previous major installments in the film franchise, you are probably going to be confused. I don’t recommend doing that. But is it necessary to have re-watched them all 20 times, speculated for hours on blogs and message boards, and read decades worth of Avengers comics to be able to understand it? Of course not. Though some insufferable comic book elitists insist they’re better than everyone else because they know more about the Marvel universe, the fact is you don’t have to be a Marvel super-fan to enjoy the films. That’s how it should be. Because it’s okay to be a casual fan of something. Content creators normally recognize this, and respect all of their audience. But here, there was critical information from pretty much every spinoff handheld game that you needed in order to have any idea what was going on. There wasn’t even any recap system like in KH2 (the static memories) to get you up to speed on what had happened in the series up until this point. Not to mention the location of the final boss fight, as well as the very last cutscenes centered around a mobile game/movie that I had never even heard of until I was in the middle of playing KH3. Now I am something of a KH geek as I said, so I’ve sat through Union Cross now and done my best to understand some of the more obscure lore. But, call me crazy, I don’t think it’s fair to expect every single person who plays the game to do that in order to understand it. Games are supposed to be fun, not homework.

Which brings me to my last point: this game was supposed to be the end of the saga as we know it. Whether it’s the end of the series or simply the end of this story arc and subsequent games will follow a villain besides the many iterations of Xehanort is yet to be seen (as of me writing this), but it was established this game would be the end to the main trilogy so far. And, to have that end be the main character swanning off on his own (as some have speculated, possibly to his death)? With everyone else from the series partying on the beach like someone important isn’t missing? As someone who came into this game expecting closure, I felt completely blindsided by this ending. After all he’s been through and all the sacrifices he’s made, Sora deserves better.

Kingdom Hearts 3 was visually and mechanically a blast, and credit should go to the developers, artists, and designers where credit is due. But as a fan who plays this series not for graphics or flashy gameplay, but to immerse myself in the story, I’m left feeling cheated. The way the plot unfolded and the way the characters were handled did a disservice to both long-time fans of the saga and to the characters themselves.

I always have a hard time with this, but if I had to put a number to it? I’d say maybe 6/10.

It hurt just to type that.

I’m not giving up hope in the franchise. If there’s ever a KH4 (which still seems unclear right now), I’ll probably still play it. I’m trying to give the creators the benefit of the doubt: they were under a lot of pressure to create a great game, and had too much time in development on their hands and too many sprawling ideas and tried to do too much at once. I’m all for second chances. But if they want the trust of fans like me back, they’re going to have to earn it.

Over the last couple months as I’ve put together this review, I’ve found myself in doubt. Even, dare I say it, like a bad fan, though in principle I vehemently reject the notion someone is a bad fan for disliking an installment of any franchise they love. Am I just too old for Kingdom Hearts now? I wondered. Was I romanticizing the series the whole time, and it’s not as good as I’ve built it up to be in my head? After all my time spent waiting, am I being too critical? I tortured myself over it. So, a couple of weeks after finishing KH3, I popped in the 1.5/2.5 HD compilation into the PS4 and restarted KH2. I had to see if it even came close to the hype I’d built in my head in the 8 or 9 years since I played it last. Almost 60 hours of gameplay later, I can say with confidence that I had not romanticized it at all. This game is amazing. I didn’t mind watching 30 minutes of cutscenes at a time because everything is so compelling. So the graphics are dated, but who cares? The combat is FUN without ever being cumbersome. It’s just the right level of difficulty that there are still some battles and bosses that require multiple attempts and the journey continuously instills a sense of pride and accomplishment. It has so much heart. I still teared up in the same places I used to as a teenager.

KH2 is still a perfect 10/10, and playing it again with fresh eyes only made me realize just how disappointing KH3 actually was.

There’s an old adage that it’s the things we love most that hurt us the most. I wouldn’t feel so let down, or compelled to write 6800 words why, if I didn’t love this series with all my heart. I’ve seen a lot of fans insulting and belittling anyone who dares to criticize the game online, and frankly I’m baffled by that. I critique and discuss all forms of entertainment I enjoy: and that includes both the strengths and weaknesses, the successes and flaws. And I guess I tend to associate with people who do the same. It doesn’t make us bad fans, but passionate ones. I’m not sending hate mail to Square telling them the game unequivocally sucks. I don’t have any ill will towards them or think they’re irredeemable writers or developers. I’m simply recording and posting my honest thoughts to help myself process how I’m feeling, and perhaps others if they choose to read them.

I’m genuinely happy for the fans who loved the game and felt it worth the wait – I don’t want to pick any fights with them (so please don’t pick any fights with me, either). I’m sadly - believe me, no one is sadder than me to admit this - just not one of them.

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 3 #kh meta #kh3 #kh #idk if any of my followers play but #there aren't many places i can post such a long review #so my old blog seemed an appropriate place #written by yours truly

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catalinda04 · 6 years ago

Text

Carried Away Chapter 53: Lucy in London

Masterlist

Lucy was surprised to find that she and Henry would not be watching the actual movie at this premiere. She stood next to Henry in the lobby of the theatre hosting the premiere.

“I have to be here for the press, and the red carpet, but staying for the film is optional. Then I’ll need to make an appearance at the after party.” Henry informed her.

“Then what do we do for two hours?” She asked him. His eyebrow went up suggestively. “Please, with Madrid traffic? I doubt we’d even make it to your hotel before we had to turn around.” She laughed.

“We could find somewhere quiet for dinner.” He suggested, Lucy laughed again.

“Honey. This is Spain. It’s only 7:30. We may be able to get tapas, but it’s way too early for dinner.” she told him. They were discussing the possibility of going for tapas, when they were approached by two other couples. His co-stars, Armie and Alicia were accompanied by Armie’s wife Elizabeth, who Lucy had met at the New York premiere, and a tall man that Lucy thought looked a lot like Michael Fassbender.

Armie spoke first, “we were talking about going to find some tapas before the after party. Do you two want to join us?”

Lucy and Henry exchanged a look before Henry turned to Armie, “We’d love to.” The six got a recommendation from an aide working on the premiere, and set off around the corner. Lucy had to pick-up her dress to keep it from trailing on the ground.

The group ordered a variety of tapas and a couple pitchers of Sangria. They talked like they’d been friends forever. When Lucy’s glass of Sangria was empty Alicia’s boyfriend, who turned out to actually BE Michael Fassbender, picked-up the pitcher to refill it. Lucy put her hand over the top to stop him.

“Aw, come now Lucy, don’t be a wet blanket.” Michael said coaxingly.

“Sorry, Michael. I’ve spent the better part of the last ten days trying to keep a group of American teenagers from drinking, I can’t go back smelling like booze. But if you’re in London next week, look us up. I’ll gladly let you buy me as many drinks as you want then.” Lucy laughed.

“Be careful there Lucy,” Alicia warned, “he’ll keep buying you drinks until you pass out.” The whole table laughed.

When the time came, they all walked back to the theatre to catch their rides to the after party, and to take Lucy back to her hotel. Henry accompanied Lucy back to her hotel. Leaving her with a long kiss before heading off to the after party. Before he left, Lucy reminded him to be back by 8:15 the following morning, if he was going to join them on the tour for the day.

Lucy mounted the three steps into the hotel’s lobby and found Giuseppe standing at the registration desk. “Ah Lucia, you are back. I hope you had a good time at the party for your boyfriend’s work.”

“I did, thank you. Did everything go ok for the evening?”

“Ah, yes. All was well. Many students bought gelato for dessert. I did not realize your boyfriend was the Superman, Lucia.”

“Yes, he’s an actor. It’s still ok if he comes with us tomorrow, isn’t it?”

“Sì, certo. Though I would think he would not enjoy touring with high schoolers.”

‘He’s grown quite close to some of my students, and he wants to spend some time with me.” She told him. “But I should be getting to my room to change before bed checks. Hasta mañana Giuseppe.” She said, turning to the elevator.

“Sì, scusi, fino a domani, Lucia.” Giuseppe said turning back to his paperwork.

Marie was still awake when Lucy got back to their room. She looked up from her phone when the door opened. “How was the premiere dear?”

“It was lovely. We walked the red carpet, then we all went out for tapas and sangria.” Lucy told, her slipping off her shoes.

“So you had a good time?” Marie asked, leadingly.

“Yes, mom, I did. Thank you for making me go. How were the kids? Everything go ok?”

“Nothing we couldn’t handle; a couple of bar fights, three got tattoos, two got married. Standard kid stuff.”

“They got married, and didn’t invite me?” Lucy asked, playing along. “Selfish kids.”

“What can I say, they’re in love.” Marie smiled

Lucy started slipping on her sandals, “I’m going to go do bed checks,” she said, turning to the door.

“No, need. I already did them.” Marie informed her.

“But it was my night to do them.”

“I know, but I did them. Now get ready for bed, we have a busy day tomorrow. Did you see the schedule in the lobby?”

“Yes, I did. Thank you again, mom. I really appreciate you taking the group tonight so I could go with Henry.”

“What are mothers for?” Marie said, turning her gaze back to her phone.

The following morning, Lucy was just slipping on her shoes to leave for the day, when there was a knock on her door. Wondering what, which of the kids, needed, she opened the door to find a smiling Henry, looking super casual in black shorts, and a dark grey tank top with a pair of sunglasses hanging from the neckline. His trademark dark curls were hidden under a Real Madrid hat. She threw her arms around him, and her lips crashed into his. Marie came out of the bathroom asking, “who was at the door? Oh. Good morning Henry.” She said, her gaze landing on the couple.

