#I dread the day someone will ask who my favourite anime man is and I will be forced to say Present Mic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

obeiii-mee · 3 years

Note

Hey! Sorry to bother you with a second ask but i thought this one would be cool. Fluffy headcanons of the demon brothers watching scary movies with MC??? Somewhere MC gets scared, and some where they don't? Thanks again!! :)

It’s no bother!! I love getting requests from you guys! The more, the merrier. I sort of hc that the brothers and MC do have movie night every week or so and with them being demons, they tend to levitate towards the horror genre. Thank you for sending this, this is really cute :)))

Without further ado—-

————————————

The Brothers watching Scary movies with MC:

Lucifer:

-Haha mf already knows how this is going to end

-He warned you, he really did

-The horror movies DevilDom has to offer are nothing, and I mean nothing, like the ones from the human world

-I’m not going to go into detail but imagine Two Girls One Cup, in a less kinky and more gorey way (then times that by 10)

-But you were adamant into giving it a go and he literally could not deny you in that moment

-Because you were giving him the puppy eyes

-That’s like, the finishing blow you use every time to get your way with him and as far as you know it’s the only one that works so-

-He expected your reaction to the last second

-You were traumatised for lack of a better word and you were basically watching the whole film through the cracks between your fingers

-Seeing you in that state was like a punch in the gut but he couldn’t stop himself from throwing in a subtle ‘I told you so’

-“I told you watching something like this before bed is a bad idea, MC.”

-He might be a bit condescending and judgemental at first, but he’s probably going to baby you a bit for the rest of the night

-Because he feels bad he allowed you to watch it in the first place

-HAHAHAHA SOFT LUCIFER HAS BEEN SUMMONED, USE HIM WISELY

-He will start muttering words of comfort to you later because he’s certain you’re going to have trouble sleeping

-Because of that one time, he’s very hesitant to let you watch another horror film anytime soon

-But he will relent eventually (especially if you want to watch a human horror film as those are technically less extreme)

-If it makes you happy, he will go through with it, even if he has to let you cling onto him for the rest of the day

-Besides, the way you cuddle into him while you’re watching a horror film is very cute and endearing to him

Mammon:

-Ah yes, the most effective method of waking up the entire House of Lamentation at 3:00 am

-Mammon screaming his own vocal cords out in his room as he tries to get through his human’s favourite horror movie without dying of a heart attack

-It was his idea because he’s definitely the type to go: “Yeah let’s do this, it will be fun. Don’t get too scared alright MC? The Great Mammon will be here to protect ya.”

-And then ten minutes in, he’s basically in your lap

-Half an hour in, he turned himself into a demon burrito with his blankets

-You were enjoying the movie, laughing at the stupid sound effects and poor quality while Mammon next to you has wrapped himself in like two dozen blankets and pillows

-“Mammon you’re going to overheat.”

-“Don’t be silly human, I’m a demon who lives in hell. I can take high temperatures the same way I can take this damn movie!”

-He doesn’t take either of them well

-Mammon and the horror genre don’t mix well together to begin with

-So even if you might enjoy horror, he doesn’t react well to it at all

-And he’ll be low-key relieved if you tell him you guys don’t have to watch any sort of horror film for your date night

-“Well I guess if you don’t want to, then we don’t have to. Can’t make my human do something they’re uncomfortable with eh?”

-But if you do watch a scary movie with him, be sure to show any sort of physical affection to him as often as possible

-You don’t have to say anything, just hold his hand or let him put his head in your lap or something

-It might stop him from screeching like a female sloth in heat

-The last time that happened, his brothers weren’t too pleased with him

-They about to recreate the horror film scenes onto him, bring the popcorn have fun

Levi:

-For some reason, I feel like he doesn’t get scared easily while watching stuff

-I mean, after decades of obsessively watching animes with brutal character deaths (like Attack on Titan style) and grotesque horror games that are pretty nasty even to demons, let alone humans;

-A horror film, from the human world or even DevilDom, doesn’t do much for him

-It will have to have very good psychological horror in it if you want the hairs on his arms to stand up in anticipation

-Tension is a big deal for him and he will immediately shut off the TV if there are any cheap jump scares

-But, if you manage to find just the right thing for him?

-You’ll both be hiding under the bed in no time under the bathtub more like

-Hell, if the film you’re watching is that good, he might even be holding onto you for dear life without realising it and getting flustered about it

-For weeks afterwards, any sound that is remotely similar to one from that movie will probably send both of you into panic

-You came to his room one night because you’ve had a nightmare about the stupid film and legitimately thought there was a fucking demon serial killer in your room

-So you wanted to stay in his

-“But what if there is a serial killer in your room and now you just led it to me MC????”

-It’s all jokes, there’s no question he would lock both of you in his room and then stay there with you wide awake until dawn

-You’re his best friend after all, he would have to be completely heartless to leave you on your own! (Besides Levi is terrifying when he wants to be)

-One time you were sleeping over and the sound of fumbling woke you tf up

-And Levi immediately turned into his demon form, like he was ready to throw hands with this fictional murderer that supposedly sneaked into his room

-“DON’T WORRY MC, I’LL PROTECT YOU!”

-“Ah never mind, it’s just Mammon breaking into your room again to steal your Ruri-Cham figurines and sell them on Akuzon.”

-“Oh OK.”

-“.....”

-“WAIT MAMMON WTF YOU FUCKING SCUMBAG, GET OUT OF MY ROOM-“

-I’m playing Minecraft

Satan:

-Believe it or not, Satan doesn’t care much about horror movies

-Don’t get me wrong, he loves watching his brothers shit their pants out of fear in the middle of one while he silently smirks to himself because watching other people suffer brings him euphoria

-Especially if someone actually manages to find a film that is excellent enough to spook Lucifer, because then he will be cackLING

-But, overall, he watches a lot of shows revolved around drama and crime

-That’s his thing

-However, he won’t turn you down if you’re up to watching a scary movie with him

-Any time spent with you is valuable time seeing as it won’t be long before his brothers start hogging you again like the cockblockers they are

-He is honestly surprised to find out you seem to be rather amused by those sort of movies

-So, even if it’s not inherently something he does on the regular, he would definitely watch a scary film with you if you enjoy them that much

-But in exchange, he makes you promise to read with him until bedtime rolls around (imagine Lucifer having a fucking curfew for his brothers and you lmao)

-So for the rest of night you guys just read together, ya know, like sappy romantics

-Tbh, this man will do almost anything with you as long as both of you are having fun

-He knows it’s not likely, but he insists on sleeping in the same room that night just in case you have nightmares and he needs to comfort you

- :)

-Satan is a gentleman. Idk how many people that don’t play OM expected to hear this

Asmo:

-Why would you want to watch a movie when you could be watching him???

-I mean, you would rather watch all that gory stuff on the TV than his beautiful face?

-He may get salty over a fucking movie tbh

-Horror films aren’t something he generally looks for while trying to pick a movie to watch

-He can definitely handle them better than Mammon but it’s not something he takes great pleasure in watching

-But the first time he ever sits down with you to watch one, he’s very intrigued to see your reactions

-You started feeling the sensation of absolute dread creep in at the very beginning and you were trying your best to act like you weren’t getting affected by what you saw on the screen

-But you were

-You went from “I’m grown ass adult, I can watch a fucking horror movie, no problem.”

-To “Welp, not enough of a grown ass adult for this-“

-And Asmo thought the way you tried to hide your nervousness was very mesmerising in a way

-He was planning on flirting with you during the movie anyway, but now that you were pressing himself against him?

-Oh boy, Oh boy

-“Darling if you wanted to touch me, you could’ve just said so. Making the excuse of watching a movie is unnecessary.”

-Nightmares? What nightmares? You won’t have time to have nightmares ;)

-haHAHA funny inappropriate joke

-It’s Asmo, it’s mandatory to have at least one of those added in here

Beel:

-Beel will show up if there’s food and that’s that

-He doesn’t care what type of movie is playing on the TV as long as he has a bucket of popcorn next to him at all times

-Horror films aren’t something he can’t handle, he’s a demon like the rest of his brothers and he is used to...violent deaths and such

-He doesn’t get scared but there are times where he gets attached to the characters

-Especially movies with actual good and not cringeworthy dialogue

-Therefore, when they die, he gets sad even if they’re just fictional and their death had no real impact

-He also thinks that the way you can watch these things without flinching is impressive

-I mean, he can watch it and so can his brothers because they are demons

-They’ve done worse things than the things you see in horror films

-But you’re a human! So it’s weird to see you watch a person get repeatedly slammed against a wall until their neck snaps without batting an eyelid

-Overall, he does not have an opinion on scary movies

-He gets a bit emotional when a character he really liked dies

-But other than that, he’s just focused on eating

-And occasionally patting your head affectionately

Belphie:

-He doesn’t really like horror films because there’s a lot of screaming and tense music and he’s just trying to nap in your lap (rhyme)

-He doesn’t really need sound effects like that in the background while he’s trying to sleep

-But one day he was like “Hey, what if I show my favourite human this particular scary film?”

-And he did

-And he’s internally dying and feeling guilty and yet so flustered because of you

-It’s like you suddenly turn into this very fidgety and anxious mess and he thinks you just look....cute

-At some point you were getting overwhelmed and sprung up on your feet to turn the lights on

-And he just grabbbed your wrists, pulled you down next to him and let you press your head against his chest

-As mentioned, he’s a little shit and will tease you for being such a scaredy cat

-“That was the most predictable jumpscare and you still flinched, wth is wrong with you lmao.”

-But at the same time....

-“Relax. It’s just a horror movie. You’ll be fine. Besides, I’m here. Like I would let something bad happen to you.”

-That’s sweet, even if the tone of voice may not imply it because he’s such a brat-

-He actually really likes holding you for once, because usually he’s the little spoon

-He’s still a bit of a sadist so I imagine him sitting there and watching this while giggling to himself

-Isn’t he the cutest, laughing at other people’s misery and their never ending suffering?🥺🥺🥺 UwU

-Ah well, at least he has the decency to spoil with affection afterwards and make sure you have no nightmares that night

-You know, as payback for the horrific shit he made you watch with no warning

————————————

OK, I think I made a decent job of this even though it took longer than it actually was meant to. Thank you for reading though. I’ve got so many requests to go through and I’ve been feeling motivated lately so yeah!

See you soon

Al~

#obey me #obey me imagines #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me leviathan #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me satan #watching scary movies #obey me shall we date #☂️ demon brothers #⭐️ requests #🌸 comfort #💳 mammon supremacy #I love him I’m sorry

345 notes · View notes

a-silent-symphony · 3 years

Text

Nightwish’s Floor Jansen: “The way that things are now aren’t the way things are for life”

The gospel according to Nightwish singer Floor Jansen

It’s been eight years since Floor Jansen joined Nightwish, and in that time her already considerable star has only risen further. In 2020, she remains one of the most recognisable women in metal: a supreme talent and fascinating personality who has helped Nightwish into their most successful years ever. An unlikely career path for someone who originally just wanted to be a biologist and hang out with a ton of animals…

I never stood still as a child

“My dad was an ambitious man, so if there was a business opportunity, a better job to get, he would move. Let’s not forget that in those days there were no cellphones; it’s not like you could stay in touch through that, so if you moved you basically would never see [your friends] again. I don’t know what it would be like to grow up in one place and make friends there that you keep for life. I’m married to a man who has had that. Today he had one of his best friends over that he knows from primary school – now we have kids, they have kids of the same age and that kind of stuff. I think that’s romantic to me. But maybe because I moved too much, it was easy for me to emigrate [away from the Netherlands later in life]. I still miss people, but it’s easy for me to adapt to places, and put a value on actual friends that last.”

The only constant is change

“Life is flexible. I wouldn’t want to teach my daughter that the way that things are at the moment are the way things are for life, because it’s not. Life will change constantly, and I think it’s very healthy that it does. Sometimes people need to get out of their comfort zones to keep their energy going, to not fall asleep on the spot. Safety is a very strong thing in our human nature, but from where I’m standing I think it’s a good thing to get out of that comfort zone.”

I wanted to be a biologist

“It was my love for nature. That’s not something that came when I joined Nightwish, I’ve had it since I was a kid. I feel very strongly connected to it, and to the wellbeing of everything around me that lives and breathes, including plants and trees and, of course, animals. I didn’t really understand what a biologist does; I just wanted to work with nature, be a part of it and understand it better.”

The Gathering changed music

“They were life-changing. They came on the radio with Strange Machines from their album Mandylion. They really kickstarted quite a bit [of a movement] in the Netherlands and around there after. [After Forever] happened to start around the same time as Within Temptation. Nightwish were before us but still beginning to reach internationally around the same time. But, for me, the thought that I could sing in a metal band had never occurred to me before The Gathering.”

It wasn’t hard to become a vegetarian

“It was very easy for me to give up eating meat – a longer thought about what’s happening to the animals that need to be mass-produced to feed this human race. It’s not fair to them. I am not against eating other animals, but I don’t like the way we keep them, or the things we have to artificially make in order for them to not have mass disease outbreaks.”

Although hunting is actually cool

“Since I moved to Sweden and I basically live in the woods, I’ve learned a lot about hunting, which is still a very difficult subject for a lot of people, and especially people who are not close to nature. The closer you get to nature, the more part of it you become, and in nature, other animals hunt. In Sweden, as an example, they hunt to preserve the species. It all has to be done with a quick death, no suffering, it’s very important that they don’t suffer. The people that do it have a great love and respect for nature and the animals. And I gladly have a part of that – it turns out I am quite a good shooter! Though I would never actually go into the woods and hunt…”

Having a beetle named after me was unexpected

“That was weird! Ha ha ha! It’s special! That’s another connection back to nature, but yeah, fantastic, a real honour. There is now a tiny little bug [Tmesisternus floorjansenae], just a centimetre long, that has part of my name, just because the biologist loves my music so much. That’s exactly how it went! Ha!”

My daughter probably has metal in her DNA

“But we love music in its diversity, so she’s grown up with all kinds of stuff. Old McDonald Had A Farm is still way more popular than metal for her. You’ve gotta start with the classics!”

And if she wants to be a musician, we’ll be there

“We’re dreading that day because we know the struggles [Floor’s husband is Sabaton drummer Hannes van Dahl]. But if she has a talent for it she just needs to go and do it and believe in herself. Stay behind yourself, even when things are getting hard. It’s nice that mum and dad have some experience in it, but she needs to have her own back if she wants to really make it.”

Being famous is weird

“We moved to a very remote area in Sweden a year and a half ago and we didn’t really tell anybody anything about us. We think it must have been the previous owners who told people of the area who we were, because we thought that we had anonymously snuck in! The truck that helped us move emptied and left, and then this tractor came up to the property. A guy came out and was like, ‘Hey, I’m one of your neighbours – we heard that the Nightwish singer and the drummer from Sabaton just moved in, so I just thought I’d come and say hi and introduce myself!’ So, it was obvious that everybody knows, but maybe that gave us a good start because they’re all very cool people and we get along just fine.”

I was on a Dutch show called Best Voices

“It’s a show about the best singers of the Netherlands, people that have already had a career. People are put together on an island, and we go and play each other’s music to each other. Every singer came with a list of favourite songs, and the others picked one of those that they’ll sing as much as possible in their own style – and we all had very different styles! There was an opera singer who I did Phantom Of The Opera with, there was a pop singer, a singer-songwriter, a partially Dutch and partially Latin American guy who does reggaeton, a rock guy who I actually did know… it was a super-wild mix of people, all coming with different styles of music. It was a challenge for me, but I thought it was a huge opportunity for me to join and give the Dutch people an insight into my world without scaring them away. And that really worked! The way that the Netherlands is perceiving me has changed, and doors have definitely been opened.”

Certain interview questions can annoy me

“What I’m sick and tired of in interviews is when I have to answer a question that has already been partially answered by the person doing the interview. A question that’s asked with, ‘You must be feeling…’ and then comes an assumption. ‘I can really imagine it was difficult to write this album…’ OK, so the question is…? Assuming emotions and assuming things... I’m sick and tired of [interviewers] steering [me] into the direction of the answer..”

I'm not sure why Nightwish connect with so many people

“There must be something in the atmosphere in the music that goes beyond complexity or the genre. There’s something that has been connecting people to the band, and still does. We’re still growing! I do think that the songwriting is really, really good, even when it’s complex. I think people are open-minded to it – just because the radio thinks they need to feed the audience three-minute songs, it doesn’t mean that everybody in the world can’t deal with more. Maybe people find it refreshing when it goes a little bit beyond that. People can naturally feel when it’s good music. But, everything still needs to work. The stars need to be aligned, and then there’s hard work and [us having] great love for what we do.”

Published in Metal Hammer #336

#Floor Jansen #Nightwish #2020 interviews #metal hammer

33 notes · View notes

n1sh1n0ya · 4 years

Note

hii may i request the pretty setters reaction to their s/o, who is usually quiet, performing like a powerful/badass kpop type dance? thank uuuu

Pretty Setters x shy! s/o who dances? idk i'm bad at naming things

a/n: i don't know the first thing about kpop sorry if that shows in this lol

Kenma Kozume

You and him have a lot in common, and you bond over this quite a lot

Like,, you both have a lot off common interests, you like the things he likes and vice versa, you're both pretty quiet

You’re both pretty and quiet

But if one of you really likes something, they’ll try and get the other into it as well, you got him playing Animal Crossing, he introduced you to apple pie

You basically know that if you like something, he’s gonna like it too

So when he sees you dancing for the first time he's like oh hell no

I am NOT getting dragged into this absolutely not no no no

I feel like out of all of these guys he would be the least surprised to find out that you have another side to you, he has another side to him we just don’t see it in the anime he does I swear

Although he r e f u s e s to join in with you, he definitely enjoys watching from the sidelines ;)

And you only dance in front of him, no one else, he's the only one who knows about your more confident side

Even if he wasn’t as surprised as the other boys on this list, he was still pretty surprised

The bar wasn’t set very high

You wouldn’t see that he’s surprised though, and he wouldn’t tell you, he just smiles to himself, thinking about how proud he is of you

He’ll even look up from his game a little more often if you’re dancing in front of him

Akaashi Keiji

You and your friends often learn kpop dances and post short clips of it online

But you don’t tell anyone about it, you’d be absolutely mortified if anyone you knew found them

Spoilers: You’re about to be absolutely mortified

Out of everyone to see them, Bokuto, your bf’s best friend, and close friend of your own, finds your TikTok and sees ALL you guys’ videos

He totally spam likes ur acc smh

So as soon as you see his name in your notifications, the panic sets in

Ohmygodhesgonnashowakaashinononono

When Bokuto shows him, they’re both kinda in shock

Like, they both thought that they knew you pretty well, but they had NO IDEA that you could or would dance like that

You’re kinda dreading going to school with him the next day, because you know he’s gonna mention it

So when you see him, you brace yourself for him to say something about it, at least to ask you why you didn’t tell him, but he just?? Doesn’t??

You keep looking at him, you can’t tell if he’s not saying anything because he knows that you didn’t want anyone to know about it, or if he genuinely doesn’t know

He notices this, and by the end of the day, when you’re on the millionth glance his way to see if he’s showing any recognition to you, he has to say something

“If you’re worried about me judging you, I think it’s really cool that you can do that”

On the outside, he seems super calm but on the inside he's like

Where did you learn to dance like that? Did you teach yourself? No, there’s no way you taught yourself, so who taught you?

