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fatalezr · 3 years

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Secret State - Prologue

"You're working late Kiryl"

Kiryl looked up from his computer to see Romana standing by him, her long coat on and carrying her laptop bag on her shoulder.

"Yes" he said smiling at her, "just installing some upgrades to a server" He looked at his watch - it was 7pm. "Hopefully not too much longer".

"OK" Romana said, returning his smile, "I'll see you tomorrow". Kiryl watched as she headed towards the door. He was now alone in the office. He watched the program run on his computer, feeling his heart quicken as it did so. It finished loading in 15 minutes and he took the USB stick out of the laptop and closed it in a hurry, packing it in his rucksack. He saw the rain falling outside. It was a typical wet October night and darkness had already fallen over London's streets. He put on his brown trench coat, packed his belongings into a bag and took the lift to the ground floor.

The offices of Webster Communications were along Cannon Street and he put his umbrella up and joined the throngs of bankers, financiers and other workers in hurrying to the tube station. The wind drove the rain into him and splashed his coat, and at one point he put his foot into a hidden puddle. The trainer absorbed the water and he cursed as the hem of jeans were also wet. "English weather" he said to himself. He had lived in London for three years since moving over from the Ukraine and he had still not fully acclimated to its seasons. He tapped his bank card on to the reader at Cannon Street station and walked to the westbound District line, trying to shake some water off his umbrella as he did so. The tube carriage itself was warm and luckily was not full of people. He found himself some space by the end of the carriage and gripped his rucksack tightly. The train was quiet but underground the air was warmer and felt glad to have a chance to dry, if only briefly. Around him, fellow commuters read the London Evening Standard or played on their phones.

Kiryl picked up a discarded paper next to him. The headline on the front read "PM urged to intervene in scandal". The coverage of the story had been near constant since The Sunday Times published an expose of the Foreign Secretary appearing to have connections to a former criminal gang that had been terrorising London and that was recently shut down by the Metropolitan Police. Kiryl had followed the story on social media, gauging his colleagues and friends' reactions but generally offering no opinion himself. He flicked through the paper as the tube continued its journey westward and past Westminster and St. James Park. A large number of commuters disembarked at Victoria and Kiryl took a seat, continuing to flick through his Evening Standard. There were stories of celebrity feuds he glanced briefly at, preferring to spend his attention reading the latest news on Arsenal Football Club. The Gunners had made a strong start to the Premier League season and were in third place, but their next few games were against tough opposition. "Maybe I can pick up tickets to a game" Kiryl wondered.

"This is Hammersmith" the tube announcement made, and Kiryl looked up to see the train rolling into the station. "Good" he thought, "not much longer now". He finished reading the Evening Standard and looked around him. There was about a dozen commuters, all looking bored and disinterested in the world around them. He closed his eyes whilst continuing to grip his rucksack tightly until the tube rumbled through three more stations to Chiswick Park. He picked up his umbrella and as he stood accidentally knocked into a young brown-haired woman in a black coat who was also exiting the train. She gave a startled and brief yelp. "Sorry!" Kiryl said quickly, "I'm so sorry".

"No, I'm sorry" the woman said. She nodded at him briefly then walked off the train and ascended the stairs towards the exit. Kiryl gave a second to pause and then followed in the same direction. The English had a funny need to apologise constantly, he thought to himself. The woman had been attractive he thought, and whilst the coat covered most of her body he could still see her legs in dark brown tights. He had wished he had run into her in a bar - maybe he could have bought her a drink. He focussed his mind again and walked out of the station, putting his umbrella up as he did and passing the woman again without exchanging a glance. He walked for five minutes towards Chiswick Business Park. Lights were on in half of the buildings within but the glass windows showed few workers around. He walked past a few of the buildings towards the rear of building 8. There was a fire exit at the back of the building but he knew it would be covered as the rain continued to lash down. He stood underneath and shivered as a cold draft of wind blew past. He tapped his feet as he waited for the door to open and smiled when he only had to wait a few seconds for the door to open and a 40-year old man with a large belly and ill-fitting suit to exit. He wore a thick coat and rubbed his hands together as the cold hit him.

"You know the problem with England?" he asked Kiryl in a thick Russian accent.

"The winter is too long?" Kiryl ventured a guess.

"The winter is too long to not have good Vodka" his companion said. "Ha!" he laughed at his own joke. "Good to see you Comrade". He offered his hand to Kiryl.

"You too Boris" he answered, shaking the hand. "When is your flight?"

"In two hours" Boris answered, "I'm heading to Heathrow"

"Business class?"

"Economy. Budget cuts". Boris threw his hands in the air in disgust.

Kiryl chuckled. "Some of us have to deal with that all the time" he told him.

"Some of us will one day be Commanders, and expect a better level of service from the motherland" Boris mused. "Did you complete it?"

Kiryl nodded. "Yes, it was installed".

"Excellent" Boris said. "Give me the laptop" Kiryl took the bag off his back and knelt down. He unzipped the bag and handed the laptop and USB stick to Boris. His commander looked pleased. Plans were starting to fall into place for Phase 2.

"Boris?" Kiryl ventured a question, "what happens now?"

"Now you go home. Watch football. Go to work tomorrow" Boris told him.

"I meant-"

"I know what you meant" Boris assured him. "You have done well. I will raise your profile and we can talk around how more you can help". Kiryl took in his words but nodded, determined to stay strong. Boris put his hand on Kiryl's shoulder. "We will prevail, Comrade" he told him. Boris patted him and returned to putting the laptop in his briefcase.

Kiryl suddenly became aware of a noise and presence behind him. It was the clicking of heels across the paved floor. He wheeled round and saw a brown-haired woman in a dark overcoat - he recognised her as the woman from the tube. He wondered what she was doing here. He considered saying something but stopped as he saw her arm raise. There was something in it that he could not see until it raised higher and the light from the building glinted off the end of a long barrell. He froze in panic.

Pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft. The shots were almost noiseless amongst the wind and the rain. He felt two sharp pains in his chest and found that he was struggling for air. He looked down and saw blood pouring from his chest and his knees gave way. He fell to the side, looking at Boris as he did. His colleague was lying on the floor, writhing with his hands to three wounds on his chest. He heard heels click on the floor and turned his face to look up towards the noise. The woman was now by his side. He saw the gun in her hand and the unmistakeable shape of a large suppressor. She raised it towards Boris and he found himself powerless to do anything as she pulled the trigger twice pfft-pfft. He tried to cry out but the bullets had ripped through his lungs and he could taste blood in his mouth. He saw the woman's legs in her dark brown tights turn towards him and he looked up to see the smiling face of the brunette above him. She stood over him and he looked down the barrel as it was raised towards his head. There was a quick flash, a pfft, and then no more.

-----

Rebecca exhaled and holstered her gun inside her coat again. Her hair was now wet and she considered taking the umbrella from the young man who lay dead in front of her. She did not but closed the briefcase the older man had been putting the laptop within and picked it up. She walked swiftly towards the main road and within a few seconds a black Mercedes pulled up alongside her. She opened the back door, got into the car and it sped towards Central London.

"The weather is rather unpleasant" George Digby-Wright said, looking at the wet Rebecca that now sat next to him in the back of the car.

"Well I suppose it helps to clean things up" she answered, warming her hands. She slid the briefcase across the leather seats towards him. "Laptop and briefcase, just as you said".

"Thank you" George said, smiling as he took it. "And I presume all interested parties..."

"Are interested no more" Rebecca assured him.

"I am sure the report will make for an enlightening read. Where can we take you?"

"Vauxhall please, George"

"Vauxhall it is. How is young Mr Beresford anyways?"

Rebecca smiled to herself. "He's well, thank you. In fact, that reminds me...". She retrieved her gun from the inside of her coat and placed it on top of the briefcase. "Do you mind keeping this for me?"

"Of course. I imagine it is not the first thing he would wish to find when taking off your coat" George said slyly.

"Just be careful with that imagination" Rebecca chided him. "I...have not....told him of this arrangement".

George nodded and considered her words. "Very well" he said. The car crossed Putney Bridge. "Are you free for a debrief on Friday?" George asked her.

"Maybe for lunch. Theatre plans in the evening" she told him, "Kate's going to make me sit through some musical".

George laughed again. "I'm more a fan of the opera" he told her, "you really must join me for an evening there at some point. I can obtain some rather marvellous seats for and Mr Beresford".

Rebecca gave him a look to indicate she was not sure Marcus would enjoy the opera. They sat in silence for the remainder of the journey until the car pulled up a few streets from Marcus's apartment and Rebecca jogged the rest of the way there. She pressed the buzzer for his apartment and was glad of the warmth when he let her in.

"You were working late" he said, kissing her as she walked in the door, "any trouble I need to know about?"

"All good" Rebecca told him. She embraced him and felt his warm body next to hers. "Just needed to pick somethig up for a friend".

#story #secretstate #female assassin #spy #hitwoman #silencer hitwoman #femme fatale #woman gun

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technoskittles · 4 years

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Pure Feeling Playlist

Okay, so I had someone on twitter express interest in the songs I have for my playlist for Pure Feeling and figured, yeah, I could share it. I don’t have a spotify (I don’t like the interface plus the music selection is way too limited for my taste) and the playlist itself is on Youtube Music. It’s also private because I don’t really want random people seeing it or other people messing with it if I unlocked it, so I’ll just type up all the songs here with links that way y’all can scroll through and listen to what you want.

I understand there’s probably an easier and faster way to do this probably, but hey, with the quarantine I clearly have some extra time on my hands so why not?

Though, couple of warnings:

1. It’s LOOOOOOONG (it’s 300+ songs in total) (don’t worry I’m gonna put this under a cut)

2. Some of the songs aren’t going to make much sense in terms of the AU. This is for two reasons: a) Some of the songs allude to events/characters that haven’t shown up in the story yet (there’s a LOT of songs regarding Mara’s father) and b) some of them are just general songs that I use to get a basis of emotion/vibe when writing particular types of scenes.

3. My music tastes are all over the place (and this doesn’t even include some of the other genres I listen to just because it doesn’t fit this AU lol)

But this playlist is my main muse and is probably one of the best insights to my process/inner thoughts so, without further ado.....my full playlist.

(I grouped the songs from the same artist together for the easiest convenience)

(And some songs might kind of be repeats if I listen to multiple versions for the purpose of this fic)

Got any favorites? Any songs that worry you about the future of this fic? Or just something you might want more clarification on? Feel free to shoot me ask about it!