“Good morning, Marie,” Henry replied, smiling.

“How was the after party?” Lucy asked, as she, Henry and Marie made their way down to the hotel’s lobby.

“It was fine. The same people having the same conversations. I didn’t stay long.” He told her.

Henry was surprised that he actually enjoyed his day touring with Lucy and her students. All of her drama students that were traveling made a point to come talk to him, while one-by-one the students from the other groups gathered up the courage to ask him for an autograph or a picture, or both. He always obliged, not wanting to disappoint anyone.

He enjoyed touring Madrid with Lucy. He had been to Madrid once before to shoot a film, but hadn’t spent much time sightseeing. Lucy pointed out places she liked and knew from her many visits to the city. She explained some of the significance of the symbols in the royal palace, and told him stories of her time here with her friend Sarah. Summer Lucy was coming back. He hadn’t truly believed her last year when she explained the differences between Summer Lucy and Winter Lucy, but after spending those months with her in Minnesota and seeing her now in Spain, he understood what she was talking about. She wasn’t a different person, but she could show a different side of her personality. Her transformation wasn’t complete, with her students being in attendance, she was some sort of combination of Summer Lucy and Winter Lucy, a grey area. It only made him love her more.

Henry stayed with the group for the entire day, through curfew. Once Lucy had been assured that everyone was in for the night, she and Henry snuck out to stroll through the nearby Retiro park. They absorbed each other’s company on the sultry summer night in the city. They found a bench and engaged in some serious snogging. Lucy could have sat on that bench kissing Henry forever, but much too soon, her phone alarm signaled time for her to return to the hotel.

“I wish you didn’t have to go.” Henry admitted, walking Lucy back to her hotel.

“I know, but it’s pumpkin time. Besides, I need to get some sleep. We leave for the airport at 6:00 tomorrow morning. Then in will be just five short days, and I will be in London. We’ll have seven whole weeks. You’ll be sick of me. Though I will miss this park.” She said wistfully, looking back at the gate they had just exited.

“I promise you, that one evening, we’ll take a blanket to Hyde Park, and watch the planes come in over London. Or we could watch them from my roof, if you don’t want to go to the park,” he promised.

“You have a roof? With space for sitting?” She asked surprised.

“I do. It’s not much, but there’s space for a couple of chairs and a small table.”

“You will have to show me when I get there. That sounds like a wonderful place to do some reading.”

“I prefer the back garden for reading, but to each her own.”

They had reached the front door of the hotel. “I wish it were Monday,” Lucy said, burrowing into Henry’s side.

“So do I Cupcake, but it will come soon enough,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I love you Lucy.”

“I love you too, Henry.”

Lucy was proud of herself. She had managed not to cry when saying goodbye to Henry. It helped that she would be seeing him in less than a week, but it was a proud moment for her anyway.

Henry had been right, the five days had flown by. She returned home late Wednesday night, after being awake for close to 24 hours. Thursday was her day for laundry and jet lag. Friday Lucy ticked off items on her to-do list: she arranged to have her mail forwarded to her parents’ house, and completely cleaned out her refrigerator. Saturday was spent baking for Quinn and Thomas. She had managed to convince Anna to hold her niece and nephew’s family birthday party early, so she could attend, and make their cakes, like she always did. When she got home from the party on Sunday she started packing. She finished her packing on Monday morning, just in time for her father to arrive to bring her to the airport for her flight to London.

She hugged her dad tight, before walking into the terminal. She didn’t notice the mist in his eyes as he watched his little girl walk away. He wondered how many more times he would do this, before she flew away for good.

Lucy was grateful for the First Class seat Henry had booked for her. Between the end of the school year, the trip, and the past week, she was exhausted. She managed to stay awake through dinner service, but before long, she was fast asleep in her seat. The flight attendant woke her just before they were to land at Heathrow.

Lucy had expected to take a taxi by herself from the airport to Henry’s but, was pleasantly surprised to find him waiting for her. He wore his normal summer wardrobe, but had dawned a black chauffeur's cap and was holding a sign with her name on it, or rather Cupcake. She laughed out loud when she saw him. She gave him a quick kiss and a long embrace, not wanting to make too big a scene, should there be any photographers around.

Henry insisted on taking her luggage, though she protested that she could roll it herself. He led her to a taxi outside. He only took his Aston Martin out for special occasions. The driver took her luggage, and they climbed in the back. Henry jostled her awake when they reached his house. “Hmm? Oh. I must have fallen asleep. We’re here?” She asked.

“Yes darling. Let me help you out.” He climbed out of the cab and offered her his hand. She took his hand and climbed out, swaying as she stood upright. Henry caught her by the shoulders. “Are you alright?” He asked, concerned.

“I’m fine,” she responded, though she did feel quite dizzy. “My ears must be messed up from the flight. All I need is to lay down for a few minutes and they should be good as new.” She assured him.

Henry paid the driver and escorted her inside. Kal was waiting for them. He hopped around in excited circles until Lucy knelt down to rub behind his ears. “Hi, boy! How are you? I’ve missed you.” She wrapped her arms around the dog's neck. When she stood, she swayed a bit, throwing her hand out to catch the wall. Henry, who had brought her luggage up to the bedroom, saw her grab the wall as he was coming back down.

“Lucy, are you sure you’re well?”

“I’m fine, I just stood up too fast. I’m going to go lay down for a half hour, get my equilibrium back to normal, then I can show you just how much I’ve missed you.” She said suggestively.

The look of concern didn’t leave his face. ‘Do you want anything?” He asked as she slowly ascended the stairs. She turned carefully.

“Maybe a glass of water, my throat is feeling scratchy, airplanes are so dry,” she said, touching her throat.

Henry poured her a glass of water, concerned about what could be wrong with Lucy. He went up to the bedroom, to find Lucy wasn’t lying down. He heard the shower running in the next room. He waited for her. She emerged from the bathroom on a plume of steam, her hair wrapped in a towel, with another tied between her breasts. She saw him sitting on the bed.

“I wanted to shower off the flight before lying down. I felt grimy.” She explained, digging through her suitcase for her short leggings and a tank top. Henry watched her dress with hungry eyes. It had been almost a month since he’d gotten to see her curves. But his concern for her damped his libido.

She walked to her side of the bed, picked up the glass of water he’d brought, and drank heavily. She pulled a face as she swallowed, as if the glass had been full of glass shards, not cool water. She pulled back the covers, and climbed in. “Will you come get me in about half an hour? I don’t want to sleep all day.”

“Of course, darling.” Henry said, kissing her on the forehead before turning to leave the room. Kal, who had been sitting on the bed changed his position to lay his head on Lucy’s legs.

“Kal, come.” Henry ordered. The dog raised his head to look at his master incredulously, and set it back back down.

“He’s fine. Leave him.” Lucy mumbled, well on her way to sleeping again. Henry shook his head and went downstairs to check his email. Almost an hour had passed by the time Henry went to wake Lucy. Kal was still where he’d left him, with his head over Lucy’s legs. Henry sat next to Lucy on the bed, and gently shook her shoulder. She groaned, but didn’t wake up. He shook her a bit harder. “Darling, you need to wake-up. If you sleep all day your body clock with be off for days.”

With a bit more prodding, Lucy sat up in bed. She had a pained expression on her face, and she held the bridge of her nose. “Are you ok Cupcake?”

“I all of a sudden I just have all this pressure in my sinuses,” she said, massaging her cheeks under her eyes. “I think I may be getting a sinus infection.”

“Do you want to go to the doctor?”

“No, I get sinus infections all the time. Some pseudoephedrine will clear it up in a couple of days. Do you have any?”

“I don’t believe I do. Do you want me to go out and get some for you?” He asked concerned.

“Would you please?” She asked, hating how pathetic her voice sounded, but her teeth were starting to hurt from the pressure in her sinuses.

“I’ll go now. Tell me again what’s it called.”

“Pseudoephedrine. The good stuff. I have to show my ID in the states to buy it because stupid people use it to make meth. But it’s the only stuff that really works.”

“I’ll be back in a bit. Why don’t you go downstairs and find a movie for us to watch when I get back?”

“I’d like that.” She smiled at him as he left the room and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood gingerly, hoping the dizzy feeling had subsided. It hadn’t. She knew what that meant, but was hoping the pseudoephedrine would clear out everything that was blocked. She slowly made her way down the stairs to the living room. She picked a movie; a romantic comedy that she loved, but that she was sure hadn’t been there last summer, and when to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. Hoping the steam would clear her sinus and soothe her sore throat.

Henry returned half an hour later with a box of pills, a nasal irrigation bottle like she had at home, distilled water, and a pack of digestive biscuits. Lucy opened the box of pills and took the prescribed dose, before going to the bathroom to rinse out her sinuses. By the time she returned, Henry had made her a fresh cup of tea, and set the biscuits on a plate.

Lucy managed to stay awake for most of the movie, but went to bed early, leaving Henry to worry about her in the living room. He went upstairs to find her using almost all of his pillows to prop herself upright to sleep. It didn’t look comfortable, to him, but to each their own, he thought.

Henry awoke in the morning to Lucy’s side of the bed empty, and the light in the bathroom on. He knocked lightly and entered when he heard her croak a noise. She looked miserable. “I think I’m sick. The pseudoephedrine didn’t work at all, and now my ears are hurting and I have white spots on my throat. I need a head transplant.”