He’s so impressed like?? You have a WHOLE other side to you that he didn’t know about?? You’re so cool??

Sugawara Koushi

He would be your BIGGEST fan

✨ ultimate hypeman ✨

He just loves you so much and anything that makes you happy? Makes him happy too

When he saw you dance for the first time he was really surprised, because, of course you’re super shy, HOW did you change into such a badass like that??

But once he gets over the initial shock of it, he will ALWAYS be cheering you on

He doesn’t really get it, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t appreciate it

If you’re struggling to learn a new routine and are about to give up?? He’s there to hype you tf up

If ppl take the piss and you’re feeling down about it?? He’s there to hype you tf up

Wish i didn’t have to make that point but ppl are mean >:(

he knows you’re the best, and he wants to make sure you know it as well

He won’t join in unless you b e g him, but he’s always happy to give a second opinion and constructive criticism

Once he kinda learns what’s going on, he might even start sending you videos and being like

“You would look so good if you learned this”

You fall in love with him all over again I swear, because he’s taking the time to learn about something you love 🥺🥺

It never fully stops surprising him how you can go from 0 to 100 and then straight back to 0 again within an hour

Like when you’re dancing you look?? So badass?? But when you’re not?? You’re super quiet??

He is l i v i n g for it I tell you that 💅

Tobio Kageyama

You come to him with the idea

He’s tried to teach you volleyball before, so why don’t you teach him something that you enjoy as well?

And then it’ll be a two in one of two of your favourite things; him and dancing

He’s not too keen on the idea at first, but you look so excited, how can he say no

This is the most passionate about something that he’s ever seen you be, he doesn’t wanna let it go to waste

And if you love it, he knows it’ll be great

So at first you gotta demonstrate, because not only is he clueless school-wise, he also has no idea about anything else

He probably doesn’t listen to music at all anyway, so you might have to even explain to him what kpop is lmao 🥴

He’s still a little confused, so you show demonstrate the dance that you wanted him to learn with you

I stg all his thoughts depart

If there was any to begin with that is (probably not)

He’s so a m a z e d

Because?? 1. You can dance like that 2. You look gorgeous when you dance like that 3. Who are you and what have you done with my quiet s/o????

He’s ABSOLUTELY not complaining tho

But,,, when you try to get him to learn,,, ✨no✨

You thought that maybe he would be good at it, because of how graceful he looks on the court, but, maybe you were wrong lmao

Mans has two left feet and NO rhythm and you’re about to give up and crash when he says

“Maybe this isn’t for me, but I’d really enjoy watching you do it again”

He loves how talented you are so much, especially because he’s tried it for himself and knows just how difficult it is

Tooru Oikawa

While he’s at volleyball practice after school, you and your friend meet in an empty classroom so that you can each wait for your bfs to finish their club activities

She’s dating Iwa bcos best friends dating another pair of best friends is the cutest thing to me idk

Because you two know that you’ll be alone, you’re not afraid to go all out practicing the you guys’ favourite dances

You could NEVER do this in front of anyone else, you’d get too embarrassed, but when it’s just you two, and you know that there’s no one around to see, you Go For It™

You two are working super hard on perfecting this one dance that’s been bothering you for weeks

Working so hard that you completely forget the time, and that your bfs will be waiting for y’all

How convenient lmao

So when Oikawa and Iwaizumi come out of the volleyball clubroom and can’t see you two around, they head on over to the classroom that they know you go to while they’re at practice

As they’re coming towards the classroom, they can hear music playing in there, and just poke their heads around the door

At first they’re both in shock, like seeing you, who’s usually so quiet and reserved, going all out on a dance like that??

You two are facing away from them and filming, with your phone propped up on the windowsill, so you don’t notice that they’re watching

Iwa’s pretty happy with staying there and just watching but Oikawa is totally like “ooooh I know this one!!”

So he comes and joins in behind you two

You two are so caught up in your dance that you don’t even see his image on the phone screen in front of you, until you finish dancing and turn around to see your boyfriend, still sweating from vball practice and looking at you in absolute wonder

You try to hide away from him because your boyfriend, who would never expect you to be performing kpop dances in front of a camera in an empty classroom just saw you doing just that and oh GOD that’s embarrassing

He’s like OH HELL NO you are NOT getting away from me now I know you can dance like that COME BACK

Kanji Koganegawa

I feel like he would like to date someone who’s a little more on the quiet side, because he’s super loud and energetic, and he needs someone to balance that out

AND HE’S A TOTAL KPOP STAN FITE ME ON THAT

Him and Oikawa are the biggest kpop stans in the Miyagi Prefecture 💅💅

So I think that he’s gonna be the one to approach you and be like hey we should try this lmao

Like, expecting you to say no, so when you say yes he’s so surprised

You both start learning it separately, so that you’ll be almost done learning it when you see each other

He’s super excited, but then he also knows that you’re quite shy and quiet, so he’s not really expecting you to go all out on this

Oh no he was wrong

When he sees you again for the first time after he suggested it, you both perform as far as you’ve learned to the other, to see how much you have to learn

He goes first, and just imagine him,,,just picture it in your mind 🥺🥺

He’s kinda bad, but a+ for effort

And then it’s your turn

He suddenly panics, because he thinks that it’s quite out of character for you, and he might of accidentally peer pressured you into it lmaoo

You brush him off, and when you start dancing… damn

He’s in shock

If you looked inside his brain right at that moment all you would see is just ????

When he gets over his initial surprise, he kinda realises like,,, that’s hot WHY have i never seen this before

You put him to shame and he knows it

When you’re done he just stares at you

You’re kinda nervous because??he’s not saying anything??

And then he kinda explodes

He’s all like

“WHY did you not tell me you could dance like that that seemed so unlike you??we could have been doing this for months??I didn’t know you could dance like that???what??

Kiss him to shut him up please thank you

177 notes · View notes

king-finnigan · 4 years

Text

Play With Fire - part 2

People really seemed to want a sequel to the Geraskier Prison AU drabble I wrote yesterday, and I actually really loved the idea. So I did it, I wrote a sequel. And I will definitely write more cause I’m already loving this.

Title from Play With Fire by Sam Tinnesz.

(FYI, if you want to be tagged in the next parts so you get a notification when they come out, let me know! Leave a comment or DM me or send me an ask, or something like that)

***

He stands there, frozen in the middle of his bedroom, hand still ghosting the place where his badge should’ve been. He’s not sure what to do - should he go back to the prison immediately and corner Jaskier, demanding his badge back? Or should he wait until the morning? Who knows what the little shit could do in the meantime, though, but if Geralt returns to the prison now, he’s sure to attract attention from the higher-ups, and he’ll have to explain the situation, certainly costing him his job.

He startles out of his thoughts when his phone rings, and something sinks in the pit of his stomach when he sees that it’s his boss. With trembling hands, he picks up, raising the phone to his ear.

“Mr. Palmer, how can I h-”

“One of the inmates has escaped.” Geralt closes his eyes, silently cursing himself as panic and horror wash over him. His boss continues: “And we know he used your badge to escape, since it’s been used after you left.”

“Sir, I-”

“You have five minutes to explain yourself, Rivia.”

Geralt wipes a hand over his face, swallowing thickly. Of course he can’t just say what happened - that would surely get him arrested. After all, getting into sexual situations with inmates is highly illegal, for good reason - cause shit like this might happen. He blinks, trying to come up with a credible story, when he remembers - hazily - the few minutes before... well...

“He was looking for a pencil. A yellow one, he said. He refused to leave, so I made a compromise that if we found the pencil, he would go to the dining room. He must’ve nicked my badge when we were looking for it.”

It’s quiet for a few moments on the other end of the line, and Geralt feels his heartbeat in his throat, hard and fast.

“Look, sir, I am so sorry,” he continues, when the silence becomes unbearable, “I know I screwed up and I take full responsibility, I-”

“Oh, rest assured, Mr. Rivia,” his boss interrupts him, voice cold, “there will be consequences. Later. For now, get your ass back here. We’ve got a prisoner to catch.”

Mr. Palmer hangs up. Geralt sinks down on his bed, head in his hands, as the weight of the situation hits him. Not only is he certainly going to lose his job, and he probably won’t ever find another one after a screw-up of this magnitude, but now there’s also a murderer on the loose in the outside world, and any casualties that may come from that are his responsibility, his fault.

He curses himself for being so stupid, for being so careless. Not only did he fall for the tricks Jaskier played on him, but he also didn’t notice his badge missing until it was way too late. He sighs again, getting up, getting ready to go back to the prison and face what he’s done.

---

Four days later, the police find a dead man in a bar, stabbed in the neck with a broken beer bottle. The witnesses describe the murderer as a lean, young man, with brown hair, brilliant blue eyes, and a wicked grin.

Sure enough, they find Jaskier’s fingerprints on the neck of the bottle.

---

Two days after that, Geralt is sitting in an armchair, looking out of the window into the black night, lost in his thoughts.

Though the manhunt has been going on for six days now, they still haven’t found a trace of the prisoner - except for the dead body he left behind. No one seems to have seen him, and it’s almost like he just disappeared into thin air.

And it’s all Geralt’s fault, he knows. He’s sure to face some grave consequences the minute they capture Jaskier - if they capture Jaskier.

He frowns, pulled out of his thoughts when his phone rings. The caller ID simply says ‘unknown number’ and he blinks for a second, unsure of who it could be, before he picks up.

“Geralt Rivia,” he says.

“Good evening, sir.” He freezes, hands going numb, face slack, as he recognizes the voice that drawls into his ear.

“You,” he hisses. “Why are you calling me?”

“Oh, my, I thought you would be happy to hear from me.”

Geralt snarls. “Why the hell would I be happy?”

He can practically hear Jaskier shrug, before he hears a sigh on the other end of the phone. “It gets so lonely out here, you know that?” Another sigh. “I can’t stop thinking about the last time we saw each other.”

“When you stole my fucking badge and ruined my life?” He can’t keep the bite out of his voice. Rationally, he knows that if he sweet-talks Jaskier, he might get a hint about the young man’s whereabouts, but he’s too angry to take that into consideration, right now.

Jaskier sighs again, almost wistfully. “No, when you rutted against me like a wild animal. Too bad we were interrupted, I really would’ve liked to see what would’ve happened if we hadn’t been.”

Geralt closes his eyes, grinding his teeth as he tries to push away the memories of that evening, to suppress the slight arousal that stirs in him. He decides to change the subject.

“That man at the bar. Why’d you do it? Did he recognize you?”

Jaskier chuckles, low and deep. “No, he didn’t. As a matter of fact, I could’ve walked out of there and no one would’ve known that I was there that evening.”

“Then why?”

“He and his friends were talking about my wonderful little escape, and he said that the guard who’d let that happen was a moron. I couldn’t let that slide, of course.”

Geralt frowns, as the words start sinking in. “You killed him because he insulted me?”

“Why, yes,” he can practically hear the grin Jaskier must be wearing right now, “I knew you’d understand.”

“I- No, I don’t ‘understand’. You killed someone.”

“Yes, yes,” Jaskier sounds impatient, as if he doesn’t know what the fuss is about, “I killed someone. But I did it for you.”

Geralt sits there, frozen in his armchair, mind racing yet completely standing still at the same time. “Why? Why for me?”

“Because I love you.” Jaskier says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, and Geralt frowns, wiping a hand over his face.

“No, you don’t. Killing for someone is not love. You barely even know me.”

“Don’t I?” Jaskier laughs again, softly, sincerely, voice like smooth silk against Geralt’s skin. “I know you only drink one cup of coffee in the morning because your stomach can’t handle more. I know you take said coffee with a lot of milk and three sugars, because you don’t like the bitter taste. You don’t like spice, either, you have a sensitive tongue. I know you wish you could get a dog, but the days at the prison are too long, and you don’t have the money. I know you’re senstive about the colour of your hair and eyes. I know your favourite colour is blue. I know you like my eyes because of that. I know you’re attracted to me, at the very least, and maybe you love me as well, but I’m not sure of that just yet-”

“Stop it,” Geralt says, face in one hand, the other trembling as he holds the phone to his ear, elbows on his knees.

Jaskier continues, unbothered. “I know you’d fuck me into next week if you had the chance-”

“Enough!” Geralt barks, taking deep, labored breaths. “Enough,” he says again, voice weak.

“Do you believe me now?” Jaskier asks, voice soft, sincere.

“Yes,” Geralt lies. “I believe you.”

“You’re a terrible liar, love.”

“Please,” Geralt whispers, voice laced with the pain and uncertainty he feels in his chest, “please just surrender. Go to the nearest police station, give yourself up. Please.”

Jaskier chuckles again. “I don’t think I will, love. I’m enjoying the outside world too much, and I just don’t feel like being stuck in a prison for the rest of my life.”

“It’s not for the rest of your life.”

“Oh, love, we both know it is. I’ve killed two people now, soon to be three, and we both know they’re never going to let me out, if I give myself up.”

Geralt frowns, lowering his hand from his eyes. “Wait. Soon to be three?”

Jaskier sighs, almost mournfully. “I have to go now, love. Until soon.”

“Wait!” Geralt shouts, panic building in his stomach. “What do you mean, soon to be three? Jaskier!” The phone clicks, and starts beeping incessantly into Geralt’s ear. Jaskier’s hung up.

He resists the urge to throw his phone across the room, laying it on the table next to him, putting his head in his hands.

Soon to be three. The words echo around his mind. Soon to be three.

---

Well enough, two days later, the cops find the body of Mr. Palmer, Geralt’s boss, sitting on the couch in his own living room, throat cut, eyes open and unseeing, staring ahead.

They find a little note next to the body, Jaskier’s fingerprints all over it. ‘He won’t be bothering you anymore,’ it says. One of the cops asks Geralt if he knows what it means.

Geralt lies and says that he doesn’t.

He later finds out that Mr. Palmer never told anyone that Jaskier used Geralt’s badge to escape. Though, he knows it won’t be long until someone else finds out, knows he’ll get fired and probably arrested at some point, now that there are two people dead because of his inattention.

Someone else will figure out what happened, he knows, and Geralt dreads the day Jaskier finds out who it is.

#geralt of rivia #jaskier #geraskier #play with fire #prison au #shits getting intense now huh #either way i loved writing this #don't worry there will be smut soon #lots of it #cw blood #cw murder

149 notes · View notes

annaraebananawriter · 4 years

Text

Haunted

...Can this be split into two parts? Probably. Am I going to split it into two parts? No.

This is based off of the Haunted Au by @156lemongummies, the bad ending for Astral. This was partly written before I knew how Astral and the villagers interacted, or rather didn’t interact, so I filled in the blanks with my personal headcanon. Just keep that in mind.

Also! Fun Fact: This can also be titled Imposter, and you’ll see why.

Fandom: Undertale, but specifically Dreamtale

Characters: Nightmare, Dream (Who belong to Joku), Corruption (There are multiple versions of him, so I don’t know who to credit) and mentioned Astral (Who belongs to @156lemongummies)

Warnings: Character Death, Grief, Things like that and I think that’s all? Let me know!

Word Count: 5240

~oOo~

It was one of the days that Dream and Nightmare planned to relax and hang around with each other—and only each other—without fusing into Astral. Though, they weren't opposed to it; accidents happened, after all. However, they made a deal that it was important to have these days of 'normality' so that they don't forget how to be just one person. They might need that knowledge, one day.

Dream was pretty adamant of this...rule? That was the closest thing to a label they would get. He thinks that it's healthy to remember that they do have a free will in this sort of thing. As if they would ever forget, but you know, better safe than sorry, which was starting to become Dream's motto these days. So, one day a week—or about that, anyway (they were pretty lax about the date; after all, fusing was natural for them. They liked it. The date was just to help them keep a sort of routine in their lives, which was another thing Dream found important.).

Nightmare, on the other hand just went along with it. He didn't care all that much, as Dream was happy and that was what really mattered, right?

The only real problem he had with it...was the villagers. You see, they had never...told them about Astral. For all they knew, Astral was just a skeleton who lived in the woods and came out to visit every now and then. There were quite a few rumours revolving around their origins, too. Some that Dream found creative (he would say that while forcing down a smile, as if it wasn't appropriate to laugh at something like that) and Nightmare found amusing (they were pretty ridiculous and his laughter usually seemed to make it harder for Dream to keep his composure) But, overall, Astral was usually accepted with welcoming smiles and fond pats on the head.

...

To be honest, Nightmare was a bit jealous. Which was silly, he knew that, as he was a part of Astral and so he was also welcomed warmly while being them. But he just...couldn't help it. For so long now, he craved, craved, to be accepted by the village. His efforts were all rejected, however, like they couldn't even fathom the idea of him having emotions like a normal person and not being a cold-hearted demon. It made him angry. Made him want to...do things, things that Dream would hate.

"But He Doesn't Care, Now Does He?"

(In the back of his mind, he knew that, if the villagers ever found out, Astral would be treated differently. They would refer to them as only Dream, disregarding both what fusing means and that Nightmare was even there. The thought always hurt.

"Selfish Idiots—"

However, he would bear it with a smile, like always.)

But he won't tell Dream. He won't; nothing would change his mind. Dream would be confused, not quite understanding but try his best to. His brother would ignore the villager's needs, his own needs (although he already did that), in favour of Nightmare's. He would worry himself sick, which would make Nightmare worry and blame himself (he already did; Dream still worried now, and that was bad enough). It was a cycle Nightmare didn't want to get trapped in.

So, he won't tell Dream. He could handle it himself.

Everything would be fine.

"Naïve Child..."

~oOo~

Nightmare hummed as he walked back towards the tree.

He had forgotten his favourite book back at home and, knowing how much he liked his reading, Dream had sent him back to get it. Nightmare had worried, asking if Dream would be fine by himself. Dream, in all of his optimistic self, had laughed and waved him off with the assurance that everything would be fine. Still a bit worried, he had shrugged off all of his doubts and left, trusting Dream.

(He does trust Dream. He really does. He knows the other can take care of himself and he knows the villagers won't do anything to harm Dream, but he can't help but worry. It was in his nature as a brother.)

For Nightmare's part, everything had gone surprisingly smoothly. He encountered nobody on his journey, except for the stray animal that brushed up against him for pets and affection. It had been quiet in the house, in a good way. He found the book rather easily, once more shaking his head in fondness of his brother (he would've been fine for one day without the book, but Dream had insisted and he had recently gotten to a good part of it so it was too good to pass up).

Now, Nightmare flipped the book over in his hands, staring at the cover. It was made up of hues of brown, gold, red and everything in between the three. The brown and gold made up most of the cover, as it was an arch covered in twisting vines. In the arch, stood two silhouettes holding a rose between them. They were coloured red. His gaze travelled upwards, to the tile. It was printed in big black letters, all capitalized and elegant looking.

It was called—

"...e...now...ian?"

Nightmare's head perked up. He blinked as he saw the tree. He was closer than he thought he was. He almost smiled.

Almost.

Because that was when he noticed the people surrounding said tree and, consequentially, his brother. His brother, who he could only see glimpses of the bright colouring of his clothing, who was surrounded and seemed to be trying to talk to the people holding him by all accounts captive.

Nightmare frowned.

His stomach twisted.

One of the men—by his position, most likely the one right in front of Dream and also the leader—was saying something. Nightmare could see his mouth moving, but he couldn't hear what was being said. There was a pause and the man's lips twitched downwards; Dream must've said something back that he disagreed with.