South London Forever by Florence + The Machine

Patricia by Florence + The Machine

I Will Be by Florence + The Machine

Too Much Is Never Enough by Florence + The Machine

You’ve Got The Love by Florence + The Machine

Never Let Me Go by Florence + The Machine

Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine

Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine

Ship To Wreck by Florence + The Machine

St. Jude by Florence + The Machine

Over The Love by Florence + The Machine

Pure Feeling by Florence + The Machine (hey look it’s the fic title)

Heavy In Your Arms by Florence + The Machine

What Kind Of Man by Florence + The Machine

Stuck On You by Meiko

Stuck On You (Acoustic Version) by Meiko

Adventure of A Lifetime by Coldplay

Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay

Hymn For The Weekend by Coldplay

Simple and Clean by Hikaru Utada

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI - Hikaru Utada

Be My Last by Hikaru Utada

Colors by Hikaru Utada

Distance (M-Flo Remix) by Hikaru Utada

Without You (Justice Skolnik Remix) by Oh Wonder

Rockabye by Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie

In The Rain (an unofficial rendition from Miraculous Ladybug by David Russell)

Stone Heart (an unofficial rendition from Miraculous Ladybug by sxrlove06)

Lost In The Moment by Daniel Lee Kendall

Fragile by ARCADES

Daddy Issues by The Neighbourhood

Scary Love by The Neighbourhood

Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood

Sweater Weather (Vaski Remix) by The Neighbourhood

Honest by The Neighbourhood

Alleyways by The Neighbourhood

Stuck With Me by The Neighbourhood

Lights by Ellie Goulding

Goodness Gracious (The Chainsmokers Remix) by Ellie Goulding

Still Falling For You by Ellie Goulding

Starry Eyed by Ellie Goulding

Don’t Need Nobody by Ellie Goulding

Candy-Coloured Sky by Catmosphere

‘Till We’re In The Sea by RKCB

affection by Jinsang

summers day v2 by Jinsang

Let Go by Frou Frou

Must Be Dreaming by Frou Frou

I Just Want You by Robert Duncan

Forget by Alicks

Dinner & Diatribes by Hozier

Nevermind by Dennis Lloyd

Let It Happen by Tame Impala

Think About You by Kygo ft. Valerie Broussard

First Time by Kygo ft. Ellie Goulding

Fragile by Kygo ft. Labrinth

Feel Your Love by Nyquill

I See You by MISSIO

Learn To Let Go by Kesha

Praying by Kesha

I Love My Life by Justice Crew

Sex by Cheat Codes x Kris Kross Amsterdam

Everlong by Foo Fighters

Party Like It’s Your Birthday by Studio Killers

The Disappearance of The Girl by Phildel

Soul On Fire by Mystery Skulls

we’ve never met but, can we have coffee or something? by in love with a ghost

What is Love? by Y//2//K & Yung Death Ray ft. Jaymes Young

A Manner to Act by Ra Ra Riot

Suckers by Ra Ra Riot

Do You Remember by Ra Ra Riot

You And I Know by Ra Ra Riot

Oh, La by Ra Ra Riot

Can You Tell by Ra Ra Riot

Consequence by The Notwist

Anyone Else by PVRIS

Dead Weight by PVRIS

Can You Hold Me by NF ft. Britt Nicole

Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John

No Fear by Dej Loaf

I’ve Been Waiting by Lil Peep & ILoveMakonnen ft. Fall Out Boy

Give U Up by CALVIN (I’m sorry in advance for this one)

Heartbeat by Scouting For Girls

Keep It Simple by Tove Lo

Sweettalk My Heart by Tove Lo

Glad He’s Gone by Tove Lo

Not On Drugs by Tove Lo

Got Love by Tove Lo

Crave by Tove Lo

Paradise by Tove Lo

Moments by Tove Lo

Talking Body by Tove Lo

Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo

Scars by Tove Lo

Out Of Your Mind by Tove Lo

Vibes by Tove Lo

Lies In The Dark by Tove Lo

Come Undone by Tove Lo

dont ask dont tell by Tove Lo

Cherry Blossom by ALA.NI

Feels Like Home by The Him ft. Son Mieux

Quiet by Lights

Skydiving by Lights

365 by Zedd & Katy Perry

Left to Right by Marteen

Could You Love Me? by Black Saint

Midnight City by M83

Marble Soda by Shawn Wasabi

Crystal Dolphin by Engelwood

Pusher (Shawn Wasabi Remix) by Clear ft. Mothica

She’s A Riot by The Jungle Giants

Stranger by Jay Hayden & King Vodka

Now That I’ve Found You by Carly Rae Jepsen

Marty McFly by Luke Christopher

Rocks by Imagine Dragons

All Day And Night by Jax Jones ft. Madison Beer & Martin Solveig

Run Free by Deep Chills ft. IVIE

Maps by Maroon 5

Feelings by Maroon 5

blue by Pools

High Hopes (The Lucifer Edit) by Quails

breathin’ by Ariana Grande

Into You by Ariana Grande

Shy Girl by Kedam

Something Good Can Work by Two Door Cinema Club

What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club

Sleep Alone by Two Door Cinema Club

This Is The Life by Two Door Cinema Club

Do You Want It All? by Two Door Cinema Club

Sun by Two Door Cinema Club

Eat That Up, It’s Good For You by Two Door Cinema Club

Undercover Martyn by Two Door Cinema Club

Sunflower by Post Malone & Swan Lee

Señorita by Shawn Medes & Camila Cabello

Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie

Everybody’s Angel by Down With Webster

All Fall Down by OneRepublic

Counting Stars by OneRepublic

HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T by Fall Out Boy

Jenny by Walk The Moon

Youth by Daughter

Get Lucky (Cover) by Daughter

Love by Daughter

River Flows In You by Yiruma

Girls And Boys In School by Neon Trees

Girls And Boys In School (EP Version) by Neon Trees

Helpless by Neon Trees

In The Next Room by Neon Trees

Beings by Madeon

Dried-Out Cities by Fallulah

Bloodline by Fallulah

Almost Home by Mariah Carey

Headlock by Imogen Heap

Closing In by Imogen Heap

Lifeline by Imogen Heap

Goodnight And Go by Imogen Heap

First Train Home by Imogen Heap

I Am In Love With You by Imogen Heap

The Walk by Imogen Heap

More by Kaskade & Felix Cartal ft. Jenn Blosil

Lay Down by Kaskade & Late Night Alumni

My Distance by Kaskade

Lessons In Love by Kaskade ft. Neon Trees

Kill The Lights (Audien Remix) by Alex Newell ft. DJ Cassidy, Nile Rogers, & Jess Glynne

Fall In Love/Lie by INNA

Cola Song by INNA

Caliente by INNA

Iguana by INNA

Ruleta by INNA ft. Erik

I Like You by INNA

Love by INNA

Shining Star by INNA

Bebe by INNA

Bebe (Yaniss Extended Remix) by INNA

Better Not by Louis The Child ft. Wafia

Living Island by Pogo

Still Into You by Paramore

Hard Times by Paramore

Emergency by Paramore

Ignorance by Paramore

I Caught Myself by Paramore

Letting Go by HERB x Kendall Miles

To Be Human by Sia ft. Labrinth

Big Girls Cry (ODESZA Remix) by Sia

Elastic Heart by Sia

Angel By The Wings by Sia

If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t On The Dancefloor) by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Butterfly In The Still by Iwasaki Taku

Dare (La La La) by Shakira

Me Enamore by Shakira

Loca by Shakira ft. Dizzee Rascal

Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango) by Shakira

Addicted To You by Shakira

Whenever, Wherever by Shakira

When A Woman by Shakira

Can’t Remember To Forget You by Shakira ft. Rihanna

Better Than Yesterday by HollySiz

This is What You Came For by Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna

Sweet Nothing by Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch

Rain by Pueblo Vista ft. .Eehlou & Shiloh Dynasty

G.B.D. Pressure (Extended) by Chillster

Valentine by Aether ft. Veela

Lemme See by Usher ft. Rick Ross

Promises by Aly & AJ

Like Whoa by Aly & AJ

Silence by Aly & AJ

Find A Way by Safety Suit

Ordinary Day by Emilie Mover

Green Light by Lorde

Don’t Feel Like Crying (MK Remix) by Sigrid

Crazy in Love by EDEN ft. Leah Kelly

Broken Girl by Matthew West

Crazy in Love by Sofia Karlberg

This Is What Makes Us Girls (The Confect Remix) by Lana del Rey

1901 by Phoenix

Lisztomania by Phoenix

Please Don’t Touch by RAYE

Island In The Sun by Weezer

God Is A Dancer by Tiesto & Mabel

Tighten Up by The Black Keys

Do I Wanna Know? by Arctic Monkeys

Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups

Don’t Play by Halsey

Bad At Love by Halsey

Young God by Halsey

Now Or Never by Halsey

Hurricane by Halsey

Drive by Halsey

Eyes Closed by Halsey

Eyes Closed (Stripped) by Halsey

Haunting by Halsey

Strangers by Halsey ft. Lauren Jauregui

100 Letters by Halsey

Ghost by Halsey

Break A Sweat by Becky G

Little Talks by Of Monsters And Men

I wanna be your girlfriend by girl in red

Run by Alison Wonderland

I Want U by Alison Wonderland

Peace by Alison Wonderland

Peace (Acoustic) by Alison Wonderland

Dead To Me by Kali Uchis

Good Enough by Evanescence

Go Slow by Gorgon City & Kaskade ft. Romeo

Feel Good Inc by filous & LissA

All I Need by Within Temptation

A Lot Like Love (Oliver Heldens Edit) by The Voyagers ft. Haris

Hideaway by Kiesza

Memories by KSHMR ft. Sirah

American Sadness by XYLO

One Step At A Time by Jordin Sparks

Your Shirt by Chelsea Cutler

Hope Of Morning by Icon For Hire

Collect Call by Metric

Flowers On The Grave (Acoustic) by The Maine

Fabulous by Ally Brooke

Falling (blackbear Remix) by Trevor Daniel

You by Petit Biscuit

Unlove You (Drop G Remix) by Armin van Burren ft. Ne-Yo

Formation (R-TRAX Trap Remix) by Beyonce

Schoolin’ Life by Beyonce

Simmer by Hayley Williams

Ruby by Foster The People

Moral Of The Story by Ashe

Colorblind (Left/Right Remix) by Karma Fields ft. Tove Lo

Don’t Stop The Music by Jamie Cullum

Goody Two Shoes by Adam Ant

Don’t Stop the Fancy Footwork (Chromeo vs. Rihanna)

She Wolf (Falling To Pieces) by David Guetta ft. Sia

Slow Burn by Audiograf

Write My Story by Olly Anna

1 Thing by Amerie

I Like That by Janelle Monae

Your Favorite Place by Joey Pecoraro

Beauty Mark by Parov Stelar ft. Anduze

Dead Hearts by Stars

Change of Seasons (EP Version) by Sweet Thing

Larger Than Life by Pink Zebra ft. Benji Jackson

Are You With Me (Pretty Pink Remix) by Lost Frequencies

Nothing But by Skin

In Common (Kenny Dope Remix) by Alicia Keys

Resonance by HOME

All Stars by Martin Solveig ft. ALMA

Lavender’s Blue Dilly Dilly [From the Cinderella (2015) OST]