He crossed the bathroom and wrapped her in his arms, resting his chin on her head. “Oh, darling. Let’s get you to the doctor, he’ll make it all better.”

“I’m going to shower first. I’m hoping the steam will let me breathe for a few minutes.”

“Do whatever you need to do. I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready to go.” He kissed her temple and left the bathroom. He took Kal for a short walk, then called for a cab.

Henry sat in with Lucy as the doctor checked her over. He asked her questions about her sleep and work habits. He confirmed what Lucy had suspected; a sinus infection, double ear infection, and strep throat. He wrote her a prescription for an antibiotic, and suggested she continue the sinus irrigation.

The doctor had called in the prescription to the pharmacist that Henry had mentioned, so it was ready to be picked up when Lucy and Henry arrived. Henry had been oddly silent since they’d left the doctor’s office. When they got back to Henry’s house Lucy took her first dose of pills and made herself another cup of tea. She sat on the sofa in the living room and Kal jumped up to sit next to her. Henry looked agitated.

Lucy stared into space for a few minutes, drinking her tea, her other hand mindlessly petting Kal’s head. Finally, Henry sat down a across from her and let her have it.

“Damn it Lucy.”

His tone startled her. He’d never raised his voice around her, much less at her. “What?” She asked, genuinely confused by his anger.

“You need to take care of yourself. You run, and run, and run, until you have nothing left and now look at you. You relax and every bug in a 50 mile radius has attacked you.”

“Don’t yell at me. I’m sick.” She said pathetically.

“You wouldn’t be sick if you took better care of yourself. When was the last time you got a decent night’s sleep?”

She mumbled something he couldn’t hear.

“A little louder if you please.” He said, his voice lower, but Lucy could tell he was still upset.

“I said February. Ok?” She snapped at him, meeting his gaze.

“You haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since February?” He asked incredulously.

She couldn't meet his gaze this time, “Not since you left. I had a really hard time sleeping through most of March, then things were almost getting better in April. May is always a hectic month for me, then the student trip, and prepping to come here. No. I haven’t really relaxed since February.”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault you haven't taken care of yourself?”

“No. I’m just telling you the truth. You asked me a question, and I answered honestly. It’s my own fault I got sick. I do run myself ragged and only stop when my body finally gives out. It’s a bad habit. But it’s not your doing.”

“Lucy, I need to know that when we’re not together you’re taking care of yourself. I can’t be on location worrying if you’re running yourself into the ground. Will you promise me that you’ll start to make more time for yourself?”

“Well, what do you think this next seven weeks is? It’s time for me to relax.”

“I meant after this summer. When you’re back to school. Promise me you’ll say no sometimes, and take care of yourself. I can’t be with you all the time to make you slow down, I need you to promise me you’ll do that.”

Seeing how affected he was, she promised him. And made a mental note to make herself slow down. “I really am sorry I worried you, Darcy. Would you come snuggle with me and Kal as we watch Gwyneth Paltrow see what might have been?”

“Your wish is my command, Cupcake.” He said plopping down on her other side.

Henry had asked her to pause the movie while he went to the loo, when the doorbell rang. Lucy answered the door to find a florist delivery man waiting with the most beautiful bouquet of tulips and roses Lucy had ever seen. She signed for the bouquet and went to the kitchen to read the card. “Happy 1 year anniversary, Cupcake” the card read, in Henry’s bold masculine hand. She heard him approach.

“Henry, they’re beautiful.” She said through misty eyes.

“It was a year ago today that Will came to my door waving a tabloid rag in my face.” He said smiling. “It’s been the best year of my life.”

“Oh, Henry. I would kiss you, but I don’t want to get you sick. This is so sweet.” She turned back to the flowers. Henry wrapped his arms around her from behind and watched as she arranged the flowers in the vase she had found under his sink.

Lucy hadn’t intended to spend her first week in London in bed, or rather she had, but had hoped for more exciting activities than trying to breathe, or move without getting dizzy. But Henry wouldn’t let her do anything more strenuous than go to the living room. By the time her first week had passed, she was so ready to leave the house.

She arranged a lunch date with Henry’s sisters-in-law Sienna and Eva, Nik and Simon’s wives. The three women met at a little, out of the way bistro near Hampstead Heath. Eva was happy to be away from little Benjamin for a few hours. At 14 months, he was starting to walk along furniture and driving his mummy and daddy insane. Of course Eva also had a gallery full of pictures to show the two women. Sienna was happy to have some adult conversation.

“So, Lucy,” Sienna began, “what have you been up to with your time in London so far?”

“Well, I haven’t gotten out of bed much since I got here.” When Eva and Sienna exchanged a look, Lucy elaborated. “I’ve been sick. I wore myself down, and as soon as I stopped, the sickness caught up with me. I’m still on antibiotics for another two days.”

“Well, just make sure you have backup protection,” warned Sienna. “Antibiotics can mess with birth control, that’s how I got Ethan. Don’t get me wrong. I love my boys, but Nik and I weren’t planning on starting our family as soon as we did. But I got sick and well, Ethan.” The three women laughed.

The three women enjoyed a long lunch catching up on each other’s lives since they’d seen Lucy at Christmas. Lucy lost track of how many glasses of wine she’d had after her third, but she wasn’t driving, so she wasn’t concerned. When lunch was finished, the three women agreed to meet weekly for a lunch together, and to include Olivia, Piers’ wife next time.

Lucy caught a cab back to Henry’s house. She danced her way up the steps to the front door, and let herself in, singing quietly to herself. She danced into the living room and found Henry watching a Rugby match on the TV. She plopped herself in his lap, and looped her arms around his neck. “Hey good lookin’ you come here often?”

“You’re in a good mood. Lunch went well, I take it.” He laughed.

“It was so nice. I really like your sisters-in-law. We’re going to do lunch every week. Do you brothers ever get together?”

“Not often, no we don’t,” he said after thinking for a moment.

“We should invite them all over for dinner. We can cook, and it would be a fun casual night. What do you think?”

“Cupcake, I think that is a great idea. Why don’t you arrange it with the other women, and let me know when it will be.”

“Deal.” She replied, kissing him noisily on the lips, before bounding upstairs to retrieve the book she was reading.

Lucy’s days fell into a sort of pattern. She awoke usually around early mid morning. She and Henry would have breakfast together, before he went to the gym for several hours. While he was gone Lucy liked to read on the roof. She had fallen in love with the space as soon as Henry had shown it to her. They had picked out a couple of matching chaise lounge chairs and an umbrella table to put up there. Lucy would bring a book or her iPad and read. Normally Kal would join her, sitting at her feet, soaking in the sun, when it shone. In the afternoons she would go out, trying to find something she hadn’t seen before.

Lucy spent one full day at the British Museum. She had been gone so long, that Henry had called her to make sure she was alright. She spent time roaming the neighborhoods she hadn’t had a chance to visit last summer; Notting Hill, and Covent Garden, and the parks. Sometimes Henry would join her, sometimes she went on her own. She also spent many hours mentally mapping his neighborhood. She still found it very easy to get turned around and lost. She didn’t want that happening again.

Lucy had told her friends back home that she loved London, but with her time spent there this summer, she was starting to feel like London loved her back. She started imaging what it might be like to raise children in the city. When she and Henry wandered through a park or garden, she imagined them pushing a stroller, or carrying a hamper to picnic on the grass as a family. Though she tried not to daydream too often. Her life, it seemed, was better than any dream.

Chapter 52 Chapter 54

Armie & Elizabeth

Alicia & Michael

#Henry Cavill #Henry Cavill fanfic #Henry Cavill fan fic #Henry Cavill fanfiction #Henry Cavill fan fiction #Carried Away #Kal Cavill

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timeless-season-four · 6 years ago

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Episode Recap: Chinatown, Part 2

Welcome to our first episode recap! @only-freakin-sunflowers has us covered with her thoughts on the season premiere, and we hope to have her take appearing every Tuesday as we go forward....

Welcome back, Clockblockers! At this point, our dedication is only matched by our Time Team’s to get Rufus back. Us too, guys, us too. And I am putting back on my mustard-stained cheerleading shoes for the first time in three years to gab about my favourite time travellers and to bring you a recap of what went down in our very first episode of what looks like a very captivating season. (Thanks, Hilary!)

Before we go anywhere new with our team this season, we’re situated a little ways before we left off: back in 1888, with an unfortunately dead Rufus. And Jiya, holding him, and Wyatt. It’s agonizing. We find out why they left him there, which satisfied me, because I wondered why they didn’t just haul him home for a funeral. But they can’t do that. They can’t take more than 4 people in the Lifeboat, even if one’s dead. And, also, they’re being shot at and they gotta run.

And then you realize it’s all just someone’s nightmarish flashback. And that the opening credits haven’t even rolled and you’re already on the edge of your seat. (No, there was no time to get up and make popcorn, not yet).

Next, we find ourselves where we actually left off: in our lovely little bunker with Bearded Wyatt and Bobbed Lucy and… whatever that ship is they came here in, and wherever it is they came from. I have to admit, while it was frustrating that future!Lyatt can’t tell us much, when Lara Croft – I’m sorry, Lucy– told our team that they have to save Rufus, because “everything depends on it”, I cracked a big grin. THEN SHE SAID THE TIMELINE IS COLLAPSING? (Oh look, if it isn’t the consequences of their own actions.)