Nightmare narrowed his eyes.

He had to get closer.

He had to hear what was being said.

(Because his gut twisted with worry and his heart was beating at a rapid pace and Dream was in the middle of all of this, he could get hurt, and gah, he was so stupid he should've never left—)

Quietly, he crept towards the tree, making sure that he stayed out of sight. As he came closer, he could make out words, though he had to strain to hear them.

"Again, I'm sorry," Dream was saying, sounding nervous, which was a first for him, as he usually was always happy to talk to someone. "but I can't let you have an apple. They're not to give out like that. If that was the only reason for you coming here, then I'll have to ask you to leave."

Nightmare narrowed his eyes as the group looked at each other. Now at a good enough distance, he took the chance to study them.

They weren't from the village. It was rather obvious, as both because Dream was nervous as he talked to them, which he wouldn't be if it was someone from the village, and because the group looked like they didn't belong here. They didn't have the clothes or things that everyone wore and they also had weapons. The people of the village didn't carry weapons around with them. These guys did. Now, if they weren't from the village, where were they from?

Nightmare paused and thought.

Come to think of it, this group looked an awful lot like...Bandits.

One day when Astral was walking around the village, they had overheard some of the talk about Bandits. The name was an overall loose term to call them, as they weren't really Bandits, like from stories and such, but it was the closest thing they had to call them. The people of the village were worried because it sounded like these Bandits were here because they had heard about the tree. They were worried about what it meant for their precious Dream.

Astral had left soon after that, as they wanted to talk about this news.

However, if this group surrounding the tree were the Bandits they had been talking about, then what did they want? The obvious answer would be that they wanted an apple. They must've come here to get one and talked with Dream about it, but Dream had refused them gently, as they weren't supposed to give out apples, only protect them. Or at least, they weren't supposed to give them out willy nilly to anyone who just asked for one.

...For some reason, Nightmare didn't think they'd just leave and forget this ever happened.

The thought filled him with dread and something cold.

Eventually, the leader of the group sighed and shrugged. "Oh well, it was worth a try!" He seemed to smile at Dream, who Nightmare got the impression was surprised at. Nightmare frowned as well. There was something odd in his voice. "Thanks for telling us though. We won't bother you anymore." He turned and started to walk away.

Nightmare could finally see Dream. He was right; his brother had been surprised. His golden eyes were wide and stared at the back of the leader as he left. Then they slid over and locked with Nightmare's. They stared at each other, trying to have a conversation without words.

The leader stopped walking, as if remembering something he had forgotten, drawing the twin's attention back to him. "Oh yeah," He said, turning back around with a dark smile on his face. One that made Nightmare's heart clench in worry. "I almost forgot the parting gift."

It happened too fast.

Nightmare had taken a step forward, as something in him screamed that he had to protect Dream.

But it happened too fast.

Too fast for Nightmare to move.

Too fast for Dream to defend himself or even dodge.

Too fast for anyone to do anything to stop the leader from attacking with the knife.

It was as if the world slowed.

Nightmare's eyes slowly widened, his book dropping to the ground as he started to run. His brother's name ripped itself from his throat, a desperate cry that was too late.

It was all too late.

He arrived at his brother's side just as Dream stumbled back, a cut stretching across his chest. It bled gold. Nightmare grabbed Dream as both their legs gave out from under them. Panicking, Nightmare tried to heal Dream, but his magic flickered and died.

(He had never been good at healing, not like Dream was—)

But it was enough for him to learn something alarming:

The knife hadn't just cut Dream's chest...

It had cut his core almost clean in half. And nothing could heal a core.

Which meant...

Dream would...

Dream was going to...

Dream was...

Dream.

All at once, the world was back to normal. Sound slammed back into Nightmare's ears, becoming a ringing that he tried desperately to ignore. He had to focus on his brother, who's breathing was ragged and stuttering and he couldn't do anything—

"Pathetic."

"Dream..." Nightmare said quietly, voice thick with tears, which had started to spill over and down his cheeks, blurring his vision. He didn't know what to do. He didn't think there was anything he could do. His hands hovered around the wound.

The tightness in his chest grew until he could barely breathe.

His world had narrowed down so that only Dream and him remained. Nightmare felt so much that it all blurred together into a strong sense of guilt. For not being there in the first place, for agreeing to Dream's stupid suggestion that he go get his stupid book, for not being fast enough in coming back. For so many things that, in the back of his mind, he knew he couldn't have prevented, not really, but feeling too helpless to listen to the voice of reason.

He watched as Dream shakily smiled. "I...i-it's okay, Brother..." Nightmare could barely hear Dream speak, too focused on the sudden pale glow coming from him. The pleading in Dream's voice for the next words brought Nightmare's attention back to him, his mind suddenly very clear and quiet. "P-please...don't blame yourself...not your fault, okay?"

Nightmare's breath hitched. "Dream—"

Dream didn't dust. Neither of them did, or would. It was something they had known ever since they were brought into existence. As they weren't human, they wouldn't leave a body and as they weren't monsters, they wouldn't dust. Instead, they would just...fade, disappear into the void or wherever they go when they die. Despite knowing this, however, they had never worried about it.

After all, as long as they were together, nothing bad would ever happen, and that included dying, right?

Nightmare thought back to this as he watched Dream fade in front of his very eyes, too frozen to move. Realizing that Dream was disappearing forever made him start and reach out, a whisper of his brother's name caught in his throat as his hands closed around particles of golden light that quickly disappeared. Dream's crown and clothes dropped to the ground, his gaze following them. He knew that if he opened his hands that there would be nothing there, so he let them fall to his side as they opened.

His gaze narrowed on the clothes pile as a cold feeling spread throughout his body. Rage filled his heart, urging him to do something to the people who killed his brother. They killed Dream, who was only trying to protect the tree, who was only doing his job. They were idiots for not realizing it! They deserved pain. They deserved to die in turn.

Nightmare stood up slowly and stumbled a bit, the draining of feeling so many things in such a short time catching up to him. He turned around and was faced with an empty hill.

They had left.

The fact made him laugh hysterically, something breaking in him. He laughed and laughed; he couldn't help it! He found that he couldn't stop. He reached a hand up to grasp his head, trying to ground himself as he continued laughing.

"Cowards."

Yes, they were, weren't they?

They killed someone so dear to him and left without facing consequences? That was the very definition of cowardice!

Though...maybe Dream wasn't dead.

Maybe...maybe...maybe he was just playing Hide 'n Seek!

It was Dream's favourite game, after all. They played it almost every day. So, Dream had probably decided to start a spontaneous game of it. He even got some of the villagers to help him hide, how clever. Yes, clever and very dirty.

Nightmare giggled once more before relaxing. "Okay, Dream. I admit, you got me good for a second there. I really believed you were dead!" A giggle burst through his mouth again and he desperately tried to smother it. "But enough's enough. It wasn't funny. It was the opposite. Now please come out and apologize!" He crossed his arms and waited.

Nothing happened.

He blinked, confused. Dream had never refused him before. He had always listened when Nightmare was this stern with him. His arms uncrossed and he cupped his hands around his mouth as he called out. "Dream?" No one answered back and his confusion grew. "Dream, please come out! I'm not mad, just..." He struggled with his words for a minute. He sighed. "Okay, I'm a little angry, but I forgive you. Now please come out!"

He waited again expectantly.

Nothing.

Nightmare frowned, anger returning to the front of his mind. "Okay, fine!" He snapped out, turning sharply back to the tree. "I'll wait until you come to your senses and return!" He stomped back to the base of the tree where he stopped and stared at the clothes still on the ground. He reached down and grabbed the crown, ignoring the way his hands shook and his stomach sank.

Maybe he was...

He refused to believe it. "Dream, please...It's really not funny anymore..." He whispered to the crown as he tightened his grip until it hurt. He listened once more, growing heavy with the growing realization.

No one answered him. No one came up to him and tackled him in a hug. No one whispered their apologies as they started crying as they realized what they did. No one was there for Nightmare to smile at and comfort and hug and make them promise to never do that again.

And if no one was coming to do those things, then that meant...

"Please..." Nightmare whispered once more, voice cracking on tears. He fell to his knees and screamed. He screamed over and over again until he couldn't anymore. Until his throat ached and his mouth was dry. He clutched the crown tight to his chest, thankful that there was at least one thing left of his brother.

...that Dream was really dead.

~oOo~

The next few days passed in a blur. Nightmare had taken the clothes, cape (which had made him sob heavily once more as he grabbed it) and crown back to their house. Entering the house had been another struggle as everything in there reminded him of Dream. He had to stop himself from breaking down and crying at the sight of their couch and so many other little things until he made it to their bedroom, the one they shared.

Then came another struggle entirely. Once he had gathered enough courage to open the door, he had immediately started crying. Since they shared the room, there were so many things in here that reminded Nightmare of Dream. He had thrown the stuff onto Dream's bed and ran out of the house, all the way back to the tree where he remained for the days following.

He avoided going back to the house, at least for now. He knew he would have to face it eventually but he just...it was too soon to go there now. So, he remained at the tree, never sleeping except for the occasional hour of which he had a nightmare of Dream dying all over again and spending the time locked in his head, face blank on the outside.

~oOo~

It was one week from the incident that the villagers had realized what had happened.

Nightmare looked up slowly as footsteps stomped heavily towards him. Recognizing his usual bullies, two monsters and a human, were coming up to him with a murderous look on their faces, he tried to stand to greet them.

They arrived before he could and the human, their leader, grabbed his collar and punched him, pushing him to the ground. Nightmare held himself up with his elbows, looking up at them with a weak and confused expression. The leader panted and retracted his arm. He glared at Nightmare.

"You murderer!" He screamed, making Nightmare flinch as a bit of spit landed on his face, though he made no move to wipe it away. "How could you kill him?! WHY?!"

Nightmare's eyes widened as he realized what the other was talking about. He gulped and started to whisper, "I didn't..."

One of the monsters shook their head, looking down on him with disappointment. They didn't seem to have heard him. "Your own brother...you killed your own brother! I can't even imagine how he had to have felt..." They shook their head again.

That hurt. Nightmare whimpered a little, the words striking true. They were right. Dream had to have felt the same way as he was dying. The pain in his brother's eyes brought another fresh wave of tears to him in the present. Dream must've blamed him, at least a little. His words about not blaming himself came back to Nightmare again too and he realized that Dream must've been just trying to make him feel better.

After all, it was Nightmare's fault he was dead.

The other monster spoke up, whispering, "You really are a demon..."

Nightmare hung his head, not opposing the words. He really was.

~oOo~

Nightmare yawned as he stared at the words on the page. He hadn't slept in...what was it now, three days? Though that may not seem like much, he had only slept a handful of hours the nights before, some days even getting zero hours. Now he was just too tired to keep his focus on anything.

It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep, either. He did. But he was also scared to. He kept seeing Dream dying over and over again, then hearing his voice say things like it was his fault Dream died, he killed him, things like that. Nightmare knew, on some level, that Dream wouldn't want him to blame himself—hell, his last words were that it wasn't his fault—but...no matter how he looks at it, all he can see is that the blame rests on him for not being there quick enough.

The villagers agreed that it was his fault, too. They often yelled things at him as they passed by the tree, sometimes coming up and hitting and kicking him. They mostly kept their distance, however, for which Nightmare was grateful for. He didn't have the energy to deal with them.

There was also...Astral. Just the name made his eyes tear up again. With Dream...dead...he couldn't become Astral again. He wouldn't be able to ever again. It hurt. When they were Astral, their minds were entwined, as if becoming one singular one. Each time they fused, they grew closer, becoming more dependent on the other. It's not...entirely healthy, they knew that, which was why they had the days where they tried not to fuse. It was important to remember that they could take care of themselves on their own if need be.

And now...Nightmare would need to take care of himself forever now. Alone.

...

It hurt.

He didn't know what else to say but that it hurt.

This was another reason why he wanted to sleep so badly. If he goes too long without it, his mind gets muddled and there's no filter for the thoughts that come. Meaning most of them end up being about Dream, about his guilt, about the villagers, about Astral, about so many things that he wants to not talk about.

...God, he was so pa—

A sudden sound—like...a book being slammed—next to his ear made Nightmare jolt, his eyes snapping open. He blinked hard as his heart raced, reaching up to rub at his eyes. Confusion filled him as he blinked again. What just...

Light giggles filled the air now and Nightmare forgot how to breathe.

That sounded like...

But it couldn't be...

But...

"You should've seen your face, Night! It was so funny!" A voice—Dream's voice—said next to him, his giggles turning to laughs.

Nightmare was shaking. He must be dreaming, must've dozed off by the tree, because Dream was dead. He knew it. He saw it happen. Yes, he might've tried to deny it in the beginning but there was no way he was denying it now.

But still...

Even if this was a dream...at least he gets to see his brother again, right? Even if it was just a figment of my imagination.

A finger poked his cheek, bringing Nightmare out of his thoughts. "Night? You okay? I didn't scare you too bad, did I?" The concern in his imaginary brother's voice made Nightmare's mouth twitch. No matter what he was, Dream was too good for this world.

"Nightmare?"

Nightmare shook his head and smiled, turning to his brother. God...he looked the exact same he did when he died! Forcing down a sob, he swallowed. "I'm fine, D-Dream. Sorry for worrying you." He laughed awkwardly in between his words.

Dream stared at him. That was another thing about his brother. People though Dream was too oblivious to notice anything outside of himself, but that wasn't the case. Dream noticed lots of things. He just...kept it to himself. Nightmare smiled again as he remembered all this.

Dream grinned, cyan eyes twinkling, drawing Nightmare's attention again. "Well, okay! As long as you're alright." Giggling to himself, Dream sat down beside Nightmare, leaning against him as he started to weave his flowers together.

Nightmare watched him for a minute, a fond smile in place.

He had missed this.

God, how he had missed this.

It felt like forever since he saw Dream last. He wasn't even sure how long it had been exactly as the days all sort of blurred together in his remaining shock and grief. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, actually. Pretending everything was fine seemed very appealing to him, as he drank in the sight of his brother next to him as he should be, relished in the warmth and weight of the body pressing against his...

...

But something itched in the back of his mind, a strange sensation that something was wrong.

Nightmare paused and furrowed his brow, thinking this over.

...

Did...

Well, it could be a trick of the light...but...

Did...did Dream have...cyan eyes? Now, in his made-up fantasy? Why would he make Dream have cyan eyes when he knew, remembered as one of the most painful things, as one of his most favourite things about his brother, that Dream had...golden...eyes...

Nightmare froze.

A slow, terrifying chill moved through him.

"Hey, Nightmare?" The Dream beside him asked, all movement stopping, voice almost...dead...hollow. "Why did you let them go?"

Nightmare blinked, still coming to terms with what he had realized.

'Dream' tilted his head back to meet his eyes, cyan staring holes in his soul. "The guys that killed be. Why did you let them leave? Why didn't you go after them and..." he shrugged, "I dunno, kill them?"

It was said with such casualness, such innocence, such child-like curiosity that it, while squeezing his chest in pain as he hadn't heard that voice from Dream in years, confirmed his suspicions.

After all, Dream wouldn't wish death on anyone, whether they killed him or not.

It didn't matter if it was his mind or not.

This wasn't Dream.

Anger surged through him and Nightmare shot to his feet, making as much distance as he could between him and the...the imposter, who had fallen with a yelp at his sudden movements. He turned and glared, with as much hate as he could. It was difficult with the thing still looking like Dream. "You aren't him."

Fake Dream blinked, looking confused. "What are you talk—"

"You aren't him," Nightmare repeated, staying firm, "so don't try to pretend you are. Dream's eyes aren't cyan. They're golden. So golden that the sun can't compete with them, gold itself can't compete with them."

He took a shaky breath. "You aren't him. You aren't Dream."

Fake Dream had reached a hand up when Nightmare pointed out the eyes. He frowned. "They're cyan? Damn, I thought I fixed that problem."

"You aren't Dream." Nightmare repeated again, as if the imposter was denying it still.

The imposter shrugged, standing up. Nightmare took two more steps back. "No, I'm not. I wondered if you would catch on, when you would, so I'm not gonna deny it. But," He grinned, black...stuff dripping from his mouth. "do you want to see who I really am?"

Without waiting for an answer, Fake Dream stepped back and disappeared.

Nightmare blinked and everything was different. The sky was a deep red, black clouds covering it, the sun was gone. The grass, trees, everything was dead. Brown. It crackled under his feet as he turned in a slow circle. The village was in ruins, some parts of it still on fire. He covered his mouth as he spied a few bodies in the rubble.

And...the tree. His tree.

It was cut in half, jagged edges poking out of the ground. There were a bunch of flakes of bark resting on the ground, what must've been the remains of the top half of the tree. The remaining stump was dead, but it wasn't the faded gray colour most trees would be when they were dead. It was black.

It was horrifying.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Dream's voice whispered in his ear and Nightmare spun around.

The imposter had changed. He still resembled Dream, still wore his clothing, still bore his looks, but he was covered in black...sludge? Goop? Whatever it was, stuff. His cyan eyes were glowing now and he was still grinning, though it had switched from cheerful to eerie. He was also...floating.

Nightmare was shaking, he faintly noted. Breathing in slowly, he tried to calm himself. It was just a dream. "Where are we?"

The imposter's grin widened. "Why, our home of course! Well, what it would look like in the future. I don't know if it still looks like this. Dream's death did really change things." He laughed, spreading his arms out wide. "Heck, we weren't supposed to meet until after you ate the first apple!"

Nightmare shivered, his horror growing at every word uttered. "What."

The imposter nodded like it was the best thing in the world. "Yeah! You were supposed to eat the apple—" He paused and backtracked. "Well, you were supposed to pick it first, in an effort to prove you were as good as your brother. I was supposed to convince you to eat it and then we would become one person bent on drowning the world in negativity!"

"That's..." Nightmare swallowed, shaking his head. He grew dizzy.

"Fun, right? And then—"

Nightmare shook his head again, getting his bearings again. "Don't. Just...don't. I wouldn't do that. I won't do that. Not ever."

The imposter stared at him, all his happiness gone. "You would. You've thought about it before, I wouldn't be here if you didn't! And you still might." He tilted his head. "Dream's dead. Whatever relief he would give you from the beating and harsh words is gone. The villagers will come back and they will be worse. You'll get tired. You'll give up."

"I won't." Nightmare growled, fists clenched by his side.

The imposter's eyes narrowed. "We'll see."

Nightmare growled again and moved to explain just why he wouldn't do all those terrible things, but a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He stumbled, his legs suddenly straining to keep his weight. His eyes felt heavy.

The imposter blinked and his cheerfulness returned. "Oh, we're out of time. See you again soon! And call me Corruption! 'The imposter' was getting repetitive."

Nightmare didn't hear any more as his legs gave out and he fell backwards into a sea of black.

~oOo~

Nightmare woke up with a gasp. Panting, he looked around quickly. Still under the tree, though the sun was setting now. Still by the village. The world was still alive. He was awake. Gripping his chest, he tried to calm his breathing.

He was awake.

Or was he, he thought, tensing as Corruption's laughter (still resembling Dream's, the bastard) filled his head.

"We're going to have lots and lots of fun, brother!"

Nightmare shivered, burying his head in his hands.

Its voice still sounded like Dream.

Nightmare let out a loose sob, digging his fingertips in his head.