Besame Mucho by Jorge Blanco

Touch You Right Now by Basic Element

Dinero by Trinidad

Icon (Reggaeton Remix) by Jaden Smith ft. Nicky Jam & Will Smith

Make Me Sweat by Kat DeLuna

Sombredosis by Kat DeLuna ft. El Cata

Real Love by Memory Tapes

Feelings by Hayley Kiyoko

This Side Of Paradise by Hayley Kiyoko

Wanna Be Missed by Hayley Kiyoko

Gravel To Tempo by Hayley Kiyoko

Pretty Girl by Hayley Kiyoko

Fiesta (Remix) by Bombe Estereo ft. Will Smith

Love by TeZATalks

Had by TeZATalks

Heal by Loreen

Analyser by AlunaGeorge

Attracting Flies by AlunaGeorge

Damaged by Plummet

My Kind by Hilary Duff

Sparks by Hilary Duff

Talk by DJ Snake ft. George Maple

First summer without you by Outgoing Hikikomori

First birthday without you by Outgoing Hikikomori

2 Heads by Coleman Hell

Mathematics by Little Boots

Hearts Collide by Little Boots

Meddle by Little Boots

Parachute by Cheryl Cole

When she went away by Max Richter

When she came back by Max Richter

Who Knew by Pink

Lash Out by Alice Merton

Back To The Start by Mr. Little Jeans

Perfecto. by Ayo. & .Disfnk ft. Daniela Andrade

service by j^p^n

I’m In Love Again by tomppabeats

Close by Nick Jonas ft. Tove Lo

Falling Apart by Michael Schulte

Dusk ‘Til Dawn by ZAYN ft. Sia

Pillowtalk by ZAYN

Minimal Beat by Lindsey Stirling

Perfect Illusion by Lady Gaga

Do I Wanna Know? (Cover) by CHVRCHES

La Familia (Guy Sigsworth Remix) by Mirah

Broken Parts by The Ready Set & Mokita

Invisible Chains by Lauren Jauregui

Lonely Gun by CYN

Cartier by Dopebwoy ft. 3robi & Chivv

Boss Bitch by Doja Cat

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #pure feeling #ash writes #pure feeling playlist #playlist #if some of these links are wrong or repeat forgive me #I wasn't about to go through and double check them all #if nothing else you have the titles and these are all on youtube #will probably be adding onto this as I add more songs to my playlist #so I just realized that the links aren't showing up for some reason on the published post #even though when I went to edit they're still there???#I'm very sorry about that #just copy and paste into youtube I guess?

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thatcherjoedaily · 6 years

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YouTube Stars Joe Sugg, Caspar Lee Form IMG-Backed Digital Talent Management Agency

Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee, two popular YouTube creators and social-media personalities, have formed a talent management agency with a strategic investment from IMG.

Dubbed Margravine Management, the agency will be based in London and is focused on signing and developing “new and upcoming digital talent.” The company is led by Sugg and Lee, who are also best friends. IMG is an investor and strategic partner to the new agency; a rep declined to disclose financial terms of the deal.

“We have been working in the digital space for over eight years now and can’t wait to combine our experience and skill with the strategic guidance of IMG to offer a new management service and bring about a new era of digital talent,” Sugg and Lee said in a joint statement.

Margravine expects to announce its talent-management positions and initial signings in the next few weeks. The company’s name is a reference to the street on which Sugg and Lee first lived in London when they got started on YouTube. (Incidentally, a “margravine” is the wife of a margrave, which Merriam-Webster defines as a “military governor especially of a German border province.”)

Sugg and Lee, who launched their careers on YouTube in 2010, now have a combined following of over 40 million fans worldwide. The duo have appeared together in travelogue specials “Joe and Caspar: Hit the Road” and “Hit the Road USA,” both of which are available to stream on Netflix.

Sugg is a British YouTuber whose videos span challenges, pranks, impressions and gaming across his three channels, which have nearly 2 billion views to date. He’s also the author of graphic-novel series “Username: Evie.”

Caspar Lee, born in England and raised in South Africa, is best known for his YouTube channel, which features interviews, pranks and musings. His two YouTube channels have more than 9 million subscribers. In 2016, he co-starred in buddy-comedy feature film “Laid in America” alongside YouTube comedian KSI. Last year, Lee co-founded marketing agency Influencer.com, where he has the title of chief marketing officer.

IMG is part of Endeavor, the holding company that encompasses WME, UFC, Professional Bull Riders, Miss Universe, Dixon Talent, and the Wall Group.

Source: Variety

#joe sugg #thatcherjoe #caspar lee #article #variety #2018

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orbemnews · 3 years

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How the Pandemic Changed Sabine Roemer’s Jewelry Business LONDON — Disrupter, fixation, opportunity. The pandemic has been all that and more for jewelry fans and designers alike. Just ask Sabine Roemer. The German-born designer has two brands: the high jewelry line that carries her name (one-off pieces priced from 10,000 pounds, or about $14,095) and Atelier Romy, which sells trendy pieces like stackable chain necklaces and ear party studs online for £50 to £500. And now that England is easing restrictions, she said, both lines are emerging as direct-to-consumer businesses — and are linked more closely to her own identity as a craftswoman. “Workmanship is absolutely apparent in everything Sabine does,” said Marisa Drew, a senior investment banker in London who has jewelry from both of Ms. Roemer’s brands. “There’s always a personality in her pieces and she really approaches her designs with a story in mind.” Ms. Drew said she likes Ms. Roemer’s transformable designs and strong attention to detail, features that also resonate with Sarah Giovanna, a managing director at a private equity firm in London. “She sits down with you and really creates something that fits you. For me, it’s all about flexibility,” said Ms. Giovanna, who also wears both lines. “I work in a high-intensity environment, dealing with big businesses, and I want pieces that I can dress up and down. Both brands deliver that.” Last year’s lockdown, however, was “a make-and-break moment,” Ms. Roemer said, especially for Atelier Romy, which was only three years old when the pandemic hit. “I was forced to look at every single aspect of the business, and not just entrust it to others,” the 41-year-old designer said, admitting she had focused on creation and clients. Suddenly she couldn’t just help clients dream up high jewelry pieces like a pair of diamond and pearl earrings topped with 17-carat citrines or work on a philanthropic collaboration like the jeweled rendition of a postage stamp she created for the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust in 2017 to celebrate the queen’s 65 years on the British throne. In March 2020, Ms. Roemer canceled her shipping agent. She hadn’t been entirely happy with its service and decided fulfillment should be handled in-house. “I packed, I shipped and tied the ribbon around every box,” she said. “I needed to learn everything — my accountant joked that it was like McDonald’s, where you have to start in the kitchen and work your way up.” (A handwritten card now accompanies every order.) Ms. Roemer and her team also focused on Atelier Romy’s social media presence, creating stronger digital content and visuals that highlighted Ms. Roemer as the maker behind the jewels. She wouldn’t share sales figures, but Ms. Roemer said shoppers must have liked the changes, as sales increased fivefold. It’s the kind of online marketing that is here to stay, said Juliet Hutton-Squire, head of global strategy at Adorn, a jewelry market intelligence firm. When consumers couldn’t spend on travel, she said, they began spending more on luxury items and investment pieces. Fashion brands were well positioned to capture those sales, thanks to their early investments in digital, and “brands with an online presence or shoppable content on social media were even further ahead of the curve as mobile phones became the way we shop,” Ms. Hutton-Squire explained. “That is just going to continue. We are not going back from this.” Entrepreneurial jeweler In many ways, Ms. Roemer’s early career — which began as a 15-year-old goldsmith apprentice in Germany — led to her roles as a businesswoman and jeweler today. Crafting jewelry, she said, is not all about “tools, craft and creation,” as she had once imagined. “You soon realized you also have to be good at physics and math, chemicals and chemistry. Thankfully, those were my favorite subjects at school.” Atelier Romy has exercised her mathematical brain even more. “I love data,” she said. “I find it fascinating sitting at home in lockdown and just looking at data and who’s coming into the virtual shop.” After graduating from Pforzheim Goldsmith and Watchmaking School in Germany, Ms. Roemer joined Stephen Webster, a London designer she said she particularly admired as “a craftsperson and not just a designer.” More work for other Bond Street houses followed, plus orders from private clients — turning the early 2000s into something of a golden era for Ms. Roemer’s high jewelry career. Her philanthropic work also was recognized, especially several custom pieces she made in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, like a gold, diamond and emerald bangle inscribed with the South African president’s prison number; Morgan Freeman wore the piece to the 2010 Oscars as a best actor nominee for “Invictus.” Ms. Roemer said the experience showed her how jewelry could be a form of storytelling. “The easy thing to do was put a bling diamond piece that gets attention, but I wanted to put Mandela’s story on the red carpet,” she said. “In the end, jewelry is emotional — you wear it every day on your skin. I don’t wear my grandmother’s handbag every day but I do wear her ring. It’s close to me, and really carries that emotional value.” That same year, her first high jewelry collection debuted at Harrods. Atelier Romy — a name inspired by the birth of Ms. Roemer’s first daughter, Romy — was created as an affordable ready-to-wear line to be sold exclusively online. “I wanted to portray something a bit different,” she recalled. “Something with strong bold designs but still modern and zeitlos” — German for ageless — “depending on how you’d layer and make it your own.” Soul and purpose Valery Demure, the London-based brand consultant who represents several independent jewelers (but not Ms. Roemer), said: “Sabine interests me because she doesn’t come from a jewelry family. Everything she’s learned has been through hard work by herself, and the fact that she has all these skills. She is a woman with a real soul and purpose.” That sense is increasingly relevant in a post-pandemic world. Ms. Hutton-Squire said the pandemic’s “enforced pause button” highlighted the importance of sustainability and the environment, spurring jewelers to act online in more authentic ways. Whether that was creating, for example, a playlist for meditation or sharing home recipes, “it wasn’t all about sell, sell, sell,” she said. “That really kind of separated the authentic bands from the less authentic ones.” That also explains the growing demand for craft — something Ms. Roemer said she had experienced prepandemic with some of her high jewelry line’s female clients. “They have a very different mind-set: asking who made it and what it is. It’s less about the stone, how big it is and the carat size,” Ms. Roemer said. “They just want to express themselves and their personalities through jewelry.” She has been bringing the sentiment online. Atelier Romy now has weekly drops of “how to style” videos and footage of Ms. Roemer at the workbench, cutting, soldering and shaping metal, always among her most popular posts. “Few people really know how jewelry is still made,” she said. “It was nice to take people into the workshop and show them the process.” In March, Ms. Roemer introduced Cornerstones, her first high jewelry collection in more than 10 years. The extra time in lockdown has been a creative boon, she said (“I always found the best pieces happen in the workshop when you don’t have a plan”) and the collection of nine pairs of earrings were muses on travel, with multifunctional pieces like sea-inspired blue topaz, aquamarine and diamond transformable earrings that Ms. Drew purchased. Ms. Roemer said she hopes to resume meeting clients from both brands, which, thanks to the pandemic, feel more complementary than ever. “It’s like having two babies — you can’t pick a favorite one, they’re equally important,” she said. “But also very different.” Source link Orbem News #Business #changed #jewelry #Pandemic #Roemers #Sabine

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p-xckers · 5 years

Text

FMP Evaluation

Final Major Project Evaluation: Lost and Found

Pathway: Illustration

· Be able to submit a personal statement of intent

· Understand the importance of contextual references

· Know how to solve problems by applying knowledge and experience

· Be able to present a Final Major Project

To begin my Final Major Project, I revisited areas from both exploratory and pathway stages. Finding my strongest work to be that from ‘Paris in the Park. I have enjoyed experimenting with processes, other than my chosen pathway, which have allowed me to develop a wider range of skills to produce my strongest work for the Final Major Project exhibition. I feel that this course, solely FMP, has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone with both materials and scale.

Following from the work I produced for ‘Paris in the Park’, I again felt that the Paris residential could be a major influence in my work and research for FMP. I wanted to utilize the rest of my found objects and photos that I brought back from the residential in my final exhibition; I also thoroughly enjoyed the procedure of collecting and gathering items that have no significant meaning to me, but would have once to someone else.