Although we can blame a lot on Emma, as in, almost everything bad– that one, maybe not (although, now that I think about it… not Emma per se, but Rittenhouse….). We find Emma strutting into a Rittenhouse boardroom meeting like the power boss she is (hating her and admiring her aren’t mutually exclusive), where we, and she, meet Mike Temple. He wants to take Rittenhouse to new, quite frankly scary heights. His visions of bringing Rittenhouse into the present, with things such as a Rittenhouse app and flashy advertising, make me shudder. And I think that’s the point. "America is Rittenhouse, Rittenhouse is America,” he says. Oh, Mike Temple, you are unfortunate but true, aren’t you?

There are two scenes of future!Lyatt having really profound conversations with their past selves, AND the first one starts off with them acknowledging The Beard and the fact that Lucy looks like Lara Croft. Wyatt isn’t too happy with the situation, overall, he’s too macho for therapy (as a student currently in a clinical counselling course, *shakes head*) And Flynn referring to future!Wyatt as “Wild Wild Wyatt,” I cracked up. Now while it won’t come till much later in the episode, I’ll skip ahead. Future!Lucy and current Lucy’s conversation had to be one of my favourite scenes of the episode. The way she tells her younger self, "I’m proud of you, you know. You’ve already been so brave. So strong.” Ugh, my heart. Lucy needed that, and she needs a hug. Our poor girl is so broken and she just, she needed that.

Anyway, finally, the mission to #SaveRufus. It seems to be straightforward, right? What can go wrong except everything, right? They know how to pre-program the Lifeboat, so they don’t need a pilot. They have a plan. They have Flynn, and they have Wyatt, and they have… Connor. We have the best “ragtag rescue team” we could ask for. What can go wrong except everything? Well first of all, no one accounted for a Little Not-Red Riding Hood to appear out of literally nowhere and shift the atmosphere. Not to mention, she brings potions with her! Hocus Pocus, she saves Rufus?! I have a theory on this mysterious mage, but I’ll hold my tongue (also, everyone, please give a warm welcome to Tiera Skovbye as our new young blonde heroine, Jane). Does anyone else have guesses about who she may be, or how she got there? I’d love to hear them. And, the guys didn’t exactly account for weird time continuum shifts, being spotted, or not being able to get home. This mission may have been stressful for them but it was stressful for us too, “YOU’RE TOO LATE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE TOO LATE?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE STUCK, YOU CAN’T BE STUCK, GET UNSTUCK!” But our super smart little chickadee Jiya saved their asses, even if she was going through something funky back in the bunker (uh, not to mention grief). Something funky back in the bunker, like the girls experiencing some unsettled memory loss as the timeline changes and leaves them behind. That’s some scary shit.

Back on that discussion Lara Croft and Lucy had, that I touched on earlier. Lara cared to share that the reason Rufus’ salvation was so dire was not only because duh he’s the backbone and pilot of the team, Wyatt and Lucy’s best friend, Connor’s pseudo-son, and the love of Jiya’s life, but because his big brain is the one to stop the timeline from becoming one big split end and splintering off in an unknown amount of unpredictable directions. But that wasn’t the most unsettling thing Lara Croft said (before we continue here– I’m calling her Lara Croft because, hello, but that haircut actually really suits her.) And then there was that other thing she slipped in, when she starts talking about Lucy’s car accident in college, and “the second time, it wasn’t an accident.” Pardon me, Lara? And then she just– poof, into thin air, gone. At least she left on a high note, I suppose.

I will admit, I faded toward the end of the episode, not because of a quality drop, but because I got a headache and backache and a case of the Sunday Scaries. BUT, what gave me LIFE– that #RiyaReunion. Ohhh my Godddd (yes, I just said that like Janice from Friends) it was everything I hoped it would be and more– cleared my skin, watered my crops... I might’ve shed a tear (maybe it’s allergy season, maybe it’s Rufus and Jiya). Now I’ll admit I’m a damn sucker for them, but isn’t everyone?

One last thing that stuck with me, amongst others, was when Rufus was walking down the hall in his PJs, with the flickering fluorescents. This experience is not going to go gently in that good night, it is not going to pass without its repercussions. As it shouldn’t. This is a big freakin’ deal. What they are doing, is a big freakin deal, and what we, as Clockblockers, have done is a big freakin deal. A big props to everyone who is still here and will continue to be here. Catch another episode of Timeless Season 3– coined by the masterful, ever impressive Hilary @qqueenofhades– next Sunday at 8pm EST, and another one of these reviews to follow shortly after! (If you want to come talk about the episode with me, you can find me on Tumblr @only-freakin-sunflowers. You can also find me on AO3, @only_freakin_donuts!)

(One actual LAST thing I have to mention because somehow I never found space for it in my ramble… Flynn reading Harry Potter to his daughter?! COMING FOR MY HEART.)

#timeless #timeless s3 #3x01 #episode recap

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violentendsrp · 6 years ago

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PENDING GRAPHIC UPDATE

SEBASTIAN O’RILEY —

twenty-six, co-owner of club blur

THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS —

Just looking at him, you would never have guessed Sebastian was an O’Riley. He’s nothing like his family, the pure opposite really, and that’s something he’s incredibly proud of. The O’Riley family have been a ticking time bomb from day one, dating well before his parents downfall. The O’Riley’s ran the politic game in New York City for years -- When you thought of politics, their family immediately came to mind. From his great-grandfather, serving as the Secretary of State, to his grandfather, Governor O’Riley, all the way to Sebastian’s own father serving as a Senator for years. Power came with the name, money easily following. But their means of obtaining both was nothing like the picture-perfect campaign they built their livelihoods on. While the O’Riley’s have been in office, they’ve been hiding money, and cutting corners for just as long. That was how they made their fortune, and that was how they kept their political influence in tact.

One wrong move sent the whole system crashing down, Sebastian’s father having invested in the wrong deal, earning him a spot in front of a supreme court judge to answer for his actions. In an act of fate, he was convicted, leaving his family in trying to figure out what to do with a now empty bank account and a tarnished reputation. For Sebastian, however -- This was a turning point he never thought he’d get. He never supported his family’s endeavors, actively trying to ruin the good name of the O’Riley’s, determined do the pure opposite of what his family wanted. Sebastian had no interest in politics, and his father’s downfall only gave him the chance to start over. His mother divorced Sebastian’s father and remarried another wealthy man within the following year, securing their home in the Upper East Side.

He didn’t pay much mind, with his father out of the picture, Sebastian had no reason to even try and keep the facade up. He was free -- And he wasn’t planning on wasting his time. Teenage rebellion turned into pure, unadulterated self-destruction through the years; Drinks, drugs, parties --- All became synonyms for the O’Riley name, rather than clean-cut traditional family values. Sebastian became a pro at his new life, deciding it was better to go have a good time, rather than worry about the long run. There was no point to it anyway, with his family gone, and Chessie Abernathy leaving him behind, there was no need for roots. He wanted to go out with a bang, and with the help of Bishop Kirbey’s brain for business, he was able to market it, and sell it to the masses -- Club Blur.

ACT I —

Surprisingly, Sebastian’s found a rhythm to the chaos in his life. Family troubles managed to sort themselves out, now that his mother’s gone on a permanent vacation to Greece, leaving him without a consistent disappointed mother, or questions of ‘Why aren’t you married yet?’. The nightclub business booming, as well as the side business held in the back rooms, with Sebastian riding in the front seat, having taken over most of the responsibilities now that Bishop is taking over the Kirbey. Everything seems to be falling back into line. But as fate will have it, what goes up must come down --- The high will surely turn to a low, with the O’Riley track record. And this time around, the lows begin with a tabloid article, one stating Manhattan’s beloved ‘Southern Belle’ has finally made her return to the city.

ACT II —

A new chapter of Sebastian’s life began and ended at the hands of Celia Santos – Thanks to her revealing a drunken night together at the FREYA relaunch, creating a rift between him and two of the biggest influences in his life – Bishop, and Chessie. With the two having slept together as a means of getting revenge for an act that was only spawned by too many shots of tequila and an iphone camera. His relationship with the latter, as complicated as it may be, has moved past the incident – The former, has not. Add in the fact that Celia burned down Blur and took herself down with it, the last three months have left Sebastian a little more lost than usual. He’s at a stand still with his best friend, no longer has a source of income, and is currently without a means of paying next month’s rent. Here’s hoping he can charm his way out of this, too.

INSPIRATION —

&RUN / sir sly. GOLD RUSH / death cab for cutie. SO FAST, SO MAYBE / k. flay.

CONNECTIONS —

BISHOP KIRBEY — partner in crime, partner in business . Bishop and Sebastian have been thick as thieves from day one --- It was practically destiny. With mother’s that are best friends, who wanted nothing more than to raise their children together, the two didn’t have much of a choice to begin with. The two have been close since their days in private school, and have made a more infamous name for themselves. Drugs, drinking, parties -- Bishop and Sebastian quickly established as forces to be reckoned with. Through the years, not much has changed. Only now, they both have trust funds backing them, and a new business venture that’s proved to be as successful as hoped for: Club Blur. Blur has become the premiere place to be seen at every weekend, only fueling the self-destructive lifestyle the two have turned into a ‘brand’. The only set back -- One Sebastian hasn’t brought himself to admit to out loud, is a truth hidden as a slip up: Bishop and Chessie may have slept together, and he’s not quite sure how to go about it.

