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fibula-rasa · 5 months ago

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Favorite New-to-me Films—May ‘24

READ on BELOW the JUMP!

(listed in order pictured above, L to R)

Family Life (1924)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Synopsis: A family tries to adjust to unstable housing situations in Los Angeles, to an outrageous extent.

Adventurous and inventive gags with a charming family unit. Humorously distressing that the dog does not reappear after the balloon bit! (Potential content warning that there is a gag centered on the wife’s weight but it’s not malicious.)

—

Michael (1924)

[letterboxd | imdb | kanopy (us)]

Synopsis: Aging artist Claude Zoret and his apprentice/model, Michael, live a contented life together until the machinations of an impoverished Russian noble and a jealous friend drive them apart.

To begin, this is a queer love story and it is also a tragedy. But, it’s important to note that the tragedy is not derived from the queerness itself, which sets Michael apart from many other queer romantic dramas. Benjamin Christensen’s performance as the heartbroken artist is spectacular. Dreyer’s direction is as great and as heartfelt as it always is. You kinda can’t beat the cinematographic team-up of Karl Freund and Rudolph Maté. It’s available on kanopy, which you may have free access to through your local library!

—

Rafiki (2018)

[letterboxd | imdb | tubi (US)]

Synopsis: Two young women in Nairobi, Kena and Ziki, start a romance despite intense homophobia in their community. To further complicate matters, their fathers are political rivals in the upcoming local election.

The characters of Rafiki were all well wrought—both the leads and the supporting characters. Of the supporting roles, I especially appreciated Kena’s friend Blacksta and her parents. The setting made the story more compelling, from the community and class differences in the neighborhood to the different residents’ relationship with church-going.

All that said, I did feel like the plot was a little too simplistic given the complicated nature of the characters’ relationships and feelings. There are a lot of valid approaches to balancing out the different aspects of storytelling on film, but in Rafiki the balance just felt a bit off. Regardless, I still recommend checking it out, albeit with the warning that the main characters are physically assaulted in the film and it’s executed pretty viscerally.

—

Slayers Great (1997)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Synopsis: In the further misadventures of Lina Inverse and Naga the Serpent, the sorceresses get tied up in a family feud that culminates in a battle between an aggressively cute Lina golem and an improbably proportioned Naga golem.

We’ve been watching the Slayers OVAs in chronological order and it’s been fun seeing Lina and Naga’s relationship develop as they keep finding themselves in disastrously goofy situations.

—

Reassemblage: From the Firelight to the Screen (1983)

[letterboxd | imdb | kanopy (US)]

Synopsis: An ethnographic documentary about ethnographic documentary. Trịnh T. Minh-hà travels to Senegal to make a documentary about Senegalese women, but instead interrogates the work of ethnographic filmmaking and particularly the way African women are captured in the eurocentric gaze.

Like Scenes of the Occupation from Gaza (1973), which I talked about last month, this film is part of a broader discourse and has significant extra-filmic context, so it’s not one to recommend freely. However, I feel like Reassemblage is so formally interesting that you could get a whole lot out of it even if you’re not fully tuned into the conversation Minh-hà is having about ethnography. Stylistically, Reassemblage is fantastic work. The rhythm of the editing with the sound, narration, and dialogue is so sophisticated and often revelatory. (Content warning for dead animals.)

—

Just Around the Corner (1921)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Synopsis: An ailing widowed mother has one hope before dying: that her adult children have some promise of a stable life after she’s gone. Unfortunately, her good-hearted and overly-trusting daughter has taken up with a caddish “ticket speculator.” As their mother’s condition deteriorates, the siblings are in a rush to find solace for their mother.

A solid melodrama from Frances Marion with endearing characters. I will say that the manner in which Fred Thomson’s character as “The Real Man” is incorporated was unexpected. I also find it pretty cheeky that Marion cast her real-life husband as a character credited as “The Real Man.”

—

Thundering Hoofs (1924)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Synopsis: A cowboy finds himself at odds with a two-faced bandit. The cowboy falls for a young lady visiting from Mexico, but her father has been bamboozled into promising her hand to the bandit. The cowboy and his trusty horse travel to Mexico to save the señorita and expose the bandit’s true identity.

First off: I’m absolutely not a Western gal.

My initial feeling after watching this was that it was just okay (though I immediately loved Silver King.) And the contemporary response was similar: that Thundering Hoofs was entertaining enough, but nothing spectacular.

Then, for “How’d They Do That,” I watched some Tom Mix—some partially and one feature in its entirety. That feature is regarded as one of Mix’s best. My feelings on that film made me reevaluate Thundering Hoofs.

The stunts might not have been as ambitious, but the film captures what a well-rounded performer Fred Thomson was. The filmmakers also did an exceptional job communicating that Silver King the horse is a full-blown character in his own right. I’m sure that sounds ludicrous and it is. It’s a big reason the movie was enjoyable to watch as someone who doesn’t care for Westerns. I, for one, have never seen it implied on film that a horse gave a man a christian burial. No really.

Anyway, watching this added to my disappointment that most of Thomson’s films are lost, because if Thundering Hoofs was middling quality for him, I’d love to see his best. (Content warnings for minor, less-than-enlightened presentation of a Chinese cook and some of the Mexican characterizations.)

—

Wedding in Galilee / Urs al-jalil (1987)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Synopsis: A Palestinian man petitions the Israeli governor to allow an extension of their imposed curfew so that they can celebrate his son’s wedding. The governor and his staff agree only on the condition that they attend the wedding. Understandably, this creates tense situations in the community and the man’s family.

Easily the best new-to-me film I watched this month, and maybe one of the best I’ve watched all year. This is my first Michel Khleifi film and I look forward to checking out more. It’s a beautiful, stressful work of art, exquisitely constructed. Highly recommend this one.

—

As always, if any of these films catch your eye, but you need specific trigger/content warnings, don’t hesitate to ask for them!

—

This month I didn’t have the best overall luck with new-to-me films (honestly, it was a crappy month all around.) Revisiting Wings (1927) and Cobra (1925)was fun tho.

Honorable mention to End of the World (1931), which is kind of a mess in its surviving form though still visually interesting. It has that quality that you can sometimes feel when the cut of a film that gets released is not the filmmakers’ vision. And, knowing now that End of the World was significantly cut down, I don’t have much doubt that what Gance had originally created must have been much stronger.

—

As for the blog, I highlighted the work of a mess of stunt performers of the silent era in the second installment of “How’d They Do That”

Risking Life and Limb for $25

—

That post ended up delayed as the original article I chose for the series had a subject with no known surviving/accessible films! But, I compiled my research and posted about her separately:

Stunting into Stardom: Winnie Brown

Those posts together meant an unintended Western theme infiltrated the blog via my intended Stunting theme! There’s one more post on the topic of Westerns that’ll be up this month, but I promise we’ll return to our regularly scheduled programming after that.

Although, I’ve been reading Unthinking Eurocentrism, where, in the chapter “The Imperial Imaginary,” the authors note that between 1926 and 1967 a quarter of Hollywood features were Westerns. That sort of made me realize that, even though this is not solely a Hollywood history themed blog, it’s an oversight that I’ve never shared any work on Westerns.

Anyway, thank you for your patience with me if you are also not a Western person!

As for themed gif/still sets I made this month:

Daredevil of the Movies / Filmens Vovehals (1923)

Poplar Tree / Тополя (1996)

And I also shared additional gifs from the movies featured in “Risking Life and Limb for $25”:

Wings (1927)

The Trail of ‘98 (1928)

The Great K & A Train Robbery (1926)

As for the coming month, the next installment of “Lost, but not Forgotten” is incoming and I’ve made a lot of progress on my Salomé cosplay.

Stay tuned and happy viewing!

☕Appreciate my work? Buy me a coffee! ☕

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kindnessisweakness2 · 2 years ago

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Perfect Chaos! - Part 5

There she stood. Breathless with wide eyes gazing at the man that wormed his way into her heart unbelievably fast. 2 days. 1 passionate night stand. Well the 2 days were a lie. If she was completely honest with herself, Riley could never keep her eyes off of the walking Sex on Legs that was Angel Reyes. Even her first night in the clubhouse all them years ago her eyes would never leave Angel. There was always something, some kind of chemistry, pulling her to him. Part of her cursed Lina for falling in love with Coco. Without her stubborn ass dragging her to that party a year ago she never would’ve stepped foot in their world. Jake would never have been introduced to club life, and he definatley wouldnt be patched in. Riley could laugh out loud at Jakes Club journey. If Bishop knew half of it, Jake would be stripped off his patch and Riley would be dead for telling the truth about her supposed lover.

The other half of her could thank god that Lina and Coco hit it off. And it was all down to him. Since that first day she set eyes on Angel it was all different. He was always different with her. Soft. Calm. He would sit at the bar with her all night during club parties, swatting away hang arounds like flies and making her laugh until her lungs burned. Jake would leave her there for hours while he was off doing god knows what with god knows who, and the only one to keep her company, to actually care enough to check on her, was Angel.

The feeling of Angel abruptly taking a step back made Riley snap out of her thoughts. Seeing the hurt flash across Angel’s eyes made her feel sick to her stomach. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. “You.” Reaching out for him, grasping onto the neckline of his kutte, Riley tugged him lightly back towards her. “Its always been you, Angel. Since that very first clubhouse party i was dragged to, where you spilled beer down my vest top and gave me your shirt instead.” Riley couldn’t stop a giggle from escaping from her. “You sat shirtless that whole night just so i didn’t have to be wet and sticky.” Angel smiled at her, cupping her face. “Then be mine.” Pulling her into a kiss, Angel let his hands slide under the oversized grey t-shirt she wore and explore her warm skin. Riley gasped letting her head fall back as she lost herself in the comfort that was Angel. “Its not that simple. You don’t know what he’ll do.” Angel groaned in frustration, pulling away to look at Riley fully. “He wont hurt you, not anymore. Ill kill him.” Shaking her head, Riley pleaded with Angel. “He knows things. Things he shouldn’t. I cant explain fully. Not here anyway. But one thing i do know is we have to be smart. It isn’t just as simple to leave him Angel. I wish it was.” Riley sighed, Pulling him in for another kiss. “Please trust me. Ill explain more when i can. But for now this has to be our secret. Promise me.” Reluctantly nodding, Angel gave Riley one last desperate kiss before stepping away from her. “Fuck this is gonna be so hard.”

After 10 Minutes, Riley made her way back through the noisy clubhouse and headed outside. Angel was the first to leave the stock room, thankful no one was lingering in the usually cramped hallway, with people queuing for the bathroom. Both of them hoped it wasn’t obvious. Heading back towards the group, taking her previous seat next to Lina, Riley leaned towards her best friend and smiled. “I’m sorry, L. I shouldn’t have snapped. Im happy for you and Coco. Truly, you know that. I love you.” Lina smiled back at her friend, “I know RyRy. I love you too!” Coco rolled his eyes and nudged his head towards the girls as he watched Angel take his seat. “Arguing one second, making up another. Fucking Girls bro. Crazy.” Lina glared at her boyfriend, she wasn’t going to give him a response to his stupid comment, But by the look in her eye Coco knew he was going to get his ass chewed out later when they were alone. “Anyway, before my Idiot rudely interrupted. I was going to ask, You up for going the cabin this week Ry? It’ll be good to get away for a few days, get your head straight ya’know?” Riley shook her head instantly, avoiding eye contact with everyone other than lina, even though she could feel Angel’s eyes burning a hole through the side of her face. “He’s not gonna let me go Lina. You know that.” Scoffing loudly Lina made clear she didn’t give a fuck. “Let me handle it. You need this break.” And before anyone could protest, she stormed off into the crowded clubhouse on the search for Jake. Riley couldnt help but think she was fucked. Lina and Jake clearly didnt get on, and if she mentioned going to the cabin, he would want to go too to make sure Riley was ‘behaving’.

Not even 5 Minutes later, out of the clubhouse came a seething Jake. The look in his eyes as he stormed his way to Riley made her stomach drop instantly. “You’re calling off work and going to the cabin tomorrow and didn’t tell me before? Are you fucking Joking Riley?” It killed Angel to watch him shout at her like that. She was a grown woman for god sake, not some child that had to be supervised. “Well Lina only just suggested it. I have a ton of paperwork and essay’s to catch up on and i think getting away for a few days will give me the space to finish them. Their really important Jake. You know what im trying to achieve here. Plus it will just be me and Lina. No one else.” Riley practically begged him to agree to let her go. The paperwork excuse being true, along with the need for some serious girl time. “No one else? You promise?” Jake questioned her directly. Riley nodded her head frantically. “Ofcourse. I think Coco is going, but thats so he can spend time with Lina while im working. Ill literally be shut away in a bedroom of the cabin for 4 nights working every hour. Please Baby. This will be good for me.” Thinking quick on her feet seemed to be a new found skill of Rileys the last few years. Sometimes, its hard for even her to recognize what is a lie and what is truth. It was hard, keeping track of everything, but it was needed to survive her and Jakes turbulent relationship. “Well as long as its just Lina and Coco i suppose you can go.” Smiling widely Riley kissed Jake’s cheek.”Thank you! We’re leaving early in the morning, but i promise not to wake you!” Excitement fluttered in her stomach as she realised she could get away from him and finally not be filled constantly with panic. But it very quickly turned to dread at the words he spoke. “Don’t be silly, Babe. You have to show me how thankful you really are later.” And with a final wink at a now pale Riley, Jake sauntered away from the group. Lina, who had only caught the tail end of the convosation, turned to smile at her. “See, knew i could get him to let you go. 4 nights away from him Ry! You can finally let your hair down.” Riley spoke quietly without even looking at her friend. “At what cost...”

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murphy-kitt · 3 years ago

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Goo - Day Four

tw blood and injury, medical treatment (needles)

Part 2 to Glow

The ambulance speeds down the street as all four medical staff try to process the situation in front of them.

Phantom — he turned into a human.

Selina doesn’t know how, or what, but there’s a human child now in serious need of medical treatment. Tobias next to her, who was initially hesitant at helping Phantom because he’s a ghost, seems much more alert now that it’s a human's life on the line, holding a dressing to stop the bleeding from the teenager's wound.

“He’s just a kid…” Hannah trails off, whilst inserting an IV into a vein.