I initially started this project by researching other artists known for using found objects in their work; Annette Messager, Christian Boltanski and Lisa Kokin have heavily influenced my work throughout. I then began my project by looking at the found objects, photos, letters and documents to see if anything had a significant link, as I liked the idea of mystery playing a part in my work. I settled on working with material and stitch early on in the project, as my previous works had proved successful and I enjoyed the process and final outcome when using it. However, I wanted to widen my capabilities for this project and decided to trial another route; where I visited Eden Camp and deeply researched into Auschwitz, again focusing on the documents and items recovered from real life events. This was a dead end for me as I couldn’t get new ideas flowing and felt that if I was to carry this idea on, I wouldn’t have had a final exhibition.

I then looked at the idea of putting certain items and photos together to create some sort of missing identity or lost memory based project. As well as the idea of items losing their purpose after being lost or abandoned. I started the process of testing out different thicknesses of material, to see which would be suitable to use to print/transfer images onto using the printer. The yellow base tone of the Calico material worked for the outcome image I was aiming to produce and played well with the old and used condition of the items and photos I was going to be printing with. I created 36 individual A4 sized material pieces to use as a large scaled piece, as this was something I’d previously struggled to do within my work. Returning back to the idea of lost identity I decided to use red paint, stitch, wool, paper, acetate and fabric to mask some of the faces and features of people in the photos I used. I chose to use the colour red as knew it would stand out from the dull base I’ve chosen for the rest of my work. I also wanted it to be the first thing your eye is drawn to within my piece and make the viewer wonder who the people are and why they’ve been masked/concealed.

Throughout the project I have utilized my spare time by visiting markets and car boot sales to source other personal items that once belonged and had meaning to someone else. During one of these trips I found an old garden chair that I felt I could use to experiment with. Referring back to another of my initial ideas, I decided to break the chair so that it had lost its purpose and couldn’t be used. I then decided to photocopy some of my found photos and image transfer them onto said chair with white emulsion, and then tea stain to play back on the old, worn out look the rest of my exhibition has.

As my pathway was based on drawing and illustration, I wanted to incorporate some of that into my FMP work. I have done this by experimenting with photographs, drawing from them both freehand and digitally. Using materials such as tracing paper to print onto and work back over the top with my illustrated designs. I’ve drawn from the objects I have used throughout this project; those being material, clothing, chair, teapots, typewriters and books.

My final exhibition has taken me around 3 weeks to fully complete, with last minute changes being made to the display of certain aspects so that the whole was pleasing to look at and worked well with the other pieces displayed. My favourite piece being the suitcase with shirts hung up the wall, again incorporating different items, documents and photos, as well as a book and pair of shoes again to play on the idea of lost identity.

During the course of FMP, it was essential that I kept up to date with sketchbooks, Tumblr and my journal, as well as a constant thought process of what I was going to do next. My journal helped me the most as I used it to reflect after a day’s work and to self-criticize the work I was creating to help me improve. Group and sketchbook critiques helped me to gain a better understanding of how other people worked and what would help me to again improve and develop on the work I had been doing, I really benefitted from the input of other people and enjoyed seeing how they chose to document and display their work too.

Extended Bibliography

Artists

· Lisa Kokin

· Annette Messager

· Christian Boltanski

· Kyra Clegg

· Damien Hirst

· Alison Knowles

· Lorraine Reynolds

· Lee Mckenna

· Mark Dion

· Marcel Du Champ

· Austin Kleon

· Robert Rauschenburg

· Kirsty Whitlock

· Rebecca Petty

· Raubdruckerin

· Sue Brown

· John Stezaker

· Hannah Hoch

· Tim Noble and Sue Webster

· Emma Parker

· Kennard Phillips

Visits

· Paris Residential

· Tate Modern London

· Musee Pompidou

· Eden Camp

· Musee D’Orsay

· Salts Mill

Videos

· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypiSVnP2aRQ

· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ml-oLmpXU

· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8IbN7HNIhM

· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv7tatnhFAc

· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZlrHyzIwcI

· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSKxJc_J0No

Links

· http://www.lisakokin.com

· https://www.tayloepiggottgallery.com/artist/Lisa_Kokin/biography/

· https://www.textileartist.org/lisa-kokin-content-materials-driven

· https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/messager-the-pikes-t07436

· https://arteverdayblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/annette-messager-the-pikes-1992-3/

· http://www.artnet.com/artists/annette-messager/

· https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/annette-messager

· https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/feb/21/annette-messager

· https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/christian-boltanski-2305

· http://www.christian-boltanski.com

· https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/jan/13/christain-boltanski-grand-palais-paris

· http://www.kyclegg.co.uk/

· https://www.saatchiart.com/Kyra

· http://www.damienhirst.com

· https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/damien-hirst-2308

· https://aknowles.com

· https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/performance-at-tate/case-studies/alison-knowles

· https://www.lorrainereynolds.com

· https://glimmeringprize.blogspot.com

· https://www.flickr.com/photos/stitch-therapy/

· https://hanguppictures.com/exhibition/blue-murder

· http://toombes.com/2019/01/08/interview-lee-mckenna/

· http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/2016/04/25/lee-mckenna/

· https://leeamckenna.tumblr.com

· https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/mark-dion-2789

· https://art21.org/artist/mark-dion/

· https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/dada/marcel-duchamp-and-the-readymade/

· https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/marcel-duchamp-1036

· https://www.widewalls.ch/dadaist-artists-dada/marcel-duchamp/

· https://austinkleon.com/

· https://austinkleon.com/category/newspaper-blackout-poems/

· https://www.bustle.com/p/what-is-blackout-poetry-these-fascinating-poems-are-created-from-existing-art-78781

· https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/robert-rauschenberg-1815

· https://kirstywhitlock.weebly.com

· https://www.textileartist.org/embroidery-transforms-kirsty-whitlock

· https://rebeccapettystudio.weebly.com

· https://raubdruckerin.de/en/

· https://www.twenty-twenty.co.uk/artists/brown/

· https://suebrownprintmaker.blogspot.com

· https://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/john_stezaker.htm

· https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/john-stezaker-2000

· https://www.theartstory.org/artist-hoch-hannah.htm

#FMP #writtenwork

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abitoflit · 5 years

Text

From Fond Childhood Memory to the “Big Screen,” the Story of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

To bewitch, “to attract or delight (someone) in a way that seems magical” (Merriam-Webster). From the time I was very young and first read J.K. Rowling’s novels surrounding the life of Harry Potter, I was bewitched. I was drawn into a magical world, involving both witches and wizards. I entered Harry’s life first in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone around the time I was his age and he first went off to Hogwarts. I walked beside him as Hagrid informed him that he was a wizard and his parents had been killed by the dark Lord Voldemort. I discovered that there was a magical stone, created by an alchemist, which granted eternal life and that dark forces wanted to steal it. Much like Harry and his friends, I assumed that Severus Snape, the “evil” potions master, wanted to take it for himself and easily overlooked the quivering Professor Quirrell, who was actually the novel’s antagonist. I was amazed when three children, very similar in age to myself, outsmarted an adult no matter how ludicrous that seemed. When the movies first started coming out, I rushed to the theaters with my friends to watch them. The first story in the series, The Sorcerer’s Stone, was no different. It was then that I was introduced to the work of Christopher Columbus, the director, Steve Kloves, the screenwriter, and the rest of their team as I was visually drawn into Rowling’s world, a world I had previously created for myself in my own mind. Although the movie wasn’t “perfect” and failed to follow the novel exactly, I was amazed by how similar the characters looked to their literary depictions and how similar they acted to their literary models. I felt as though Daniel Radcliffe fully embodied Harry and Dumbledore had walked out of the novel and onto the screen. I was amazed that for the most part, Columbus’ film adaptation of Rowling’s first “Harry Potter” novel left little out and didn’t rearrange things, which in turn, kept it from losing sight of the original. Overall, I was happy to have been given the chance to revisit a fond memory from my childhood and felt that the positively-acclaimed story of one of our world’s favorite fictional wizards was one of the best ever produced.

The first time I read J.K. Rowling’s novel entitled, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone I was a child in the fifth grade. I read the novel first because the films had not been produced yet. I remember appreciating the novels as a child, as they captivated my boundless imagination, causing my mind to weave images of an alternate, fantastical realm of witches and wizards of which I wished I could be a part. Instead, I settled for a mixture of J.K. Rowling’s story-telling and my own imaginings. When the movies came out, I remember being overjoyed and flocked with my friends to see them; but, as time wore on, I lost interest in both the novels and the films as they grew increasingly less enjoyable in my mind’s eye. Now, I have decided to return to the beginning of the series, as this class has given me an excuse to relive a small portion of my childhood, which I look upon rather fondly. In reading the novel and watching the movie again for the first time in several years, I hoped to find a remnant of my love for the series and I longed to discover if it was time that had colored my judgment of both mediums or if my appreciation for Harry’s story had never faded.

J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone takes place in England, and follows the life of its namesake. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to house number four on Privet Drive, where Harry was sent to live after the death of his parents at the hands of Lord Voldemort, the greatest dark wizard of his time. As readers continue on Harry’s path alongside him, we discover that his Uncle Vernon and especially his Aunt Petunia, (his mother’s sister), have a severe hatred for witches and wizards and kept the secret of his magical powers from Harry. Therefore, when Hagrid tracks Harry down after each of his mysterious Hogwarts letters fails to reach him, he informs Harry of the fact that he is a wizard. At this point in time, the recognition scene unfolds, and Harry’s life as a wizard commences. Shortly after being taken to Diagon Alley in London to fetch his school supplies, Harry takes the Hogwarts Express to the mysterious, magical school known as Hogwarts. It is encased within the body of a castle made of stone. It is at the school that the story’s many obstacles begin to reveal themselves. First, there is Potter’s rivalry with Malfoy, as he chooses to forge friendships with Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger as opposed to him. Second, is the conflict surrounding Harry and Professor Snape. Although his true enemy turns out to be Professor Quirrell, whose skull is infused with the energy of the Lord Voldemort, Harry spends most of the novel assuming that Professor Snape is the individual who tried to rob vault 713 at Gringotts Bank.

An omniscient narrator sets a suspenseful tone for the entire novel, which unfolds as would a modern mystery. This is due to the fact that Harry and his two best friends spend a large portion of the novel trying to determine what was in Vault 713, why anyone would have wanted to steal it, where the vault’s contents are hidden, and what a wizard named Nicholas Flamel had to do with it all. Therefore, the story’s conflict arises as the three friends begin to view Severus Snape, their potions master, as the individual attempting to steal the stone. Outmatched by a far more experienced and skilled wizard, they often struggle to find ways to “outsmart him” and keep him from obtaining the stone. A crisis unfolds as Harry and his friends realize that their other teachers will not believe them or do anything to keep the stone from being stolen by Snape, forcing them to take matters into their own hands. However, as the climax unfolds, Harry realizes that he was wrong about Snape and that Quirrell had tricked him (and many other onlookers) into assuming that he wasn’t a threat by stuttering and acting as though he was terrified of everything. After Harry retrieves the stone from the Mirror of Erised and Quirrell is defeated, the denouement ensues, as Harry wakes up three days later in the hospital wing and is visited by the school’s headmaster, Dumbledore. It is Dumbledore who explains what became of Quirrell, Nicholas Flamel, and the stone. It is also he who explains how Harry survived and neatly wraps up Rowling’s novel.