CHESSIE ABERNATHY — fatal attraction, baby mama. Chessie has always been an enigma to Sebastian. Their family’s became friends quickly, and once the two’s relationship became public -- needless to say, his parents were supportive. They fell hard, and fast for one another, teenage love sweeping them off their feet and putting the blinders on for them. It was picture perfect, until he came home to angry mother, and a short note with an even shorter phone call, explaining that he wasn’t to see Chessie anymore, that she was leaving and that in nine months, she’d give birth, give the baby up for adoption, and return to the city. Devastation was an understatement, self-destruction following once she returned from isolation, refusing to look his way. Years passed, and the two never sorted anything out. Emotions remained, unspoken and festering. The two manage to land in the other’s bed whenever they crossed paths, quickly leaving once the sun rises. But now that rumors are spreading that Chessie’s returned to the city, he’s hoping this will be a chance to truly start over.

OPHELIA ATANAS — antagonist. O and Sebastian have never seen eye to eye, from day one. He’s always thought of her as a snob, someone who turns up their nose at anyone who doesn’t meet their unreachable standards. It was a partial truth, at least -- O has never held back her true feelings for anyone, and Sebastian is no exception.. There’s never been a particular event, or any catalyst that changed their dynamic --- They threw insults and glares from day one, without much thought to why they didn’t like one another, other than their superficial reasons. But, as much as he doesn’t want to deal with it, O and Chessie Abernathy have become close friends; He has a soft spot for the latter, and is trying to curb the attitude, despite how difficult it is to break an old habit.

ROWAN TANDEL--- dealer. With Sebastian spear heading the endeavors of the club, he and Rowan have become decently good friends, as well as business partners. They drink together, they party together -- They push drugs together. Without meaning to, Sebastian has managed to become a mule for the other man. Blur is unofficially known to be the best place to get high and spend the night with a stranger --- A fact that’s gained it it’s notoriety, and popularity. In the simplest terms, Rowan is the supplier, and Sebastian gets things moving for him. While the two get along well enough, it’s an unspoken truth that Sebastian’s in the game with Rowan. It’s a complicated relationship, one Sebastian isn’t too pleased about, but he’s gotten himself too far in to get out now -- He’s approaching the point of no return far faster than he wants to admit.

BEAU BUCHANAN – enemy turned old friend. Beau Buchanan is family, if Sebastian had a hand in picking who was part of his. She began as another person who hated him and his family purely based on politics, and of course – He didn’t press it further. But once he found himself alone, Chessie having disappeared and a father now making home on Ricker’s Island – Beau came waltzing in, and the two realized how alike they truly were. He can’t help but think of her like an older sister, someone to play wing-woman when he’s eyeing the blonde across the bar, someone to make sure he doesn’t spend his night’s drinking himself sick. But as she left for Grad school at Oxford, the two mostly lost touch. There’s no bad blood between them, just their own ‘out of sight, out of mind’ tendencies making the time pass easier. But now that she’s returned to the city – He’s sure they’ll pick up where they left off.

sebastian o’riley’s face claim is daniel sharman & is taken.

#aaron taylor johnson #aaron johnson #new rp #oc rp #gg rp #rp #rpg #soriley #t

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dwestfieldblog · 4 years ago

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THERE IS NO SAFE WORD

ATEH MALKUTH, VE-GEBURAH, VE-GEDULLAH, LE-OLAHM...

Anybody who understands my music will never be unhappy again. Beethoven. That sounds like a cue for a song...and here it is...

Well, now we know the actual defined amount of stubborn dumb stupidity for sure in America. Over 70 million morons. Loved seeing Trump jr call on his dad to wage ‘Total war’ (A phrase Goebbels used in Berlin 1943 when the allies were approaching... and we know how that ended, go on Big Don, do the honourable thing for the first time in your foul life.) Junior also said ‘It’s time to clean up this mess and stop looking like a banana republic’. Why yes son, it is, so off you all pop. Daddy is busy implanting his loyalists in the Pentagon and already thinking of running in 2024 but by then he should either be in prison or in exile on a tiny freezing Scottish island with a one hole golf course where he can still cheat. Seems likely he, family and their backers are planning to make good use of their through the looking glass rabies crazed sheep and continue to destabilize America for the Kremlin. Loved that the orange psychopath tweeted early ‘I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!’ and watched as he demanded all votes be counted...and the more they were, the more he lost by. HILARIOUS.

And his call to arms to ‘Stand back and stand by’ to The Proud Boys, who are not far right Nazi thugs at all no sir. To misuse Hunter S Thompson’s genius for the hundredth time, I hope that this is where the wave (of populist filth Trump has been riding) finally breaks and rolls back. But over 70 million morons say different. The 80 million who voted for the other guy must be happy there are so many who can clean the streets and fill the shelves at food shops. Education needs to be improved in America and Britain next year, a ‘LOT’.

January 20th 2021...Celebrate with joy the end of a despotic douche bag...allow the world to feel lighter. Republicans, you should feel ashamed. America, this bastard has been undoing your Constitution like a prom queen’s girdle for a button mushroom quickie rape for four years and couldn’t have cared less about Covid and how many of you died...as he said ‘It is what it is’. So SAD!!!! Arf. Donald, you are and were nothing more than a spoiled five year old brat with as much empathy for humanity as a lizard. A banishing ritual will need to be performed in around the White House...call up the Native Indians, the witches and South Park and cleanse the area of astral poison. The swamp will be drained when the deranged incubus’s entire family of scheming wannabe aristocrats vacates for good.And don’t let him sit at a little table to pardon them and himself.Lowlifes...speaking of whom...

It has taken a lot to make me smile this year (what, you too huh?) but seeing Rudy Giuliani giving a press conference between a porn book store and a funeral parlour in a parking lot did it. The T family, Jared, Rudy, Pompeo, Paula White (the Unchristian millionaire), the slurring ‘star witness’ Melissa Carone, spokeswoman Kayleigh with her cute little cross and all the rest of those despicable liars must all be flushed down the drains, no second chances, repentance or absolution.And as for Dr Scott Atlas telling the American public to ‘rise up’ against the safety measures called for by the state against Covid...A doctor telling you to ignore the rule against large indoor gatherings etc. A doctor.RISE UP? 12 million cases in the US as of mid November...254 thousand dead. That number is rising fast. Good luck from keeping the world falling on you Atlas, Wonder what the orange one offered him to blab such stinking dung. Another doctor with a hypocritical oath.

The smug toad Steve Bannon on yet another shitestirring podcast,spoke about beheading virologist Dr Fauci and the Director of the FBI Christopher Wray...‘I’d put the heads on pikes, right. I’d put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats, you either get with the programme or you are gone.’Twitter banned him outright (and how long did that take?) but the ever wonderful facebook didn’t think that advocating murder online like any other good fundamentalist was reason enough. They believe in the first amendment, hurrah for the robot Zuckerberg.Like? Dislike? Delete, good luck.

And meanwhile the EU budget, involving 673 billion pounds for Covid connected concerns has been blocked by the continuing charming behaviour of Hungary and Poland. And why would they do that at this time of dire need? Why, because the release of the funds is dependent upon the rule of actual law in each of the countries to which the money is allocated. They have some very naughty politicians there who are upset about this and the darlings have taken it personally. These men could well be directly responsible for hundreds of unnecessary deaths. Hungary’s PM Orban said the clause would ‘jeopardise trust’ between member states. Well pal, they already don’t trust you due to your actions in the last ten years over freedom of speech, assembly, judges etc etc.

The Polish ‘Justice’ minister said the clause was ‘...really an institutional political enslavement, a radical limitation of sovereignty’. Sounds like Nigel Farage.(btw, Love that he lost 10 thousand pounds betting on his golden mate to win the US Presidential election. Oh well, you can pick that up fast enough from taking the Euros you rail against eh? Got to relish the classic two faced double English standards he stoops so low to wave so high) Anyway, I digress, if it seems unfair to Poland and Hungary that they act more like actual democracies rather than extremist populist swine, perhaps they should also leave the EU and team up with Mother Russia and Uncle China.Again, Vladimir must be well pleased with how Europe and America are collapsing.

Belarus...the ‘police’ are beating up women, using stun grenades on unarmed pensioners and teens. These are not police and have nothing to do with any law other than that of the jungle. Lukashenko is their Trump, a man who always swore his country would be independent of Russia and then accepts 1.5 billion dollars in loans. Good luck with paying back the interest with your soul Alex, needs must when the Devil drives eh? Loved how those loyal to the dictator described the protestors as truants and transsexuals’. 150,000 of them? Seems a lot. But never mind, hired thugs and sadists are always easy to come by, whatever the country and whatever the year. Easy work and fun if you enjoy it, conscience free. Sure they are just trying to feed their families.

China wants a global QR Covid code, making tracking humans even easier via their brilliant technology. Let’s see who falls for that one, would you want yet more personal data known by those who created the virus and shot their own children? (For the record, I do not think Covid was taken over there and released by enemy agents and I certainly don’t think it was created by accident any more than the updated version will be.) Making a fortune out of others’ misfortune seems quite like disaster capitalism for communists. Drug companies will be hoping the 19 virus will ‘mutate’ to 21 and 22 in order that we will all need annual vaccines.