Dream was dead—he still struggled to say this, unwilling to accept it—but Dream was dead.

Dream was dead and he was left with someone imposter, some ghost, demon, thing, whatever that wanted and was trying to taint his memory.

#my writing #my fanfiction #nightmare sans #dream sans #mentioned astral #corruption #or #droopgoop #haunted au #tw death #my was this a doozy #im going to crash now #bye

72 notes · View notes

leverage-commentary · 4 years

Text

Leverage Season 2, Episode 9, The Lost Heir Job, Audio Commentary Transcript

Peter: This is Peter Winther, the Director of episode...

John: 209.

Peter: 209.

John: John Rogers, Executive Producer.

Chris: Chris Downey, Executive Producer and Writer of this episode, entitled The Lost Heir Job.

John: There you go. Chris, where did this episode come from?

Chris: Well, there was a different episode, very different episode, that didn't come together, and uh, I called Dean, Dean Devlin, our Executive Producer, and I kinda asked him, ‘What kinda bad guys are you thinking about, we haven't done?’ And one of the things he said was, ‘How about an evil lawyer?’ And me being—

John: And you used to be an evil lawyer!

Chris: And me being a former evil lawyer, I thought okay, I can work with that. And it kinda sprung from there.

John: The uh, Peter, uh, this is a lovely affecting scene. Is this in our hospital set that we get enormous mileage out of, or are we in a hospital today?

Peter: Ah, no this is the hospital set that we redesigned to look like a different hospital set.

John: Nicely done. This is very touching. Peter, let me ask you, this is the first episode of Leverage that you've directed, and there's Peter Reigert as the evil lawyer.

Peter: Yes.

John: When you're coming onto a new show to direct for the first time, what's your prep? What do you do?

Peter: Well, you know, first of all, you read the amazing script by the writers. And yeah, I cried, I laughed. Yeah, then you do the normal stuff, you location scout, you find anything that you need to find, and you kinda work with—I mean luckily for me, like a lot of the guys that worked on Leverage, I've worked with before, whether it's through the Dean Devlin world of Independence Day and Godzilla, so...

John: And Librarian, you directed the first Librarian.

Peter: And the first Librarian.

John: A big thing about this episode is- Uh, and that's London. A big thing about this—

Peter: We went to London.

Chris: If you can't tell, there's Big Ben right there.

John: Ah, we like to assume that whenever we find Sophie, she's standing in front of the most recognizable landmark ever. 'Who's dead?' I love that reaction by the way. This was a challenge. This was the first episode where we knew that we needed a female grifter for the team; we had to introduce her, we wanted to check in with Sophie, and kind of establish why we were going to introduce a semi-permanent character. A lot of struts and bolts had to be thrown up here.

Chris: Yeah, yeah.

John: That was the real challenge. We had to have a scene that made us not think this relationship was broken, but that she wasn't coming back.

Chris: Well, I mean, the hard thing is when you're introducing a new character who's gonna take over, you wanna make sure that the audience understands that that character has been approved of by the character that she's replacing.

John: Yeah, to a great degree you need—it's weird—you need Gina's character to be the initiator of the replacement in order for the, you know-

Chris: And there's kind of a story about the Mary Tyler Moore pilot, that I heard from Jim Brooks, who wrote- the great Jim Brooks, apparently when they tested the Mary Tyler Moore pilot, the audience initially hated the Rhoda character.

John: Really?

Chris: Absolutely hated her. And the network said, 'You gotta get rid of her.' And Jim Brooks re-shot a scene in which Phyllis's daughter, Phyllis the neighbor upstairs, hugs the Rhoda character, just gives her a hug in one of the scenes. They tested again, went through the roof. And what they realized was, all they needed was someone on the cast that the audience liked to give their approval of this character. And Dean really was the driving force here because he said, 'We have to make sure that the audience buys into this.'

John: Yeah, a lot of shows replace people in between seasons, but coming up with a substitute person in the middle of the season has—I've never seen it successfully done.

Peter: Until now.

John: Until now. And this is interesting, this was tricky, is, essentially we talked about bringing the Tara character in, we'd beaten out the backstory of the character, given it to Jeri Ryan, so, you know, she could consider it, and consider signing on, and then we originally were talking about her coming straight in, and then realized we'd need at least—particularly since this episode is kind of a classic Rockford mystery—that we needed to throw a little spin on it.

Chris: Yeah, this episode doesn't have a— doesn't really have a con in it, but what— and I think this was your idea, John—was to make Tara's presence in the episode the con. That she cons the rest of the team.

John: At least engaging so we could get ahead with the story rather than the audience like, 'Wait, who's she? Why am I watching her?' Instead it's- we're playing this as if she could be a character on a, you know- And you stage this beautifully, by the way, putting her on the same side of the table, you know, really locking in for the audience who that is. And we know that most of the audience thought ‘Oh, they're gonna take this lawyer character and corrupt her.’ And the twist worked right up until the end; it was nicely done.

Peter: And especially when you see Jeri Ryan come in, you assume that something's gonna happen with her. So the whole game is to make it seem like she's just playing this part. Nothing else.

John: TV audiences have seen a lot of TV; it's very hard to fool a TV audience.

Peter: Yeah, exactly. They're like, ‘Ooh, she's a special guest, there's something significant's gonna happen with her.’ So we have to keep clouding that and make it seem like nothing's happening with her, and she played it great.

John: Yeah, this is just the guest star, yeah.

Peter: Just the guest star, that's it.

Timestamp: [5:00]

John: That's a nice shot of the bar I don't think we've done before, with the light coming in, like it's 4 o'clock, 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

Peter: And this is Anna Campbell, by the way. She actually is a local actress, and she did a terrific job. She's on Mad Men, as well.

John: Oh yeah!

Chris: Was she on Mad Men? Wow.

John: That was a great vic scene, by the way. That was really- when I was watching this the first time, I'm like, wow, dragging away the nice young woman, helping the old alzheimer guy, this is a dark one, man. You know what? I hate that guy. And getting Peter Reigert was a stunning bit of casting.

Chris: And that we have to give credit to Tim. Tim, who has lots of friends who are terrific actors in New York, and he suggested Peter, who, you know—I didn't even think was on the list of our casting people to even consider. Peter Reigert of course, you would know from Animal House, played Boon in Animal House, and my favourite movie of all time, Local Hero, which I asked him about incessantly about during the week of filming.

Peter: Yeah, see, Chris was stalking Peter, pretty much. On the weekends, Chris would track him down and keep asking him stuff.

Chris: [Laughs] There's not a frame of that movie I didn't ask him about.

John: The, uh, this is a nice conversation, the whole way that she digs in here, and the way she gets very righteous. And what we're kind of doing here, is making her be the way Nate Ford used to be before his fall. And that was—that's pretty much how this worked.

Peter: And it was very interesting. She was like, she had a hard time of it, because she's used to playing very strong, independent, powerful women, and not naive at all, and that's who she is as a person too. So she was really going and taking a risk by playing this person.

Chris: She was- she was very—and she said, 'Is the audience gonna buy, me, you know, an adult woman in—'

John: Paragon of virtue.

Chris: Yeah.

John: But you know, that's a role that people played in the 40s and 50s all the time. You know, this is very much kind of our take on a classic con, classic con movie. Ah, and that's 'we never let Vicki Vale in the Batcave.' That was my big beef from the original Batman movie, is, 'No one must ever know I'm Batman! Except for the nine or ten women who've wandered through here at any given time.' C'mon man, that's the whole point.

Chris: This is a tricky scene too, to do, because you- Uh, Peter, maybe talk about the kind of emotional—you gotta cover a lot of emotional ground here.

Peter: Well these scenes, I mean, it was interesting for me, being the first time I've done these episodes. They've all done, you guys have done these informational scenes in front of the screens before. This scene scared the hell out of me, 'cause how much, like the explainer scene can you do, you know? And uh, but it was great because, the way you guys wrote the script, we could play the comedy of him getting busted, going there, and then lead into it. So it took a little bit of the curse of trying to explain it, you added some comedy, and like—

John: I also like how you've got them appearing around him at first, so he has to keep turning and looking.

Peter: [Laughing] Yeah, exactly.

Chris: And these little, kind of, photoshopped shots look great. I mean it really does look like he's in London.

John: And what's a lot of fun about the—and they're tormenting him, this is very much the family vibe. What's really kinda fun about this is, you know, we dread these scenes as writers too. And the fans love them.

Peter: Oh no, I know, it is. But that's because every time you do a little twist on it, you know, and this scene had a lot of emotional beats; there's the fun of teasing him, and then they find out she's not coming back, which you have to really then transition into a big emotional moment there, and then he's gotta rally everyone back, and now they gotta get it.

John: Yeah it's like three or four emotional beats in one one scene, yeah.

Peter: So it's really tough. But it turned out really well, I thought.

John: And then you let the screens go to black, to show their mood. That was a nice choice. I'm sure that was totally intentional.

Peter: Oh yeah, exactly. I'm a genius like that. I'm an accidental genius.

John: You are. And, uh, Eliot knowing this is not a good idea; everyone knowing this is not a good idea, and...what was I gonna say? Oh, that's the key to these scenes also, is, get somebody pissed off in it. Someone in one of these informational scenes has to either not like the con, or not like the—

Chris: By the way, I need to interject, this is one of my favorite montages ever. This is an industrialist, and I think there's a picture of a, of like a drum of oil—

John: Look, there's a drum of goo poisoning children, and then an oil well fire, and him drinking a whiskey. [Evil laughter] I like, also, that this is a magazine called Lawyer Monthly. Is there a Lawyer Monthly? Is there an evil Lawyer Monthly magazine? I would like to get a subscription to that. And again, this was kind of the thing that we were learning, is that, you know, the lost heir, and the lost will, is a crime trope from the 1600s, that has been done on a lot of different crime shows, a lot of different con show, and so the fun is taking it and finding the variation that fits your show. You know, that's one of the great things about working in a genre that has a long history. To a great degree, you're almost like—it's more like what your variation on this theme is than the actual theme itself.

Peter: It's your homage.

Timestamp: [10:00]

John: It's more than an homage, it's uh, you know. Homages are more accurate.

Peter: Yeah it's more like folk music, you know, like—

John: You're supposed to put a little spin on it, you know, and your spin adds to it.

Peter: Yeah, you're updating it, that's what it's all about.

John: Exactly. God this is a long informational scene.

Peter: I know.

Chris: This is a big one; it's a lot.

John: We gotta do the character beats, we gotta do the—and that was the other thing we found, is, you know, that you can hang out—even in like, really fast moving episodes—you can hang out for half an act in this room.

Chris: Yeah. I mean, that's what we learned.

John: As long as there's emotional beats, or you open it really strong, and, you know, uh, taking away alzheimer dude's only hope really lands it. Now this is amazing. Where are we here, guys?

Peter: Uh.

Chris: Well, we're at a jail that was built outside of Portland, and then they ran out of money. So it's basically been just sitting there, and really, this whole act was designed because we knew we had this jail. And here is of course, we wanna introduce—

John: The 'pan up legs' shot.

Chris: The pan up from the pair of legs.

Peter: We had a slow motion version, but I didn't [mumbles] time to shoot. It was a little, a little too much.

John: It was a little buttery.

Peter: Yeah, you know, I've got, I like buttery though.

Chris: But the happy accident was that, like, whatever that stuff was in the air that was blowing—

John: Gave, like, a view.

Peter: I had a guy there, he was sorta—

John: You just had a big thing of pollen?

Peter: Yeah. We did it in the Patriot actually once, where it was like, we had—it was all this stuff and there was no really apparent reason for it, but it was up in the air.

John: Looks really pretty.

Peter: Yeah, exactly. That's the reason.

John: 'Put some more schmutz, put schmutz in the air. I want schmutz, Peter.'

Peter: Yeah, pretty much.

John: And this is again, you know, outside our character, different attitude, lot of fun. And not being able to tell the truth—this is another thing where we—

Chris: This was Guys and Dolls, it was when we were breaking it, this was- we're gonna see if we can corrupt her.

John: And that was the idea, is originally, you know, we didn't know how Tara was gonna come in, and who the character was. We talked about a Guys and Dolls variation, where we would corrupt the character, and then realized that would take too much explanation, and wouldn't be approved by Sophie... but we used every part of the animal.

Chris: Yes.

John: Wow, Chris wound up really rocking those 70s sunglasses this season. He really looks like he's come out of um, Grand Theft Auto there. Ah, this shot.

Chris: Oh this guy. This guy, uh, is this actor, Tobias Anderson, is a local actor in Portland, and is just fantastic. As a matter of fact, when we were looking—when we were doing this shot, right here, I went up to Tim afterwards and I said, ‘I wanna—can we do Chinatown? Can we remake Chinatown with you in the Jack Nicholson role, and him as.. not Walter…

John: Walter Huston?

Chris: The Walter Huston role, 'cause he really just had that perfect, kind of patrician accent.

Peter: And he was the last guy I saw, like, cast. Everyone else I was like, ‘eh, I dunno’, and then finally he came in.

John: This was kind of a recurring theme this year, to. We were really busting on the whole white collar, minimum security jails, 'cause I'm like seriously man, if you steal a billion dollars, your ass gets sent to the pen. Why do you get a vacation? It was also probably tied into the fact that at this point, we were working fourteen to sixteen hours a day, and a stint in a white collar jail sounded really good to me. I was like 'so I can't work at all, I gotta sit in there and be in jail.' Oh, this was my favorite character we did all year. This is very Rockford, this is Jimmy Joe Meeker.

Peter: I have to say, when he first came in with that blue suit, I wasn't too sure about it, but [snaps fingers] his character, he totally pulled it off, like after the first scene I'm like 'Okay, I get it, I totally get it.'

Chris: Well the thing is that in the cons, essentially when Nate is in these roles, his job is to get under the skin of the mark. I mea,n that's really what it is, because that's gonna lead the mark to make bad decisions, so that's what— there was actually more to this whole sequence too, where he actually—

John: This sequence, he gets dragged out outside and beaten up.

Peter: Oh yeah, yeah, because he's that irritating. Or the suit was that blue.

John: And also, you haven't done a Rockford homage until you had the gut punch.

Peter: And this was my first shot on Leverage; right here, this is where we started.

John: Oh really, great, nice. Look at this production value in Portland, wow.

Peter: And I have to tell you, these guys are the right guys to start your career on Leverage with, these two guys, because they are so hilarious–

John: It's really just, roll the camera and get out of their way, isn't it?

Peter: It's roll the camera [laughs] and like, let the guys play.

John: Look at that!

Chris: Look at that, isn't that a great-? Look at that shot. I mean, this pristine jail. Yeah, I mean the key we've found with them was to give them a funny attitude to play. If you find an attitude for them to play, it doesn't really matter what the script is, they know what to do.

Peter: Right, you just give them, like, guidelines and a goal at the end, and where to start, and then you roll. And these guys just go—especially these two together are like, amazing.

John: And nicely enough it's a happy blend, because it's not totally improv, they really do go off the dialogue, but there's always a little twist right at the end.

Peter: Absolutely.

Chris: Oh, but boy, him playing the traumatized prison guard just killed me.

John: Yeah, just the panic—he does panic very well. [Chris laughs] And again, Hardison, Hardison always goes over the top, always a little up.

Peter: But his over the top works, because every time I was watching him I was 'he's almost–he's not quite over the top, he's just at the edge of it, he keeps it right there.'

John: Well, cause the whole point is to make you so uncomfortable you're distracted. That's a lot of—

Peter: It's all sleight of hand.

Timestamp: [15:00]

Chris: And also to sell to him the idea that to go to maximum security prison would be the end of his life.

John: Is an unspeakable nightmare, yeah. Oh, I forgot, that’s our nurse, right, that's, um...

Chris: Yes, uh, in the picture.

John: We shouldn't say her name actually so she's not stalked, but yeah. And this is a lovely ventilation shaft scene, um, really, you can't go more than two episodes on Leverage without a ventilation shaft scene.

Peter: You would think that when people make buildings they would, like, stop making ventilation shafts, because that's how everybody steals the stuff, you know what I mean?

John: Well they tend to make them small, but Beth is very small.

Chris: By the way, she's just adorable in ventilation shafts, just the childlike wonder that she has.

Peter: Just goes together.

John: I also love that Hardison's managed to find Orangina even in a prison. He's just found an orange drink, even there.

Chris: And this is Doug Brookes, who was great also.

John: Yeah, he's the other guard here.

Peter: He was hilarious. I mean there was so much stuff—this was one of— I could have shot this for three day straight, this scene, because we were cracking up the whole time.

John: And what's really interesting here is, this is something that if you're going to shoot comedy, don't over complicate comedy. Your best friend on a comedy shot is a locked off comedy shot. It's just like—you see how often we just go back to this wide right here? 'Cause all comedy plays—well that's a Woody Allen rule, comedy plays on a two shot. And this is all attitudes and reactions. You know, there's no fucking camera movement, yeah, exactly.

Peter: Because you see two different reactions in one shot that's why it works.

John: Oh, and he's so hurt. He's so hurt.

Chris: And I love him yelling ‘clear’, I mean he just digs in.

Peter: And then usually, as you guys know, we just roll the camera at him and he just keeps talking. We'll keep rolling for another two minutes, he's got—he will never stop, we have to cut.

John: I love that this is what was—this is the worst frameup in history. I remember we were pitching this in the room, we came up with stuff like, like an M16 he'd assembled out of bed parts—

Peter: But it's the tone of the show, you can get away with it.

Chris: It's all he needs, it's a Nazi armband and a picture of Hitler.

John: But why the picture of Hitler??!!

Peter: But what about the first Nazi armband they gave me? It was like, yellow and white, I'm like...

Chris: Kudos to the wardrobe department, who quickly, maybe a bit too quickly, sewed a Nazi armband when we needed.

Peter: Maybe they didn't sew it; maybe they just had one.

John: But this was also, it's pretty amazing when you think, alright we're a cable show, we're in Portland, our wardrobe department had to come up with all these prisoner outfits, because random outfits are much easier, people often wear their own clothes when they're extras. All the uniforms, all the prisoner outfits, on like half a week of prep, by the time they get the script and everything, you know for blocking. And, the bookending scene.

Peter: And I will say, Tim's suits, they pulled out of their derriere as well, because that was kind of a last minute addition, and they went to some pimp store, and found it in Oregon.

John: There's a pimp store in Oregon?

Peter: I think so.

John: Wow, I wouldn't think there'd be enough pimps to support a mini culture like that.

Peter: I mean if you look at his jackets, there's like a little button that you can hang it on from the back on, it's like, really a great jacket.

John: And she's being great, she's really selling the whole innocent lawyer. There was a moment, when we were doing this, watching the dailies, I was like 'I'm gonna miss this character'. I kinda like Jeri as this—

Peter: As the earnest...

John: Yeah, as the earnest lawyer, because she usually plays so aggressive. Because she's a very good looking, powerful woman, and, uh, it was really great. That suit's magnificent.

Peter: Yes.

John: And this is another one, when our guys—the only way to put pressure on our guys is, things are moving too fast, they're constrained in time and space, you know, it's—

Peter: Here's one I love; I love this shot. Whoop, and then—

John: Aaand, that's.. you're right, there it is.

Peter: The button—

John: And ripping out the pages, and here, here's what I love about Reigert here, if I may, and we wrote it a little like this, but really, most of our bad guys are like, 'what the hell are you doing here?' Reigert has, in theory, been an evil dude for thirty five years. He has buried a lot of bodies. This Papadokalis—this Tim Hutton character is not gonna throw him.