The novel has a single, overriding theme: the old adage, “not everything is what it seems.” This theme can largely be associated with Professors Snape and Quirrell. Although Snape seemed as though he was the book’s main antagonist (because of the way he treated Harry and his friends and the way he was bitten by Fluffy), Professor Quirrell was the book’s largest antagonist. He managed to evade suspicion because he was such an unassuming individual who frequently stuttered and became anxious in many different situations. The second application would be to Harry, who wasn’t aware he was a wizard until Hagrid had told him. Furthermore, he wasn’t aware of the true manner of his parent’s death until he met Hagrid and was told the story of Voldemort.

I don’t feel as though J.K. Rowling has a particularly distinctive writing style, although I would argue that she tries to employ humor. The only issue with this is that she isn’t particularly funny. I know I’m older than her intended audience (the world’s youth), but I don’t think they’d find her writing to be particularly humorous either and I feel as though this is because she doesn’t commit to it. For example, when she has Hagrid try and turn Dudley into a pig, all he manages to do is give him a tail. If Hagrid had turned him into an individual who thought he was a pig and had some pig’s features, (e.g. tail, ears, hooves), then perhaps the scene could have been made all the more amusing. Another example would be when Harry asked Dumbledore what he perceived when he looked into the Mirror of Erised and Dumbledore replied, “I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks… one can never have enough socks,” (Rowling 214). I feel as though an author who uses humor effectively in his novels would be Terry Pratchett, especially when one considers his Tiffany Aching novels, which are part of his Discworld series. This is due to the fact that he takes the novel’s comical moments and stretches them as far as they will go, without spoiling the mood. Examples would include when he has Daft Wullie play against the other wee-free-men, or even Tiffany herself, creating comical conversations and musings. In addition to her failed attempts at being funny, Rowling occasionally invents words, which are limited in their use to her magical realm and meant to add to the wonder her reader’s experience. Examples would include the term “muggle.” I don’t feel as though this practice makes Rowling’s writing style distinct because fantasy authors are meant to fabricate fantastical realms and magical creatures in order to assure that their novels may be clearly defined as part of the “fantasy” genre. For example, Terry Goodkind created “confessors” and the “pristinely ungifted” in his Sword of Truth series, while Brandon Sanderson invented “mistings” and the “mistborn” for his Mistborn Trilogy. Overall, I would say that her style is rather bland, although the story she weaves is “magical.”

The descriptions given by J.K. Rowling in her novels allowed for the natural unfolding of her story’s setting within the minds of her readers. They also provided Chris Columbus with a framework, which would allow for the development of the set, which mirrored Rowling’s imaginings. The set of the “Harry Potter” movies were developed from two separate locations. The first is at the “site of a former Rolls-Royce factory, where aircraft were made during World War II,” (Sibley 10). This site housed locations such as Diagon Alley, where Harry bought his school supplies. The second location was Durham Cathedral, “to which the designers added a pair of spires you might expect to see in the wizarding world,” (Sibley 33). I’ve noticed that the various sets employed by the cast and crew in order to make the first of the Harry Potter films used a lot of dull colors. For example, depending on the time of day, the stones, which made up Hogwarts castle were a mixture of white, dismal greys, and soft browns. The dungeons, where Harry’s potions class was held, were even darker. I felt as though these color choices were meant to reflect that a darkness loomed over the entire school as well as the dismal institutionalism of the educational system, although, the brighter colors they were highlighted with, were meant to add a certain flair to the otherwise drab set. Examples would include banners displaying the Gryffindor lion or the paintings on the wall. I also felt as though these small, subtle bursts of color where meant to represent various sparks of Harry’s curiosity as he and the other first year students explored a world otherwise unknown to them. For the most part, I felt that the lighting throughout the entire movie was low-key, especially when the characters were indoors or in the forest. The only time I felt as though the lighting was particularly bright was upon the quidditch field and that was only because each scene took place on a sunny day. With few exceptions, the school’s lighting merely consisted of what little illumination filtered in through the glass windows or whatever light danced and flickered across the surface of the walls from either torches or sconces. I feel as though they were used in order to add to the “witchy” feel of the school and the medieval aspects displayed within the towering spires and narrow window slits. I also feel as though torches and sconces were used because low-key lighting tends to cast longer shadows and keep part of the screen submerged in darkness or half-light, while the rest is immersed in light. The use of low-key lighting was a symbolic way of showing that there were rival forces battling behind the scenes within Hogwarts’ walls: the forces of good, and the darker forces employed by the Lord Voldemort, which were evil.

A great many of the shots used in the film were done in slow motion or kept very still. There was very little, if anything, that was fast-paced. I felt as though this was done in order to allow for a more natural, gradual unfolding of the plot. The vast majority of shots were either a wide view or a close-up of one or a few of the main characters. The wider shots were used mainly to show a progression-- such as a character’s movement from one location to another, while the close-ups were used to draw attention to a specific person or set of individuals. This allowed the film’s viewers to bear witness to the emotions of each of the film’s characters, (e.g. Harry’s anguish each time his scar began to burn). Finally, the film used various sounds in order to help evoke certain emotions within its viewers. For example, it played bright, lively orchestral music, which featured instruments such as the piano and trumpets during happier scenes. Examples would include the time in which the first years first entered the Great Hall. Another example would be when the crew used computers to generate both “barking” and “snapping” sounds when Harry and his friends unwittingly stepped into Fluffy’s lair. The sounds were used in order to instill fear in their hearts, as well as those of the film’s viewers. This is because the sounds added to the sense of tension and danger experienced by the students.

I think that the set’s overall design added to the film’s atmosphere. The school’s layout--with its winding corridors and shifting stairs, its poor lighting, cast by flickering flames, and high, vaulted towers-- added to the “magical” and “otherworldly” setting depicted within J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world. The “uncertain” light, the presence of shadows, added to the sense that the story’s main plotline involved Harry, Ron, and Hermione clambering out of the darkness, their childish innocence and lack of knowledge about the magical world around them, and into a greater understanding of both magic and the dangers of the world. The occasional display of rich color, (e.g. maroon and gold, green and silver), were meant to display the subtle shift of alliances between rival parties as well as the unity, which bound the story’s three main protagonists together.

The ways in which the characters were portrayed by their respective actors also added to the strength of the film. For example, Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione, spent a fair amount of time acting “smarter than thou,” as she insulted Ron’s spell on the train, which was supposed to turn Scabbers, (his pet rat), yellow. She also corrected him in their Charms class, when he mispronounced the levitation charm, “Wingardium Leviosa,” etc. Furthermore, she continually made various comments throughout the course of the film, which demonstrated her belief in the fact that studying and reading were the most important things in the world, (e.g. she described the book, which contained information about Nicolas Flamel as a “bit of light reading” and reminded her friends to always do more research). Rupert Grint, who played Ron, also made a fair depiction of his character as he looked largely as I imagined Ron would and acted as the silly, comic-relief character in the series. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry, also did an outstanding job. With the exception of his eyes, he looked exactly as I expected. In addition, his strong ability to emote allowed viewers to experience the awe, anguish, and large range of emotions, which Harry was meant to throughout the course of the film. Makeup was used on each of the characters to accentuate their features, (such as the color of their eyes), and to demonstrate the hardships each character endured throughout the course of the movie. For example, various forms of makeup were used to represent dirt and grime, which had accumulated on Harry’s person as he made his way through the stone’s trials. In much the same way, cosmetics were used to create cuts and bruises denoting injury. Finally, the wardrobe used in the film added to the viewer’s construct of each of the characters. For example, the robes worn by the students at Hogwarts were like a uniform. This made them relatable to children in the real world, while also managing to lump the school’s student body together in the film. It made them into a unified body, which was making its way through their educational endeavors and the adventures presented by the wizarding world. The robes worn by the school’s Professors allowed for a differentiation between “skilled and “unskilled” wizards. Meanwhile, the “more natural” attire worn by the Dursleys and the rest of the muggle world created a dividing line between the magical world and the non-magical world.

J.K. Rowling’s novel and its film adaptation are fairly similar as far as the plot is concerned. For example, in both the film and the novel, Harry and his friends receive detention. In the novel, he, Neville, and Hermione receive detention, because he and Hermione snuck out after hours in order to deliver Hagrid’s pet, the baby dragon Norbert, to Charlie’s friends. The children needed to perform this favor for Hagrid because raising dragons was illegal. Neville was given detention for stalking around the castle in search of them. In the movie, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were given detention for visiting Hagrid after hours. In both mediums, Harry’s rival, Malfoy, is given detention for tattling on them and breaking curfew. In both cases, the children wind up serving detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest, (sometimes referred to as the “Dark Forest” in the films). The night’s goal was to discover who or what had been injuring the unicorns in the forest. In order to get her point across, J.K. Rowling used rather straightforward language during her portrayal of Harry’s and Malfoy’s discovery of the cloaked figure. I don’t feel as though Rowling used as much description as she could of and left a lot up to a person’s imagination, which in many ways, heightened the sense of both suspense and dread, which her scene was meant to evoke. For example, she begins the passage pertaining to the children’s discovery of the cloaked figure with, “Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood,” (Rowling 256). I understand from this sentence that Harry was transfixed by fear and unable to move; but, I was caught off guard by Rowling’s mention of a “slithering” sound. This is due to the fact that I have always seen the term “slithering” used to describe the shifting movement of a snake as they propel their body across the surface of the earth using their stomach muscles. I have never seen it used to describe a sort of sound before, only motion. I found myself struggling to discern just what Rowling meant and I fear that her use of this term may confuse Rowling’s intended audience (children), who may not have as extensive a vocabulary as someone who is older than them. The next line describes how the bushes trembled, which was meant to add to the sense of fear and tension, we as readers are supposed to associate with this passage. It’s easy now to imagine the leaves on the bushes rustling as some unseen entity approaches, an entity, we can sense will pose a threat to Harry and his companions. From there, a hooded figure emerges, “stalking across the ground.” No other description is given. It is simply a hooded figure. Is this figure entirely covered or do they merely have a hood drawn? Are they wearing a hooded cloak, as might the wizards of the area? Or not? What color is the cloak? Is it as dark as the night, allowing the figure to sneak around unseen? Is its color meant to mirror the blackness of its heart? Or is it some different color? Brown, green, or even pink? Again, we are reminded of Harry’s traveling companions-- Fang, (Hagrid’s dog), and Malfoy, as they remain “transfixed.” So again, she states that the children are too terrified of what they see to move. Then, quite simply, Rowling describes how the figure dips its head over the body of the dead unicorn the children had just discovered and begins to drink. Being that she never describes the color of the blood, one might think that it is the bright, crimson red blood we might associate with man or perhaps a horse. However, if one were to think back on what they had already read, they would recall that Hagrid described unicorn blood as “silvery” at the beginning of the chapter. However, I feel as though the fact that the author chose not to bring up the issue again was done purposely; perhaps, to make us forget just enough, where it would be easier for most readers to associate the death with something more human and less otherworldly. This, in turn, may cause it to hit home a little harder and make the unicorn’s death all the more tragic. From there, we see a long, “AAAAAAAAAAARGH!” It is a cry. We can only assume it is one of pain or a simple scream. In the following sentence, Rowling clarifies for us, describing it as Malfoy’s pitiful scream, which is immediately followed by he and Fang turning around and fleeing the scene. The sound causes the figure to look up, as though he had just noticed that he had not been alone and others had been watching him feast. The unicorn’s blood is described “dribbling down its front,” (Rowling 256), which led me to wonder if it was down the cloaked figure’s chest, the edge of his mouth, his face, his lips, etc. It was then that the creature rose and approached Harry. It was described as a swift movement; but, was it more of a jog or a run? Was the movement fluid, as if the assailant was sure of his step even in the darkness of the forest? I simply do not know, only, that a centaur came to save Harry, by frightening away the strange figure, which I can only imagine was like the grim reaper. This is because Rowling failed to define the passage. She left out so much description that while I had a faint inkling of what occurred, I can never quite be certain.