“And he’s supposed to be a ghost.” Tobias remarks, grimacing at the red staining the dressing and looking over at the needle inserted into Phantom’s unbroken arm, “None of this should be possible.”

Selina sighs as she examines Phantom’s wrist, gently straightening out the limb before slipping a splint beneath the arm and wrapping it up.

A few minutes of silence pass.

“What about when we get to the hospital?” Says George, who’s currently driving the vehicle, “We can’t exactly tell them we plucked Phantom off of the streets and decided to treat him, because he’s not, is he?”

“Well.. we’re gonna have to do something.” shrugs Hannah, administering antibiotics through the IV, “What was his full name again, David, Dylan?”

“Danny!” Selina snaps her fingers, and blinks in shock at the sudden answer. Even she's lost at how she knows his name. Where has that come from?

“Even major fanboy over there didn’t know that.” snorts Tobias, gesturing to George.

“Yeah. How’d you know that?” pouts George.

Baffled, Selina places a hand on the boy's forehead and brushes his now black hair back to get a better look at his face. She can’t quite place it.

“He looks familiar, like I’ve seen him before.”

“Well of course you’ve seen him before, he’s Phantom for God’s sake!” points out Tobias, lifting the gauze off of the stomach wound and replacing it with a fresh one rapidly.

“No, I mean. I’ve seen him like this. Human.”

It's right there, in her head. But where? She’s definitely seen this kid before.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve encountered him before Lina, these scars look like they required a hospital visit for quite a while.” Hannah remarks, turning Phantom’s — Danny’s left hand over, revealing branches of scars winding up the rest of his arm and to his bare chest.

“By God.” Tobias whistles, “How many volts do you think that was? Could’ve killed him.”

Meanwhile, Selina watches, her mouth dropping open in shock. She remembers those scars. She remembers being in that lab, the smell of burnt flesh, the unconscious body on the floor, the two kids that skittered in worry for their friend as he fought for his life.

That whole hospital stay was strange beyond belief. Burns and an electric shock that should’ve taken weeks, even months to recover from — the teenager simply bounced back within a few mere weeks. Yet, there was obviously something different.

“Because it did.” She swallows, looking at the unconscious boy with numbness.

“You what?” Tobias blinks, shocked.

“I was there — afterwards, at least. We’d been called to an emergency, a teenager electrocuted in a serious lab accident with a ghost portal. Somehow, he pulled through even though he should’ve been dead. It was a miracle.” Some tears glitter at the corner of her eyes, “And the whole time he really was dead.”

“Oh God, Lina…” Hannah’s face softens as she walks around the boy and places her hand on Selinas’s shoulder. Selina shakes her head. She can’t think about that now. Getting Danny treated is the main priority.

“These are already healing!” Exclaims Tobias, as both women look up to find the man holding up the gauze in his hands, spotted with streaks of red and green. The slice looks considerably smaller than it had beforehand, “How.. even?”

“Ghosts heal fast!” Shouts George from the front of the ambulance, “Have you never seen how fast he can spring back in a fight? He’ll have one, be pretty banged up and in the next hour he’ll be pretty good to go.”

That would be good information to know, if the kid lying on the stretcher right now wasn't also a human child.

“Maybe he can only heal fast if he’s Phantom?” Asks Hannah, “Sure, he’s healing fast now—“ she gestures to the wound, “but maybe he heals even faster as a ghost..thing.”

It’s risky. Do they really want to wake him up?

Well, actually, he fell unconscious, so probably.

“Hey, kid!” Tobias gently shakes Phantom’s (unhurt) shoulder. The three blanch and their eyes widen as they realise how young the kid is. Whether he be Phantom or “Danny”, he’s just a kid.

“Danny!” Selina speaks, and the black haired teenager groans, moving his arms weakly. Blue eyes blink open wearily, then jerk open with terror.

Instantly, Phantom bolts up, barely wincing in pain, his icy eyes flicking frantically to each paramedic, then to the splint on his wrist and IV tube in the other arm.

“It’s okay! We’re here to help.” Hannah reassures, holding her hand out as if he’s a frightened animal, reaching for his shoulder comfortingly.

Only to go through nothing.

Alarmed at the sheer ghostliness, Hannah pulls back as the IV and temporary splint fall onto the stretcher.

“Where is he?” Tobias questions, spooked, “He was here.. but he’s gone!”

A trail of neon green begins pooling on the floor, and the three paramedics give eachother knowing looks. They watch the floor as the green drips over the stretcher, onto the floor near the doors, and smears over cabinets. His wound has reopened.

“What in heck’s name is going on back there?!” Yells George, and the vehicle brakes abruptly, swerving into what Selina assumes is the curb.

“He’s awake! And also panicked!”

They hear the click of George’s seatbelt as the man gets up and walks into what the team can only assume is a ridiculous scene — the three of them standing with wide eyes, while green splotches materialise from out of nowhere.

“Look. We know you’re here. And we’re not going to hurt you.” Firmly, George says, walking over to where a bigger pool of green has begun to gather. The kid must be too battered to move anymore. He crouches slightly, praying internally that it’s where the kid is sitting invisibly, because if not, he looks like a fool.

“We’re here to help.” He explains to the empty air, “And I’m guessing you’re afraid because of what we saw. But I promise, that me and none of my team will ever breathe a word of this. I'll make sure of it. And they know that.” He narrows his eyes, facing Tobias, Hannah and Selina, who look collectively wary.

“You really mean it?” A small voice whispers, and slowly but steadily, Phantom’s outline materialises in front of him, scrawny and hunched over, green seeping through his white top and cradling his wrist to his chest.

“Yes.” George nods, reaching out a tentative hand to Phantom’s shoulder, from which he flinched. George edges back, but tries again. They need to treat this ghost.

“Now, how about we treat those injuries properly this time?” George asks the ghost…human… whatever he is. It doesn’t matter.

“They’re probably all healed by now.” The teen jokes shyly, and looks down at his stomach and to the green goo around the floor, “Although this one might need something.”

“Well, we’re here to help.” George smiles at the boy.

Phantom smiles back, gratitude shining in his eyes.

#danny phantom #ectober 2021 #ectober month 2021 #goo #outsider pov #tw blood and injury

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salphia · 3 years ago

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FASELY ACCUSED - SPENCER REID X Y/N (Chapter 2)

TW: Muder, Attemption of Muder, Flashbacks, panic attacks, blood, gore, muder cases, guns, weapons, killing, mention of rape, mention of moslting,

Master List

"As you are aware you are being chsrged and trialed for murdering 365 people." The lawyer reminds you. You nod, very well aware.

"That means you are also aware that you could be sententiced to death?" He asks, you feel your heart race faster and faster.

Death sententic is something has always scared you as a kid. Weather it be peaceful or not it has and still does scare you.

You nod taking in a deep vreathe to slow your heart down, slow it down just enough to keep you calm.

"Do you need a break?" The lawyer asks you, taking a drink from his coffee. You shake your head.

"No, i'm fine." You tell him as you both conunitue. You take a drink from the plasic cup, all thats in it is water.

After an hour you are taken back to your cell. Youve been placed in a area of the prison that is secterly for kid killers, kid rapers, kid molesters, ex cops and much more. However the other prisoners know where you are.

"You will be my bitch soon." Another female prinsor, Ginny Arrow. Hit your cell door.

You arrested her and put her in here for murdering her parents, her cousin and someone who she went to school with. She got 7 years of prison time with 3 months probastion.

You had silently hoped she was on probastion by the time you had gotten in here;

"If she gets the death we can easliey finish her off!" One of her buddies say, causing her and her whole group to bust out in laughter, a prison gaurd makes them walk away and go back to theirs.

You look at the cement roof.

'Why? How? Why did i let them threaten me like that? My own family and best friend of all people.'

You think to yourself, you should of just said something sooner. You know the team would of helped you, would of protected you, we all would of protected each other.

≈

You walk into your parents house to see your own parents, your cousins parents and best friend parents, covered in blood, 17 gun shot wounds to the chest and 2 stab marks across their eyes, dead.

You pull your ohone out of your back pocket with shakey hands. You struglle to diale 911, but ypu where stopped by your older brother snatchs your phone out of your hands and crushs it into small peices.

"Why did you do that!?" You shout at Adam, grabbing the peices of your broken phone.

"Sorry sis." You hear him say as everything went black. Once you awaken you notice your head is hurting like crazy, your arms are tied down to the chair arm rests while your legs is tied down to the chair legs.

You see your brother, sister, cousin and best friend all standing in front of you; "Drop the 365 case, Y/N."

Lina tells you, you look at her confused. How did she know you started working on the case? You dont tell her about anything and any cases.

"H-How did you know I am working the case?" You ask her, shocked, studdering a little. She doesnt have a phone, she doesnt read the paper or listen to the radio and news. The same goes for your siblings.

"Please sis. Its for your safety and ours." Your sister says to you. You cant help but wonder why they are asking... it soon hits you.

"You all are the unsubs for the 365 murders." You say in disbelieve. Your whole body relaxs. Surely this cant bd true, but if it is true.

"Am I the next victim?" You ask them. They all look at each other. They shake their head.

"We are the 365 murders. You arent our next victim, but you will be if you dont work with us and do what we say." Lina tells you

≈

Tears rolls down your face, you start to whimper but you keep quiet in order so no other prinsors and guards hear you. You dont want them to be alareted. You dont want to come off as weak or a easy target.

#criminal minds #criminal mind #criminal #mind #minds #oneshots #imagines #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer #reid #dereck morgan #aaron hotcher #hotch #spencer reid fanfiction

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blossom-hwa · 3 years ago

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Hi Lina! Do you ever write 2 separate drabbles all for one wip? I was wondering if it was alright to request another drabble for the checkmate fic (lee juyeon) ^^ It’d be amazing to witness another sneak peak for that universe !! if not, then i wish to request a drabble for your come what may, seo changbin! thank you in advance ^^

you all really love checkmate and I'm happy to provide! thanks for the request anon and I'm sorry it's taken so long to write; I hope you enjoy this!

Winter break drabble game: send me a WIP and maybe a prompt (check out the post for ideas) and I’ll write a drabble from that WIP for you!

REQUESTS CLOSED.

(for a bit of context, this takes place after the whole group has gotten out of Hearts - they’re now in the Board of Chess!)

(check out the rest of the Kingdom series here!)

Title: Prison Break

WIP: Checkmate (Kingdom)

Pairing: Juyeon x gender neutral!reader (only briefly mentioned here)

Word count: 961

Triggers: N/A

"How did you get here?” is the first thing out of Kevin’s mouth when Chanhee appears in front of him. “I thought all of the exits were guarded? Where did you come from? How did you send the message?”

Chanhee brushes a layer of dust off of his robes, scrunching his nose. “There’s a tunnel right underneath my room,” he says. “I just used that.”

“That tunnel?” Haknyeon gasps. “Chanhee, that one’s really old. On the verge of collapse.”

All in one second, the new servant’s face turns white. Kevin would laugh if he didn’t probably look the same. “... Collapse?”

“I never used it until I went through with Minho to get out of there,” Haknyeon says, looking dead serious. He isn’t joking - Kevin would recognize the glint in his eyes if he was. That knowledge doesn’t help settle his heart at all as Haknyeon continues. “Didn’t you hear the walls sort of... creaking?”

“Haknyeon, you’re going to give me a heart attack,” is Chanhee’s only prim response, even though Kevin can see in his eyes that he’s been shaken. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m still alive. You’re still alive. So just listen to me, because there’s good news and bad news. Which one first?”

“Good news,” Jacob says dully from the side. Kevin squeezes his hand. “We could do with a bit of that.”

“Somin isn’t here.”

A collective sigh of relief falls over the group. Kevin closes his eyes and thanks the higher powers if only for a moment for granting them this small mercy.

“She traveled out to one of the battle outposts about a week ago to meet with some generals,” Chanhee continues. “Younghoon isn’t entirely sure where, but he has some ideas.”

“Wait, wait.” Jacob pinches the bridge of his nose. “How does the king not know where the queen is?”

“Somin doesn’t trust him at all,” Haknyeon says, turning to the mage. “She already didn’t trust him much before you all roped him into stealing the jewel and the crown. That incident didn’t exactly to wonders to restore her trust.”

“Well, I can see that now.” Chanhee huffs. “Younghoon has been barred from most strategy meetings. He’s been trying to piece together things that Minho told him and the rumors that he’s heard, but he told me that the situation is exactly as bad as it sounds, maybe even worse.” He takes a deep breath. “There are many more Onyx mages and soldiers than you expected being held around the city.”

The relief that had previously fallen over the group dissipates. Kevin feels his blood run cold.

And then it starts to run a little hotter, because Jacob is next to him and he’s been a little volatile ever since they spoke to Minho the first time.

“So way more bad news than good news,” Kevin finally says into the silence.

No one speaks. It just confirms what he said.

The four of them stand in the dark, contemplating. Kevin looks around at them all - one boy from Hearts, best friend of the hopefully future second Onyx queen. One former servant of the current Ivory king, hiding in the same city where there are people who would kill him in an instant if he was recognized. One noble who has connections and knives and doesn’t really do much other than come up with crazy ideas that only occasionally work. One thankfully levelheaded mage willing to push the rules and boundaries of his magic, fueled now by spite and worry and something more that scares Kevin almost more than Somin -

Kevin meets eyes with Jacob.

Oh.

Scratch levelheaded off of that description.

The mage is wearing a plotting face. Kevin almost doesn’t recognize it at first - rarely does anyone see such an expression in Jacob’s eyes - but there’s a first time for everything, after all. Juyeon told him Jacob cursed for the first time at the shrine where they found the ruby. That was something.

“So here’s what we need to do,” Kevin says, because no one is talking and Jacob is plotting and maybe this will head off whatever crazy plan Jacob is thinking of (because the many crazier plans that Kevin has come up with have taught him that they are insane and should not be attempted except as a very, very last resort). “First, we need to find a way for Minho to serve as a witness to the crowning. We need an empty shrine we can use whenever Juyeon and Y/N get here, which could be any day. They need to be ordained as soon as possible.” He swallows. “Second, we need to find allies. Even if we miraculously manage to get them crowned, we’re not going to get too far in trying to oust Somin from the palace. Her army is too large.”