Chris: No, that was really the key, the key was for him to underestimate him for the entire episode, and this, this scene to me just epitomizes the whole episode. These two guys—

John: This is one of my favorite bad guy scenes, absolutely.

Peter: And these- we put them on opposite sides of the table for obvious reasons, but then these two guys really just—again, it was like the prison scene, but in a different way—these guys really, I mean, ad libbed, and played off each other the whole time. And it was pretty amazing, it was fun to watch.

John: That's a lot of craft at that table, right there.

Peter: A lot of craft. And it really worked, there was like, they were kinda playing with each other on an actor level, and on a character level at the same time, and it worked both ways.

John: Kinda trying to one up each other a little bit in the scene. That's a great set—what is, what offices were those?

Peter: That was a real lawyer office.

Chris: Yeah, I mean we—

Timestamp: [20:00]

John: Look at that deadpan, just that total dead-eyed—

Peter: Yeah and it's great, it's really like a fire and ice kinda scene, because Jimmy Papadokalis is all over the place, and he's like this, and Peter's just cool as ice.

John: And that's another thing, and you'll see it—we kinda found the rhythm as we went into the back half of second season, the bad guys get progressively scarier. And more competent. I like to think that the Leverage crew has cleaned out all the easy white collar dudes. Like in their first year, they got all the easy marks.

Chris: Well, I gotta give credit to Peter Reigert, I mean, he so inhabits this character. I remember being on set and people talking about, ‘I think this guy's killed people before’. Like, literally, when people debate about the backstory, you know you've hit a home run.

John: Now this one I like, is that we go out, and we're strung and we have no answer, and you're watching Nate Ford play chess here in his head. He's putting the facts together, he's doing detective work. And again, this is the thing we mention in a couple of the commentaries, a lot of second season was realizing, criminals are like detectives - they know crime, they can put stuff together. And Nate Ford was a detective, so you know, when he throws this together, it's using the available facts in a convincing way. And he's reading Reigert.

Chris: Yeah.

Peter: And the way Tim plays it, he was really brilliant in the scene, because you really feel like he's making this stuff up as he goes along. You do. I mean, you're like—like I'm watching, like we were watching and we were like, like what's he gonna do now? It was, like, it was amazing.

John: How is he saying the words, they seem fresh.

Peter: Yeah, and you just get sucked in, he's like, I mean he's—those looks, those blue eyes he's got man, they're just a killer.

John: And that's, again, structurally, this episode really is, we need X information, we do a mini con in act two to get X information. That information is not what we think it is, therefore we have to change the plan in act three. In act four, the violent ramifications of that changed plan comes to the fore. It's the template, it's the one comforting blanket...

Peter: What I love about this episode—besides 'I directed it'— was that I really felt, even when I was watching it, as a fan, later, I was like 'I don’t know how they're gonna defeat this guy', you know, like he's not gonna get ruffled.

John: He's a good bad guy.

Peter: And even like, in the scene that's about to happen, when she comes in, it's like, he doesn't buy that for a second either.

John: That's a big difference on shows, is, uh, a lot of times for us it's not are they going to defeat this guy, because meta structure—again, TV audiences have seen a lot of TV—it's how. This is one of the few times it's like 'I don't really know— I dunno if they're gonna do this.'

Chris: Well, I mean, that's what was so nice about introducing The Lost Heir Con, fairly deep into the show, I mean you know, there could have been an episode where that came out of the briefing scene, but because it became a development...

Peter: Right, because a lot of the episodes I saw, like that— they figured out the con at the end of the first act—

Chris: This is the con, this is what we're gonna do.

John: And that's really tricky, 'cause we really know we're not a detective show, because we have broken some episodes where there's like an investigatory first and second act. We always wind up throwing out those outlines. You know, it's gotta be a weird mix of investigation first and second act—

Chris: Well...

John: Because you do. If you introduce the con too early, you run out of steam.

Chris: But I think what we learned here was, that what the audience wants at the end is a twist. And you can give them a detective twist if we put it, like with the Tara character, if there's a con shell around it.

John: Yeah. You could easily do this as a private investigation episode, on any other show. 'Bye bye. Out. Get out.' And Parker's utter inability to act now.

Chris: 'Are we gonna go get meth?'

Peter: Dude, the meth line, we were all in tears. And there's like four different versions, and they're all awesome, and uh, yeah.

John: It's really hat-rific in there today, look at that. That's one, two, three, that suit's really a hat. [All laugh] Uh, that's three hats in there. And I remember breaking this, and going over like, women's names, or what we could possibly do, we had to look up and see uh, what had been, what could wind up on drivers licenses, when the drivers licenses were digitized—

Chris: Well the tricky thing here was, and you came up with it, was finding ways to bury the colorblind... because if you kinda like, if they they keyed up on colorblindness here, really we're tipping the ending, and it was just, trying to find a way to throw it in.

John: But that's one of those times where writing is really, we describe it as making the license plates, you sit in the writer's room for six hours, staring at the ceiling, until the answer comes, you know and just throwing out crap.

Peter: Yeah but it was a great 'gun in the drawer' kinda thing, you know, where it's like, he really—

Chris: He saw it up there, it landed visually, he mentions is—

Peter: Yeah, it's right in front of your face, and then it comes back later and no one sees it coming, and that's the best way. I always hate shows where it's like, suddenly they come up with a magic answer, and it was like, we never saw it. Here, you put it in front, but it's all sleight of hand.

John: There's a—Dean Devlin's father had a great thing, which is 'there are no drive ups in the third act', and we have the same thing. There's no new information in the fifth act. You're not allowed to give anything new, it has to be something, a version of what we've already seen.

Chris: That's a nice transition, too.

John: Yeah it is, a nice whip over to her. And there was actually an original scene, another scene in this, too, where he's kind of talking her into doing this? But the fun—it turns out this is much better, just knowing that somehow he's conned her into this.

Chris: The audience, you should know, this episode was eight minutes long when we finished it, and we kept—and it was a real hard thing to edit it down—

Timestamp: [25:00]

John: Oh, there's a lot of good scenes on the floor, in this one.

Chris: But I still feel like in the end, the final edit was the best edit. I mean, you've really like- when you get into it, you find out that you really didn't need all this stuff.

John: Yeah, a lot of the other stuff were grace notes.

Chris: And the eating stuff was Peter's—Peter likes eating scenes. [All Laugh]

John: All actors like eating scenes.

Peter: They do, it gives them some—they need business.

John: By the way, that's one of Spielberg's tricks.

Chris: Really?

John: One of Spielberg's tricks is to show, if he wants you to like people, he shows them—he shows them cooking.

Chris: That's interesting. Well, I guess it also shows how little, you know, disregard he has for everything.

John: And this was another trick, was to figure out a way to involve the lawyer character in the con, in a way that didn't violate the character, and the idea is, we were sitting there, 'but she's supposed to be scrupulously honest,' and we realized, well, we use that, that's the point.

Chris: And also it answers the question as to, wouldn't this guy just ask for a DNA test? Well, we always find—

John: Oh that's right, that was the big argument in the room, is, how do you get him to not want a DNA test?

Chris: Well, you convince him it's the worst possible option. Ah, and this is a great scene, too.

John: And, a couple months afterwards, it was in the news, a way to fake DNA tests. We killed ourselves, we killed ourselves to figure out some way to get him to not ask for the DNA, and then a couple months later in the news there was a way about how to fake it.

Peter: They probably saw the episode and —

John: Yeah, I sent them all the research. This is a very classic, this is, we could stamp a Quinn Martin production on this scene.

Chris: He looks like the, uh, actor here, who I'm gonna look up his name quickly—

Peter: David.

Chris: Is it David?

Peter: I think so.

Chris: Yeah. He— right out of a Quinn Martin production.

John: Actually I — He could play in Spencer as the, uh, the heavyset Boston sargeant that's his buddy, yeah. And this is, a good, uh, good showdown on the docks scene. This was originally an alley, in a parking garage,

Chris: Yeah, wasn't it, it was a parking garage, and what was—what led to you guys scouting out here?

Peter: You know what, it was just, for me, I'd watched all the episodes, and I just felt, you- There was this whole river thing, and in Boston there's a river even though, you know-

Chris: It worked great.

Peter: But I just wanted to open it up, you know, give some size to it, and I dunno, the parking garage, there was no good alley parking garage in Portland. So, we went into this scene. And it opened it up a little bit, 'cause we were in a lot of rooms, up until then.

John: Yeah, there's that whole, that whole second act, to a great degree, is prison, lawyers office, and that's a good- you know what, any act break where a dude's aiming a gun at you is a good act break.

Peter: It's always good.

John: You know what, I'm gonna—I'm gonna stand by that. Now, what happened is, people were wondering, how did Eliot see this guy? This is Eliot's job. Eliot's job is to walk the perimeter and beat the hell out of people.

Peter: He showed up with them in the car, and then like, got out earlier—

John: They dropped him off so he could— now this is great.

Chris: This is great, there we go.

John: This is not CG. [Referring to Eliot chucking a rock at a guy's head.]

Peter: This is not, this is real, and this was- this was Christian's idea, you know, to throw the rock, because we had played softball that weekend, and he was shortstop and he was so good and then he came up "Dude, you saw how good I was at shortstop, right? I can do that, I can throw that." And he kept it in frame and everything.

Chris: And his, uh, his baseball skills become in evidence later in the season, I'd say.

John: Yeah, exactly. This is also a nice fight, because it really showcases something that Kevin Jackson really tried to do this year, which was, all of Eliot's fight style, because he's, you know, he's fast, is getting inside your reach and just working the ribs; it's not big kicks, his job is to get in there, break your ribs, and make you lay down. Yeah, maybe break an elbow, uh, and this was also great. We had to figure out how to get a time constraint on it, having him shoot the tires out, it was just a nice bit of work.

Peter: Yeah.

John: We should have used the Hyundai Genesis for this, though. Why the hell didn't we do that? Oh, we shot the tires out, that's right. That's right, you can't really do an endorsement for a car that you shoot.

Peter: Right, exactly.

Chris: Aww.

John: Aww, this is fantastic.

Peter: Oh, this is the best.

John: And Reigert's acting—

Peter: And by the way, we were in a mad rush right now, because the sun's going down.

John: Yeah. And just, gimme the gun. There you go. Thank you. Boom. Oh god!

Peter: And he's so blasé.

Chris: [Laughing] He says thanks!

John: Ahh. Dude, he has so put a bullet in a junkie, like in 1985 in an alley.

Peter: We had a great moment there, too, where he drives off and the guy's left in the dust. But it's really extra.

Chris: And I can say that this episode, in the earliest versions, one of the earliest nuggets of it was this fourth act, which was a race to the courthouse. It was one of those things we always knew was, there was gonna be Eliot and Parker, racing to the courthouse, and cops trying to shoot them, and it was the gauntlet.

John: Yeah, and that's, again, very simple goal, one goal per act, you can make—

Peter: I just love, like they think 'Oh I'm gonna put on some shades, no one will recognize us.'

[All Laugh]

John: And this, this is really my favorite Eliot-Parker run in the entire two years. Because it's one of the times that we're really reminded of the fact that they are the two most dangerous people on the team, and then when they're not with the others, they can sometimes allow themselves that.

Timestamp: [30:00]

John: You know, they pretend to be normal humans around Hardison and Nate and Sophie, because they know they're not supposed to be, you know, like, not supposed to enjoy this. And now a good gloat from Reigert, that's nice.

Peter: Yeah, exactly.

Chris: 'Crawl under a rock.'

John: Yeah, so the entire thing was us sitting around like, what are the three or four locations, if you're trying to get to the courthouse, you know, what could the possible obstacles be? And I think this, this whole run was uh, I think this one's mine just because I did the key bit, remember?

Chris: Yeah the key bit, I think that was gonna be something with a ball bearing at one point?

John: Yeah, we played around with it, and just um, it was... oh, it was jury duty. It was like, the only thing that's keeping you from getting into a courtroom, really, is a metal detector. I love this push in on the reverse by the way,

Peter: Yeah, this was great, this was like, we really blocked this out big time, but then Mark shot-

John: There you go!

Chris: Oh, that's an iconic shot.

John: Yeah it is. And what's kinda interesting there is, he's not looking forward to it, and she's smiling, she genuinely is looking forward to it. And there's our naive lawyer, completely hung, and we've just said this girl is not part of it.

Peter: But this is the scene that, like, I think people really believe that she really is that person, and really is naive. She really sells—

Chris: Yeah, she did.

John: She sold the hell out of it. Now, she was—you know what, you get a new actor to come to your show in the middle of your season, it could be a disaster in a lot of ways. Jeri was nothing but a professional, and she was sweet and she's funny as hell, seriously, it couldn't have gone better.

Peter: And so, so prepared, you know when she's so prepared, you can play around a little bit.

John: You know what, this also comes from - my mom, when I was eight, we flew down to see friends of hers in San Antonio, she was taking kielbasa from this deli in Worcester with us—

Peter: This is already a good story.

John: But we go through the x-ray—it was one of the first times they'd had an x-ray machine—so there are three, uh, tinfoil wrapped cylinders that looked like explosives in my mother's luggage. And I remember at eight, like the guards just descending on us.

Peter: I love that. That's like, let's be blatant shall we?

John: You know what, television is not [???]

Peter: No, no, no. But here's what's great about Peter in this scene - he really made everyone around him feel nervous, like he was like really doing that thing. He did like, you know, acting-directing, you know, which I always love.

John: Okay—THERE, THE CATCH!

Chris: The catch! By the way, after he did that, he came up to me—because I wasn't there for this—and he said 'You gotta call Rogers and tell him I caught the bullet.' I mean he was like a little kid, talking about that.

Peter: He did it on three different takes, he caught the bullet.

John: He did it on three takes without—and she tasers him without looking. And the little smile...

Peter: Loves it. And then she gives him another one as she bails.

John: And just the look back to him, like, 'What? What? I'm supposed to not do that?'

Peter: 'I just went to the dark side for a second.'

Chris: And just one little *zzz* jolt on the way out.

Peter: It's so great with her, 'cause she's so sweet looking, and then she's got this little dark side which is awesome.

John: And that was the other thing, you really see that coming out in the back half of the season. Like from here on—it was nice because things had slowed down and we were like, 'Alright, what are some beats that we haven't hit in a while? Oh that's right, Parker's crazy.'

Chris: Yeah, she's crazy. That's a beautiful entrance too, that sweeping camera.

John: Great courtroom. Was this the same courtroom we shot yours in?

Chris: Same courtroom we shot in.

John: Nice. But they're not in Belbridge, they're in Boston proper.

Peter: It is the best, it's like the peacock, you know, he's totally got his mirror out, and—

Chris: Well that, I'll tell you where that was from, Gerald Shargel, the great mob lawyer. I remember there's a famous story where he was doing a mob trial and opened his briefcase before he was about to do a cross examination, and it was all hairbrushes. [Peter laughs] it was like, there was not one file folder...

John: Yeah, you think anybody else is gonna wander in here, no. She’s—and now we're doing our courtrooms. Oh, look at that. Was that a federal courthouse?

Chris: It was a former federal courthouse, and you know, I said this, I think, in the earlier one, there are, in a lot of American cities, there are beautiful federal courthouses built in the twenties and thirties. And then, you know, they decided 'no, they don't work for us anymore', built brand new federal courthouses with your tax dollars, and these things are sitting there—

John: Just sitting around empty.

Chris: Just waiting for television shows to arrive.

John: We could do a courtroom drama, we could just live in this place, yeah.

Peter: And by the way, Jeri feeling very at home in a courtroom because of Boston Legal. She was like, she had that down, but in a different way. She was playing, more of an innocent...

John: Yeah, not the shark. No the, uh, and then the show becomes a courtroom drama. The show really is, like, four different episodes, you know? There's kind of an early Rockford, then there's the gauntlet—

Chris: And then becomes a courtroom drama.

John: —and now it's Perry Mason.

Chris: It really is, that's it.

John: Except Peter Reigert is much more formidable than Hamilton Burger. Hamilton Burger, a reference only five of you will get. Oh no, and now he's really starting to get pissed off. No it was interesting, we actually played around a lot with, like, how evidence is admitted, and what the...

Chris: Yeah, you know me, I get very...

John: No, it was interesting, it was one of the few times that I've been, ‘I wanna make sure I get this right’. And you were explaining that what is allowed as evidence is pretty much up to the judge.

Chris: It is, yeah. I mean, this was all, I vetted this, this is pretty much all on the level.

Timestamp: [35:00]

Peter: What I love about this scene is like, on one level, we have no idea how he as a character, Tim as a character, is gonna, like, pull this off, because we're not thinking about the color blind thing. But on another level, Tim is like ad-libbing a lot in there, and so the actors are also like, they don't know what's gonna come at them. So everyone's like on their toes, which worked really perfectly for the scene, because you really had to listen to everything he said, because everyone had to react to it. And all the actors, including the judge, the local actors, they all rose up and like, really handled it well, and it makes the scene work terrific.

John: This was interesting, I just, looking at these shots, because this is not a designed courthouse but a real courthouse, a designed courthouse would have more gack on either side on those sight-lines. You know, there'd just be like high risers, or wouldn't be quite so deep, you know.

Chris: But this was, I remember, there's a few times when you're watching, you know, filming something, when you're like, this is something special. And there was a take here where it was like, between the two of these guys ad libbing, that was really something special. And I remember the three of us looked—it was you, me, and Dean—were like, wow, that's it.

Peter: No, it really was.

John: The, uh, and then now the launch. The whole unraveling, and she's really sympathetic; that was good casting on our part.

Peter: So sympathetic.

Chris: She was fantastic.

John: 'What color?'— that was the moment in the room when we got it. Because we're trying to figure out like, what's the moment? What's the one thing that'll lock it in? Because we were doing the lost heir con, and we hadn't come up with the idea that she was the lost heir yet.

Chris: Yeah that was a fairly late addition.

Peter: And all this stuff that Tim does, where he's like, it looks like he's trying to—but now as a character, he's playing Peter Reigert's character, like, 'Oh I don't really know what I'm doing,' but his character totally does.

Chris: It's the typical like, ‘I'm just a country lawyer. I dunno about you big—’

John: It's very Columbo.

Chris: ‘—you big city lawyers, I mean all I know is this.’

John: 'Pardon me, just one more thing before I leave, my wife's very excited that I met you, I gotta ask—'

Chris: 'Now, maestro—'

John: 'Maestro, when you doing one of these orchestra things? Exactly how long are you playing here?' And that's when we do the revelations of observation.

Chris: Here's where he figured it all out. Colorblindness, trying to play fair.

John: See, if you go back on the DVD, right there, it's right there.

Peter: All those shots are there.

Chris: There was a lot of debate about how much to see of the flowers in that scene, it was—

John: No, because you're focused on Jeri Ryan.

Peter: But the whole thing for me is, you have to see all that stuff, but not see it at the same time. But it has to be there, else you're cheating.

John: I'd forgotten that. That's one of my favorite moments in the room this year, where we're just sitting there, staring at the ceiling, and we've just been beating at this for hours, and all of a sudden, 'what color is my tie?' and you just saw like the walls fall into place, like, bang bang bang bang.