As I mentioned previously, Harry and his friends wind up in detention in Columbus’ film adaptation for a slightly different reason, although, it still culminates in the same scene with the unicorn’s blood being drawn into the lips of a mysterious figure. At the beginning of the scene, Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stop moving and we are given one final look of the forest around them. The trees are blanketed in darkness, which is used to lend an air of both mystery and foreboding to the night. A faint mist rests within the air, its vaporous tendrils tickling the trees, shrouding some of their more precise features and the distinctness and vibrancy of their colors from view. I believe that this feature was added to the setting in order to add an air of mystery, as it reminded viewers that the forest was filled with the unknown and that danger could be lurking around every corner. From there, the picture cuts to an image of the cloaked figure leaning over the body of a pure white, deceased unicorn. Their image is outlined in mist and framed by the body of a broken tree devoid of adornment, such as leaves and branches. The contrast of the darkness of the night, the tree, and the creature’s cloak, when compared to the pure white of the unicorn’s pelt and the silvery nature of the mist, serves to represent the collision of light and dark forces. Part of the broken tree, which lies on the left side of the frame, has a jagged edge, which points like an accusatory finger over the surface of the cloaked figure, as though blaming it for disrupting the tranquility of the night, as it cuts through the lingering tension, which had only hinted at the threat of danger. Now, clearly it has emerged. For the moment, it remains unclear what the figure is doing, why the cloaked individual is hovering over the body of the unicorn. However, as the scene lingers, we can see its head bobbing slightly, as though it is drawing something away from the unicorn and given our knowledge of the novel, we know it is drinking the creature’s blood. Then, the camera cuts away from him and toward Harry. It closes in on his face and his body from his pectoral muscles up. He can be seen wincing and rubbing the scar Voldemort left him with. A sort of ominous, near screeching-type orchestral music can be heard in the background; I believe it to be a mixture of piano and some brass instruments, such as the trumpet. Within a heartbeat, the scene cuts back to the cloaked figure. This time, the image lingers much closer to the body of the figure hovering over the fallen unicorn. We can see the top of the cloak dipping into the indentation of the unicorn’s long neck, where it meets the rest of its body. A thin trickle of silvery blood may be seen dripping down its neck and toward the forest floor. The mist in the background highlights their bodies, making it appear as though the figure is both holding its prey down by its shoulder, while gripping its long horn at the same time. It is as though the figure is defiantly expressing, without words, that it conquered the threat presented to it by the unicorn’s horn, allowing it to become the greatest peril within the forest’s expanse. The ominous music swells, as the figure raises its head and we catch a glimpse of the lower portion of its face. We can see the unicorn blood dripping from its teeth; the strange, silvery-blue coupling with the white crowns. The creature growls, reminding viewers of its vampiric tendencies. From there, the frame shifts to Malfoy. It tightens in on his face; but, keeps the lantern he is holding at the edge of the frame. He can be seen screaming in sheer terror just before the frame shifts and we can see Fang beginning to turn away from the monster, as its own body looms over the unicorn in the back of the frame. Although the two, (Malfoy and Fang), haven’t truly begun to run yet, viewers get a sense that they are about to put some distance between themselves and the monster. Then, we can see the two characters running as Malfoy screams. Harry turns momentarily to watch them go as he removes his hand from his scar as though it has stopped flaring. Now, without the presence of the great dog and the Slytherin first year student, Harry is in more danger than ever, as he is utterly alone in an ill-lit and unfamiliar place. The scene rests for a moment, before the frame cuts back to the cloaked figure, who can be seen rising and moving away from the body of the unicorn. A strange, clanking noise, (as though someone is randomly hitting keys on a keyboard), can be heard intermingling with more ominous sounding orchestral music and Malfoy’s screams. The figure is then shown to be moving away from the unicorn and closer to Harry. It seems to glide over the surface of the ground like a ghost as Harry backs away from it. The next frame tightens around Harry a bit and we can see that his lips are parted in fear and his eyes are getting wider. Slowly, he backs away in trepidation in his best attempt to put distance between himself and the unnamed threat. Harry gulps, and then the scene suddenly shifts to the cloaked figure again. He puts his arms out, allowing the cloak’s long, sweeping fabric to dangle between both its body and the ground. It’s as though it is meant to symbolize that the darkness it presents is becoming all encompassing. Again, the orchestral music swells and the trumpets and percussive instruments can be heard above the winds and other instruments. The body of the beast straightens as it looms closer, the frame tightening again, as viewers are led to feel as though Harry is looking into the eyes of the grim reaper. From there, the frame shifts back and forth from Harry to the figure as the figure comes forward, closer to the front of the screen and Harry moves farther back to avoid it. After a short time, Harry moves too far and stumbles over a tree root. He pulls his legs into himself, as though “tightening up” so he’ll appear smaller and less of a threat. Perhaps, if he seems unimposing enough, he feels, the monster will go away; but, it doesn’t, it keeps on getting closer. We can see a mixture of terror and uncertainty in Harry’s eyes as the scene continues to progress and he backs away on his hands, before looking up as a centaur jumps over his head and frightens the beast away. The monster leaps into the air and is lost within the night sky.

Christopher Columbus was the individual who directed the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, while David Heyman produced it. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation. Janet Hirshenson, Susie Figgis, and Jane Jenkins worked together, in order to find an appropriate cast. John Williams wrote the film’s music, while John Seale worked on the cinematography. Stuart Craig was the production designer, Richard Francis-Bruce edited the work, Robert Legato supervised the special effects as did John Richardson and Nick Davis. Cari Thomas and Karen M. Murphy were visual effect producers, Nick Dudman did creature and makeup effects, and Judianna Makovsky designed the costumes. Todd Arnow was the unit production manager, John Midgley was the sound mixer, Keith Hatcher was the location manager, and from what I gathered, a large group of individuals worked on location scouting, which included the director himself. Generally speaking, the film was well-received by critics. I believe a large portion of the film’s positive ratings had to do with the fact that it was both a children’s movie and a film adaptation of a novel. I learned several things about the process of adapting a story from the page to the screen. In the interest of both time and space, I will highlight only a single aspect of the process:

A standard method for filming a scene begins with the master shot, a continuous long shot covering the entire action. Then portions of the action are filmed again, from different distances and angles. Later, the best shots will be selected and edited for continuity, using the master shot as a general guide. To ensure continuity of action, the scene is blocked… by walking the actors through each movement before shooting, (Costanzo 36).

With that being said, I already knew that a large team was involved in the production of the entire movie. What I hadn’t known was that a large portion of the set was at “the site of a former Rolls-Royce factory where aircraft were made during World War Two” (Sibley 11). I also didn’t know what caused Columbus to choose specific actors for their parts. For example, he said that Emma Watson had “Hermione’s sense of humor” and that she “was bright-sharp as a whip,” (Sibley 13). Rupert Grint, who portrayed Ronald Weasley, was chosen because “he had this devilish, mischievous quality, and his face was a wealth of all these emotions. He had a wonderful sense of humor but also a real sense of soul.” Daniel Radcliffe, who portrayed Harry Potter on screen, was chosen because his “screen test was amazingly charming, but there was one thing that he had that you couldn’t teach anyone, which was this sort of haunted quality that Harry Potter had in the books” (Sibley 13).

I feel as though the movie follows the novel fairly well as a lot of the dialogue is the same, as is its progression through Rowling’s original story. However, there were some minor changes and omissions. For example, Peeves (an annoying poltergeist found at Hogwarts) and Piers, Dudley’s friend, with whom he visited the zoo on his birthday, were left out of the film. Furthermore, Daniel Radcliffe, who played the role of Harry, looked largely as I imagined him; although, he had blue eyes, as opposed to the same green as his mother’s. He did a good job of portraying a young individual, unsure of himself and how to navigate the world around him, especially a world, which he viewed through the lens of a child. For, after finding out that he was a wizard, he was allowed to explore a world which had been entirely unknown to him. I liked to see the awe in his face when he first took note of a quidditch field or the amazement in his eyes when he got his first look at Diagon Alley. The Dursleys acted as I envisioned, although Dudley and Petunia were brunettes instead of blondes, as was the case in the novel. I thought Ron would have more freckles; but, he acted as I imagined--the frightened, and most foolish member of Harry’s trio.

With that being said, I noticed that there were a lot of changes between both mediums and that Neville Longbottom had a far smaller role in the film, than he did in the novel. For example, he was kept out of detention and really only came into play when he received the remembral from his grandmother, fell off his broom during riding class, and stood up to Harry and his friends when they tried to sneak out to stop Snape from stealing the sorcerer’s stone. In each case, Harry’s storyline is portrayed in the same fashion as in the novel with few if any changes. The greatest changes, I noticed, tended to occur at the beginning of the story. For example, in the beginning of the novel, Dudley goes to the zoo with his friend Piers for his birthday. The only reason Harry got to come along was because his babysitter was unable to watch him. At the zoo, he talks to the snake in the reptile house, and finds out that it never got to see its homeland, Brazil. However, when the glass to the snake’s enclosure disappears, the snake escapes and no one gets trapped behind the glass. In the film, the Dursleys go to the zoo with Harry, and Piers doesn’t attend as he was not included in the script. Again, Harry talks to the snake from the other side of the glass and discovers that it was born in captivity and has never seen its home in Burma. When the glass vanishes, Dudley somehow falls in. The snake escapes and Dudley gets trapped behind the glass, which magically reappears.

Overall, I think that the film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novel entitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was a fair adaptation. This is due to the fact that the movie followed the novel’s storyline fairly well and everything looked largely as I imagined--Hogwarts, the grounds surrounding the school, Harry’s cupboard, etc. In addition, although some of the characters didn’t look exactly as I pictured them and although some of the characters didn’t actprecisely as I imagined they would, I felt as though the casting director did an exceptional job of choosing the actors who would portray Rowling’s characters on screen. Richard Harris, who portrayed Professor Dumbledore, embodied everything that Rowling revealed of his character in the novel. He not only looked the part; but, he was patient, kind, warm and friendly, while also displaying the air of a professor and a wise old wizard. I don’t feel as though Steve Kloves’ screenplay was a work of art in its own right, although Chris Columbus really brought his vision and Rowling’s magical world to life. I think that Columbus managed to do this by using a script similar to the original novel and by deftly choosing a location in which to film and people with which to produce the movie. With that being said, I think I have trouble separating the script from the movie and viewing it as one might view and assess a book because I know that unlike a novel, it was meant to have other people play a part. Therefore, it seems incomplete to me, unless the final project is assessed altogether, at which point all the different elements which go into the production of an epic film (e.g. sound and lighting) come together and transform it into something wonderful.