“Who?” Haknyeon asks. “She has all the mages on her side, and she commands the biggest part of the army. Younghoon doesn’t have that much control, and he would never ask the citizens to be part of this -”

Jacob’s voice cuts into the conversation. “How long will Somin be away?”

Kevin looks over. The plotting look is still in his eyes. If anything, it’s grown even stronger.

“A few weeks, maybe.” Chanhee shrugs. “She’s going to a few different outposts, but since she’s already been gone a week, it might be less.”

“I see.” Jacob turns to Kevin. “You said we need allies?”

Is this the same feeling Juyeon and Jacob got when he suggested burning down a whole hill as a distraction? If it is, Kevin doesn’t like it. Not at all.

“Well, a few weeks doesn’t give us a lot of time to plan a prison outbreak.” Jacob smiles. It’s terrifying. “We’d better start now.”

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clean-bands-dirty-stories · 4 years ago

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Ablaze ~ S.R.

A/n: Haaaaaaaaaa so y'all liked that Spencer Reid fic I did huh? lol I'm glad

Request: "Could you do a Reid x male reader where the team is in Cali following an arsonist and the readers a firefighter (and Reids bf but the team doesn’t know that) and somehow the reader gets into a confrontation with the arsonist and has to use what Reid has “taught him”/talked about to try and deescalate the situation" by @sheepfather

Word Count: 2400+

Masterlist

They met when Y/n's team was putting out the fire and Reid's team was rushing to the scene to see if their arsonists was still around. The BAU had been dragged to California because it seemed that a killer was on the lose. They couldn't figure out the connections of the victims, but they were all dying in horrible fires. It turned out that someone wasn't setting fires to kill people, just that they were setting fires that happened to kill people. There wasn't a killer on the loose. There was an arsonist.

When I say "they" I don't mean Y/n and Reid by the way. The two boys actually went way back. They'd met in Vegas at a party neither of them wanted to be at. Y/n had been going through a rough time and Reid wasn't good in social situations and they'd ended up in the same corner and just enjoyed the mutual silence. After they'd found peace in each other Y/n had rested his head on Reid's shoulder and Reid was surprised to see that it didn't bother him. They'd run into each other again at the local library of all places. There they'd exchanged names first and then numbers soon after. After that, they'd spent more and more time together. They had to work around work and school schedules (only Y/n went to school anymore, but it was still an issue) but eventually it went from hang outs to date and then suddenly they were boyfriends instead of best friends.

The "they" I meant was actually Y/n and the rest of the BAU. None of Spencer's friends knew about Y/n. It wasn't like he was ashamed or hiding anything, it was just that it never came up. Everyone assumed Spencer was single and would always be, and Spencer didn't care enough to correct them. He wasn't into PDA either so the team didn't figure it out themselves. What they could tell was that they knew each other. It was nice to see Spencer be comfortable around someone outside of work, but Spencer hated talking about his personal life so people tried to ask as little as possible.

Working together was fun though. Y/n knew him very well, down to every micro sign of each emotion. Whenever Spencer got anxious or confused or was really focused and needed to be alone, Y/n always reacted appropriately. It came with knowing him for many years. It was also very helpful when Spencer was profiling and giving information to the other firefighters to keep a look out in case they arrived when the arsonist did. The firefighters, of course, were who made up Y/n's team, as Y/n was a firefighter as well. They had lots of questions though, and even more doubt. Y/n showed very early on that he knew Spencer's capabilities, so when they got too dubious or went to interrupt him, Y/n was quick to cut them off. It made JJ, Emily, and Morgan smile.

One day Morgan prodded. He walked up to Y/n, leaning against the wall next to the boy. "How far back do you and Reid go?"

Y/n was drinking water so he finished his gulp before answering. "Further back then Reid being in the BAU," Y/n responded. "I was still in high school He wasn't, of course, but-" He shrugged, chuckling. "We both lived in Vegas for a while. The relationship carried even when we moved away."

Morgan nodded. "You like him?"

"I'd like to think so." Y/n tried to hide a smile. He could tell them that he was Spencer's boyfriend, but what was the fun in that? "I'd even say I was in love with him."

That seemed to surprise Morgan. "Oh." He looked at Reid and then Y/n, obviously confused. If Y/n was so sure of his feelings, why did it seem like they were just friends? "Does Reid feel the same?"

Y/n considered that. "I don't know. I don't think Spencer and I have ever been on the same emotional playing field. Usually when I feel one thing he's feeling something else... But even then, no one ever seems to feel the same way about each other." Y/n shook his head. "I'm a psychology major, ignore me. What you want to know is if Spencer loves or likes me or whatever. But I can't speak for him." With that, Y/n left and Morgan only had more questions. Were they together or not?

His question was answered on one very bad night that almost cost Reid everything.

Lina Mare was a local sweetheart. She was kind of quiet and shy, but she liked Y/n. They were friends at least - Lina was in college. Y/n seemed to have a knack of befriending awkward, shy, or quiet people. People that couldn't quite get along with anyone else. So when she came into the fire station that day, it wasn't totally weird. She'd never visited Y/n at work before, but that didn't stop Y/n from greeting her when she came in. Nothing else was going on- why not?

She looked upset though. "Hey, you okay Lee?" He asked, touching her shoulder.

The girl leaned into his touch and his eyebrows came together, wondering if maybe she felt dizzy. Her eyes were clear though and her expression was set and clear. Her features were sharp and her gaze was like someone running a knife along his skin. Dangerous and seconds from doing damage. "I'm not," she told him. "I need you to stop, Y/n."

Y/n looked at one of his teammates behind her head. They made eye contact and the other man stood at the ready in case he needed to act. Y/n had a very bad feeling about what was happening. He didn't know why, he just felt like something bad was about to happen. "Stop what?" He asked her softly.

Lina looked right into his eyes, seeming to see something amazing. Her gaze softened, but didn't become any less dangerous. Just a little more uncontrolled. "The fires. You can't stop them. You have to stop putting them out."

It clicked immediately in Y/n's head. He looked at Lina's hands, still in her pockets. "Why don't we go outside and-?"

"No," Lina snapped, tugging out of his reach. "You have to stop putting them out!"

"Okay," Y/n cooed, putting both of his hands up so she could see that he was unarmed. He recalled everything Spencer had ever taught him. Anything he'd been told about in stories, or things Spencer had complained people often did wrong. "Can I at least let my friends go outside?"

She considered that a second before nodding. "But we stay."

"Okay," Y/n assured. He looked at the other fireman he'd warned before. Daniel. "Take everyone outside, will you please? Make sure everyone is there that needs to be." Daniel nodded before running off. Thankfully people trusted Y/n's judgment. Soon the building was empty. "Why don't you take your hands out of your pockets, Lina?" He knew they'd call the police. If he stalled long enough no one would get hurt. He'd gotten as many people safe as he could. Now he had to keep Lina calm until they could solve this.

A sigh came from the younger girl but she agreed. In one hand she had a lighter. Now that it was free of her pocket, she flicked it on and off every few seconds. "You're so oblivious, you know that?" She moved further into the fire station, toward the back of the truck. Y/n followed, wanting to keep her in sight so she couldn't do anything too stupid. "You don't get anything."

"What did I miss Lina?" Y/n asked, trying to stay casual.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm in love with you." Y/n froze, both because of her word and also because she'd stopped down and hooked her fingers around a canister of gasoline. She vegan to move back into the building and when he didn't follow, she snapped, "Come on." He swallowed before obeying. She was getting agitated and he didn't want to set her off. She began to pour out the can all over the floor.

"Wait Lina-" She turned on her lighter and let it hover over the pouring gas. Y/n stopped dead in his tracks.

"You know Y/n I've tried for months." She let her lighter out, but kept it at the ready. "I tried everything to get you to realize how I felt about you. But you just kept laughing and it was so frustrating. I thought, it wouldn't help to be mad at you all the time. I'd have no time that way. So I did something I haven't done in a long time. I managed to keep myself under control for years. But you made me so angry, I had to let it out some way. So I burned. Little things."

Y/n's jaw hardened. "You killed people."

"I KNOW!" Lina sneered. "It wasn't on purpose! But fire is alive, Y/n. And it has wants and needs. And it grows. Who am I to stop it?" Y/n felt his stomach turn. "Then you made it even worse. You came rushing in every time and put them out. And suddenly I had a new reason to be angry. I'd almost forgotten about you. Until I saw your stupid, pretty face through the window and realized you were one of these stupid people putting my fires out. Of all people, OF COURSE it had to be you, huh?" She scoffed and Y/n's mind raced as he tried to figure out how to stop this. Lina went back and got three more cans, pouring those out too. Y/n could do nothing, as she kept her lighter at the ready. The whole floor was covered in oil now and her lighter was alight. "So I figured, get rid of the problem you know? No more fire fighters. No more you. No more me."

Fuck.

Y/n began moving to her. She tried to move away, but he forced a smile. "What, you're scared of me now? What am I going to do? I'd never hurt you Lina, you know that." She relaxed again. "I was just thinking, you know, I feel the same way." He tried not to cringe at the words. He was like seven years older than her and had a boyfriend but SURE, he liked her too. He knew that he had to get her to calm down. Trust him. He'd heard it a million times from Spencer. You give them what they want until you find your opening.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You do?"

Nodding, Y/n chuckled softly. "Of course I do. I just thought, I'm too old for you. Of course you'd never like me back. If I had known... Well, like you said, I'm completely oblivious."

She giggled, her eyes watering. "I knew it. Everyone said that you were into that- that- that weird guy from the FBI. But I KNEW we were made for each other." They were close now. The lighter was out and Y/n was inches from getting it out of her hand. Then she did something that totally knocked him off of his feet. They heard sirens and she ignored them, because of course why would the police be after her? She ignored them and she kissed Y/n and he was so stunned that he almost forgot about the lighter.

Finally Y/n's fingers closed around the lighter and he yanked it from her grip. She pushed him away and they parted. She shoved the lighter in his back pocket, moving to her quickly and wrapping her arms around her to force her to be still. She thrashed and kicked until they ended up with Y/n on his back, arms and legs all wrapped around her to keep her firmly in place even as she screamed and moved her head. It meant, unfortunately, that Y/n's face was nearly completely in the oil.

When the door finally opened and police came in, Y/n was relieved to let her go. His head was spinning and his vision was blurring as his eyes burned. She was handcuffed and taken away and he ignored what she was saying as she screamed at him.

It was Morgan who pulled Y/n to his feet and out of the oil. Who questioned him and got him a towel to wipe off as much oil as he could. Who got him outside and to clean air and who kept everyone back as Y/n processed what just happened and got real air into his lungs.Morgan finally got the story piece by piece and then took it to the others. That was when Reid finally got to his boyfriend.

Y/n leaned away from his touch. Then he started crying, his head full of images of him burning to death. Or Lina burning to death, screaming for him as she did so. Or, even worse, both of them burning to death together. Holy shit...

"She kissed me," Y/n choked out, covering his mouth.

"What can I do to help you?" Spencer asked softly, his eyes wide with worry.

Y/n shook his head before looking at him. "How can you forgive me?"

That seemed to confuse Spencer. "Forgive you for what?"

"She kissed me," he reiterated. "I let her."

Spencer tried not to laugh. "Y/n you were in a stressful situation and because of that, you got the lighter away from her. Because of it, you're safe..." He shook his head, moving closer to take Y/n's face in his hands. "Listen to me. I know I don't say it enough, but I love you, Y/n. Kissing her didn't mean anything other than you being safe today and that is all I care about. I don't even know who would ever consider that cheating. Don't be an idiot." He smiled and Y/n did as well. Spencer wiped the tears off his face. "Now can I take my turn and kiss you or do you need more space?"

Y/n laughed before pulling his boyfriend close by the belt loops. Their noses brushed a second before they finally kissed. It lifted the weird imaged out of his head and the weight off his chest. He was okay. Everyone was okay. That's all that mattered.

"So you guys ARE dating then?" The men looked over to see Emily there, JJ next to her.

"Yes," Spencer answered as if it was the most obvious thing ever. Emily looked at Y/n and then at JJ and then JJ and Y/n looked at each other and suddenly they were all laughing. After the stressful showdown from before, it was nice to laugh. It made Y/n feel better, and everyone seemed to sense that. Unfortunately, just because Spencer understood the laughing helped, he couldn't get why they were laughing at all. "I don't get it. What's so funny?"

They just kept laughing.

#spencer reid #criminal minds #male reader #matthew gray gubler #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds imagine #matthew gray gubler imagine #matthew gray gubler x reader

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cecilyneville · 4 years ago

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the spanish princess: episode 8

“why are people watching this show if they don’t like it???”

me:

(i mean hating on this show, not actually watching it - nothing about tsp is fun, the whole thing has been mean-spirited from beginning to end)

ruairi was good as prince henry, but as king henry? awful

“i would not come to help you” so how much more of coa being a cunt are we going to get? bc if this episode is called “peace” i assume she has to...idk...start being a bit nicer

god, fucking finally

if they want us to like catherine bc she’s finally paying attention to mary that isn’t “HMM SHE IS NOT A BOY”, they got another thing coming

catherine was horrible to everyone including her ladies and her daughter, but she’s slightly nicer now so it’s ok!!!!