Prague, on the anniversary of the Czechoslovakian Velvet Revolution on November 17th, 250,000 march against their PM, (an ex informer to the communists) who has been Premier for too many years...another rich businessman deep in corruption scandals, I loved his comment after witnessing the thousands that he didn’t ‘understand’ why they were doing it. That said, there were many protesting against the use of...face masks. Ok, by all means choose not to wear them. Then stay the hell away from everyone else until you are vaccinated and don’t you dare go to hospital when you fall ill. Deal?

Englerland...The manic baldhead liar Cummings has at last been kicked out of Downing Street and a fine and noble advisor he was to the PM eh? Herd immunity my arse. Seems possible he might work for Farrage and continue destroying the system from within. Fnord. God help us all, the ‘UK’ is hosting the United Nations Climate Change conference in November 2021 and taking the presidency of the G7 in January...with Boris at the helm? Nobody takes this blustering useless lying cretin seriously unless their jobs depend on him. Tory supporters, what does it take for you to see reason, how much evidence of unending failure? At very least replace the Chumocracy rampant in the government or Doom, damnation, despair, death and more doom will repeat.Nice to see we get the vaccine tested on us first...guinea pigs are safer for the rest of the world on an island...

Fascinated to see that 20m pounds were not available for poor children’s free school meals but 21 million in taxpayers’ money for a go between businessman to get PPE (piss poor excuse/personal protection equipment) for NHS staff, was. How much did the go between pocket? 55 thousand dead in UK, fifth in the world,so proud of the levels of national intelligence and Govermental planning. Brexit and Covid in a double whammy with the most incompetent and corrupt government in my lifetime. As John Lydon used to rant on a perfect loop;’ This is what you want, this is what you get’. Possibly I am abusing his actual meaning, sorry Johnny. No future for the UK...None for me anyway...

Was the UK and America’s snowflake nonsense, seeded with the birth of instagram, tik tok et al/ forums with young folk seeking approval from their peers and feeling important when they were ‘Liked’? A few years later in the (ha ha) real world, they are easily insulted by others who do not find them having much depth or value. Kids’, being ‘liked’ is not the same as being respected, or loved. Pretend alpha males, being feared is not respect either.

‘Since words contain both denotations (referents in the sensory-existential world) and connotations (emotional tones or rhetorical hooks) humans can be moved to action, even by words which have no real meaning or reference in actuality. This is the mechanism of demagoguery, advertising and much of organised religion’ RAW. It also explains why, in tandem with tones, symbols and an altered brain speed,directed Will can cause change in ‘realities’. The litany of ritual, the mantras of magick and images focused to fire with the Tantric arrow. Oops, missed again. Anyway...back to the negativity☺‘

...as population increases, wages fall but later prices increase....and the relation between them –is to be considered the index of revolutionary potential...and can be predicted as precisely as eclipses in astronomy’. Robert Anton Wilson, The Widow’s Son (Hilaritas Press) 1985.

Thanks to Covid, hundreds of thousands of businesses have collapsed; the jobless or part timers are unable to pay rent or feed their families...and receive little or no support from governments who have either pocketed their taxes or just given rewards and contracts to their friends. The overload stress levels and knock on effect on those who had the virus and still suffer -or those who could not get into hospital for treatment will be massive. Every populist knows there has never been a better time to manipulate the fear and anger of the masses. Demonstrations, riots and harsher laws will spread each creating their own chain reaction.Watch out for Nationalists pointing fingers, don’t buy their snake oil. Avoid giving groups like QAnon any of your energy, paranoia is a creepy way to live and a sleazy way to die.

Ten months of reading emails which come across like distress signals or suicide notes from friends or that scene in Interstellar when the son knows his father could be dead by the time the message gets through. BUT...‘Help may arrive invisibly and unexpectedly from unknown sources’. Be open to this. Be sensitive and attuned to quantum parallels, there is a reaction going on to all the uff and crud, sidestep, step to the side... Allwhere and all now. You don’t need to ‘believe’ this, just be aware, sense it.

TANA, ORPHEUS, ARADIA, LUCIFER (or Robin, Marian, Orfee, Bride, all ye gentry come from Side)...Protection and guides, projected archetypes created by our minds and evolved by themselves...

We, as a species, exist in a world in which exists a myriad of data points. Upon these matrices of points we superimpose a structure and the world makes sense to us. The pattern of the structure originates within our biological and sociological properties.Persinge and Lafreniere.1977.

The intelligence should direct the will. Aquinas. The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body will be full of light. Matt6:22.

Have tied the last five years together and I have a feeling my time in this country is coming to an end, give it seven months perhaps. Thank you for reading, hope some was entertaining...Withe much Love from Donkey Oti, and Onan the Barbarian, stay healthy, wishing you the best Christmas and 2021 possible, Ba-ra-ka, Et in Arcadia Ego . Love, always.

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pagesoflauren · 7 years ago

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Grecian Nights with Jack (Jack Lowden x reader)

Anon Request: Please can you do a really cute imagine with jack where he proposes! Really fluffy 😍

A/N: Got the request a couple weeks ago, figured this would fit quite well into the series :)

Previous Installment Masterlist

After Jack’s premiere, you were free to do what you wanted with the few months he had off. Most days were reserved for traveling back home and seeing his family, other days were for going to your family gatherings and laughing as your cousins gushed over Jack and asked him some questions in poor taste.

“Can you give me Harry Styles’ number? Please!!!” “The next time you hang out with Fionn could you tell him I love him?” “Is Tom Hardy still married? You sure? Is he happy? Because I’m available.”

He took everything in stride, eyes drifting to you to give you a look that said I adore your family but please, help me.

And that’s how you decided to take a vacation.

It was Jack’s idea, actually. A romantic, coastal getaway to the Greek island of Skopelos. There wasn’t a lot to do on the island except lounge in the sun and eat, but that’s exactly what you needed.

You arrive on the Greek mainland at the beginning of your week-long vacation before taking a boat to the island. You insist on taking pictures with Jack on the way there with the clear blue water as your background. Once at the island, you squealed with excitement. It was a gorgeous, quaint little town that looked like it didn’t get much action. It was perfect.

Greece was known for its hilly topography, and it certainly delivered on Skopelos. You’re greeted at the dock by the AirBnB host, who insists you and Jack ride on donkeys up the hill while he and his sons carry your suitcases up themselves.

“No, we couldn’t ask you to do that,” you and Jack deny initially, thinking yourselves perfectly capable of doing it yourselves, when the men laugh at you.

“No, no,” the father says, “Big hill. We are conditioned for it. You are Englishman—“ “Scotsman,” Jack quickly corrects, ever proud of his heritage. “You are not. From flat land,” he says, making a sweeping motions with his hands to resemble the “flat land” that England has. “Jack, maybe we should. They’re locals, they probably know what they’re talking about.” “You ride the donkey, then, love. I’m carrying my suitcase up.”

Jack holds your waist and lifts you onto the saddle. You get yourself settled before the youngest son takes the reins, leading the donkey up the stairs. Jack follows, carrying his bags and a backpack as the father carries your suitcase and the other son brings the other donkey up. You’re not even halfway up the hill when Jack calls out.

“AGH, alright, I need a break,” he says, dropping his luggage and doubling over to catch his breath. “You alright, Jack?” you ask. “Yeah, yeah, love. What about you, you alright?” “Mhmm. It’s actually quite comfortable. You get a nice view.” “Right, shall we carry on?” Jack says, suddenly composing himself and picking up his bag. “Sir, ride donkey,” the father says, “I will take bag.” “No, no, I’m fine. Let’s go, we’re almost there, right?” “House is almost at top of hill,” the son leading your donkey says. “Right, well we better get a move on.”

He picks up his suitcase and motions for the son to continue. You laugh, looking around at the beautiful architecture, spying a restaurant you want to try later for dinner. Some of the locals wave excitedly at you, and a little girl who appears to be just learning English walking next to you for a few steps and making conversation with you before her mom called her back.

When you reach the house, the son grabs your hands to help you dismount before unlocking the gate to the patio and the front door. You eagerly roam around the house, listening to the father explain the different features and accommodations. He leaves two keys, one for each of you, and explains how to properly lock and unlock the doors. Once they leave, you hear Jack sigh and collapse onto the couch, letting out a huge, long groan and covering his eyes.

“Goodness, Jack, why didn’t you just ride the donkey?” “I wasn’t gonna let him slander the name of Scottish people! I have to represent!” “And look where you are now: sweaty, sore and tired,” you laugh. “Would you like some water?” “Yes, please,” he practically whimpers.

You laugh again, bending down to kiss his forehead. You go into the kitchen to fulfill his request.

“Rest up, champ,” you say as he practically tugs the glass from you and downs the liquid in three gulps, “the whole week’s gonna be filled with hiking and walking.

Your statement from Monday was true. It’s Thursday now, and you leave tomorrow night. You had spent the week hiking to different places on the island: hidden beaches, historical sites and the hilltop church from the Mamma Mia! film where Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan sang “The Winner Takes It All.”

“I picked this island for its romantic views and quiet nature, not because you could run up the stairs and sing ABBA songs before collapsing on a bench,” Jack laughs, handing you a bottle of water. “Hmm, one partner handing water to the other because they’re tired from coming up the stairs. Oh, how the tables have tur—HEY!”

His exclamation is a result of you splashing some of the water on him as you smirk. He pulls up the hem of his shirt to wipe away the stray droplets, though it does feel good after being in the heat for so long.

“Tike,” he mutters, pinching your cheek.