In conclusion, I read J.K. Rowling’s novel entitled, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone first because it was released before the film. I remember being in awe when I found out that Harry was a wizard and would get to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in order to learn his craft. I was enthralled by Rowling’s ability to weave a tale of mystery, which led me to wonder just who was after the sorcerer’s stone. Much as was Harry, I was amazed to discover that the story’s main antagonist was Professor Quirrell, who was working in conjunction with the parasitic Lord Voldemort. When Harry defeated them, I was glad to know that good would once again triumph over evil. Overall, I felt as though Chris Columbus created a film adaptation similar to the novel, in the sense that it moved very little around, omitted very little, and added very little.

Works Cited

“Bewitch.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster. nd. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

Costanzo, William V. Great Films and How to Teach Them. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2004.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Dir. Chris Columbus. Perf. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. 2001. DVD.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. N.p.: Scholastic, 1998.

Sibley, Brian. Harry Potter: Film Wizardry. N.p.: Harper Collins, n.d.

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leanstooneside · 7 years

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Refusing to think about unhealthy or unethical options

WEBSTER: IS THE WIND

TUMBLED GRAVES ABOUT THE CHAPEL THERE IS THE EMPTY CHAPEL

HERE IS NO WATER

LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN FALLING DOWN FALLING DOWN POI

MIND WITH THE HANGED GOD OF FRAZER AND BECAUSE I ASSOCIATE HIM WITH THE HOODED FIGURE IN THE PASSAGE OF THE DISCIPLES TO EMMAUS IN PART V. THE PHOENICIAN SAILOR AND THE MERCHANT APPEAR LATER; ALSO THE CROWDS OF PEOPLE AND DEATH BY WATER IS EXECUTED IN PART

RAT CREPT SOFTLY THROUGH THE VEGETATION DRAGGING ITS SLIMY BELLY ON THE BANK WHILE I WAS FISHING IN THE DULL CANAL ON A WINTER EVENING ROUND BEHIND THE GASHOUSE 190 MUSING UPON THE KING MY BROTHER'S WRECK AND

HERE SAID SHE IS YOUR

YOU GLIDING WRAPT IN A BROWN MANTLE HOODED I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER A MAN OR A WOMAN ÂBUT WHO IS THAT ON THE OTHER SIDE

ROCK AND NO WATER AND THE SANDY ROAD THE ROAD WINDING ABOVE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS WHICH ARE MOUNTAINS OF ROCK WITHOUT WATER IF THERE WERE WATER WE SHOULD STOP AND DRINK AMONGST THE ROCK ONE CANNOT STOP OR THINK SWEAT IS DRY AND FEET

MOUNTAINS BUT RED SULLEN FACES SNEER AND SNARL FROM DOORS OF MUDCRACKED HOUSES IF THERE WERE WATER AND NO ROCK IF THERE WERE ROCK AND ALSO WATER AND WATER 350 A SPRING A POOL AMONG THE ROCK IF THERE WERE THE SOUND OF WATER ONLY NOT THE CICADA AND DRY GRASS SINGING BUT SOUND OF WATER OVER A ROCK WHERE THE HERMITTHRUSH SINGS IN THE PINE TREES DRIP DROP DRIP DROP DROP DROP DROP BUT THERE IS NO WATER

SHE TURNS AND LOOKS A MOMENT IN THE GLASS HARDLY AWARE OF HER DEPARTED LOVER; 250 HER BRAIN ALLOWS ONE HALFFORMED THOUGHT TO PASS: WELL NOW THAT'S DONE: AND I'M

TIME IS NOW

MOUNTAINS BUT DRY STERILE THUNDER WITHOUT RAIN THERE IS NOT EVEN SOLITUDE

MERCHANT AND THIS CARD WHICH IS BLANK IS SOMETHING

RIVER'S TENT IS BROKEN: THE LAST FINGERS

ALBERT WON'T LEAVE YOU ALONE THERE IT IS I

EYED MERCHANT SELLER OF CURRANTS MELTS INTO THE PHOENICIAN SAILOR AND THE LATTER IS NOT WHOLLY DISTINCT

CHAPMAN SAYS HANDBOOK OF BIRDS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA IT IS MOST AT HOME

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HANGED MAN A MEMBER OF THE TRADITIONAL PACK FITS MY PURPOSE IN TWO WAYS: BECAUSE HE IS ASSOCIATED IN MY

TIRESIAS ALTHOUGH A MERE SPECTATOR AND NOT INDEED A CHARACTER IS YET THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSONAGE

TRANSLATION IS FOUND IN DEUSSEN'S

INTERIOR OF ST. MAGNUS MARTYR IS TO MY

FABLE OF THE MEANING OF THE THUNDER IS FOUND IN THE BRIHADARANYAKAÂUPANISHAD

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karlieswizle-blog · 7 years

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Karlie Elizabeth Kloss (born August 3, 1992) is an American model and ballet dancer. Kloss is ranked 4th on the Top 50 Models Women List by models.com. Vogue Paris declared her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s. Kloss was born in Chicago, Illinois, and her family moved to suburban St. Louis, Missouri in 1995. She was named the best model by People magazine in 2008. She began studying at Caston's Ballet Academy in 2002. She soon became very talented at dance, and was in a number of performances such as the Nutcracker. When Kloss was 13, she was discovered at a charity fashion show in St. Louis. She was encouraged and inspired to model by one of her teachers in Webster Groves High School. In 2007, she signed with Elite Model Management before controversially moving to NEXT Model Management in January 2008. She has been in advertisements for Donna Karan, Nina Ricci, Chloé, Lacoste, Sportmax, Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Gap, Bergdorf Goodman, Pringle of Scotland, Dior, Hermes, Oscar de la Renta, Sonia Rykiel, Aquascutum, Topshop, Eryn Brinie, Uniqlo, Omnia Jade, Lord & Taylor, Barneys New York, and American Eagle. Kloss is the face of the Marc Jacobs fragrance Lola. She has walked for numerous designers in New York, London, Milan and Paris, including Shiatzy Chen, Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, Givenchy, Gucci, Valentino, Louis Vuitton and Versace, and appeared in editorials for American and Korean W, American Elle, Allure, i-D, French and Japanese Numéro, Vanity Fair, Dazed & Confused, and American, Australian, Italian, French, British, Korean, German, Chinese, Turkish, Portuguese, Teen, and Latin American Vogue magazines. Her covers include Italian Vogue in October 2009 and January 2010, Vogue Turkey, Vogue Portugal, Vogue China in February, August, and November in 2010, Vogue Korea and American Teen Vogue, alongside Chanel Iman and Ali Michael in February 2008 and by herself in May 2010. She has ventured into TV when she appeared in Season Four Episode 2 of Gossip Girl as herself. She has become a muse for fashion designer John Galliano and has appeared in Dior and John Galliano campaigns and opened both shows, Christian Dior Haute Couture and Dior resort shows from spring summer 2010. In the Spring/Summer 2011 Season, she opened 10 shows and closed 8. Her runway walk, one of the most unique, is often described as powerful and 'panther-like'. In 2011 Kloss renewed her contract with Christian Dior for the third season in a row. Her hobbies include baking cookies, biking and ballet. Among her fellow models, her friends include Coco Rocha , Ali Stephens, Chanel Iman, Toni Garrn, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Irina Kulikova, Frida Gustavsson, Patricia van der Vliet, Ali Michael, and Jourdan Dunn. Supermodel Tyra Banks has stated on her Twitter account that, Karlie Kloss is one of her favorite models right now because of her unique, atypical beauty. She also enjoys chilling with her three sisters Kristine, Kimberly, and Kariann.

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fatalezr · 3 years

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Secret State - Part Two

"Et voila, dinner is served"

Rebecca looked down at her plate with a bemused look. "I wouldn't have thought spaghetti bolognese was your type of meal" she said as George sat at the table opposite her with his own plate.

"One finds it useful to have a taste for many things in life Miss Davidson" he said, smiling. "You don't imagine I spend all my evenings partaking of fine dining?".

Rebecca thought about it for a few seconds and realised how little she really knew of George Digby-Wright. She had no idea how old he was, where he lived, who he lived with (if anyone) or indeed how he spent his time when he was not working for MI5. She stabbed her fork into the food and tasted it. The flavours were rich inside her mouth and the food was warming - it was apparent that George could cook rather well even given the limited ingredients in her own kitchen. "Where did you learn to cook?" she asked him.

"From my mother, mostly" he replied, "she was always keen that me and my brother could be self-sufficient if need be. Being able to cook for and feed ourselves was a key part of that".

"You have a brother?" Rebecca enquired in between bites of the food.

"18 months younger, yes. Philip. Pip, to me and his friends". Rebecca noticed a momentary flicker of sadness on George's face. "I hope the meal is adequate?" he said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, you can come round here again" she said. The sauce was particularly delicious and she wanted to know how George had flavoured it. The adrenaline within her from earlier in the evening and Webster Communications had subsided to be replaced by a ravenous hunger. George had finished their debrief whilst cooking, listening in detail as Rebecca relayed the dying words of Lana Grainger. Parliament had been the target, she had said. This had been particularly concerning for him - Webster Communications should not have been able to go near that building without the authorisation of Dame Lucy. Someone had evidently bypassed them, and only senior government officials could do that. George had postulated that maybe it was not true, an attempt to conceal the truth, but even he himself had been unsure of that.

For his part, George had assured Rebecca that his agents had secured the building. The CCTV had been requisitioned and there would be no trace left of her involvement. The City of London Police would merely be informed of a national security incident and would be forced to leave the scene well alone. His team had quickly been able to access Lana's phone. She had texted the word "EXIT" to a number they were now tracing but it was almost certainly linked to the man who came bursting into the office. His identification had been quick - Ira Ismanov, a supposedly former KGB agent who had fled to the west after the fall of communism. They both mused about how many former agents had been secretly helping Russia in the country.

George offered to clean after dinner but Rebecca thanked him and sent him home. "I'll be fine" she assured him and he did not protest. He could see that Rebecca's normal self-assurance was back. The door closed, Rebecca did as she'd told Kate - she ran a hot bath and eased herself into it, before dialling Marcus's number.

"Heya gorgeous" he said happily, answering the phone, "how's the evening been?"

"Ah pretty boring" she said back, "tell me about yours instead". She settled into the bath and listened to his voice.

------

"Tenner he's gone by lunchtime"

"You're on. I think he's still around tomorrow morning". Oli Afidi shook Kate's hand and took the bet. They were both crowded around her computer.

"What do you reckon, Rook?" Kate moved away from the computer to look at Rebecca opposite her.

Rebecca did not answer back. She was reading the article on the BBC website too. The Daily Mirror had published an exclusive story that morning that had caught wildfire amongst the news. A junior minister in the Justice department had been caught in a secret recording talking about an ongoing court case with a multinational company to one of his aides. He'd expressed concerns about the case to the aide and privately hoped that the company and Crown Prosecution Service could settle out of court. With the recording leaked, the judge overseeing the case had declared a mistrial, a huge embarrassment for the minister and the government. "How did they get the recording?" she asked.