“men of arran and men of hamilton” the writers have finally realised there are more families in scotland than stewart and douglas

WHY has albany kidnapped james? at first i thought it was a ruse b/w him and meg but apparently not. wouldn’t it make more sense for her to return to scotland to find that angus has kidnapped james?

it makes so much sense for ef to just ignore the fact that margaret douglas exists and keep prince alexander alive

ursula where you been all this time???

finally some semi-accurate headwear on maggie. but ONLY on maggie, not on ursula, bc if it’s anything the costuming on all three series have taught us, only old ladies cover their heads

also finally - laura carmichael is getting some decent material to work with! (relatively speaking)

bessie instructing henry fitzroy is very similar to her tudors counterpart doing the same, bc of course

comb ur fuckin hair dude

i’m not gonna lie, this latin standoff between mary & henry fitzroy is hilarious, like a 16th-century spelling bee

“there’s nothing i can give a girl” except, you know, sending her to ludlow as heirs to the throne were before her, but even that level of nuance is too confusing for fraham

“my brother is more sympathetic to her cause than he has been” this week: henry discovers the concept of divorce

“go to the king anne, smile and win his favour” yet another barely-concealed tudors ripoff

thomas more just like “maggie you’re fucked up bc your life has been so shit”

if henry is speaking about this script then he is 100% correct

oh rosa’s here! so not one but BOTH of catherine’s besties will ditch her, delicious

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, THIS IS THE MOST OBVIOUS, CLUNKY WAY TO DO IT LMAO

oh they’re going for a becket/henry ii vibe here with wolsey & henry, don’t mind this

it bothers me SO much that they keep calling maggie henry’s aunt when they never bothered to include elizabeth’s actual sisters after they put cecily on a bus (which, to be fair, was probably for the best)

i kind of recoil when people say “[insert historical figure] would be so offended by this depiction” because if someone like catherine of aragon were shown any modern depiction of herself, her head would probably explode out of confusion and horror. BUT this is so offensive to the real catherine of aragon

i would like to see laura carmichael as elizabeth of york - it’s the big brown eyes

is she doing this out of hatred for her inability to give the king a son??? what does it all MEAN emma

i mean i guess he’s hotter than angus

i know this hunting scene is supposed to reflect something from part one which i didn’t watch, but it just reminds me of the tudors s1 finale when henry and anne fucked in the woods

also reminds me very much of the great when peter tries to drown catherine

catherine quoting deuteronomy and unwittingly confessing to consummating her marriage with arthur...CONGRATULATIONS YOU PLAYED YOURSELF

soz to sound like a broken record but the fact that people - even some actual critics - watch CH’s performance and think this is actually good acting will never not be funny to me, she’s atrocious. it’s so jarring looking at behind the scenes footage and seeing her smiling, like couldn’t you actually do this on screen? she plays catherine like the woman’s never felt happiness in her life, or any other emotion for that matter

lina’s not gonna sell catherine out and i’m so mad about it, she has treated you like SHIT for YEARS

god, she can’t even cry believingly

HELL YES MEG, DISCO INFERNO

we won’t have time to see meg’s marriage to henry stewart fail spectacularly, which is probably a good thing bc my heart would break

catherine has been absolutely VILE to lina but it’s ok bc she’s said sorry now

“i would speak with you” / “it seems you already are” LOLLLL

so funny that it’s only NOW that they’re getting french hoods of some kind, but not with actual veils because, like i said, only old dowdy matrons don’t get to show their sexy hair

WHAAAAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

i mean, i’m not surprised, given how much fraham hate anne

“so, you’re playing anne boleyn. congrats! but you’ll only get, like, one line, and you WILL have to get your tits out”

guys she’s so upset can’t you tell

CH got a taste for holding bows on game of thrones it’s the only thing she’s good at

STELLLAAAAAA

of course meg has to actually fire the cannons rather than just train them on angus and his men, but this is very fun

surprised they didn’t point out that one of scotland’s greatest cannons was called “mons meg”

fuck this nice scene between catherine and lina! she doesn’t deserve your forgiveness lina!!!

i guess catherine’s woke levels need to be maintained by keeping her one black friend who was a slave irl

hahahaha i fucking love her

“i will always be your wife, there is nothing you can do to change that” knock knock it’s the reformation

catherine choosing to leave makes no sense for this show or for the history they’re ~supposed~ to be depicting

“you will never take my place as queen of england” KNOCK KNOCK IT’S THE REFORMATION

catherine is an old lady now so we shall signify this by giving her a gable hood

catherine she just asked if the bird was dead jesus

which it should be by now...it’s been around since like 1510??

ah yes, let’s bring back that other metaphor, the imperialism compass

if all the disgruntled tories had their way this would be on the end credits of every episode of the crown too

and that’s all folks! let’s all be thankful that this show didn’t submit us to an absolute butchery of catherine’s blackfriars speech

#the spanish princess #tbd #there are only two people speaking sense in this finale #and both of them are named margaret

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angelaiswriting · 4 years ago

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The Assistant (15 of ?) | Vladimir Ranskahov x fem!reader

[original picture found on: pinterest]

✏️ Pairings:

(almost official) Vladimir Ranskahov x fem!reader

Anatoly Ranskahov x OC (Paulina) mentioned

✏️ Requested by @kellydixon01 : Y/N–hacker, big mouth, even bigger attitude–is the new addition to Fisk’s team. Sent to help the Ranskahovs, she immediately gets on Vladimir’s nerves. But as time passes, they start to take a liking to each other, even if none of them is willing to admit their feelings. Yet.

✏️ Previously on The Assistant (aka I’m shit at updating): Y/N has moved in with Vladimir and the two have found themselves growing closer. There’s only one problem: Vlad’s old friend Ulyana thinks the two are a couple and has invited them over for dinner to celebrate.

✏️ A/N: y’all. Y’ALL. First off, I just want to apologize, it’s been forever and a month since I updated this; I’m not even sure there are still people reading/that remember this story apart from Alice lol. It took us me 144 pages !!! but it’s finally happening. Enjoy! I literally cried when I wrote the end of this chapter because it was about fucking time!

✏️ Warnings: fluff; and tears, but those were mine as I wrote this lol; Sergei has a doggie!; a smidge of swearing.

✏️ Word-count: 6,060

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: MATCHMAKER

Sitting on the closed toilet seat with the pipe wrench still in his hands, Vladimir could hear Y/N and Ulyana laugh in the living room. He couldn’t make out their words, for their voices were quiet despite their hilarity, and the left-ajar door of the bathroom didn’t help him any.

The most surreal situation I’ve ever experienced, that’s how Y/N had labeled it less than an hour ago, before he helped Lina bring in the tray with the cups of tea. And the more he mulled things over, the more he found himself agreeing. The most surreal situation I’ve ever experienced – and he had lived through plenty of what could be considered ‘weird shit’. Ulyana in general had been a whole exception in his book. Ulyana, with her afternoons spent playing bingo at the daily center for the elderly with all her old-lady friends; Ulyana, with her borscht and her endless words of encouragement and comfort when both he and Tolya had needed them the most.

But also Ulyana, so dead-set on the idea that he was too stiff and needed a gentle touch in his life that she just… mistook Y/N for his woman. As if he needed someone! But it was still a good thing in a way, though, he reasoned as he stood up and moved to stand in front of the sink to stare at his reflection. And probably his brother was right about the fact that he had to open up to her, tell her what he felt – and what he was scared of. And just… try, for once. Make an effort to take his private life into his own hands instead of just wasting it away on cigarettes and underground fights.

As he stood there, hands gripping the sink, wrench abandoned on the counter, he tried to focus on what existed beyond that scar on the right side of his face and all it meant. By now he was convinced that she didn’t see it – not because she didn’t want to, but because she was able to see right through it. She knew about his past, and not just about Utkin, but also about some of the stupid things he had done in his short-lived youth – he had told her about that over vodka, a bit more rarely over coffee. And while he had always had problems with that, he found himself having fewer and fewer now.

Yeah, maybe it wasn’t that bad to pretend he had someone that cared about him, and while that equaled lying to Lina, maybe it was for the greater good?

It came off as a question even in his own mind, but it was one he found himself being willing to put in the time and effort to find an answer to. It was almost stupid, to think that feelings seemed to terrify him to the bone, while he could take a gun pointed at his head any day without batting an eyelash. Because that’s what he did, that’s what the target on his back felt like.

Maybe all he needed was to grow a pair, listen to what Ulyana had always told him, and walk out there a somewhat taken man.

And not taken to the demons in his head, but to someone – a friend, maybe? – that he had learned to respect. In a way, that is; that road still seemed a long one, after all.

When he joined the two women again some twenty minutes or so later, after he had fixed the kitchen cabinet Lina had been too shy to ask him to repair, he found them leafing through an old photo album. Belka – Ulyana’s old, white cat – was snoozing in Y/N’s lap, the tip of her fluffy tail moving up and down every once in a while as she purred at her new friend.

It was a weirdly cozy view, one that seemed to put all the thoughts that were still swarming his mind at ease. He leaned against the frame of the door, arms crossed in front of his chest, and he just stared for a while, half-present in the moment and half-lost in his own mind. He didn’t miss the moment her head lifted up an inch and her eyes met his, though, and before he could realize anything, he found himself smirking back.

“Ulya is showing me the photographs of her wedding day,” she said when he moved away from the door and really entered the room. Her fingers absentmindedly scratched the cat behind one ear as she maintained eye contact until he sat down at the round table in front of the window to her left.

“Those are a must-see when you step foot into her house.” His was a playful huff as he lit himself a cigarette. They had all gone back to Russian, which meant that Ulyana had gotten to know Y/N faster than he had. “Next thing you know, you’re walking down Soviet memory lane.” And then, when his eyes met Lina’s: “You know I’m joking. Tolya and I have always loved your stories.”

The woman shook her head, but there was a smile on her face that somehow warmed his heart. It meant that it was all back to normal now; that, in her heart, she had forgiven him for disappearing for so long and never, not once, calling to check in on her. “This girl’s bewitched you,” she chuckled, patting Y/N’s knee with her free hand. “I don’t remember when the last time he wasn’t serious was, anymore,” she explained as she leaned back against the couch, giving her guest’s unasked question an answer.

Vladimir scoffed and when his phone beeped on the table with a text from Sergei a moment later, he stood up. “We gotta go now. Work’s calling.”

Ulyana had a look on her face that seemed to complain On a Saturday? but she knew he was a busy man with a demanding job, and so she dropped it. “You’re both invited over tomorrow,” she said instead. “I’ll prepare a nice dinner to celebrate together.” She closed the album of photographs and put it down on the coffee table by the side of the couch.

When she stood up, Belka seemed to catch the hint: she woke up, let out a huffy meow, and jumped down from Y/N’s lap to rub herself against one of Vlad’s legs.

“There’s nothing to celebrate, Lina,” Vladimir was saying as he let the old woman fix the collar of his shirt before engulfing him in a hug.

The way her eyebrows rose when she turned to look at Y/N was almost comical on that round face of hers. “He’s still as stubborn as always, isn’t he?” she whispered in her ear when she hugged her goodbye. When she turned back towards Vladimir, she had her hands on her hips and a firm look in her eyes that he knew he couldn’t escape. “You two will come over for dinner tomorrow night if it kills you! It’s so good to see you finally happy, my boy, and not just alone as always. And if that’s not enough, I haven’t seen you in months! Is this how you treat your old Lina?”

“I can’t believe she managed to convince you.”

He was driving to Sergei’s place when Y/N spoke again. They hadn’t exchanged a word after leaving Ulyana’s apartment and truth be told, he was almost afraid to hear her speak again.

“I can’t believe it either,” he groaned, one hand gripping the steering wheel tightly while his left arm just hung out the rolled-down window.

There were heavy clouds behind the buildings in front of them and it looked like it would start pouring soon. But the slightly chilly air was a blessing after that day’s stuffy heat, so he was ready to face the early-summer bad weather when it would come.

After that exchange, the silence went back to being almost embarrassed. She was looking at him from the corner of her eye – he hadn’t missed it, he was good at noticing things about people, even though probably not as good as he thought he was when it came to her. Whether she was trying to come up with something to say or not, though, he did not know.

His own thoughts were all over the place as well.

He had a little less than one day to come up with an excuse to ring Ulyana up with just so that he could avoid that dinner date she had organized. In his heart he knew she was doing this for him: she and Aleksandr had never had children, and that’s exactly how she had always seen him and his brother ever since they had first rented that apartment on her same floor. We’re all Russians, we have to stick up for each other, she had said once, one of the first times she had insisted they’d come over for dinner. She had taken care of them; and it was remarkable, the way they had let her into their lives, one kind act at a time, in a time when the Siberian wound was still tender and they didn’t know who to trust in this new, foreign land.

Then, a little more than a year and a half ago, when Anatoly had introduced Paulina to her, it had become just Vladimir and Ulyana most of the time. Tolya was busier now – he didn’t only have his job, but there was a woman now and he did things with her, took her places, came up with things just to surprise her for the sake of it… It had been a shock at first because that was someone more similar to the old Anatoly Ranskahov, the one who had lived in Moscow and had danced around a different woman every night – with the only difference that he was now a faithful lover.

“Are you upset?” Her voice tore him out of his mind once again and he turned towards her with a questioning hmm? that prompted her to clarify. “About her thinking that we’re together.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t think I am, nyet,” he confessed eventually.

She was staring ahead, not looking at him, but a smile still blossomed on her face at his words. “If I don’t tell you now, I know I’ll never have the guts to.”

But Vladimir was already slowing down to park the car and when Y/N turned her head to see what he was staring at with such a confused expression on his face, the faint smirk on his lips already fading away completely, she knew she wouldn’t be opening her heart any time soon in that car.

“What the fuck?” was what Vlad mumbled as he hastily turned off the engine, pulled on the handbrake, and threw his door open. “What is this?”

Sergei was standing there, a black and brown rottweiler laying at his feet, panting with its tongue almost touching the asphalt in the somewhat stuffy evening air.

“This,” his friend said, slowly, shoving the handle of the leash in the other’s hand before Vlad could come back to himself, “is Sharik. I need you to look after him while I’m gone.”

Vladimir stared down at the dog, and the dog sat up against Seriozha’s legs so that he could stare back at him better. He was a big piece of meat, and he could already picture him drooling all over the couch he had back at home. “Why?”

“What do you mean, why?” frowned Sergei, dropping the black gym bag from his shoulder to Vlad’s feet. “I told you yesterday, before you and Y/N left the garage. If I need to go out of town for business, I won’t be able to bring him with me. You agreed to look after him for me.”

While his owner spoke, Sharik sniffed at Vladimir’s shin with curiosity, and after a long moment of scrutiny, he lazily wagged his tail in approval.

“You need to take him out in the morning and at night, he loves walks in the park.”

“What?” He wasn’t sure the type of ‘take the dog out’ he was thinking of was the one Sergei had in mind.

“Don’t feed him weird shit. His dry food is in the bag. Don’t give him more than what I wrote down – he loves to beg. And make him play before bed, or he’ll keep you up all night.”

“What?”

“Your apartment complex also has a pool and he enjoys chilling in the water, so if–”

“I won’t be looking after your dog. What?”

Before either of them could speak, Y/N’s What’s going on here? made them turn in her direction. She had gotten out of the car, and while she was still holding onto the door with one hand, Vlad knew she’d soon come forward.

“Solnyshko, hi!”