Chris: And a great choice of Tim here to drop the Papadokalis character. Like by now, by now he becomes Nate Ford, lawyer.

John: And sympathetic dad. You know, he kinda, he genuinely, he's figured out that there's a massive tragedy at the center of this, you know? And we had a big talk about, like, redemption and what the- why this guy would try to change, and... lovely. It's a nice little episode. I think everybody dug this one. Yeah. And she's working the hell out of that, look at that, she's tearing up.

Peter: She's so good. No, and she totally gets it, you know, for me, acting's all about transitions; it's all about, that's the most important part, the change. And she really gets it, she's like, really... and Tim really helped a lot, like on the off camera stuff, 'cause he would just start rattling off all this different stuff to help her get there.

John: I gotta tell you, that was kinda cool, when you're up there in Portland, and you're watching, like, local actors get a seminar with Tim Hutton. Because he worked with the girl who played the victim's daughter in the opening one. I'm like, you're a fifteen year old Portland actor, and you're working with an Oscar—

Peter: She, by the way, was fantastic.

John: She was fantastic. Yeah, and you're working with Tim Hutton. I mean, you're not gonna get this anywhere else. No, we loved the Portland actors. We love shooting there, it's a great place. Now, he's losing it.

Chris: Now he's completely unhinged. [Laughing]

Peter: He's suddenly realized. And it's only now that you realize, he's gonna lose. And it took this long, and that's what's great, is like—

John: 'Papadokalis!!'

Peter: Yeah, dude. That was the best.

[All Laughing]

John: And he's gone, now Nate's gone from the clown to the guy in charge. And it's, yeah, utterly unmanned him. And I love the fact that, if you go back and watch this now, knowing what Tara is, she's running, like, a double con at this moment.

Chris: Yeah.

Peter: But at this point, you would never guess it, because the Papadokalis character is so big, it camouflages everything that Tara is doing, you know what I mean? And uh, and that's what helped it, her performance and Jimmy Papadokalis being so big, makes you not think about it.

John: I like that wink he threw her, too. That moment, it was a really sweet moment. And uh, a little gloat.

Chris: Oh, here's the gloat. Dean loves the gloat.

John: Dean's rules, the villain must suffer, and there should always be a gloat, if you're going for optimal. I love that she kisses stuff when she gets—she kisses money, she kisses—this is her, she gets pleasure from stealing. No other way around it.

Peter: I gave her like, what that was, in the thing, what's in the paper, and then she kissed it, but I wouldn't tell you what it was because it's private.

John: What? Aww.

Timestamp: [40:00]

Peter: I'll tell you after the DVD thing.

Chris: Oh, and he's dragged away.

John: Dragged away! Ruined! That, my friend—

Peter: I love how she perches up there; she's like a percher. She likes to perch on things.

John: Actually, in another episode, you know, we note the fact that you almost never see her enter a room. Usually the camera comes around, and she's just sitting there. You have no idea how she got there.

Chris: And here this really sells that; you think this is the end of the line for her.

John: Oh, special guest star Jeri Ryan.

Chris: This is like, you know, 'I hope you learned from me.' 'I think you learned something from me.' Like, the audience goes, ‘Oh okay, that's the end of Jeri Ryan.’

Peter: That was a good part for Jeri. That was a good thing for her.

Chris: Now this is very much a Rockford scene, because in every Rockford, there's usually a scene with the girl at the taco stand at the very end, when Rockford surmises why what happened happened. And he doesn't really know why, he just, he's taking a guess with his Rockford wisdom, and that's what Tim is doing right here. I felt very much writing this, that this was the quintessential coda Rockford scene.

John: Yeah. And the sort of, you know, the universe is a disordered place, and our job is to bring order to it. And you really have to read Harlan Ellisons—

Peter: I always love that entrance, these guys 'eh, we all happened to come in and enter right at this time.'

John: They wait around for each other outside, they know the effect they have when they walk in. And now the flip. And look at each one of them locking it in in a different way.

Peter: This is the zoinks moment; that's the zoinks moment.

Chris: And there she is, rocking the boots.

John: And she looks a little different there.

Peter: Slightly.

Chris: That's no librarian!

John: This was great. And it was a great way to introduce the character. Because again, the team is hypercompetent, you really have to... there's only so many ways you get a character to come in here and ordinarily, if you're bringing in a new character, as most shows do in the pilot, it’s the rookie story. We can't have this be the rookie story, because we're in the middle of a season. So, you know.

Peter: I just love, I love the interplay between her, Jeri and Beth, it's great. Because like, you know, that's the two girls and she's the biggest defender for Gina's character.

John: Yes, exactly. And they, by the end, they became really fantastic friends over the course of the season. And it really started being a lot of fun just putting the two of them in scenes together, because they'd found a really nice rhythm between Parker and Tara.

Chris: And I think the actors hung out a lot, they had a really nice—

John: They did; that's what I'm saying, they really were very good friends.

Peter: Well, especially because it's such a guys club, you know. [Laughs]

John: Especially since Gina wasn't, by that point, not in the [mumbles] because of her pregnancy, so this—and we had a bigger scene here and this was just a nice look. This is just—

Chris: That smile!

Peter: And that's her like, in her full like, 'Oh, this is gonna be great.'

John: And it was. We had a great time with her. And the turn, and ‘Dad, make it stop’, and there you go.

Chris: 'What did I just do?' That's—we went out on our summer season finale.

John: On that. Exactly. And this wasn't supposed to be the summer season finale, and it turned out to be a great one. It really was a great, solid, sort of back to basics episode.

Peter: It just makes sense, when you're introducing that new character, now it's like, a whole new change, and then you make 'em wait to get the next ep.

John: Uh, anything you want to say to the nice folks before we wrap it up?

Peter: Well for me, I had a great time doing it. It was a great time in Portland, except for the writers on the set—

John: I understand. Nothing but trouble.

[Chris Laughs]

Peter: Yeah, nothing but trouble. But otherwise, I mean, great cast, great crew, everything was a lot of fun.

Chris: We had a good time.

#Leverage #Leverage TNT #Leverage Audio Commentary Transcripts #Audio Commentary #Transcripts #Parker #Alec Hardison #Elliot Spencer #Nate Ford #Sophie Deveraux #Season 2 #Episode 9 #Season 2 Episode 9 #The Lost Heir Job

43 notes · View notes

purplesurveys · 3 years

Text

1264

Who are you subscribed to on YouTube? Oh man, I’m probably subscribed to over a hundred, if not 200. I’ve subscribed to channels relevant to interests I’ve had over the years, and since it’s not my habit to do spring cleaning on my feeds, the subscriptions have just keep piling up even if I no longer keep up with literally like 98% of them.

Do you like to go to the farmer's market? I don’t think I’ve ever been in one yet. They aren’t very common here and the ones we do have are pricey and mostly inaccessible to the everyday consumer, I’m sure.

What will (or was) the color of your wedding dress be? I wouldn’t want any other color than white.

What's your favorite melon? I don’t like fruits.

What was the name of the last pet of yours that died? Arlee. Technically my family mostly considered her as just Nina’s pet, but the sting was felt all the same when we learned she died.

When was the last time you wished the day would just get over with? Yesterday, because it was Friday. Pretty self-explanatory, I wanted to get to the weekend so I can finally let go of work for a couple of days.

Name one person you've never had a fight with: Andi. I think we’re both afraid of pissing the other off, which works out for us lol.

What are you currently listening to? I can just hear the really loud whirring of my electric fan because it’s a grossly humid day today.

What would you rather have: cat or dog? Dogs.

Who is your least favorite person in real life? I have a lot of uncles I just don’t like.

Do you ever watch anybody's live stream of... anything, really? Technically, yeah. I will sometimes tune in to livestreams of lofi music on YouTube, but I do it to listen, not to watch.

Does your house have security cameras? No.

If you go grey as you age, would you dye your hair or let it be? I think I might dye it for a certain period of time, but I also think I would eventually reach the point where I’ll just accept it and slowly let go of the dye.

What was the last establishment you stopped going to due to bad service? What happened? I haven’t run into much bad service, but I’ll never forget how long my order and bill took for Mad Mark’s. I never really vowed per se to never go back there again and I definitely didn’t confront the staff, but I haven’t eaten there since that incident.

What soundtrack do you listen to the most? Not a big soundtrack listener.

Was there a family secret you weren’t told about until you were an adult? Nah, they’re kept from us until now. The biggest one I’ve heard about was having a kleptomaniac in the family but we were never told who it is.

Do you have an opinion most people you meet seem to disagree with you? Yeah, my dislike for fruits.

What’s something you like to have many options to choose from? Clothes, I guess, like bucket hats. I don’t shop a lot and clothes aren’t a priority in my budget, so when I do pick out clothes, it has to be exactly what I want so that I don’t feel it was a waste of money.

What’s the strangest decorative object you own? We have several quirky, disconnected decor in the living room from gifts we’ve acquired over the years. One object I can tell you about is the polar bear glass figurine we have on the coffee table.

What’s a thing you couldn’t imagine doing with your life right now? Dating around.

What’s been your proudest moment? Managing to stay alive this year and turn my life around for the better when I thought there was no hope.

What’s the filthiest non-pornographic movie you’ve seen? Eyes Wide Shut, probably.

Do you know anyone who doesn't seem to be fond of animals? I don’t think so. Like any animal...? I would find that quite odd, honestly. And I wouldn’t want to be friends with them if we weren’t already close .

Are you planning any outings or trips anytime soon? Whereabouts? No, nothing set in stone. I do want to fly out to South Korea soon, though.

Do you know anyone who has a phobia of a certain animal? I know a few people who are afraid of dogs.

Is there a particular brand of technology/electronics that you prefer? Yeah, Apple.

Is there a singer whose voice gives you goosebumps/chills? Hayley Williams and Jin, especially when he’s belting; and I don’t listen to her much, but I find that Billie Eilish has a unique voice that sounds really nice.

And is there a singer whose voice you simply can't stand? Selena Gomez for some of her songs, Meghan Trainor for most of her songs.

Are there any authors that are particularly dominant on your bookshelf? No.

Have you seen any photographs or videos that made you smile today? Sure.

Which item in your fridge are you most looking forward to consuming? My aunt sent over this gigantic-ass slab of salmon that I can’t wait to eat as sashimi. I already had a few pieces last night and it was hea ven ly.

Has anyone you know got into a new relationship lately? Hmm, I don’t think so. I know my coworker Dev got into a relationship a few weeks ago but it fizzled out as soon as it started because the guy was shitty.

If you menstruate, do you experience much PMS prior to it? Only on the emotional side; I rarely get physical symptoms. I usually feel down or emotionally heavy a few days before my period.

Have you ever had a tattoo covered up or added to? No, I don’t have any tattoos. Can you remember the last time you had a sudden change of mind? Hmm, like last night. I wanted to stay up to maximize the weekend, buuuut I decided against it and slept instead since I had been up since 2 in the morning.

When was the last time you did something on a whim? Two weeks ago when I impulsively dropped a thousand bucks to have cheese tarts delivered to Angela and Reena, hahaha.

Were you raised by both of your parents? If not, then who raised you? My mom, grandma, and one of my aunts were the main people who raised me. Dad works overseas, so he was never at home much.

Have you ever began a relationship with someone you knew for less than a week? No, I wouldn’t do that.

Has one of your friends ever tried to ‘hook you up?’ Mik tried to pair me with one of his friends just days before I finally implied on social media that I was no longer in a relationship. It was a cool ego boost but I declined, since my emotions were still super turbulent then. Andi tried to initiate sex with me once too, but I also declined.

What is your card game of choice? I hate card games; I can never seem to understand them lmao, though that’s really more of a me problem than anything else.

What is your favourite books series? Growing up, I really loved the Septimus Heap series. But the thing about it was that I got into it while the series was still ongoing; and with how bad my attention span is, I always forgot the events/plot whenever the newest book came out.

So whenever that happened I had to read the entire series from Book 1; eventually the number of books I had to reread/revisit became too many (it was a seven-part series) and I simply just lost the time to read and I never got to know about the conclusion.

Do you prefer landmarks or street names when being given directions? Street names – more precise. Landmarks to me can be pretty subjective – a green building might look blue to me, and I could just end up being lost.

Do you read the prologues in the beginnings of books? Sure.

What was your favourite gym class moment? If I genuinely like or already play the sport that was being taught. That’s why PE table tennis was a lot of fun for me.

Do you think that ocean boardwalks are fun? I’ve never been on one but I imagine they are fun, yeah.

Do you dread when people ask you to sign their yearbooks? That’s not a tradition here.

Do you have a favourite Scooby-Doo movie? No. I was too young for Scooby-Doo in a sense that I do remember watching the movies as a 3/4 year old as they were kept on in the background at home, but I didn’t get any of the plots/didn’t really appreciate the films.

Do you think it’s cute when toddlers try to run away and fall down? Sometimes, yeah. If the fall looked nasty I would obviously be concerned.

Do you enjoy listening to your grandparents tell stories of their past? Honestly, only one of my grandparents would be the type to do this but he’s been dead for six years now. It’s a big shame he passed before I could bond with him the way I had always wanted to. My three other grandparents are either too closed off or too quiet to share stories from their youth.

Do you have a crush on someone? Nah, nothing more than a celebrity crush.

If so... what does his/her name begin with?

What attracts you to them?

Do they know that you like them?

If they don't know, why didn't you tell them?

Name two people that you miss: Angela and Laurice.

Have you ever seen Titanic? More times than I can count. I’m sure I memorize like 80% of the script, too.

Have you ever swam with dolphins? No. I’m not so sure if I’ve seen dolphins, either. Maybe I have? Or maybe I’m confusing it with whales...idrk.

When was the last time you had a stomachache? Wednesday.

What's going to bed early for you? 11 PM or midnight.

Do you want to have a big family in the future? I used to, but I don’t think that’s the future I want anymore. One or two kids should be okay.

What was the last thing you did that gave you a rush? Technically speaking, an orgasm, I guess?? Lmao idk

Favorite Nicholas Cage movie? I don’t think I have one.

Have you had your Covid vaccine yet? Which one, if you have? Yeah, I’m fully dosed. Sinovac.

If you've had your vaccine, did you experience any side effects? I was suuuuuuper tired right after my first dose and I wanted to be knocked the fuck out, but I went right back to work after the shot because I am allergic to filing leaves hahaha. Second dose went smoothly.

What's the next item of clothing that you intend to buy for yourself? A bucket hat or maybe one of the Fila x BTS shirts because the collection is actually quite cute!

What Facebook groups have you found the most helpful? I join Facebook groups to be entertained, not because I actively look for advice.

Do you like your butt? Why or why not? Yeah. It...has a good form hahahahahaha.

Have you ever personally been a victim of homophobia? Yes, a few years ago I went to a food park with my ex-girlfriend. I was already not feeling my best that day to begin with, so having to see an old woman stare daggers at us for what felt like years really stung. I felt small under her look and almost cried, but in the end I felt angry that I momentarily felt shame about my relationship. I decided to just piss the woman off on purpose and do PDA right in front of her.

Do you think you’d be happier if you had a pet? I have two dogs at present and I know they make me extremely happy.

Who was the last person you went on a date with? Gabie.

Were you ever hospitalized as a little kid? No. The first and only time I was hospitalized (other than being birthed), I was about 12, I think.

What’s your favorite way to curl your hair? I don’t do that. I rarely style my hair.

At what age did you start swearing? I was 11.

What is something you physically can’t do? Ride a bike.

What do like better, apples or oranges? I don’t like any fruits; but in terms of flavored stuff, I like orange-flavored food, especially chewy candy, slightly more.

Around the holidays, do you hope for snow? Well, no.

What are your top two favorite bands? Paramore and Against Me!

How many people do you 100% trust? There are a handful. I generally trust easily just because I like to believe all people are kind and loyal – but I can also take it away in the snap of a finger.

Do you care what others think about you? Not so much.

Has anyone ever called you a bitch? Sure.

Did you watch Teletubbies when you were younger? Yeah but just super super faint memories. It wasn’t one of my main shows.

Do you have any licenses other than your driver's license? I don’t.

Could you live the rest of your life without eating meat? I doubt it. I could try, but I think I’d get cranky and start looking for meat way earlier than I would like to admit.

Have you ever had a rolling backpack? Yup, if you mean a stroller. I think I’ve answered this on a previous survey.

Did you make any money today? No, because it’s a weekend. What was the highest place you've ever jumped from? Nothing dramatically high. I’ve had acrophobia-themed nightmares in the past, so even though I don’t actually have a fear of heights, the idea of jumping from a high place still makes me antsy.

Have you ever gone swimming in a river? Not that I can recall.

What was the last souvenir someone got you? I dunno if it counts but Andi bought merch from the AEW shop but made sure to also get a CM Punk sticker set for me :(

Do you have a favorite remix of a song? Remixes have never been my thing. What do you think is the most saddest sounding instrument? Piano.

Do you really pay attention to the ratings on movies? Yeah they can definitely affect the level of appreciation I hold towards a film. For instance, if I genuinely enjoyed a movie only to find out it has average to bad reviews, it invites me to think more critically about the movie.

Do you have a favorite species of wild cat (tiger/lion/cougar/etc.)? No.

If you had $500,000, what would you do with it? Give half to my parents and let them do whatever they wish it. With the remaining P12,500,000, I’d probably get myself my own condo and have it fully furnished, then get braces, then get a new phone and laptop. I’ll have a bunch of money still left, I’m pretty sure – the rest of it I’ll save.

Did the last person you touched lips with have a kid? No. I mean, I have honestly no clue what’s going on in her life now, but I know she doesn’t want kids so this is very unlikely.

"First loves are never really over." Is this true for you? It’s true in a sense that she left me a lot of trauma and self-esteem issues that will irrevocably always be a part of me now even though I’ve worked hard to resolved most of them by myself.

Did you like Michael Jackson before he died? Yes, because he has always been my favorite singer’s role model.

What are some things that would make you break up with someone? I don’t know how to answer this question, honestly. All the red flags were thrown and tossed and slapped into my face and down my throat for six years yet I never left. I don’t actually know what my limits are, and I believe it’s because my coping mechanism has to just accept things and suck them up no matter how bad they get. That’s what I’m trying to change for myself now.

What was the worst breakup you've ever had? I’ve had two breakups with the same person, and the second one was worse.

#survey #surveys

4 notes · View notes

athenril-of-kirkwall · 3 years

Note

"OC telling LI about their past" with a pairing of your choice for DWC? :D

Here you go, enjoy! Hopefully!

Solavellan, “Reminisces and Fables” (AO3)

Rivka stood over the map in the meeting room, with all its little counters and symbols, in particular the two which were lain over Redcliffe Castle, and the other on Therinfal Redoubt. As she looked from one to the other, deciding which course of action to take as concerned closing the Breach, she felt her fingertips stroke the long scar running down her temple, ending shortly above her right eyebrow.

So deeply engrossed in thought was she that she hadn’t heard Solas walk in, only noticing his presence when he spoke.

“Forgive me for interrupting,” he said, “But you appear as though you might need some advice, or simply to talk about your impending decision.”

“Solas,” she said warmly, looking up to greet him, “I suppose I do. Incidentally, just how long have you been standing there, watching me stare at tokens?”

“Not very,” he answered, “Merely long enough to note your tic.”

“My tic?”, Rivka asked.

“Merely that whenever you are deep in thought, you touch your right temple, and when the problem is of a specific nature, you run your finger along it,” he explained.