"God knows" Kate replied. "Must have been somewhere public?".

Rebecca nodded but had a worried feeling that this was from inside the palace of Westminster itself. If Webster Communications had been bugging the place, this might just be the first of several recordings to come out.

"They'll have us investigating that next" Oli mused before turning back to his computer. Kate leaned a bit closer to Rebecca.

"You OK Bec? You seem a bit quiet?"

Rebecca smiled back. "Bit tired" she said, "my flat gets a bit cold in winter".

"You need to get that boy round a bit more often then" Kate teased, "I'm sure he knows a way to warm things up".

"He's cooking tonight," Rebecca told her. She was looking forward to their evening with dinner and a film. Marcus always made her feel at ease and she could forget the outside world when they were together.

Kate smiled. "I'm sure he is mate, I'm sure he is. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do". She often told that to Rebecca, who chuckled and shook her head. She felt her phone vibrate and looked down to see George's number calling. She got up and took the call in the hallway of the office.

George was brief. "Can you meet outside? Now?" he asked.

"Sure, just give me a minute". She went back to her desk and got her coat. "It's my Mum" she lied to Kate, "just wants to have a bit of a chat. I'll be back after lunch". She walked out of the office and saw George standing idly by the entrance to the Embankment gardens. She wrapped herself in the coat to protect against the wind that blew and walked by his side through the gates.

"I guess this is about the leak?" she asked him. George looked troubled again and not just by the wind that was blowing at his long coat.

"It's a warning shot" he told her, "a message to the services about what other conversations they might have access to".

"Christ" Rebecca swore, "what else do they have?"

"This is the problem, Rebecca, I don't know" he said with grave concern in his voice, "we've neutralised the bugs for now but it's hard to say what other idle conversations may have been picked up...but that is not my only concern".

"What is?" Rebecca asked.

"The recording...have you listened to it?"

Rebecca shook her head. A transcript had been printed by the paper but she had not heard the original.

"I've been checking the minister's schedule. The conversation around the case was not on his agenda. It was unplanned".

Rebecca frowned. "You're saying his aide just happened to bring it up when he was being secretly recorded?"

George passed her a set of headphones. "Listen". He guided Rebecca to a bench and the two sat as she put the headphones in. George pressed the play button on his phone.

"Thanks Janine, who do we have next?" she heard the unmistakable voice of the junior Justice minister.

"Mr Carter is coming in soon" she heard a woman's voice reply. "Sir...." there was a pause, "the case against UTD Holdings"

"I can't discuss it with anyone," the minister replied.

"But I know you've got concerns..." the woman retorted. Rebecca looked at George - she was leading him into the conversation.

"I do" the minister sighed, "but you know what the prosecutor says, if he wants to go forward"

"Where's the biggest weak spot?" the woman asked him. George pressed stop on the phone.

"His words are in the transcript, hers are not. Rebecca..."

"His aide set him up," she replied. "Don't you do security checks on all staff though?"

"This is my biggest concern," George said, "we do. The last one on Janine Palfrey was only four months ago. No red flags were raised".

"So either someone wilfully overlooked something or they know how to beat your security checks" Rebecca concluded. George nodded. Rebecca sighed. "What do you want to do?"

"I want her phone, her laptop and...." He paused for a second "I want a message sent to her handlers" That last sentence hung in the air between them. Rebecca understood its meaning - he wanted her dead.

She nodded. The responsibility would be falling to her. "Where and when?"

"She's booked on a plane to Berlin at 7:40pm. I believe she'll be connecting to Moscow there. Don't let her get on the plane". Rebecca opened her mouth to protest at the timing but George cut her off. "I know, it's hardly ideal but it's our only shot. Don't worry, I know how you can reach her".

----

"It's alright, I'll keep the food warm for you".

Rebecca could hear the disappointment in Marcus's voice. She had called him to say she would be working late on a couple of projects. She had apologised but told him she needed to finish it before she could fully relax.

"I appreciate it love" she told him tenderly, "I'll be with you as soon as I can".

"OK" he said, "love you"

"Love you too". She hung up the phone and sighed. She knew in her heart she had to tell him at some point, she just didn't know how. Marcus had been supportive of her and Kate during their attacks on Kieran Mulvaney and his organisation but this was different - this was her being paid to kill for the state. She wasn't sure how he would feel about that. In truth, at times neither did she. She had not touched the money from her first four kills yet. It was confusing for her. It wasn't about the money, it was about helping George and MI5, wasn't it? She settled back into her seat and sighed.

She was in a black Hackney cab parked on a street corner in Fulham, just around the corner from where Janine Palfrey, the now-former justice minister's aide, lived. After her conversation with George, she had dashed home to pick up an older looking coat, her hat and her Walther and she now sat with the coat wrapped around the tight-fitting black dress she had been wearing in the office and the hat on to make her appear more like a cab driver. The Walther was already suppressed and next to her in the driver's side door. The cab itself belonged to MI5. George had procured it for operations just like this one. Rebecca knew he was currently sitting in a van opposite Janine's apartment building with a team that would search the building when she left. His job was also to tell Rebecca when she would make it to the street so that the first cab she hailed would be Rebecca's.

"She'll use a black cab," George had assured her. "Cash payment and easy to remain undetected". Rebecca glanced at her watch again. It was almost 6pm and the streets were dark save for the orange glow of the streetlights above. Around her, commuters shuffled home in the cold, most with heads down and headphones in. She tapped her feet. She wanted to complete the job and get to Marcus's flat. She tried to work out how late she would be but the thought of it just made her feel guilty again. She closed her eyes for a couple of seconds.

"Movement at front door" she heard a voice say over the radio that was in the cab. She sat up. "Target sighted. Alpha One, you're up". Hearing herself referred to as Alpha One made Rebecca smile a little bit - if only Kate was around to hear it...

"Roger that, going dark" Rebecca responded. She turned the radio off and stashed it under her seat before turning the cab on and easing her way from her parking spot. She had never driven a cab before but was managing to get to grips with how to handle it. She swung around the corner to see Janine Palfrey on the street as George had predicted, her arm in the air hailing a cab. Rebecca slowed next to her and she opened the back door. Janine was wearing a lime green overcoat and sharp, scarlet glasses. Her hair was a deep red and tied back. Her face was young, long and thin and when she spoke, it was in a well-schooled manner.

"Heathrow please" she said forcefully, "Terminal 3, quick as you can please". She was polite and yet forceful at the same time.

"Certainly Madam" Rebecca responded, and she saw Janine look at her curiously. Female cab drivers were not unheard of, but were certainly a rarity. Janine settled back into her seat and Rebecca set off towards Heathrow. She glanced in the mirror often but Janine sat there quietly. Rebecca noted that she had a small suitcase with her and a handbag, and her interest was particularly piqued when she noticed Janine pull two phones from the handbag and send messages on each. The passenger paid no real attention to Rebecca as they drove out of London and past Brentford and on to the A4. The houses that normally lined London's streets transformed into industrial estates and eventually marshland that surrounded Heathrow.

Rebecca veered the cab left as they approached the airport itself and Janine looked up at her. "There's been an accident" Rebecca assured her, "heard of it earlier, this way should be quicker". Janine shifted uncomfortably in the back seat but seemed to accept what Rebecca said. The roar of a plane coming in to land shook the car slightly but Rebecca kept on her path. She passed terminal 4 and took another turn towards Bedfont Lanes Country Park. Janine seemed to notice them turning away from the airport.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but where is this detour? Can we just go back to the main road please?" Rebecca did not reply. The road was clear with hardly a car in sight. She locked the cab doors and noticed Janine's eyes widen. "What's going on?" her passenger demanded. "Where are we going?" Rebecca still said nothing. "WHERE ARE WE GOING?!" shouted Janine, who now banged the plastic divider between her and Rebecca. She panicked in the back seat, trying in vain to open the doors.

Rebecca's heart pounded. She turned off the country road at a spot George had told her about and took the cab along a muddy road into the park along woods lined with trees. "I'm calling the police!!" yelled Janine, taking out her phone, "I swear it!"

"No you're not" Rebecca answered her, "you don't want them poking around in your affairs"

"I...what??"

"You've been working with the Russian state Janine. You've infiltrated our parliamentary offices". Rebecca told her coldly, "and now it's time to pay for your treachery".

Janine looked up, shocked, but then her face hardened. She spat at the divider and swore in Russian. She picked up her second phone and began to type. Rebecca brought the car to a stop and quickly grabbed her Walther from beside her. She undid the divider between them and aimed at the lime green coat.

Pfft-pfft-pfft. Janine's body jerked from the close impact of the suppressed bullets and her lime green coat was now covered in a dark red. She dropped her phone to the floor of the cab. Her face twisted and she looked towards Rebecca with fury in her eyes. "You...too late.....bitch" she said defiantly. Pfft-pfft-pfft. Rebecca replied with another three bullets, a euphoria and adrenaline she had not felt since the summer returning to her. Her eyes widened and she began to smile. The gun gave her incredible power, the shooting brought her excitement and she felt her body tingle. Pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft. The soft whispering of her gun was an intoxicating sound.

Rebecca breathed deeply and tried to bring herself back under control. She raised her gun towards the head of Janine's slumped body and fired a final -pfft- that painted the window of the taxi cab red. "Oh fuck" she said softly to herself, letting her hand wander lightly over her body for a second. She felt hungry, not just for food but also for pleasure as well. She fished the radio from under her seat and turned it back on. "Alpha One here. Target down. Requesting pickup from Bedfont Lanes".

"Roger that Alpha One" a voice replied. Rebecca undid the suppressor from her gun and stashed it in the inside pocket of her coat. She got out of the cab and wandered slowly towards the main road, the cold breeze now refreshing on her face. A black Mercedes slowed to pick her up and she recognised the driver. "Hello Fraser" she said, stepping into the back seat and acknowledging George's usual driver.

"Good evening Miss Davidson" he said in a deep Scottish accent. "Would you like to head to Camden?" he asked as the car sped back towards London.

"Vauxhall please" she replied. She wanted to see Marcus. She had a sudden urge for pleasure and she wanted to be with him as soon as possible

"Very good Miss," he answered. "I presume you wouldn't like to be disturbed" he said, smiling.

"Yeah, tell George he can let me have the rest of the night off" Rebecca smiled back. Fraser drove her as quickly as possible to Vauxhall but it was still past 7:30 when he parked around the corner from Marcus's flat. Rebecca thanked him, wrapped the coat around her a little more, making sure that her gun was well and truly hidden inside the pocket and would not slip out.

Marcus buzzed her into his flat when she rang and she very quickly hung up her coat and sprang into his arms, kissing him deeply.

"Projects all finished?" he asked as they broke from their embrace.

"Pretty much" she said smiling at him, "but honestly I just reached a point where I needed something else". She began to unbutton the blue shirt he was wearing.

"Ah" he said, "you mean you got hungry and wanted dinner?" Rebecca giggled and pushed him onto his sofa.

"Something like that" she replied, straddling him and beginning to unzip her dress.

#silencer hitwoman #hitwoman #secretstate #story #femme fatale #female assassin

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