Vladimir knew he was fucked when Sergei greeted her and hugged her back when she walked up to them. He’d manage to convince her and while she was just a guest in his house, Vlad knew he’d be the one bending his will.

Sharik gave her the same treatment he had reserved for him just moments before, but he sped it up this time, and the wagging in his tail wasn’t as lazy as it had been with him – it was a hard slapping back and forth against his leg that gave him just a slight taste of the dog’s strength.

“Who’s this good boy?” she cooed as the dog sniffed the palm of her hand before giving it a lick and allowing her to pet his head.

In no time, and before he had the chance to register what was going on, Y/N had gone back to the car and, appalled, he had to watch her lead the dog onto the back seats.

As if he had read his mind, Sergei reassured him: “Don’t worry, he doesn’t shed. But you still need to keep him brushed, it relaxes him.”

He stared at the car, kept an eye on Y/N as she put Sergei’s gym bag in the trunk, and then walked back around the car to sit on the passenger seat. She was still caressing the dog, her back turned towards the two men, when Vladimir spoke.

“You know I don’t deal with animals.”

Sergei scoffed. “We deal with much worse. Now, don’t be a brat, I didn’t have to listen to the two of you singing like shit last night just to then not be able to get payback.”

“We didn’t–”

“It’s all cool, Volodya.” Serzh patted his shoulder and grinned at him before turning back to stare at the car his dog had got into. “She’s nice, I don’t mind. It was about time you found someone that would headbutt you every time you headbutted them.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about, brother. Sharik is a good matchmaker, who else do you think got Tolik and Paulina together?” he grinned. “But if he is missing even so much as a hair when I come back, we’ll have a problem.”

He scoffed. “A threat? Over a dog?”

“He’s not just some dog, Volodya. He’s my boy.” He stared him down for a moment before turning around. He had already started to walk back towards the building he lived in, when he said one last I’ll call you when Aslan and I have left the state before Vlad turned his back on him.

Just as he had expected, Sharik launched himself onto the couch the second Y/N opened the door of his apartment. The only thing Vladimir could do was watch him run across the entrance corridor, fly mid-air, and then fall heavily onto the clean cushions of his couch half a second later. And to be such a big and heavy dog, he was fast.

“I’m going to kill Sergei,” he muttered but before he could take another step forward, Y/N stopped him with a hand on his forearm.

“C’mon, he’s just a dog, Vlad. Don’t be mean. I’ll get him down,” she chuckled and toed her shoes off before walking up to Sharik.

Sometime later, after that dog had finally stopped whining and complaining that he wanted to get on the couch despite said couch’s owner didn’t want to, there was silence again.

The next-door neighbor had knocked on the door not long after they had got home: he had heard the noises, and had felt the need to complain about that sudden surprise, and to poke his nose into business he knew nothing about – There’s a pet fee you’re supposed to pay if you want to keep an animal in here. And then, when Sharik had walked up to the door and nosed his way to stand between Y/N’s legs – Vlad has seen it in the mirror hanging on the wall right at the other end of the room – that very neighbor had found something else to complain about. Its size exceeds the limits allowed in this complex, or some shit like that. He hadn’t heard what she had told the dude; all he knew was that less than five minutes after he had shown up at the door, he had left with his tail between his legs, and so Vlad had managed to go back to staring at the screen of his laptop.

He wasn’t doing anything, really. For once, he didn’t feel like burying his head into his work – everything needed for Aslan and Sergei’s trip to Florida had already been organized, and the last touches for the upcoming shipment could wait until Monday. It was very un-Vladimir-like, to take a whole weekend off, but for once, he wouldn’t complain.

What he ended up thinking about – or, rather, whom –, however, was Ulyana. He had been praying for an excuse to cancel that dinner date for the next day, but he hadn’t expected to be actually presented with one. And although he still had the intention to ring her up and apologize, he still had to pick up the phone. He couldn’t possibly leave Sergei’s dog home alone, now, could he? Or did he want to come back to a destroyed house?

“Shari’s napping.” When he looked up, not even taken by surprise by her sudden appearance in the doorframe of the kitchen, he found her standing there, leaning a shoulder against the wood and staring at him. “What are you up to?”

“Work,” was his quick reply. “Checking that everything is in order and… stuff.”

“‘And stuff’?” She didn’t seem convinced, and she stared at him for a long minute, before dismissing it and sitting opposite him at the small kitchen table. “Anyway, why didn’t you tell me about this favor you had to do for Sergei?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t know I had to look after stupid dog.” And then, when she raised an eyebrow: “A very smart, but spoiled dog. Better?”

“He’s not spoiled. Serzh just really loves him a lot,” she pouted. And when he glared at her, she continued: “This doesn’t matter, though. You have to find a solution for tomorrow night. Call Sergei and ask him how Sharik deals with cats, and then call Ulyana and ask her how Belka deals with dogs. Or something.”

“Why me?”

“Because I asked nicely? Because you got us into this?”

As it turned out a couple of calls later, Sharik was very gentle, almost submissive with cats and animals in general – despite his size, despite his face, and his breed, and the size of his paws big enough to be as big as at least three cat legs put together. And Ulyana had no problem having a dog over either – she had looked after a neighbor’s dog more times than she could count, and Belka was used to napping in her bedroom when another animal was over.

So, not a problem – as Lina had said. Just come over and bring the dog, I’ll have something ready for him too.

His plan to avoid that dinner date had miserably failed, although there was something inside him at the thought of showing up at Lina’s and pretending like he and Y/N were a thing of some sort that just… pulled at some strings he didn’t even know he had inside. And as he watched Y/N fill Sharik’s bowl just as they got ready to eat dinner, he found himself being almost happy that those strings were being pulled, for once in his life.

“So we just take him over to her place?” she asked him when she sat down, a steaming plate with rice and veggies right in front of her.

His diet had taken a turn for the better ever since she had moved in with him – he still had more vodka than was healthy to have hiding pretty much in almost all the cabinets in his apartment, but at least his fridge was full of food his body could actually digest this time.

“That’s what she said,” he grumbled.

They ate in silence after that, and only when he had done the dishes, did she speak again.

“Do you wanna settle for a story?” She was sitting next to him on the couch, with Sharik’s heavy head resting on a knee. The dog was staring at her with adoring eyes as she gently scratched behind his ears.

“A story?”

“Yeah, about how we met. How we ended up together. Ulyana asked a couple vague-ish questions this afternoon, so I think she’ll ask more tomorrow. No?” She glanced at him when he didn’t reply. “Unless you wanna tell her the truth.”

“I don’t know what I want,” he eventually confessed. “I don’t want to lie to her, but if I hear her ask me about ‘my woman’ another time, I’m going to burst.”

He didn’t expect to chuckle with her, but he did. And when they grew silent again, and she went back to staring at the TV screen after a quick Let me think of something, then, he laid his head back against the seatback of the couch, head turned in her direction, and studied the profile of her face. The way the corner of her mouth rose up into a smirk before she giggled at Sharik’s sniffing nose against her bare shin. The way her chest rose and fell with every breath she took, slow and regular and almost gentle. And before he knew it, his eyes had dropped closed and he had fallen asleep.

When he woke up sometime later – the clock on his phone signaled just a few minutes after half past eleven –, Y/N and Sharik had already left the room, and he was uncomfortably half sitting, half lying on the couch covered by a pile blanket. The TV was off, and not a sound came from inside the apartment – nor from outside in the corridor.

He briefly wondered whether Y/N had managed to come up with a story in case Ulyana would ask questions, but he barely had the time to walk into his room and sit on his bed, that his ears picked up some snoring.

There, bundled up under his blankets, was sleeping Sharik, who had somehow managed to make himself at home. He even had the audacity of staring at him with an accusatory look in his eyes, the fleabag, when Vladimir turned on the lamp on his bedside table to get a closer look.

“Get off,” he groggily ordered, yanking the covers back with a quick movement of his arm. “Get off my bed, dog.”

But for all he tried, the dog wouldn’t budge. And even when Vladimir picked him up and put him back down onto the living room floor, he barely had the time to close the door of his bedroom – something he hadn’t done since before Utkin – that Sharik was already pushing against it with his nose to slip into the room.

“You are stubborn beast, aren’t you?”

Taking him back to the living room by force didn’t help at all, for the dog wouldn’t stop bugging him. He had managed to lower the door handle twice in the half-hour Vladimir spent trying to get rid of him without… yeah, without actually getting rid of the fucking four-legged light of Sergei’s life.

When it became apparent that he wouldn’t have a good night’s sleep in his goddamn bed that night, was when Sharik almost tripped him over from behind just to then launch himself onto his bed much like he had done that evening with the couch – and the at least other ten times Vlad had tried to kick him out of the room. He laid there, on his bed, curled up like a too-big cat, staring at him with eyebrows that wouldn’t stop going up and down until he huffed out a complaint and went back to sleep.

“I’ll kill you, Sergei,” he groaned, rubbing his face with both hands to try and shoo the annoyance away.

He stood in the hallway for a while, then, eyeing the couch from the other side of the living room while mentally cursing himself. Before fixing the spare room, which he had turned into Y/N’s bedroom as the weeks had gone by, he had had to take care of his brother and by giving him his bed, he had had to get the couch. It was too small for him, and uncomfortable – and the thought that she, too, had had to sleep there for endless days before he got his shit together still stung, in a way. And since it looked like he wouldn’t be able to get Sharik out of his bedroom – nor out of his bed, for that matter –, he was left with only two options to pick from: either the couch or…

He knocked on her door before he had the time to talk himself out of it.

“Is something wrong?” She was scrolling through her phone when she told him to come in. The lamps on both nightstands were on, and it looked like she was still far from falling asleep.

“Dog’s in my bed,” he said, staring at her from across the room. “Couch is…”

“I know,” she chuckled. “Still not the worst couch I’ve slept on, though, don’t worry,” she continued when he made a weird face. “Stay in your half of the bed, and you can sleep here if you want.”

He didn’t sleep that night, however. He laid on his right side, staring at the wall, and she laid on her left, staring at the opposite wall. She had wished him good night at some point, when she had put her phone away and had turned the lights off, and he had answered with a hum. But then, he had just laid there all night, listening in on her soft breathing – and then her soft snoring – and he remained motionless. When he did fall asleep, sometime in the early morning, just before the first light of day peaked in through the curtains, his last thought was that maybe, this wasn’t that bad.

“Through mutual friends, if so one could say,” Y/N replied over celebratory vodka. Ulyana had kept her best questions for the end of the dinner and Vladimir had almost deluded himself into thinking the old woman would never ask. They had come up with a story to tell just in case, but silence would have been better. “I apparently showed up at the garage at the least opportune time.”

“Oh! So was it love at first sight?” Lina was pouring them all a second shot with one hand as the other one rested on Sharik’s head.

Vlad laughed – what an absurd concept, he found himself musing. Love at first sight? With someone as careful as him? And although Y/N kicked his foot under the table to try and silence him, he couldn’t fully erase the smirk from his face. “Nyet,” he chuckled eventually as he wiped away a tear with a knuckle.

“Hell no! He was very rude and stubborn at the beginning,” confessed Y/N, and Vlad was barely able to scoff at her that Lina had turned in his direction with a gaze of steel.

“Very rude?” she inquired, eyes squinting as she frowned. “With this lovely lady?”

“Don’t gang up on me, she was very stubborn too!” he complained. “Still is.”

“One ought to be stubborn if one has to put up with you, my dear Volodya.” Ulyana patted his hand on the table. “Doesn’t give you the right to be rude. I didn’t raise you like that.”

He had been on the verge of pointing out that he had, in fact, been raised by his own mother and not by her, but he didn’t deem it appropriate tonight – nor necessary. Lina didn’t mean any harm, and he knew what she was trying to imply.

“It’s alright, Ulya, he has learned how to tone it down now.” The smile on Y/N’s face seemed sincere, and at that moment, he wouldn’t be able to tell what she was thinking about. “Ever since we moved in together, he’s learned how to behave himself. Most of the time, at least.”

It was Ulyana’s turn to playfully slap Vlad’s forearm and he found it almost weird, to find himself with his back to the wall in front of those two. And not even in a bad way, with all of them drinking vodka together and celebrating a romantic relationship that simply wasn’t there.

What had he become? Lying like that to an old, dear friend… Without thinking twice; without remorse. He sat there in her living room, eating her food, drinking her alcohol, and he kept on adding lies to the fire without being able to stop.

“Hey, she’s not a saint, either! Tell her.”

Y/N laughed, and it somehow took him by surprise, it knocked the wind out of him. He fully turned his head to stare at her, and it almost felt like seeing her for the first time and for the millionth time at the same time. The way she tilted her head back as she laughed; the way her earrings and piercings caught the light of the lighting fixture; even the way her fingers brushed against his, and the way he ended up holding her hand in his. Warm and soft, the skin so smooth that he almost pulled away.

He watched her talk, recount the story of how they met – or a watered-down version of it, with anything too compromising being filtered out. And as she conversed with Ulya, her fingers played with his and his gaze kept on dropping down on his hand, never missing a movement. She had somehow ended up tracing the three-bar cross between his thumb and forefinger – without looking at it, almost as though she had done just that so many times that she had ended up memorizing its placement, its lines. And as she went on talking, her fingers brushed across the Xs on his knuckles, and he had to fight that sudden impulse that pushed him to pull his hand away.

A couple of hours later, when they had finally bid Ulyana goodnight and thanked her for the pleasant dinner she had offered them, he found himself walking his best man’s dog in the park just across the street from her old friend’s apartment building. He watched Sharik sniff here and there, and for a moment he found himself wondering if that was what a normal life felt like – walking the dog at almost eleven in the night, with plastic bags in a pocket in case the dog pooped, arm in arm with a woman.

“You’re quiet,” she said at one point, when they stopped under a tree while Sharik sniffed just a few meters in front of them. “Is everything alright?”

It took him a while to answer. And it wasn’t because he hadn’t heard her, but because he was afraid of somehow saying the wrong thing as was custom with him. “Da,” he sighed eventually, “just thinking.” He shrugged, but he didn’t make a move to pull away when her hand trailed down his arm and her fingers entwined with his.

“I had a good time tonight. I hope you did too, and that I didn’t push myself too far with that story about… you know, us.”

“It was fine, she bought it.”

“Doesn’t make me feel less bad, though.”