Rivka crossed her arms, asking, “Interesting. How often do you look at my right temple and my fingertips, Solas?”

Some colour rising in his cheeks, he defended himself, saying, “Only…often enough to notice that it is a habit of yours. May I venture a guess, seeing as that is hardly a fresh one ascribable to your encounter with the Breach, or our exploits since then?”

“You hardly need to, Solas,” Rivka said. “I must’ve forgotten who I told it to before, but I simply fell on a riverbank whilst gathering herbs one day—”

Solas shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. “A just-so story, and one that pins no responsibility onto anybody except your own childish clumsiness. If you’d allow me to give my opinion…”

Her eyes flashing with anger, Rivka turned to fully face Solas and closed the distance with him, spitting, “I beg your pardon?”

“Its origin is one of your most formative memories, Rivka,” he explained, “Which guides your thoughts so strongly that I could not help but catch glimpses in your restless sleep those few days after your recovery from the initial attempt to close the Breach.”

“You dare—”

“I did not wish to pry, but I could not simply stand here and accept the sanitised version of your story,” Solas said, standing firm. “I can guess from how you touch your temple whenever Ser Rutherford enters your vision or when you consider even the possibility of going to Therinfal Redoubt, or you might wish to save some time by clarifying its meaning.”

Her heart still thundering with rage, Rivka collected herself with several deep breaths, before saying, “Fine. It seems to me that keeping secrets from you is a pointless exercise. Just know that this anecdote has never travelled beyond my clan before.”

“I understand, and I apologise for asking you this so forcefully. I merely thought that vocalising your thoughts might help you resolve your current dilemma.”

Sighing, Rivka sat back on the table. “I don’t know, maybe you’re right. Where to begin…? Well, I think I’ve mentioned before how as a First-in-training I was basically tending to the children, right?”

“Yes, hence your skill at telling the old fables.”

“Yeah, that,” Rivka said. “Once, about five years ago, I was trying to keep them occupied whilst the clan was out hunting when Templars from a nearby city came on a raid, hunting apostates or maleficars or whatever the shems call mages they don’t like. I told the children to run for the hills whilst I occupied one of them. He didn’t like that at all, and tried to kill me, spitting every curse he knew as he tried to carve me in two.”

Solas cast his eyes to the ground, saying, “Forgive me. I sensed the fear and pain in your memories of that scar, but hardly knew…”

Rivka shook her head. “It’s alright. It was a long time ago, and I suppose I’m glad I can finally tell someone here about it before getting corrected on how they must have been exceptions, or particularly ignorant, or whatever. I was still very raw as a mage back then, and could only put up a barrier a couple of times before he got in range, and we tumbled over the edge of a riverbank—that much is true about the version I tell people—and that’s when I struck my head against a rock.”

“I’m so sorry,” Solas muttered.

“It’s not as though you were him, Solas,” she said, continuing, “When I came to, I was being forced underwater, with my face up, thankfully. He was trying to drown me, probably while he was searching for his sword to finish the deed, but that didn’t last long at all—thank the Creators. The hunters from my clan had returned, and one of them got an arrow through his neck, and another one killed him. As that Templar fell down and I got my breath back, his helmet came off and I saw his face.”

“Oh?”, he asked, wondering what that detail’s significance was.

Rivka choked, holding back tears, before finishing, “He couldn’t have been a few years older than I was. He was barely a man, and whatever Circle he reported to had turned him into a zealous mage-killer—I don’t think they taught him the epithets, but at least most of the people spewing them aren’t killers. I want to tell that story to everyone I meet who thinks that the Templars can go back to doing good. It’s not even as though I harbour any resentment for Cullen in particular, I just hear it the most from him.”

Sighing empathetically, Solas stepped closer to her, saying, “You can imagine with the life I’ve eked out for myself that close encounters with Templars are no stranger to me either, although my experiences are perhaps not as vivid or perilous as yours.”

Looking up at him as she wiped her eyes dry, Rivka said, “Thank you. You were right, Solas. It did feel good to get that off my chest.”

“And you are truly remarkable,” he said in return.

“What do you mean?”

Stroking the underside of his lip, he said, “The man was trying to murder you, and to this day you still feel sorry for his life…and his death. That takes a compassion scarce few people in this world have.”

“I think you give me too much credit,” she said. “It just seemed like such a waste. In another world he could have been here, at Haven…or maybe one of the hundreds we’ve killed in the Hinterlands…or in Therinfal right now. I don’t want to imagine, sometimes.”

“At any rate, this goes a long way in explaining your reluctance,” Solas said.

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Rivka said, “Am I allowing my own personal experience to colour my judgement like this? Maybe Cullen’s got a point, but maybe he doesn’t.”

Thinking hard, Solas said, “Perhaps I might be able to help you there a little, with a story of my own.”

Perking up, Rivka asked, “Oh? What would that be?”

“Well, a parable told of Fen’Harel at any rate,” he said, smirking, “Who seems to be fast becoming your favourite stock villain.”

“I didn’t know you paid those fables much heed,” Rivka said, her curiosity piqued.

“They serve their purpose,” Solas said, “As do all stories, in their own way. Forgive me if my retelling isn’t quite as entertaining as yours are.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage,” she said with a smile.

“Very well,” he began,

“The Dread Wolf had been feasting well upon a flock of august rams, but to his regret, he swallowed one’s remains rather too quickly and a small bone became caught in his throat. He was in pain and discomfort, being unable to eat or drink, and went from animal to animal to help his suffering, but they simply laughed and left him to his plight.

“Finally there was a heron by a riverbank, who asked him to promise her a reward should she help him, and he readily agreed, his pain being so onerous that he would do anything to alleviate it. She used her long beak and reached down his throat to fish the offending bone out, and having completed her task, turned to Fen’Harel and asked for her reward.

“Fen’Harel said to her, grinning with his teeth bared from ear to ear, ‘Your reward? Is it not enough reward that you have had your head between the jaws of the Dread Wolf and lived to tell the tale?’”

Rivka’s brows pinched towards each other, as she said, “I think I’ve heard that one before. Is it not the moral of the story that the heron’s being greedy for what should ultimately be an act of charity?”

Solas clasped his hands, leaning by his side on the table. “That certainly is a valid interpretation. But consider this other one: The powerful have no reason to reward the weak for their help with such inconveniences, terrible as they may be, once it is lifted and their power is restored.”

Casting her gaze at the marker which lay atop the Templar stronghold on the map, she asked, “Are you likening the Templars to the Dread Wolf then?”

“Hardly,” Solas said casually. “Merely that there is no guarantee that there will not be another Templar like your assailant, nor an elf like you at his mercy, ten or even twenty years down the road, regardless of what course of action you choose.”

“Is your opinion of them that low?”, she asked.

“Low?”, he retorted. “I think that’s positively optimistic. It appears, however, that by dint of your mark that the decision falls to you and who can help seal the Breach more effectively…well, I must have taken up far too much of your time by now.”

“Not at all,” she said, returning to his gaze. “Thank you, Solas. For hearing me out, and for your advice. I think I know what to do.”

“I’m very happy to hear that,” he said, departing the chantry.

Rivka turned back to the table, sweeping some of the tokens off it and peering at the one marking Redcliffe Castle with a new determination, making her decision.

@dadrunkwriting

#rivka lavellan #solas #f!lavellan/Solas #solavellan #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #aether effect #ao3 #prompt fic #fanfic #athenril-of-kirkwall #tevivinter #dadrunkwriting #da drunk writing circle

12 notes · View notes

struwwelzeter · 4 years

Text

Part 15/15

Malchow: Have you made your peace with him?

Lindemann: I visited him. He was on morphium all the time, and you start to unfurl some things. I had a new girlfriend at the time, who I dragged by the hospital. And the way it goes, then he could be at home once again. You come out of the hospital, you’ve had surgery, had radio therapy, you feel great again and you think it goes uphill again, back and forth. That goes on for about one, two months and then within two or three weeks it’s all over. It was like that for him too. But the visits in Flensburg at the hospital, that was a good, peaceful and quiet time. We even laughed a lot. Then he came home. He started working again. I wanted to go to Venezuela to surf over Christmas with Nele, my friend Matti and another friend and asked him if that was ok. I feel great, he said. So we flew down there between christmas and new years, layover in New York, and then onwards down to Venezuela. There was a bit of a revolution going on down there, a little civil war, fantastic. [I can genuinely not tell if he is being sarcastic. I think he isn’t, the way it’s phrased implies he relishes in the chaos which ... I love him, but Till? Can someone please research what was going on in Venezuela in the early 90s?] Three weeks later the vacation was supposed to be over already, so we just extended it by another three weeks. On we went to Brasil. To keep my job at the time at the «Gallery at Lake Schwerin», I got a doctors note in Venezuela for 20 dollars. After we came back I even had to go to a puplic health official doctor, because they didn’t believe the illness and Imade up just dreadful lies there. Nele was three weeks late for school, it was a huge drama. In the evening we sat at our favourite pub, the «Chagall» at Schönehauser Tor. Paul’s, our guitarist later with Rammstein, girlfriend at the time, worked there. She said immediately: «Your sister called, your father is dying, they have been looking for you since 2 weeks. You have to go right now.» I left with Nele right away and two days later he died. He really waited for us. Less so for me, but he wanted to see his grandchild one more time. My mother was there too when he fell asleep.

Malchow: Were your parents still together at that point?

Lindemann: Yes, they couldn’t do without each other, even though they drifted apart. The stark thing is, my mother never had a man again. She can’t let him go until today.

Malchow: So back to the book, to his language, which deeply impressed me. I think there are a fee similarities too. He has a unique, expressionist style in this, for exemple when he describes nature, about weather, the animals he observes, the landscape.

Lindemann: Like me, he started with writing poetry and that was were his strength was. For him, like for me, it’s alot more difficult to tell a story, to write narrative literature. I admire those who can do that. I think that is the most difficult. If you have that foundation of poetry like him, that rhythm, if you think in comparisons and images and then start to marrate, you can feel it. The poetic remains. That’s why it gets a little «flowery» in the text sometimes. It has it’s very own unique style. Remarkable!

The End

———-

If you feel like it ends sudden - it does. I kinda felt that too.

This was bittersweet but was very rewarding too, and I’ll miss it. If anyone ever has any Rammstein related (or just interesting stuff in general) content that they need translated, please forward it to me :)

#werner lindemann #till lindemann #mike oldfield im schaukelstuhl

70 notes · View notes

prettywordsyouleft · 4 years

Text

The Price of Freedom

Prompt: #189 for @just-existing1 – “You’re gone… I watch you disappear…”

just-existing1 said:

Can you do prompt 189 with Taekwoon?

Pairing: Jung Taekwoon x reader

World: Contract (read HERE)

Genre: demon au / angst / fluff

Warnings: none, aside from the supernatural nature of the story

Word count: 1706

A/N: This story is part of a previous world created. Whilst you could read it without the previous context, I highly recommend that you read Contract, linked above first.

A cold dread overwhelmed you and you snapped up from your slumber, choking on your sobs that were already wracking through your body. Clawing the blankets towards yourself, you peered around your room for signs of distress, other than your own. Your belongings merely stared back at you and you began to wail uncontrollably with the pain that clutched at your heart.

It didn’t matter how many times you had this nightmare, it was raw and crippling every time.

Throwing back the blankets, you padded out into the living area of the penthouse, stopping in your tracks when you saw a figure over in the kitchen. Despite the small sense of logic, you squashed it down as you rushed over to his side, throwing your arms around him from behind. “Oh thank god, you’re-”

You realised then that your arms had come up empty and you dropped your head, the tears dripping to the tiles beneath your feet.

“That’s right, you’re not here anymore.”

It was the one sentence you had repeated to yourself the most since Taekwoon’s demise. The price you had to pay for his freedom. It was ironic, the whole reason he had worked endlessly towards breaking free from his contract was so he could be free to do as he pleased with you.

Neither of you had expected his freedom to come at the cost of losing his body in the process. Within your pain, you hoped the man you loved was at peace now; even if you were anything but free yourself.

The house you stood within had been your shared apartment, and then your lovers’ nest. Now it felt too large, the emptiness without Taekwoon overwhelming you day in and out. The grief was unbearable and you had hoped for the contract you had made with the demon all those years ago to break as well. Then, you’d be riddled with your sickness again and leave this world behind like Taekwoon had done with you.

Moreover, you wished you hadn’t figured out the way to break the curse upon him. If he wasn’t free, he would be at your side still and you would never let him go.

Instead, the reality was bleak. You were still as healthy as you had become after Taekwoon had saved your life, living day in and out in a world that had no place for you anymore. You were neither human nor demon, a hybrid with no place calling for you outside of these walls. No one cared for you anymore, a simple face in a sea of others whenever you went out for necessities.

There was a small part of you waiting for Taekwoon to return, however. Surely there was more to life than what you existed through right now. A reason you were still here, outside of the eternal longing you barely endured. Taekwoon had always been someone who wouldn’t give up, and the denial you held onto insisted that he would still be out there somewhere, fighting his way back to you. It would make no sense for him to just give up now.

And yet, you had seen it firsthand. You were right there when he started to disappear, your hands falling short just as they had now in the kitchen. How could anyone survive through that? It was impossible and yet, you were clutching at all options deep down.

You could say the sentence over and over to yourself but it did nothing to comfort you.

A year passed by in a blur. You had expected it to be longer, dragging your feet through each muddled and painful day. Although, life continued. You eventually left the penthouse for another of Taekwoon’s homes on Earthside, a small cottage in the middle of nowhere. You had always wondered why he had chosen to buy such a home, knowing the demon to spend more in a night than you had in a year. He lived for the finer things, you included, and the amount of dresses he had ripped from upon your body over the years would have easily been worth more than this place had been to buy.

He had never told you, of course. This place was one he would only return you when the most desperate, the times where not even your comforting words and gentle touches could ease his heart.

Moving here now felt the same for you. Without Taekwoon to calm you, working the land, tending to your animals and harvesting food for the local market kept you satisfied, busy. You had little time to dwell on the past with him. The gardens bloomed; the vegetables grew higher and larger than you had ever anticipated. Soon, you were talking to the milking goats as if they were your only friends you had remaining and sewing your own basic clothing that felt more flattering than any bejewelled gown of your past. You left Taekwoon’s fortunes behind, living for just what was in your means.

There was more fulfilment in your world working this hard. You had once believed being a lawyer would make you the happiest. And to some degree, Taekwoon had made you that at his side. You had negotiated more deals in this lifetime than you could begin to fathom with both humans and interesting creatures of the Underworld. You had talked your way out of death numerous times and convinced an entire vampire coven to change their outdated institution to one that matched a modern world. You had achieved a great deal at the side of your demon lover, and yet it wasn’t until you were sowing seeds for next year’s produce that you had come to realise it had no value. The time you were in now, creating something with your hard work, with the body that Taekwoon had healed from the brink of death, was the most valuable days of your life.

Still, the dreams followed you. Sitting up as the tears silently streamed down your face, you got up, walking outside into the cool night air. Staring up at the sky littered in a thousand stars, you willed yourself to calm down, to come back to reality.

Taekwoon wasn’t going to return now.

It took you some time, the colours of the sky beginning to brighten with the sign of a new morning on the horizon, before you could say you had stepped out of the nightmare and convinced yourself of your place in this world now. Turning, you went to go inside to prepare for the day when you saw him standing there, watching you intently.

Even if it was another hallucination, you smiled, soaking in his intense blue eyes, those that had guided you from the very start. They were your favourite thing in this entire world, and you allowed yourself the moment to admire them before the illusion disappeared, much like it always did.

“Do you plan to just stand there staring?” he wondered, and you frowned, blinking softly.

“This is new,” you murmured as you walked towards the conjured Taekwoon before you. He watched your movement precisely, his eyes travelling your body and arriving back on your face when you were in arm’s reach.

“Of all the places for you to come to. What have you done to my homestead?”

Still a little confused, you glanced around yourself. “This is my home. Doesn’t it look alive?”

“Do I look alive?” he asked softly and you shook your head. “Really? Why don’t you reach out and see for yourself.”

“You’re gone… I watched you disappear,” you told Taekwoon sadly, sidestepping around him and going into the house. Under your breath, you told yourself this wasn’t real repetitively, jumping when the door opened and closed a second time. Snapping around, your eyes widened. “What on…”

“You gave up on my return? Fickle human.”

“E-Excuse me?!” you exclaimed, uncaring due to your shock, whether you were talking to a man who was or wasn’t truly before you. “I waited for you each and every day! I still am waiting! Why do you think I’m here! This house… this house is a part of you!”

Pursing his lips in a way that made your heart ache and flutter simultaneously, Taekwoon stepped towards you. “And are you still a part of me?”

“Who else would take in someone under your contract?”

“I’m amazed Hakyeon didn’t ship you off to help with the elves Hongbin and Wonshik.”

Peering more closely at the man before you, slowly you reached out your hand, Taekwoon catching it midway. His touch was electric, much as it always had been and you felt your legs give way, right as Taekwoon pulled you into his arms.

You sobbed for what felt like an entire day. Nestled into his chest, his hand gently rubbing circles at your back, his words changing from comforting to irksome. This was the man you had fallen in love with, the demon who you sold your soul to.

Somehow he was back and you couldn’t stop the tears of relief that fell from your year-long heartache.

“Just know it was just as painful to be away from you, my love.”

“Why did it take so long?” you managed to ask when your emotions dried up, searching his face for all the answers to all of your questions. Taekwoon smiled softly, brushing your hair away from your face. You then huffed in annoyance. “Troublesome demon.”

“The most wicked of them all to have caused so much heartache to you.”

“Are you truly here? For good?”

“Well, the flowers need pruning and the cows need fodder, do they not? You can’t be expected to do it all. Besides, there’s a soul to collect at the end of all of this.”

“You breached our contract,” you retorted, Taekwoon laughing at your statement heartily. “Also, didn’t you collect this soul in an entirely different way?”

“Who said it was your soul that was up for grabs? It’s only fair if I’m to take yours then you must have mine when that time comes.”

“So you’ll be here forever?”

“Freedom comes with a heavy price to pay. Now that our debts are finally clear, we will have more than forever together.”

_________________

[Drabble Game Masterlist] | [VIXX Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

75 notes · View notes

enbeast · 4 years

Conversation

hey yall I noticed that there don't appear to be any transcripts for A Study In Ichor, so I figured I'd type some up, please note I am literally just going off the audio and I might get some stuff wrong.

mission 1

:readmore:

CLIP ONE

Workhouse Owner (WO): RUN FASTER, WORKER FIVE, THAT TREADMILL WON'T TURN ITSELF. As you can see, Master Yao, our workhouse not only provides food and shelter for three hundred inmates but makes a healthy profit too. For example, Worker Five has been running on one of Cubbad's “treadmills” for a mere twelve hours today and has already milled five hundred pounds of flour. Got the odd nail in it but it's good enough for the Rutherhive slums [laughs]

Sam Yao (SY): Twelve hours? Without a break?

WO: The alternative of life on the streets is an excellent motivator. And with your investment we will be able to build even more machinery, maybe even increase rations to three bowls of gruel a day.

SY: I want to use my inheritance for good, and if I'm honest, I have some concerns about your worker's wellbeing.