“Stop it, you’re mean,” you say, batting his hands away, appearing to regress to the name he had teasingly called you. He kisses the spot his pinched as you drink the bottle empty and lean against him. “Come on, love, it’s only a little more to the top,” he says, “and I’ve got a surprise for you up there.” “I don’t think there’s much you could surprise me with, Lowden,” you say, forehead against his shoulder, “We’ve seen the entire island already.” You feel his lips spread in a smile on the crown of your head before he speaks. “Trust me, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

He gets up and stands over you before holding his hands out to help you up. You look up, shielding your eyes from the sunlight that surrounds him like a halo. You smile, feeling cliche butterflies in your tummy as you grab both his hands and stand up next to him.

You trek the rest of the way to the top, sighing at the view of the town before ducking into the church. It’s a lot smaller in person and there isn’t much to see compared to the churches in Rome: no saintly relics or Michelangelo paintings. Just wooden chairs, candles and a small altar. You sit for a bit, pointing out small details in the architecture and recovering from the heat of the sun and strain of the walk up. When you’re ready, you decide to go back to the house and shower before going to dinner.

“Hang on a minute, lass,” he says, pulling you around the back way to a small courtyard behind the church. It’s nicely shaded with flowers in full bloom, brightly colored petals on display as a fountain trickles water against the back wall. You figure this is where the clergy spend their downtime some days. There’s a small opening that gives a view of the blue ocean water, and it stretches miles and miles. You stand at the edge, hands on the ledge and breathe in the crisp ocean air that you know you’ll miss when you come home.

“Are you looking at this?” you ask, “it’s such a gorgeous view.” “Should try and imagine what I’m looking at, it’s an even better view.” You laugh loudly. “Gross, what are you, 14?” you say, turning to look at him. “No, but you make me feel like a teenager in love,” he says when your eyes meet his.

He gets down on one knee and you back into the wall in shock. In a way, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for since the Monday night you first found the ring. You’re already tearing up.

“You can’t cry yet! I haven’t even said anything!” he laughs. “Oh, sorry I didn’t know you planned this out right down to the very tears that would come out of my eyes,” you say, fanning your face with your hands in an attempt to get the tears to not fall prematurely.

You two share a laugh at the moment and Jack looks at you with nothing but adoration in his eyes.

“I had this whole spiel planned out where I’d tell you all these things, but right now I look at you smiling and I just want that. I want to make you smile for the rest of my life. I want to wipe away your tears when you’re sad and take care of you when you’re sick or hurt. I want to lie in with you even though I like waking up early and I always want to come home to you when I’m on a break or done filming.”

He’s fiddling with one of the pockets in his shorts, unbuttoning it and flipping the flap up before taking out the velvet box you found in his drawer. He opens it, showing you the same ring with your birthstone on it. It’s just as beautiful as you remember. The box rests in his palm as he rests his elbow on his knee, wiping away his own tears with his free hand.

“Will you let me do that?” he asks, “Will you marry me?”

You had imagined the day you’d get proposed to since you’d first watched a viral proposal video on Facebook in high school. You imagined a candlelit dinner, you in a beautiful dress with perfect hair and makeup. Instead you were barefaced, in sweaty hiking clothes and tangled hair from the wind. It was the middle of a hot day, not sunset. Jack wasn’t wearing a tux, he was wearing his favorite navy shirt and cargo shorts with too many pockets. But it couldn’t have been more perfect. Your emotions dissolve your words and you can’t even say anything, so you nod, closing your eyes and letting the tears fall freely. His arms are around you and you’re gathered into his chest as he holds you. You feel his chest rise and fall unsteadily as he cries as well before he cups your face to press his lips to yours.

He slides the ring onto your shaking finger and you jump into his arms, making him stumble back before he regains his balance and holds you close.

That night, you get your candlelit dinner by the sunset, wearing a dress and having done your hair and makeup. Jack is dressed as equally nice, looking like your prince, your superhero and your knight in shining armor. But more importantly, he looks like your fiancé. You take a picture as you clink your champagne flute against his, your ring glimmering in the candlelight. The photo is posted on your social media, captioned: “Does this photo make us look engaged?”

IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

There’s a wedding in the near future :3

tagging: @albionscastle

#Jack Lowden #Jack Lowden x reader

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hannahgoestomars · 7 years ago

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2017 roundup

Hi all! Here I am to kick some life into this poor neglected blog with a look back at the year.

For me, 2017 has been somewhat of a weird transition year. It started off with me knuckling down and writing my thesis. It didn't quite become all-consuming - I'm glad that I intentionally made plans to rest and socialise during that whole time, and had a week's break in Japan(!!) during that process. I didn't quite hit my (mostly self-imposed) deadline of March 31st, but I came pretty close, handing it in mid-April.

That's two copies of 171 pages and 58k words of SCIENCE.

After handing in my thesis, I took driving lessons back up (having wisely decided not to do two highly stressful things at the same time). I then had my viva to defend my thesis towards the end of June, passing with minor corrections, and passed my driving test about a week afterwards. I spent the rest of the summer working on a couple of research papers, but with my Caltech start date still up in the air, it became clear that I needed a temporary job to fill in a couple of months, so I became a domiciliary care worker.

What followed was a very busy but very valuable few weeks for me. I learned a lot of new skills, I met a lot of people from very different backgrounds to me, I had to get comfortable with driving to work every day, and I got a lot of satisfaction out of doing a job that I know was helping people with their lives. It was pretty tough going - it was a tiring and sometimes emotionally draining job, and I was doing it alongside a whole load of admin and packing in my spare time as I prepared to move out to California. I'm very glad I did it, though.

After having packed my life up into boxes and staying a last couple of days at my parents', I flew out to LA at the end of November to begin a postdoctoral research placement with the Space Radiation Laboratory group at Caltech. I've now been living in the States for just over a month - I'm still adjusting, but I am very much enjoying living out here.

Isn’t this just a really great view?

For Mars One it's been another quiet year news-wise, with most of the work taking place behind the scenes. There's been a lot of admin to do revolving around going public last year, and as far as I'm aware it's held up a lot of stuff - looking back at last year's roundup, some of the things I expected to happen this year haven't happened yet. Of course it's somewhat frustrating for all involved, but I’m just living life and being patient in the meantime (no one expected this to be easy, after all). I've still had the chance to talk in schools and give a presentation at the Nine Worlds convention in the summer, and Mars One has still been doing cool things like hosting a space colony design lab day.

We've continued to learn about Mars in general over the year from satellites in orbit, rovers on the ground, and archival data, for example: locating what may be patches of ice close to the equator, learning about radiation on Mars during increased solar activity, continuing to investigate Mars' watery past - and raising as many questions as we have been finding answers. SpaceX has been successfully launching and landing multiple rockets this year with no disasters, Blue Origin has been testing its New Shepard rocket and Crew Capsule, and RocketLab made it to space with 'It's A Test' launching from New Zealand.

SpaceX continue to be a source of very cool rocket launch pictures... among other things.

In the wider world, it's been... a ride. I've found myself gritting my teeth through the unfolding disasters of Brexit and Trump, but there are signs that the tide is turning. I'm hoping that we can all bounce back from the past couple of years kinder, stronger, and more savvy to manipulation. I also hope that we get an increasing trend in silenced voices being listened to - the #metoo movement was a solid start, but can we keep it up and take it further? There's still a lot of work to do.

On a positive note, there's been a lot of fun stuff that's happened this year. I got to go to the Valerian premiere with one of my best friends and had a great time! I spoke at the Nine Worlds convention (thanks Jeannette for live-tweeting!) and really enjoyed the rest of it as well - spending time at some very interesting panels and swanning around in cosplay. It's been a good year for good things to watch, but in particular I've very much enjoyed the new Star Trek and Star Wars coming out: both Discovery and The Last Jedi have been great (I'm looking forward to Discovery continuing in the new year... and already pining for the last instalment of the trilogy!) I've continued to LARP, and I am really going to miss the UK LARP scene, but I'll see if I can find a nice one to join in LA. I've also said goodbye to a tabletop campaign I've been in for a little over a year, and done some fiction writing - none of which I'm sharing widely right now, but I'd like to build up to that.

My cosplay selfies from Nine Worlds - a low-effort Haruhi Fujioka, a high-effort Robin Hobb’s Fool, and an I’m-not-hungover-it’s-corpse-greasepaint Kieran Walker!

I'm not really one for specific new year's resolutions, but a recurring theme for the past year has been acknowledging when things scare me - and doing the scary things anyway. Driving especially came under that second theme, and I'm very proud of myself for the progress I've made there - going from very scared lessons to a solo road trip to Scotland! Doing care work and moving abroad were also really big challenges for me, but I've found the courage and support to step up to them.

Next year, I want to make the most of where I am here and now. My postdoc position is for two years, but I have no idea yet if I'll be staying for longer than that or moving back to the UK, so while I'm here I want to find my people, see the sights, and not let my time slip away. I also want to keep a close eye on my mental health - my thesis did a number on me, and while on looking back I feel like I have now climbed out of the dark pit that I was in while writing up, I think I'm still carrying some baggage from it. I also want to better understand the times that I get stressed or angry, and improve my ability to deal with it.

Thank you for sticking with me this year, even though it's been quiet for those just following the Mars One news, and wild and chaotic for those following what's been going on in my life as a whole! I continue to be active on Twitter if you want to do more of the latter. Happy new year to you all! Let's acknowledge 2018 as a big, scary, unknown place... and go tackle it head on anyway!