He turned his head to look at her, and for a moment, the thought of how it would be like to do this every night with her crossed his mind. “Eh, I know.” It was quiet for a while after that, but when Sharik steered off the path, he found himself cursing out in Russian. “Come here, you stubborn dog!”

“Don’t be mean, Vlad! He’s just a dog.” She ran after Sharik then, and he watched her take him back by the collar as he fished a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his pants. He had just lit himself one when she took it from his fingers and put it out against the sole of her high-heeled shoe as she kept her balance with a hand firmly wrapped around his forearm.

“Why did you do that?” It was almost a gasp, half-surprised and half-pissed at a cigarette waisted in such a way.

“I had something to tell you yesterday, in the car.”

“You could’ve done that over shared cigarette!”

“I don’t want to taste cigarettes when I kiss someone, though.”

He almost opened his mouth to retort when her words registered in his brain, and all he could do was stare down into her eyes, not a sound leaving his lips.

“Like that night after the bar, just without drinks. I wanna do this sober.” She had taken a step forward, and they were now standing toe-to-toe. He could almost feel her, even with that short distance separating them – like when she had turned around and had ended up pressing her forehead against his back the night before, with the only difference that they were both awake now. “I want to kiss you again so badly it’s driving me nuts.”

That gasp didn’t leave his lips just because he managed to abruptly inhale quickly at the last second, but her words did make his heart beat faster somehow.

“I kept on telling myself that you’d do it, but you haven’t so far, and I can’t understand if that’s because you still dislike me or –”

He cut her off before she could continue. Her cheeks were burning when he cradled her face between his hands, and her lips were soft against his. Her hands came up to wrap around his wrists. When he pulled her closer, she let him; and when she deepened the kiss, when her tongue brushed against his teeth, he let her.

It was like one of those clich�� moments, although it lasted for a couple of seconds at most: his breathing stopped, and the world seemed to stop with it as he kissed her. And then, when everything picked up again – his breathing, his heart, Hell’s Kitchen late-night traffic, Sharik’s tail snapping like a whip against his leg as he stood there – he found himself not wanting to pull away.

She did, though, and she looked up at him out of breath, his hands still cupping her cheeks and her hands still holding on to his wrists. “You’re so stubborn, I swear,” she chuckled. “But if you don’t kiss me again, I’ll go back to being stubborn, too.”

He cackled, and when Sharik pushed against his thigh with his nose, he looked down at him and shook his head. “Maybe Sergei was right, after all,” he mumbled before turning his attention back to Y/N and kissing her again, silencing her question before she had the time to voice it.

This is Sharik :) (pics found on Pinterest eons ago, I don’t remember the links, credits to the owner(s)!)

Comments and inbox are always open for feedback :) pls if you have any ideas you’d like to see in this story, feel free to hit me up, they’d for sure help me out lol since I’m slow AF :’)

TAGS (to be added to or removed from any list, shoot me an ask)

Everything: @idhrenniel @saibh29 @fuckthatfeeling @aya-fay @pebblesz892 @mblaqgi @becs-bunker @gruffle1

The Assistant: @flowers-in-your-hayr

People that might be interested: @kind-wolf @brobachev

#vladimir ranskahov #daredevil #vladimir ranskahov imagine #vladimir daredevil fanfic #vladimir ranskahov x reader #vladimir ranskahov fanfiction #fic series: the assistant #angelaiswriting

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danceworshipper · 3 years ago

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Ida Sommer - HPHL MC

Info subject to change as more game information is released. All of my HPHL ocs exist in the same universe

[profile template by me]

Personal

Full Name: Ida Marie Sommer

Gender: Female (cis)

Sexuality: Pansexual (closeted)

Birthday: August 20th

Birthstone: Peridot

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Age: 14 (at beginning of game)

Blood Status: Pureblood

3 Positive Traits:

- Charming

- Spiritual (nature oriented)

- Resilient

3 Negative Traits:

- Childish

- Uncommunicative

- Vain

Usual First Impression: When first meeting Ida, people often assume she is immature, ignorant, and easy to take advantage of due to her sheltered nature and cutesy appearance. This impression is highly incorrect

Location

Birthplace: Germany (exact location TBD)

Current Home: Her father's estate in one of the richest areas (Germany)

Future Home: A beautiful cottage secluded from the world, near a mountainside (Germany)

Favorite Place: A cliff overseeing the sea in Japan, close to the little shop where she got her wand

Disliked Place: Her maternal grandparents' home, simply because she doesn't enjoy their company

Appearance

[image created using the Live Portrait Maker app]

Face Shape: Roundish jaw, soft features with a strong brow bone

Eye Color: Yellowish green

Hair Color: Light blonde

Hair Style: Ida wears her hair down or in a single braid. Her hair is mostly straight with side bangs, and is parted in the middle

Skin Tone: Light

Freckles/Spots: A few freckles on her cheeks, more visible when she's been out in the sun

Scars: None during her schooling. After graduation, Ida marks her arms with runes only she and Sebastien can make sense of to strengthen her connection to the world around her

Piercings/Tattoos: Single earlobe piercings.

Final Height: 5'9"

Final Weight: 137lbs

Physique: Thin with long legs, slightly wider than average shoulders

Clothing Style: Ida is a rich kid, so her clothing is always of high quality material and her jewelry is noticeably unflawed. She dresses modestly until she turns seventeen, when she stops caring what her parents think. Her favorite colors to wear are pastels

Carried Items:

- her wand

- a locket with a picture of her and her parents in it - not worn, but kept in her satchel

- a silver pocket watch stuck at 11:18 pm, handed to her by the same Seer who told her where to get her wand

- a handful of candy

- extra quills for her roommate who keeps forgetting hers

- a book from the Restricted Section about Elementals, written by Elementals and charmed so no one other than an Elemental can ever figure out what it says

Magic

Wand: 12 inches of firm Ebony wood with a koi-mer hair core. A pitch black, rounded wand with a pattern of scales carved into the handle. This wand was custom made in a small, almost unknown shop in Japan after a Seer she bumped into on the street told Ida that her perfect wand would be created there. It would seem foolish to go all the way from Germany to Japan on the word of an unknown Seer, but it was Ida's turn to plan the summer trip, so she picked a place in Japan close enough to the mentioned shop

Animagus: Loon

Boggart Form: A headless figure easily recognizable as herself, crumbling away into dust. A failed attempt to merge with nature resulting in her demise

Riddikulus Form: A statue of her like the one in her parents' back garden, over glorifying her features, that has been attacked and is crumbling away. She hates that statue

Amortentia (to others): Someone smelling Ida would smell lime juice, fresh water, and static electricity

Amortentia (to her): TBD

Patronus: Ida has never been able to cast a Patronus. Not for a lack of happy enough memories, but because of her powerful soul. The Patronus can never escape her magical core

Patronus Memory: N/A

Mirror of Erised: A tree so big it grows up an entire mountainside. The tree bark is covered in swirling patterns Ida recognizes as Elemental runes. She doesn't yet know what exactly this tree is, but she feels an undeniable longing for it

Family Spells: The Sommer family has no special family spells

Inherent Magic: Elemental

- Ida has all the magic of a normal witch, but on top of that has a deep connection to the earth and the magic stemming from it, even beyond the earth into the universe. If not properly trained (or if driven to a great enough temptation), an Elemental could vaporize the entire planet, or bend it to their will. They could also leave humanity behind if they so wished and become nature itself

- Elementals are theorized to have fragments of Merlin's soul fused with their own, hence why they feel strong connections to each other and can't ever fatally harm one of their own. Most Elementals also fall in love with each other as well, and the connection is thought to be stronger than a normal human's love could ever be. These connections help ensure no Elemental gives in to whichever temptation has the strongest pull on them. Only one Elemental has ever yet gone evil, and this is how it was discovered that they cannot kill one another

- This special magic is not hereditary. In fact, no one knows what causes someone to be born an Elemental, only that there have been less and less of them in the recent centuries. There are only two known Elementals left: Ida and Sebastien

Family

Mother: Lina is a warm hearted woman who wants the best for her daughter, misguided though she might be. She often has to shout at her husband to trying to hold Ida back, or discourage Ida's dreams. She noticed Ida's growing power long before her husband did, and was the one to finally contact someone for help when Ida grew so strong and uncontrolled she couldn't stop floating

Father: Elias is a business oriented man who, though he loves his daughter, up until her reveal as an Elemental wished she was a son. He's the reason Ida was homeschooled for so long, as he didn't think a girl was worth the tuition money. He refused to believe that Ida was anything other than ordinary until a man in a high position told him otherwise

Sisters: None

Brothers: None

Pets: A screech owl named Goldig, meaning 'cute'

Other Important Family: Ida's paternal aunt, Ingrid, is one of the biggest influences in her life as a child. Ingrid is an independent witch who lives fabulously by herself with her dead husband's fortune. Ida used to yearn for a future where she wasn't tied down by a man and could do as she pleased

Family Values: The Sommer family as a whole is mainly concerned with two things: remaining pureblooded, and growing richer. Most of the Sommers are decently good people, but they have period-appropriate prejudices and are willing to leave someone behind to save themselves, metaphorically and literally

Opinion on Family: Up until entering Hogwarts, Ida really only knew her family, so she loved them and thought very highly of them. As she becomes more socialized and learns more about the world, she starts to notice her parents' many flaws and though she never stopped loving them, she does resent them for homeschooling her and ignoring the signs of her being abnormal, because she used to think she was broken when in reality she's nearly a god

Friendships

Introverted or Extroverted: Extroverted

Best Friend: Sebastien Parr - another mc of mine who is also an Elemental, and an exchange student from Beauxbatons

Worst Friend: TBD

Friend She Didn't Expect: TBD

Who She Wishes Was Her Friend: TBD

List of Casual Friends:

- Sophia Burton @gcldensnitch

- Charlotte Grant @weasleysandwheezes

- canon friends TBD

Romance

Current Crush: None

Current Partner: None

Past Partners: None

Future Partners: TBD - will likely be picked from the game's characters, but could possibly be someone else's mc

Her Type: TBD

Hogwarts

House: Slytherin

Prefect Status: No

Quidditch: Never played, but loves to watch

Clubs: None

Organizations: The fake Headmaster's Apprentices organization that she and Sebastien use to hide what they're really doing

Favorite Class: Herbology

Least Favorite Class: History of Magic

Favorite Professor: TBD

Least Favorite Professor: TBD

Timeline

Young Childhood: Ida is kept at home. She knows no children her age, and spends most of her free time roaming her father's land. No matter how far she wanders, she never seems to get lost. Ida has strange dreams where she watches the world as an outsider. After being told by a Seer that her ideal wand would be created at a small shop in Japan, Ida convinces her father to spend a month there over the summer, and her mother takes her to the shop to get her wand. Ida sneaks out one night and climbs a cliff that looks out over the ocean. In later years she can't remember whether rising up over the waters and hearing the stars call to her by name was a dream or not, but she knows the moon smiled at her.

First Year: N/A

Second Year: N/A

Third Year: Ida's uncontrolled Elemental magic reaches a breaking point, and Ida explodes her little study room as she lifts up in the air, unable to come down. Her mother sends for help: two healers, a historian, and three government officials later, Ida is brought down and informed that she will be enrolled in Hogwarts the following year. She is not informed why, though her parents are

Fourth Year: Ida enters Hogwarts with no social skills. She meets Sebastien and they're both informed of their true nature. As Ida struggles to catch up on her studies as well as train her Elemental magic, she also learns just how wonderful having friends her age is

Fifth Year: TBD

Sixth Year: Ida grows suspicious of Sebastien's "friend" Dorian. Other details TBD

Seventh Year: TBD

Post Graduation: Ida marks herself with ancient Elemental runes and her father gifts her the cottage. She spends a year and a half where almost no one hears from her, before appearing back in her friends' lives as if nothing happened, looking healthier and happier than ever

Career(s): Ida doesn't live long enough to have a career

Marriage and Children: Ida marries (TBD) from school, someone who had always had a crush on her that she eventually returned the feelings for. They spend a beautiful three years together before her end. Ida manages to give her love a son, but only after she's gone

Death: Ida sacrifices herself to stop Sebastien and Dorian from destroying the world. Ida's biggest temptation as an Elemental was always to leave her humanity behind and become nature, so she does. She traps the two men inside of a ridiculously large tree that grows out of the mountainside near her cottage. This tree forms from her body, and has a notch where her favorite necklace can be inserted to be allowed entry to the chamber Sebastien and Dorian are trapped. However, she hid the necklace in Japan, where no one will find it until a century has passed and her friends have passed away. Ida can occasionally gather her spirit into a physical form to communicate with her love and child that she left behind

Notable Facts Not Previously Mentioned

- Ida is the ancestor of my main hphm mcs, Gracie and Tessa Chiva, on their father's side

- The reason Ida is sent to Hogwarts and not Durmstrang is the fear of bad influences. No one wanted to risk her being corrupted

- Ida does feel guilty about leaving her love behind, but since she couldn't kill Sebastien and she still loved him and wanted him to be happy, this was the only way she could think of to stop him

- Her love watched her leave humanity behind. As they wept, Ida's spirit gathered to say her goodbyes, and point them to their son, who had been born from Ida's final breath at exactly 11:18 pm

- Ida thinks very highly of herself. This is both from being praised so much as a child and hearing so much about the good she can do as an Elemental

- She throws a graduation party so extravagant that it's talked about for decades after her death

- No one but her love knows what truly happened to her. All anyone else knows is that she and Sebastien disappeared at the same time

#hphl oc #hogwarts legacy #ida sommer #character profile

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modgirlyreposts-revamped · 3 years ago

Note

So most of these are gonna be heavier than usual. I'll put a specific warning again when the dark ones come along but in the meantime just be warned.

- Basically what I'm proposing here is that Dylan is like an early 2000s scene/emo kid but more grounded in personality and more edgy in appearance. He and Brooke make kandi bracelets literally this is one of the headcanons of all time

- His partner system (my oc Lina if u remember?) Is transfem and genderfluid. Her name Carolina/Lina comes from the horror series Petscop, the in universe company Garalina and the character Lina. He and Brooke helped her pick it

- Sarah's mom is overprotective af of her daughter. She loves Millie but one wrong step around Sarah and that girl is dead jtnfhgbfhf (well really she doesnt want Sarah stuck in a loveless relationship in which she'll eventually be abandoned is the real problem lmao)

- Sarah's legal last name is Alton since her parents never formally divorced, but if anyone asks her what it is she'd say Morales, her mom's maiden name

- Millie feels very comforted by Maurice just, in general. They're very similar, and he was just like her at her age, and it's comforting to her to see that he found happiness and has lived the life she never thought was possible for her.