WO: Oooh I seee~ Yes, I suppose it is rather fashionable nowadays to worry about unfortunates, but I assure you Master Yao, once you've had to make your way in the world, like myself or your uncle, a fine man, you'll learn that revenue is the important thing, not how it's made.

(note, as Sam talks there approaching footsteps)

SY: Surely, there's a way to- OW!

WO: YOU THERE, IN THE CAP, watch where you're going, you just ran into a potential investor. Where's your worker number?

Pick pocket (PP): (in a stilted cockney accent) Sorry, Guv'ner.

SY: No, no, it's fine, I was in the way.

WO: It is not fine. Young lady, break time isn't for another three hours. Get back to work. (retreating footsteps from PP) I'm dreadfully sorry, Master Yao, this workhouse is full of ingrates.

SY: My watch! It's gone, the chain's been snapped...

WO: That worker stole it, she's a pickpocket! Worker Five get off that treadmill and chase after her DON'T COME BACK WITHOUT THAT WATCH!

SY: Uh, I'll come with you, Worker Five, I don't want to make a fuss, but that watch is important to me. Come on, let's run.

CLIP TWO:

SY: Hey, mind your step, Worker Five, I've heard about this, rows of people crushing animal bones to make fertiliser. Ugh, the smell is awful. Pickpocket just ran out into the street, we've got to follow her! Five, I hope you don't mind if I call you Five, through that door! (sound of door opening) There! I see her, she's heading towards the Temm's tunnel, it goes under the river from here to Whopee, an engineering marvel- a-apparently, my uncle's an engineer, he's building an underground railway. I try to keep up with the industry but... It doesn't come naturally... I mean, I-I know the tunnel was built using Bruno Cockren's tunnelling shield but I still barely understand what that even is, I don't ac-ARGH! Oh! (gasping) Five! If you hadn't pulled me aside that horse and cart would have run me over! Ugh, I-I'm sorry, I should have been paying attention, but well I-I don't often get to talk to anyone who isn't my uncle, or someone who's interested in my inheritance... Not that I need all that money, of course. I just want to be sure it's going to help people, it's what my parents would have wanted. That's why the watch is so important to me, it was the last thing they ever gave me before they died. Reminds me of what's important. If, if it was any other watch, I'd... just have let that pickpocket keep it, I'm sure she needs it more than I do... Ah, she's just hopped the barrier at the Temm's tunnel, it's in that round red brick building the entrance shaft is underneath, come on, Five, let's experience this engineering marvel first-hand, quickly, before we lose her!

CLIP THREE

SY: Ah, this tunnel is incredible, can you believe we're RUNNING under the Temms, makes me feel a bit funny... Mind you, we're here now that it's safe, uh, some of the people that built it died in the flood... Oh! Maybe I should spend my inheritance on something that'll make projects like this safer for workers, what do you reckon Five? Oh, Oh no... The pickpocket's already climbing the stairs! Ah- she's getting away! (panting) Whopping's all alleys, if she slips down a back street, we'll never find her! Up the stairs! Run!

CLIP FOUR

SY: (panting) And we're out of the tunnel, the pickpocket just ducked down that alley, after her. (Running sounds) Uh, we've got you cornered, now please. Give me my watch back.

Amelia Spens, formerly known as the Pickpocket (AS): Oh, I don't think so. Lads! (sounds of several sets of footsteps closing in) You're surrounded.

SY: Five, it's a gang of pickpockets.

AS: I'd have been happy with just the watch, but since you followed me, allow me to introduce the Abel Street Gang, they're all over the rooftops and they've all got knives.

SY: Please, don't hurt us, Five here has nothing to do with this!

AS: There'll be no need for bloodshed as long as you both give me all the money you're carrying.

SY: Five doesn't have anything, but, uh, (mumbling, followed by the sound of a heavy bag of coins hitting the ground) That's all of mine.

AS: W-he-hell, aren't we the wealthy one.

SY: I-I've got more! Lots more! And I'll give it to you, I promise, just please return the watch. It's my most treasured possession.

AS: I see! Not an especially experienced negotiator, are you. Hmm, let's take a look at this watch, see what's so special about it. Hmm, pearl face, silver plating, and... an engraving...

SY: It's uh... it's Chinese, those are my parent's names, and that's mine. Sam Yao.

AS: Y-you're not even going to try and make up an identity? What- (laughing) You're lucky I'm just a pickpocket and not someone REALLY nefarious, I- Helloo, what's this? (music starts playing)

SY: There's a tiny music box behind the face, that melody was special to them.

AS: Ooh, a bit twee if you ask me.

SY: So you'll give it back?

AS: I might have sold it back to you for a few sovereigns before you told me who you were, but as my luck would have it there just happens to be something that only you can do for me, Sam Yao. Your uncle's digging a railway underneath London, isn't he?

SY: H-how did you know that?

AS: I read the Society Pages, in my line of work one needs to know who's on course to inherit what fortune, and which Saloons they're likely to fall out of after one too many brandies.

SY: My fortunes from my parents, not my uncle.

AS: Yes, but you're his ward, or at least you were until you came of age recently, correct?

SY: Yes.

AS: There's something I want to show you. Follow me and keep up the pace. There are far more unsavoury types than me in Whopping and they'll take more than your watch. Run!

CLIP FIVE

SY: What's your name?

AS: I'm not telling you my real one, but you can call me Amelia.

SY: Uh, if you don't mind me saying, Amelia, you're quite well spoken for a pickpocket.

AS: Well, even an educated woman is not replete with options in this day and age. We might have a woman on the throne but I had to choose between penury, marriage to a seventy year old rector, or this.

SY: Well, it's not easy for me either, I'm lucky I have money because, well, being Chinese, people have misconceptions.

AS: Yes, you really should choose your friends wisely. Down this side street.

SY: Ugh, Mm. What IS that smell?

AS: Cover your mouths with your handkerchiefs, both of you.

SY: It's alright, Five, you can use mine.

AS: The smell is coming from that huge pipe, you see the emblem embossed on it?

SY: Ah! It's from my uncle's engineering company!

AS: That's right. The pipe is a ventilation shaft from his railway tunnel, now let's get away from it so we can breathe.

SY: (Gasping) Whoah, Oh that's better. What is going on down there?

AS: That's what I want you to find out.

WO (distant): MASTER YAO! WORKER FIVE!

SY: Ugh, it's the workhouse owner.

WO: (approaching footsteps) (panting) Master Yao, I followed you all the way from Rutherhive, one of my workers told me this woman is actually part of the Abel Street Gang! She only came to the workhouse to target you.

AS: This worker, was he a handsome fellow? Smarmy grin?

WO: That's right!

AS: Brent. (Sigh) That'll teach me to use former paramours as spies. Fine. (gun clicking) Hands up!

SY: Amelia! Don't shoot him!

AS: I'm not not aiming it at him, Sam, I'm aiming it at you.

WO: Steady on!

AS: Mr Workhouse Owner, unless you want future investors to know you got this one killed, I'd advise you to stop following us. Sam, Five, come with me or I'll shoot you both. Run!

CLIP SIX

AS: We lost the Workhouse owner, time to put this away (clicking sound)

SY: We would have come with you, Amelia, there was no need for the gun!

AS: Don't tell me how to take a hostage. Now listen carefully, for reasons that elude me, not everyone who falls on hard times opts for criminality, some people would honestly rather perform manual labour, and your uncle happens to be a proliferate employer of such eccentrics. I wouldn't care, except that many of his employees have family in the Abel Street Gang.

SY: I can ask my uncle to pay them more. But... He doesn't really listen to me. I'm Rather naive, apparently.

AS: Well, fortunately I have no need of your dreadful negotiating skills, I need you to solve an even stickier problem. Several of your uncle's workers have gone missing. Even though I've repeatedly explained to my gang that it's a waste of time caring about anything besides one's self, they're refusing to work until they learn what's happened to their loved ones. It's hurting my bottom line.

SY: That's awful... For the workers.

AS: Ahh, they're probably dead. If WE can barely breathe the noxious fumes near the ventilation shafts, what do you think it's like underground?

SY: I can't imagine! Those poor people... I'll stop what's happening, I promise, even if I have to spend every last penny of my inheritance.

AS: Do that and I'll give you your watch back.

SY: It's a deal.

AS: Mm, my favourite words. Righto, well, if that's settled then I'm off. There's a debutante ball this evening and I need to be in good time if I'm going to harvest some pearls. (retreating footsteps)

SY: There she goes. Look, Five, ah, I feel a bit awkward asking you this, but, would you maybe consider working with me? You were quick out there, really impressive, I've just moved into a house by myself and I could do with a hand. I promise it'll be a lot easier than the workhouse. I know it's been a funny old day, but for me it's actually been nice having someone to talk to. Talk at. Sorry, I know I go on a bit. But if you want to let's shake on it. You did save my life. Great! Now, I'm starving, how about some steak and oyster pie? Maybe we'll come up with some ideas about what happened to those missing workers over dinner., then tomorrow, we'll visit my uncle. Lord Earnest Van Ark.

#A study in ichor #ASII #zr #s2s #master yao #sam yao #worker five #amelia spens #transcript #ASII M1

16 notes · View notes

carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich · 4 years

Note

These Fanfics of Shin and Carla of nice and all...but we want the story on how Carla Tsukinami stoke your ham sandwich! The greedy bast*rd he is...

Anon, this is one of my favourite asks ever and I love you. Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to shamelessly insert myself into the world of DL I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it :)

I wrote myself as a nameless herione (because I don’t think most of you know my name) which also means you can treat it as a reader insert if you want to, but bare in mind this is based on how I would react in this situation and there are some details that are a bit specific to me.

“Hm, I wonder if I’m allowed up here?” The girl glanced back at the door to the rooftop of Ryoutei Academy, trying to spot any sort of kanji that could translate to “Keep Out” but found none. Shrugging to herself she concluded that if anyone caught her up here when she wasn’t supposed to be, then she would have to play the confused foreign student card and hope for the best.

A mild scolding seemed better than going back to the cafeteria anyway.

She looked down at the slightly sorry looking lunchbox in her hands and loosed a sigh. It was only her second day at her new school and already she felt herself desperately missing her friends and the familiarity of her old school.

The other students had all been pleasant enough- aside from the boy with glasses in her class, who she’d caught eyeing the hemline of her skirt with obvious disapproval, as though it was somehow her fault that whoever made the school uniform had not done so with five foot nine female transfer students in mind- but the thought of trying to navigate getting food when almost all of the signs were in kanji she didn’t recognize made her gut roll with anxiety.

Besides at least the rooftop was pretty, with troughs of well kept roses lining the space and a perfect view of Kaminashi town, just beyond the iron railing, the lights from the small shopping district a warm glow against the midnight blue sky.

The girl walked over to the edge of the rooftop, intent on giving herself a moment to admire the townscape when a nearby rose caught her eye. It’s petals were such a dark red, they looked almost black in the modest illumination provided by the few lights lining the roof. She crouched down on the balls of her feet and set her lunchbox carefully to the side. Something about the scene, the dark flower with the night sky behind it, made her fingers itch with the urge to sketch it.

“I don’t think I could do the dark colors justice with my watercolors and I can’t do realism with markers so maybe colored pencils would be best?” She muttered to herself she tried to find the perfect angle for some reference photos she could use later, while reaching into her pocket for her phone. “Acrylics could work I guess but I don’t have any canvas here and I-”

“What are you doing?” A low voice came from right beside her ear. The girl let out a high-pitched shriek and jolted in surprise, barely catching her balance in time.

She loosed a breath before turning her head in the direction of whoever had spoken, but before she could, they spoke again.

“Hahh, that’s no good… Hmph!” A rough shove sent her sprawling into the roses. Thorns scratched at her skin and she cursed as her hands plunged in the damp mulch, just barely stopping her from face-planting into the dirt. The rest of her however, was not so lucky, and she knew from the way her torso had landed in the soil that her skirt’s hemline had just become the least of her worries as far as her uniform was concerned.

A cruel laugh came from behind her and she turned to look up, filled with some mixture of anger and embarrassment.

But whatever had been brewing petered out the moment she laid eyes on the culprit. He was quite possibly the most beautiful boy she’d ever seen; short choppy, strawberry blonde hair framed pale face with an eye the most incredible shade of gold.

He was utterly stunning.

The effect was promptly ruined however, when he opened his mouth, face twisting into a sneer.

“Haha, how pathetic, crawling around in the dirt.” He continued to chuckle as she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, wincing slightly at the way they stung where they’d scraped against the ground.

“Heehhh, aren’t you going to say something?” The boy asked, the humor in his expression dying down as he regarded her as one might a spot of mould on a piece of bread. “Or is it that you’re so stupid, you can’t understand what I’m saying?”

The girl froze slightly, unsure how to navigate whatever was going on. Was this guy a bully? Her strategy for dealing with bullies until now had generally been to avoid them or ignore them, neither of which seemed like a good idea here.

“Oiii Miss idiot, are you going to keep ignoring me until I do something like this?” Before she could react the boy placed a heavy black boot on her hand and started to put his weight onto it.

Shit.

“What do you want from me?” She blurted out, praying silently that she hadn’t messed up the Japanese grammar, which really shouldn’t have been a concern given this encounter could feasibly end with a broken hand.

The pressure stopped briefly and she took the chance to tug her hand out from her under his shoe and get to her feet. The girl was a little surprised to find that the boy was no taller than she was, although his general aura of menace certainly made him intimidating enough without needing any extra height.

“Ah, so you can talk. As for what I want… why don’t we start with an apology for shrieking in my ear earlier? It hurt you know?” He made a show of obnoxiously cleaning out his ear with his finger and the girl found herself completely lost for words. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, there were a lot of words swirling in her brain, all of them English and not to be used amongst polite company.

Biting back the urge to tell him to fuck off, she reminded herself that she was currently alone with this guy on a rooftop and angering him further probably would not end well. “I apologize for shouting in your ear, you surprised me. I’ll be going now.” Lunch forgotten, she went to make a hasty retreat to the rooftop door but was stopped short when the male put himself directly into her path.

“Not so fast, you haven’t answered my question yet. What were you doing up here, sticking your head into the roses like some kind of animal?” The girl tried to keep her breathing even, as she felt panic rise in her veins.

“I wanted to take pictures as drawing references, I didn’t realize that-” an arsehole like you would show up “-someone else was already here, forgive me, I’ll be on my way.” She went to take a step around him, when the boy took a step towards her, forcing her to take one back. Soon her back was pressed up against the railing and she internally cursed.

“You just wanted to draw some pictures of the flowers? Isn’t that a bit childish? Well, I guess you still wear kid’s underwear so I shouldn’t be surprised.” The girl spluttered and instinctively went to yank down her skirt, a slightly ridiculous action, considering he must have seen everything when he pushed her earlier.

“That-that doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she said, eyes on the ground as her face burned with shame. “Please, just let me leave.”

“You know, you still sound pretty demanding for someone who’s shaking and is covered in mud. Also,” he paused, sniffing the air briefly before glancing down at her knees, “ah I wondered where that awful scent was coming from, geez human blood really isn’t appealing at all.” The girl looked at her legs and caught sight of red liquid staining her knees, but that wasn’t what made her pause.

“Human blood? What are you-” A cold dread spread through her as she looked back up at the boy and the inhuman color of his iris. This had to be some sort of awful prank right?

“Oh, maybe I spoke too much, but that reaction isn’t bad, haha. Hey, what do you think I am?” He asked her, opening his mouth just wide enough to reveal a pair of gleaming white fangs.

“That’s… There’s no way… You can’t…” The girl struggled to process the image in front of her, trying to find some sensible sounding explanation. He had to be a nutjob with fake fangs right? A nutjob who liked to terrorize girls on rooftops and happened to go to a night school.

“Ah how boring. Shouldn’t most girls be crying with fear by now? I don’t want to but, would you react a bit more if I pierced you with these fangs?” He lowered his face and panic surged through her. Lunatic or something else, she had no intention of being bitten by him. The girl went to shove him away from her, but before she could blink he had her arms pinned above her head.

“It seems you still haven’t learned that I’m not the sort of person you should fight back against. Hey, how much would it take to make you cry?” His grip on her wrists tightened and she winced at the strength in his grip. “Your wrists are pretty thin, I’d barely have to use any of my strength to snap your bones.”

“Please stop!” She begged, as she silently prayed for someone, anyone to intervene.

“Oi Shin, what are you doing?” An incredibly deep voice came from the entrance to the rooftop and the girl said a silent word of thanks.

“Huh,” Shin looked over his shoulder, allowing the girl a glance at her savior. He was tall, with long white hair, that appeared dyed pink at the tips. A dark scarf covered the lower half of his face, while above it were a pair of piercing golden eyes.

A shudder ran down her spine as her gaze locked with his for a moment, suddenly feeling a lot less safe than she had just a moment ago.

“Ah brother, I was just having a bit of fun.” The girl wasn’t sure which part of this statement horrified her more. That her so called savoir was actually related to the demonic pile of steaming garbage in front of her or that this was Shin’s version of fun.

“That’s enough, we have matters to discuss.” The man walked over from the door to the roof, his footsteps stopping just behind Shin.

“Tch,” Shin let go of her arms, only to grip hold of her chin, moving his face uncomfortably close to hers. “Hey, if you tell anyone about what happened here, I’ll rip your tongue out, got it?” His fangs caught the light as he spoke, and the girl felt very close to tears as she muttered a soft yes.

Shin flashed her that nasty smile of his before letting go. “Well then, get out of here!”

Needing no further prompting, she hastily got away from him, pausing only to grab her school bag. As she did so, she caught sight of her lunchbox in the older boys hands and faltered.

“Go!” Shin yelled and the girl concluded that the ham sandwich and peanut butter flavored chocolate bar contained in the hundred yen tupperware were not worth her life as she borderline ran to the rooftop door, slamming it shut behind her.

***

Carla watched the girl flee from the rooftop with a dispassionate expression.

“What exactly did you do?” He asked, more concerned with trying to keep their low profile as they furthered their objective than anything else.

“Nothing much, I just toyed with her a bit. She’s only a human so it doesn’t really matter does it? More importantly, why did you keep hold of that?” Shin nodded towards the plastic container in Carla’s hands.

Carla said nothing as he opened up the box and pulled out a modest sandwich wrapped neatly in clingfilm. Removing some of the wrap, he sniffed it briefly before muttering.

“I thought so.”

Shin took a deep breath through his nose. “Ah, I see, a dry cured ham sandwich huh?”

“Normally I would never eat something prepared by human hands but to take away the taste of that polluted blood, it can’t be helped.” Carla lowered his scarf and took a bite of the sandwich, chewing a few times as he deemed it to be palatable before swallowing. “Oi Shin, take this.” He threw a plastic wrapped bar at his brother and Shin caught it without effort.

He turned it over in his hands before spotting the reason why his brother had given it to him. “Peanut butter huh? Well at least it seems that girl’s good for something.”

#own post #my writing #self-insert #I realise that the heroine/me is a bit lackster but that's because while I get embarrassed chronically easily #I don't get angry very easily at all and my normal strategy when faced with anything unpleasant is to try and leave by all means necessary #Also I genuinely do stop to take photos of flowers because I want to draw them #I love that upon being given a chance to insert myself into DL I just used it to have Shin bully me #I could have gone on longer with this but i think 2000 words of me is enough for anoyone #This is based on the idea of me being 18 (which I was when I started this blog although I was in Uni already)#and spending my final year of highschool at Ryoutei Academy

39 notes · View notes