#mars one #mars #year in review

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wreckthelist · 7 years ago

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warmth: meeting Jack Lowden

Warmth. Sunshine.

That’s what it felt like looking at Jack Andrew Lowden sitting a few paces away from you.

(Honestly I should’ve picked the seats to the right of the theatre, but I wouldn’t end up with a clip of me asking him my question as I did. Forever thankful to the Indonesian girl sitting next to me.)

I walked into the theatre so surprised at how casual and low-key the event was. There was no stage, just chairs. No distance, just a table and water bottles within eye level. He’s going to be sitting right there, Jack. And Mark Gill, and the MC (whom I’d spotted when I dropped in at the Genesis around 2pm with my copy of War and Peace - for a 6pm Q&A. I was that keen. But also without knowing how intimate it was going to be.)

My heart raced when I took my seat. I tried talking to the girl next to me to calm myself down, branching out to trivial topics like messenger apps and all that.

“You must really like him,” she said, referring to my anxious gestures, including my spread-out palms rubbing both knees and shallow breathing (he wasn’t even in the theatre yet, guys. That’s the degree of pre-Q&A anxiety I had, if you wanted to imagine it.)

“N—I, well, it’s like this with anyone I come to meet,” I said, after taking quick pictures of the screen with my all-too-flimsy paper ticket (which is unfortunately lost, as of the time of writing), the empty chairs, and the Q&A slide.

“I just can’t believe it’s happening,” is what I think I said as an afterthought to her, before the MC came in and launched the event.

Here we go, I was thinking. Time’s ticking. Time’s now. In less than an hour and a half and he’ll be in here.

Him!

I had to come see him - was my thought when I saw that tweet. I was (quite rightly) shocked out of my mind that he’s attending the Q&A. I’d met Fionn and Tom before, and did not plan for this at all.

But Dunkirk fan tendencies aside, I genuinely love England is Mine, as you could probably tell from my gushing about the film infused with my utter helpless adoration toward the Mark Gill-penned young Steven Patrick Morrissey (god, I love the full name. Every. Single. Time.). Jack’s Steven is my favorite role of his to date. To date. No other. So to be able to hear Jack and Mark elaborate more on the film was a dream chance turned reality I hadn’t expected before.

I’d been looping the Hanlodge Productions’ England is Mine playlist on Spotify all week, for God’s sake.

(Especially Give Him a Great Big Kiss—and we all know why. I need an entire musical please. Oh man, that’s another thing I should’ve told him!)

By the time the final shots on Stretford and Manchester concluded the film, I’d already pulled out my pen, blank paper to take notes, and (obviously) phone.

I was going to write down the Q&A. I know it was being recorded, but all things be damned. I was going to.

(For my National Union of Students article, no less. So be on the lookout for that. This will be a fan experience blog entry.)

The film ended, and the MC gave the duo a grand introduction—“Mark and, the man behind Steven himself, Jack Lowden!”

They came in, sat down and grabbed water bottles.

And that was just it –Jack Lowden was in front of me.

(Whoa. Okay.)

The Q&A started with preliminary questions from the MC, as most Q&A’s go. My hand shot up the minute they opened the floor for questions, having rehearsed the ‘script’ in my mind for two days prior to this (self-explanatory as to why Steven’s introverted eyes and his skulking around corners of clubs in spite of the need to be around people and the music he loved resonate with me so).

“Hi Mark, Hi Jack,” I started, “My name is Anji (sad they didn’t say anything. It felt extraneous and ridiculous now, throwing that out. But whatever. It happened. I was cringing two hours afterwards, but that’s just me. I wouldn’t have said it if not for Katherine Pearce’s character in the film. It’s a trip every time I hear him say the line, “They’ve been like that for years, Anji,” in Steven’s voice, about six-ish minutes into the film.) This is my third time seeing the film.”

“Wow,” Jack muttered (and I wished that was recorded haha.)—even Mark Gill had a bit of a surprised look on his face.

“Thank you for the film. I love it.”

(There’s a whole lot of me wanting to say how much I love the cinematography, Jack’s performance, his take on Steven and the music….but I didn’t want to take up too much time. Then again, it was that voice in the back of my head talking to myself, no one else. Anxiety—TM.)

I’ll be honest here. I have no idea where I was looking when I was asking the question. I was so spaced out, verfremdungseffekt wise. I couldn’t even look at Jack. It was surreal and a bit too much that it was happening.

(Leave space for post-Q&A embarrassment room here.

Why, that must be some look on your face, Anji.)

But Jack was staring straight back at me, intent, when I was asking the question, listening, actually listening to me.

“My question is—I love Steven’s quirks—how’d you come up with them?”

“The physicality of it, you mean?” asked Jack, and I was thinking, oh god, I’m talking—I’m talking to Jack Lowden. He’s asking me a question. We’re conversing. We’re …having a conversation. An actual, honest-to-god conversation.

(I’d researched interviews before this, wanting to ask a question he hasn’t been asked before. And the quirks were the ones he brought up in an interview, proud that he’d thought of them himself. I wanted to hear him elaborate on them.

And if you’re wondering - he’s exactly as he is in the clips in person. Scratching his beard, fingers grazing his ear, eyes cast down at the floor when Mark Gill’s talking, a ridiculously short outburst of a charming laugh, and those gorgeous, beaming eyes that could brighten someone’s day.)

So it went (as per the clip), and I told him, “The more I watch it, the more details I notice,” and he was nodding, smiling for the slightest second when he said, “Great.”

(Ah. Well.

Well.)

One girl asked him right after the Q&A, “Can you sign this for me?” And I knew it was go-time when he said yes.

Got off from my seat, books and notes and all (I’m a girl with many things. I’m a girl with two black rings.)

It was chill and casual and intimate beyond belief. Basically a bunch of us standing, crowding around him and talking. The girls praised his brown hair, and he turned back to the screen, said, “It was brown!” I was laughing along with them, trying to fish out my friend’s drawing.

(“What’s this? What’s this?” Jack asked, his voice surprised, incredulous, more like.

“It’s you,” I pointed out, quickly, “My friend drew it for you. She loves you.”

“Oh, oh wow,” and he’s glancing down and inspecting the drawing, “It’s amazing. It’s amazing.”

I asked him to sign it, of course, and, after a while (switching rounds with other girls) asked if he could take a picture with the drawing.

“Like this?” he asked.)

He had his arm around me when we took our selfie (over way too soon and way too fast, I think). His hand was so warm, and that I’ll always remember. (The first word on my Instagram caption of the selfie was warmth.)

He’s loud and friendly and funny, asking one of the girls (Holly, from our little Dunkirk events girl gang) if she’d bump him in the head again (after she’d told a story about accidentally bumping her head with his at the Dunkirk premiere), miming a boxing stance (HONESTLY!).

After a Korean fangirl informed him of the film’s presence at the film festival starting today, I had to step in and tell him.

(Nope. #ThailandRepresent. Had to. Wouldn’t not to. Couldn’t not to. More than my introverted self and the thoughts circling my head at being in that theatre at that moment, seeing him and sensing him and hearing him and watching him—was my pressing need to let them know we exist. That Thai fans love him so.)

“You have a lot of fans in Thailand,” his eyes widened when I said this.

“Oh really,” he replied, eyes locked on me (!!! I know. Same. The human equivalent of the exclamation marks, I was. And still am. If writing at 2:13am’s any clue.). He’s listening, truly listening all the way through.

“They all really love you, and everyone wants to watch this film, but it’s not in Thailand yet.”

I think I ran out of steam by that point and was basically the end of a tape—you know, when the filling’s used up.

I just kind of stopped, and then he didn’t say anything back, aside from nodding.

I know. Don’t look at me. I know.

(“And this mute here is Steven,” said Linder, in the film.)

So the girls hugged him and I was standing there wishing I could, but then there was no one to take a picture for me. And I couldn’t find a moment to.

Someone came and got Jack. He had to leave, but still found time to take selfies with Cora (another one of our gang). “The lighting’s better here too,” he said to her.

He’s joking around a lot with them. It’s lovely.

I rushed in, asked for another picture (“Can I have a picture too?”) and he took my phone, “So why don’t you just--?” and took a picture with him smiling behind me (bless).

(It’s the height difference. It must be. My timing’s not so good since we were in the middle of the hallway, but I didn’t know we were moving out after Cora.)

Then he had to go (for real), and we all trotted after him like the loyal, lovestruck groupies we were (and are, I guess. I just ordered the Making of Dunkirk book, thanks to Amazon’s one-day delivery and so forth).

He got up on the staircase to the right of the theatre (leading up to the Bar Paragon and Screen 1) and was looking down at us and waving.

“Bye guys!” he said.

“Bye Jack! Bye! Bye!” I was saying, along with the other girls, just awestruck and still riding on that high.

While I was standing there at the staircase, my brain was still processing that it was happening—had happened. Did happen. My eyes taking mental photographs of those smiling eyes and wide-stretched lips on his warm, friendly face. Those hands waving.

It’s the same with Fionn.

Would’ve taken a photo but was too busy taking in reality.

I’d met the man behind Steven Patrick Morrissey. I’d talked to him and saw him live, in real life, in the flesh. And he was a whole bundle of warmth, of abundant amiable nature and an infectious sweetness that lingered with his smiles.

I miss his voice already.

#Jack Lowden #England is Mine #cinematic wanderlust

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