---DARK HEADCANONS. TW for descriptions of ableism, abusive friendships, cheating and child abuse---

- Dylan makes a lot of coping jokes about his family.

- Just before winter break, Dylan's mom finds out about his DID. His mother puts on a whole show, crying and yelling asking how she can trust him now because DID is a horrifying disorder and his alters will do awful things if they're "let out" and asking if he's trying to say she and his dad are abusive, saying how much she loves him and how scared she is, basically suffocating him in a hug. Dylan is freaking out and crying, and this causes one of Dylan's persecutor alters to switch in and retaliate physically asking when she's ever loved any of her children and calling her a sick bitch. They come to Maurice's house later, beaten up with a bloody nose and just ask if they can crash here for a few days.

- This "crashing here for a few days" ends in them staying for Christmas. (This does in fact mean that they get gifts from the Fitzsimmons family. Millie gets small gifts for every alter she knows.) During this time Brooke begins visiting often not only to see Dylan and his system but also to educate Maurice on DID so he doesn't think of Dylan's alters the way their mom did because it's how most people see the disorder, well meaning as they may be.

- Maurice subsequently makes frequent contact with Sarah's mom since she's a social worker to see what he can do to help.

- Dylan actually has a few siblings. He's the youngest of three, the other two are both adults and they turned out just as bad as his parents. Since Dylan has no younger siblings and his situation is vaguely under control Maurice is a little less urgent to take legal and/or violent action against his parents than he would be otherwise.

- Brooke has had a few relationships before Dylan and Lina. Being a popular girl they kind of push getting a boyfriend on her. None of them was she particularly happy with, and the one that she was happy with ended with him cheating on her. Her friends thought that was hilarious. She was devastated. To this day most of her favorite songs are about cheating/breakups/abandonment bc she's still not over it. It's something sort of comforting that both of her current relationships are among systems whose alters all like her.

- Dylan, Lina and Millie are trying to urge her to leave those friends to little avail, but Dylan at least understands the fear of leaving a bad situation so he doesn't push it too hard.

------

- Not hc related but uh fun fact for like half of my AU Millie is just fucking dead and no one knows cuz her ghost ass just keeps going about her daily life and no ones found her body yet

I'll have some more lighthearted ones someday

I'm gonna need some Dylan being "adopted" by the Fitzsimmons headcanons after this-

And I love seeing more of him, Lina, and Brooke's relationship! I feel like they would definitely get along with my Dylan, Brooke, and David

#let millie's grandpa shoot dylan's parents 2k21 /hj #asks #answered #spirits-in-the-wind

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normadeathmond · 4 years ago

Text

the spanish princess ep 2 thoughts

I’ve been enjoying all the reaction posts so here’s mine (spoilers included):

- I’ve had kind of a revelation this week regarding The Spanish Princess. This show is basically the modern day version of those dubiously accurate medieval historical chronicles. Not only do we have extra supernatural elements (the cuuuuurse, prophetic dreams), but we also have the contemporary authors’ personal biases inserted all over the place, and the addition of mythical stories about the heroes (Catherine fighting at Flodden this week). For some reason, this has made me a lot more forgiving towards the show. (it probably also helps that my fave Maggie B is dead now, so I don’t have to worry about them shitting all over her anymore, and I don’t have a particularly strong attachment to any of the other historical figures depicted)

- erm wtf, did anyone else catch that scene with Maggie and Edmund de la Pole in the previously on that we’ve never seen before?? I guess this plotline was supposed to be included in episode one as well, which probably would’ve helped it feel a bit more developed and less like something they suddenly remembered had to be tied up from last year. The whole sequence of Edmund being reintroduced and killed off in less than five minutes was very rushed.

- I’m glad baby Henry’s death hasn’t been totally forgotten, but do we really need so many grief-stricken sex scenes between these two? These are supposed to be the years they’re deeply in love, let them have some happier sex

- ehh I’m not sure that Catherine’s big reveal to the council actually changes much. A very early pregnancy, possibly with a girl, doesn’t really make the line secure. I think the focus should have been on Henry’s own desire to prove himself in battle, which would also have added to the humiliation when Catherine successfully defeats the Scots while his military exploits fizzle out.

- I really like General Howard, Peter Egan is fantastic (albeit a bit too polished for a grouchy, uncouth soldier type)

- “and now this book is closed” - god I hope so, bc I hate Maggie’s plotline from last year. It was interminable watching her whinge about how unfair it was that the Tudors suspected her of plotting against them because she had always been the most loyal person ever, as though she was suffering from some kind of selective memory loss about literally being a spy for the Yorkist rebellion in The White Princess. ffs Maggie can be either a completely innocent woman unfairly maligned by the Tudors or she can be a badass Yorkist rebel, not both.

- it seems her memory problems are back this episode because she goes storming off to complain to Catherine about Edmund de la Pole getting his head chopped off, conveniently forgetting than she was also heavily involved in his plot and her family is only out of the Tower thanks to Catherine interceding for her with Henry. Catherine was 100% in the right here, Edward of Warwick was innocent whereas Edmund de la Pole was a fully cognisant adult who spearheaded a revolt to take the throne (and likely would’ve had both Henry VII and Henry VIII killed if he had succeeded), so the idea that she’s suddenly heartless because she apologised for the former’s death but not the latter’s is ridiculous. The whole scene, including Maggie’s kids’ ‘whoomp here she goes again’ reactions, unintentionally have her coming off as rather hysterical.

- hopefully the rest of her story this season focuses on her mending her relationship with her sad silent son instead and possibly getting her leg over Thomas More

- ahhh Lina’s face when Catherine bitchily says she’ll be having a girl. Catherine’s not going to be able to stop herself from lashing out at her now that she has twin boys.

- first the clothes comment last episode, now they have Ursula saying Charles may not be good-looking but he’s rich as fuck. I guess she’s being set up as a gold-digger.

- is it just me or does the Anne Boleyn’s actress look a little bit like Charlotte Hope? The dress they had her in when Henry returns even looks like something Catherine would’ve worn in season one. I’ve no idea why they’ve brought the Boleyn girls in this early though – are they going to be sent to France then come back later? Henry still has to make his way through Anne Hastings, Bessie Blount and Mary Boleyn before he gets to Anne. The episode summaries make it look like his infidelities won’t start until episode four so he’s going to have to have a new girl every episode to get through them all.

- I’ve kind of come around on the whole Catherine-in-armour thing. Frock Flicks wrote an interesting article this week where they pointed out that while historically battle armour for women did not exist and women very rarely wore armour, depictions of women in armour have been around for a long time and would have existed in the Tudor period. In this pseudo-historical retelling of Catherine’s story mythologizing her as a warrior queen, it does make sense to carry on that visual tradition and have her armoured up.

- Unfortunately I think they did kind of undermine the visual impact of the armour on screen by focusing on it so heavily in the promos for the season. Possibly it wouldn’t have affected a casual viewer so much, but anyone who’s followed the show’s promo cycle has been seeing pictures and clips of Catherine in the armour for weeks now, and when she entered stomping down the corridor in her full battle gear it didn’t blow me away like the first look at that outfit should have done.

- I know this series is never going to have the budget of Game of Thrones, but Flodden was a disappointment, from the rousing speech (“mothers are warriors too, amirite ladies?”) to the battle itself. You can tell they really wanted this to be their big epic action sequence and unfortunately it felt underwhelming. I remember the battles in TWQ/TWP being much more impressive, for what was probably a similar budget.

- as soon as I saw how heavily pregnant Lina was this episode, I knew a birth/battle juxtaposition was coming. I get what they were trying to do with the whole ‘childbirth is women’s battlefield’ theme, but the attempt to fake-out Lina’s death fell flat - there’s no way they were killing her off. (I’m not sure why she was giving birth in the hallway, with apparently no midwives, but it was inadvertently hilarious watching Maggie - the only one with any childbirth experience - try and talk her through it while the other three were basically no help at all.)

- also everyone being like “omg Princess Mary you can’t possibly be at the birth” felt so out of place given that Meg and Catherine were both hanging around a battlefield at the same time

- on the one hand I did like that Catherine didn’t end up being some amazing warrior just off instinct; she’s almost immediately pulled off her horse, staggers around looking confused as fuck and then is shocked when she actually kills someone. But on the other, what was the point of all the warrior queen build up if she barely even does anything useful on the battlefield? (also why did they have her kill someone who looked so much like James?? I’ve seen several people think she killed James herself and I thought that too until he was shown being taken down afterwards - it was needlessly confusing)

- JAAAAMES. I’m so sad he’s gone. Georgie Henley knocked it out the park this episode, especially in her big mourning scene. Although given how sweet he and Meg were this episode, and her comment about him being her best friend, it just makes the punch last episode seem even stranger.

- I’m so sad we were robbed of seeing Catherine try to send James’ corpse to Henry as a victory gift and have to be talked into sending just the coat. If you’re going to make her ride out in armour let her keep her savage penchant for gruesome war trophies!

- oop, Catherine absolutely fails to sell the lie that she’s pleased about Lina’s two boys, and Lina can definitely tell.

- with Maggie B gone, Wolsey is the new evil religious cockblocker in town!

- I would like twenty more scenes of Lina and Oviedo being cute and bitching about their work days thanks

- I like Catherine defending Howard to Henry. It would have been nice if there was more time to show the development of a begrudging respect between those two.

- overall I found this episode disappointing. The big sequences weren’t impressive in the way last week’s were and there weren’t enough character moments to make up for that. I’m still looking forward to the rest of the season though, especially Meg, Mary and Maggie’s storylines.

#the spanish princess

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janeyseymour · 4 years ago

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Escape- pt 7

pt 1. pt 2. pt 3. pt 4. pt 5. pt 6.

Jane Seymour has stayed with Henry long enough. Cue Catherine of Aragon and the rest of the girls to save her.

Henry calls in help from Thomas Culpepper. The six find out that the world really is a small place after realizing that they all know Culpepper too.

A few days after Jane and Catherine left town, Henry made his way up to the Seymour household.

“Stay back in case we need to get away and run,” Henry barked at his friend. He ran up to the house and knocked on the door lightly. A few moments later, Margaret opened the door just enough that her head poked out.

“Hello. How can I help you dear?”

Henry let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding before reciting what he had practiced. “Good afternoon ma’am. Is Miss Jane Seymour here?”

“Oh, no dear. She doesn’t live here anymore; hasn’t for a while now. She was visiting a few days ago but has since left. Have a good day!” She gently closed the door.

Henry grew angrier and angrier as he stormed his way back to the car and roared, “You buffoon! They left! They fucking left! I gave you one job! To not let Jane out of your sight! We have to get out of here!”

“I didn’t know,” Thomas whispered back. “I’m sorry.”

“You fucking idiot! Get the fuck out of here, or I’ll kill you myself!”

“Henry, you know you-”

“Out!” He yelled. “Just get the fuck out!” Thomas got out of the car quickly.

Henry sped away the second Thomas left the car muttering, “Fucking asshole. Now where the hell am I supposed to go?”

He went to rent a car, seeing as his so-called friend had left him stranded. He waited until he got back to his house before pulling out his phone and dialing a number.

“It’s Thomas. He got himself into trouble again.”

“Hello?” Jane answered the phone.

“Good afternoon Ms. Seymour. We have an update on Mr. Tudor. We haven't been able to locate him quite yet, so I suggest you and your girlfriend lay low. We’ll do our best to find him and keep you safe.” Before she could respond, she heard a quiet click on the phone.

“Honey, I’m home!” Catherine strolled in with groceries. “Cathy told me I’m in charge of dinner tonight, so I was thinking-” she looked at the blonde for the first time since walking in. “What’s wrong?”

“Police back home called. Still haven’t found him,” she replied flatly, tears welling in her eyes. “Said we should stay low.”

“Well, that’s what we’ll do then. The girls are doing everything they can to keep us protected too.”

“He also called Henry my ex. I guess that just kind of hit me. And you are apparently my girlfriend.” Jane’s heart fluttered as she said that.

“Oh,” Catherine didn’t know how to respond to that. “Did you say-”

“He hung up before I could say anything else.” Her phone rang. “Give me one second?”

Catherine nodded and stepped into the kitchen to give her a bit of privacy and begin preparing dinner.

“Jane!” Thomas yelled into the phone.

“Thomas? Why are you calling me?”

“Henry’s looking for you. He went blond and has blue colored contacts in, or at least he did. Where are you?” Jane hung up quickly, fearful that it was a trap. Thomas had always been kind to her, but there was something about him that just didn’t sit well with her.

“Lina?” She yelled.

“She's currently trying to keep Boleyn away from the stove. What’s up?” Anna strolled in.

“Henry’s friend Thomas just called me. He’s supposedly gone blond and has blue contacts.”

“Thomas who?”

“Thomas Culpepper, why?”

“Thomas Culpepper?” Anna’s eyes went wide. “He’s not a good man Seymour. Be careful with him. Did you tell him anything about where you are?”

“No of course not. He would’ve told Henry. Why?”

“The guy that was harassing Kat the day we met? It was Thomas Culpepper. She has a restraining order against him.”

“Why in God’s name are we mentioning him ?” Kat sounded disgusted as she leaned against the doorframe of Jane and Catherine’s bedroom.

“He’s friends with Henry. He just called me.” Jane rubbed her arm nervously.

“Oh Jesus Christ.” Katherine knew that she had a restraining order against the man. She knew he had broken the order multiple times, and when he had she didn’t do anything about it. At that moment though, she made herself a promise: If Thomas Culpepper came anywhere near the sweet woman she was becoming very close with and hurt her, she would end him.

“Are we having a meeting, and I wasn’t invited?” Anne heelyed her way into the room, Jane having to catch her before she crashed into the bedframe.

“You’ll never guess who Jane knows,” Kat snarled.

“Who?” Anna nodded towards Kat. Kat pointed at herself. Jane looked down ashamed to have brought up a past nightmare for Katherine.

“She knows Kat? I thought we knew that!” Anne struggled to understand.

“You idiot,” Anna said exasperatedly. “Culpepper.”

“That stupid son of a bitch? Why would you know him?” Anne asked Jane.

“Henry is friends with him.”

“Henry is friends with who?” Catherine stuck her head in the door.

“Do we have to keep explaining this?” Kat questioned, rather annoyed. “I’d rather not remember the douchebag that is Thomas Culpepper.”

“He just called me. Henry’s supposedly gone blond and has blue colored contacts, probably to evade the cops as long as possible.”

“Well ladies, I guess now is as good a time as any.” Catherine pulled out her phone and pulled up a picture of Henry. “This is Henry. If you see any man that looks like him, blond or red haired, call the police. Even if it’s just a false alarm, it’s better safe than sorry. Here is the officer connected to Jane’s case. If you ever need to call him, he’ll answer.” The other women quickly looked at the picture and took the officer’s number down.

“I’ll give Beale a call. Don’t worry. This is all going to be over soon. He’s not going to hurt you. Promise,” Catherine tried to soothe the blonde who now had a panicked look on her face.

Later that night the group of six had decided to have a girls’ night in. With what they had all been dragged into, they were still entitled to have some fun. The group had decided to pull out the board games, but they were forgotten some time ago. The six opted instead to talk about anything and everything.

“I’m really sorry I dragged you all into this,” Jane sighed when there was a lull in the conversation before taking a swig of wine.

“You don’t have to apologize. We’re all here for you now. We’re going to do our best to keep you safe.”

“But what if it isn’t enough? What if they just hurt you guys?”

“Jane, we want to be here for you.” Kat reached out to the blonde. “I know we just met and all, but I think it’s safe to say you’re probably one of the kindest women out there, and we would all do everything we can to keep you safe.”

“I really appreciate that.” Jane pulled the younger woman into her arms. “You’re very sweet.”

“And you’re really warm. Are you always this warm?”

“You’ll learn this about Howard. She’s always curled up around one of us- usually whoever provides the most warmth,” Anna explained.

“How do you know this?” Jane looked puzzled.

“I’m observant. I already know things about you too. Like, how you like your tea with honey and sugar, but not milk, how Aragon doesn’t like the grocery carts that squeak, how you’re always holding your-”

Katherine interrupted Anna, “Jane, you didn’t answer my question. Are you always this warm?”

“She is,” Catherine answered before Jane could.

“Expect her to always be curled into your side then. She won’t admit it, but she loves a good cuddle.”

“Katherine Howard, have you just been cuddling me for warmth this whole time?” Kat gave her cousin a sheepish grin and a small shoulder shrug. “And here I thought it’s because I’m a great cousin! I feel duped! Bamboozled! Betrayed! And by my own cousin!” Anne delivered her monologue dramatically.

“On that note,” Jane pointed towards the two cousins who were now flipping each other off. “I think I’m going to turn in for the night. Thank you guys for a lovely evening.” The blonde made her way up the stairs slowly and quietly. Now that the struggling woman was out of the room, all eyes turned to Catherine.

“So, it’s bad?” Cathy asked, but more so stated.

“Yeah. He really did a number on her.”

“Is she okay?”

“Kat that’s a stupid question. It’s pretty clear she’s not ‘okay’. The woman holds her abdomen whenever she moves.” Anna really was more observant than anyone gave her credit for.

“Broken rib.”

“Shit! Did I hurt her when I was cuddling her?”

“If she was hurting, she didn’t show any signs of it,” Anne mumbled.

“Henry was never good enough for Janey. She’s the sweetest, most kind and gentle woman you’ll ever meet. He took advantage of that. He took it too far. He’s going to rot in hell for what he did to her.” The other four agreed. They would do anything they could to protect their new found friend.

“Sounds like someone fancies Janey,” Cathy taunted her cousin jokingly.

“Shove it Cath.”

“Do you have a thing for Jane?” Kat inquired. “Because she totally has a thing for you. I think you should-”

“I can't. Not now at least. That’s the least of my worries right now. Right now, Henry and Thomas need to be found- dead or alive. I don't really care. All I care about is Jane staying safe.”

#six the musical #six musical #six fanfiction #six the musical fanfiction #six fanfic #six the musical fanfic #six musical fanfic #aramour

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2nerd4this · 4 years ago

Note

Oh also- do you have any hc's for Cathy's relationship with Anna or with Jane? Like do Jane and Cathy ever discuss Thomas, does Anna ever judge Cathy for marrying Henry after Kitty was executed? (And I'm sorry you're sick- feel better soon!)

Ooh yes!

Anna&Cathy is a great relationship and I love it, so of course I have headcanons

I'm pretty sure in my first fic I wrote for Six forever ago (actually like three months, but whatever), I mentioned something about how Cathy was nervous because she thought Anna would hate her so she apologized and Anna was basically like 'I was dead twenty minutes ago, there are more pressing matters'. But, yeah they definitely talked about it eventually and Anna definitely judged her a little bit for it, but after they got to know each other more, they talked and sorted it out, basically because everyone had a little bit of a grudge against their successors except Anna, but she felt that way towards Cathy, so they decided to put it behind them and stuff.

It did take a lot of discussion for them to be friends though, because just because Anna forgave her for replacing Kitty so soon doesn't mean she had to like her. Eventually, though, they found out they had a lot in common as the more 'chill' ones of the group and are the least likely to be pulled into drama. They also bonded over survivors guilt and all that.

All of the Queens have ways of encouraging Cathy to take a break and leave her room. Anna likes to drag her outside and bring her to the park or on a hike or literally anywhere she can get fresh air. On the flip side, Cathy is very good at distracting Anna with random facts or rambles if Anna is feeling anxious or something.

They make a very... convincing team. As in, they can basically talk themselves out of or into anything when they are together. Anna's social skills and Cathy's elequence, when put together with their trustworthy appearance and reputation, is quite formidable. A few times they talked Lina or Jane into letting them do something they wouldn't usually allow, and then by the time they realized what they just agreed to, Anna and Cathy were long gone. This is why Kitty and Anne usually send them to ask the others for permission for something questionable. If they do something sketchy in public, Cathy and Anna can easily talk them out of it.

Jane&Cathy is also a very interesting dynamic that I unfortunately don't talk about nearly often enough.

First of all, the whole Thomas thing was really awkward at first. Both women wouldn't admit that they didn't like him, but they both though(knew) he was a horrible person. This made conversations about him horrible because they both thought the other loved him when they hated him.

Once the Elizabeth/Thomas/Cathy conversation happened, though, Cathy admitted reluctantly to Jane that she understood why Jane loved him, but she just couldn't anymore and that he had hurt her and Elizabeth too much for her to excuse his actions anymore. Jane was like 'Thank goodness, he always gave me the creeps, I never really liked him all that much, especially now I know about this'. So... that clears that up pretty easily.

They bond over being the Died/Survived Queens and dying in childbirth. On the rare occasions that they talk willingly about their kids, they talk to each other. They are also the most likely to be really anxious when sick and both have an immense amount of respect and admiration for Catalina. Basically... they have a lot in common.

For some reason, Cathy is really really good at quelling Jane's temper. Everyone tends to forget that Jane has a short fuse and a temper, but not Cathy. Catalina thinks it's because she is related to Thomas, so Cathy already has the experience, but no one is really quite sure. That doesn't stop them from going to get Cathy whenever Jane is angry at someone and she can calm her down.

Thank you for asking! I really appreciate it😊

#six the musical #headcanons

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elinakazan · 4 years ago

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( ANNIE MURPHY + CIS FEMALE ) — Have you seen ELINA KAZAN? This THIRTY-FOUR year old is an ART CURATOR who resides in BROOKLYN. SHE has been living in NYC for FOUR MONTHS, and is known to be CREATIVE and CAREFREE, but can also be QUIXOTIC and DRAMATIC, if you cross them. People tend to associate them with HIGHLIGHTED PASSAGES IN A BOOK and PAINT-SPLATTERED CLOTHES | @codstarters

hiya! my name’s ella. i’m SO excited to be here and bring elina to this amazing roleplay. i can’t wait to interact with all of you! so please hmu if you’d like to plot!

. basic information

NAME: elina thisbe kazan

NICKNAME: el, ellie, lina

GENDER: cis female

PLACE OF BIRTH: victoria, british columbia, canada

HOMETOWN: birmingham, england

DATE OF BIRTH: april 26, 1986

AGE: thirty-four

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual

OCCUPATION: art curator at the moma

BOROUGH: brooklyn

. background

tw: cheating

Not much is known about Elina's biological parents. Her story is no much different than those of many children in the foster system: parents who were too young to raise a kid. She was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Although she still retains her Canadian citizenship, she does not remember much of her birthplace.

She was six months old when she was adopted by the Kazans. Both of them had immigrated to Canada ten years earlier. Her father, Estevan Kazan was a Greek citizen who moved to Canada to work on his Master's degree and her mother, Katina Trusova moved from Russia seeking a better life. By the time she was adopted, her parents had been married for five years and after several failed attempts to conceive, they decided to adopt. She does speak Greek and Russian fluently.

The Kazans lived in Vancouver for three years before Estevan was offered a job in Birmingham. The whole family relocated to England and a year later her parents adopted a baby boy and two years later a baby girl completed the family.

A happy and reckless child, Elina gave her parents several headaches. She had enough energy to light a city and no matter the number of extracurricular activities her parents enrolled her in, she simply couldn't stay still. Regardless of her endless vitality, Elina often gave nothing but satisfactions to her parents. The kind and bubbly girl turned over the years in a clever, outgoing and creative woman.

Elina never really had a plan, most of the time she just went along with the flow. One day she wanted to be an Olympic athlete and the next day she wanted to be a doctor. Her life aspirations were ever-changing. However, the only constant in her life was her love and passion for art, any kind of art. A dreamer per nature, Elina found solace in paintings, songs, films and books. They allowed her to travel to a different world and in the tough moments, art has always been there for her.

Loyal to her capricious nature, Elina tied the knot when she was just 18 years old. Harry Vandenberg was not a random choice. In fact, aside from art, he'd been the other constant in her life. Best friends since she moved to England, Elina swears that she knew she was going to marry him even at the tender age of three. It took years to go from strangers to friends to boyfriend and girlfriend and finally to husband and wife.

Elina started university shortly after the wedding. She decided to take a double program and she graduated with a Bachelor in History of Art and Classics from Oxford. While her academic life kept her busy, she often felt alone. Being in the army, Harry was often away. At first, she didn't mind the loneliness, but soon it started to take a toll on their relationship.

Throughout most of her life, Elina aimed to have a marriage like the one her parents had. In her eyes, they were the perfect couple until she found out it all had been a lie. Her parents divorce came out of nowhere but soon enough her mother explained everything. Her father had been cheating on her for the past fifteen years. Elina's whole world crumbled down upon hearing that and just like that her trust in those close to her was gone.

No one could be trusted. That was all she had taken from her parents' divorce and unfortunately she brought it into her marriage. Elina started to question Harry's faithfulness. Nothing he did or say could change her mind that her husband was not cheating. Without evidence she continued to accuse him and despite his best efforts to prove his innocence, their marriage came to and end. All those false allegations became a reality. She had pushed him away and turned him into a cheater.

Her heartache was enhanced when she saw Harry's face all over the news after his relationship with the princess came out. When it came to settle the divorce, Elina decided she didn't want anything, she just signed it and moved to Italy where she lived until four months ago.

Six months ago, she was offered her dream job: museum curator at the MOMA. She hesitated to take it since she knew Harry lived there and the last thing she wanted was to make everyone think that she was moving there for him but in the end, she couldn't deter her own dreams because of him. So, she took the job and relocated to New York four months ago. She got a nice place in Brooklyn and she hopes that the city is big enough to avoid running into her ex-husband.

. personality

Elina worships her freedom. She loves travel, adventure, meeting new people, and she longs to experience all of life. If she hates something in life that is routine. She doesn't want to lead a humdrum life and she is often doing a bunch of things as she is not tied down to one task. Her upbeat personality helps her to make friends easily and she often attracts people from all walks of life. She has a way with words and an uncanny ability to motivate others, she also loves to make people laugh and tends to be very sarcastic almost cynical. Honesty and loyalty are sacred to her and that can make her feel wary. She doesn't trust easily and chooses very careful who to trust. Elina is also an idealistic and a daydreamer. She is always in her own little world and she tends to get distracted easily.

. potential connections

siblings: she has two siblings, a brother (30) and a sister (28). they are also adopted (so the fc could be anyone). i imagine they have a good relationship, although maybe she could have had a fallout with one of them because they decided to take their father’s side in the divorce.

close friends: could be friends she made in england, italy or here in new york. she has plenty friends but this group is special because she trusts them which is a hard thing for her to do.

partner in crime: so elina is very spontaneous, they kind of person who rarely says no to adventure. unfortunately, not many people are like that but this person is just like her and they always say yes to all her plans.

art lovers: they run into each other at art galleries, exhibitions, open mics, museums, screenings, concerts, anything that involves art. so obviously they have the same interests, so they are each other art buddy.

university classmates/friends: she attended oxford for four years, then the royal academy of art and right now she’s doing a master’s at nyu.

before sunset plot: okay so she traveled a lot after her divorce, so i’d love a plot like the one in the movie, ya know, they met on a train and talked for hours, they walked around the cities and talked some more. there was a connection but then their ways had to be split.

unlikely friends: despite their differences they are friends. elina is very outgoing, reckless and impulsive while your character is the opposite of that.

fwb: since her divorce, elina hasn’t been in a serious relationship, however, this is the closest she has to one. they just fall in tune with the other. it’s easy, no strings attached. (m/f)

ex-flings: she probably has hooked up with a few people, it’s casual. (m/f)

tinder date: yeah she fell into the online dating world and let’s say it did NOT go well. it was akward but in a fun way. everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. it’s a fond memory but obviously there wasn’t a second date.

neighbours: people who live either in brooklyn or in her apartment complex.

OOOF ! okay, that’s all i have for now. i didn’t proofread this so excuse the lazy english but it’s 3 am here so my brain is dead. anyway, enough rambling. i’d loooove to plot with y’all so please like this or come and hit me up with plots. tumblr messages or discord, i’m game for anything!!! :D

#codintro #what a novel!#but plot with us pls #tw cheating

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