Agatha All Along apparently has a Shave and a Haircut (TWO BITS) ending.

NO MATTER WHERE I GO, I GUESS I CAN'T ESCAPE THAT FUCKING SONG.

...no Toon can resist the old 'Shave and a Haircut' bit...?

These Heartbeats Clear (1): Rosie Rosenthal x OC

A/N: Rosie/OC… literally couldn’t resist. I was torn between this OC and a Red Cross OC from the flak house, but I think I wanted someone who would see him during all the hard parts, not just for a week when he’s Suffering. Spoilers for eps 5 and 6 of MoTA.

one - adjustment period.

Grace watches warily as the crew approaches on the jeep - she’s not sure what she expected… for them to be jubilant and laughing, looking refreshed and ready for action? Nervous, scared, resigned… some combination of the two?

Her eyes land on Rosie, as they’re prone to do. He seems calm. That’s not a surprise, but the glimpse of something — fear? hesitation? — in his eyes is.

Helen, standing on her left, shifts her weight, her posture the picture of worry and sadness.

“Try to pull yourself upright,” Grace says quietly.

"I'm trying--" Helen says, her voice dull. To her credit, she flashes a smile as the guys get closer, her frown softening.

"Ladies," Rosie says, fingers on the brim of his hat. "What's the welcome wagon for?"

"Coffee." Helen says, "Just brewed."

He smiles thankfully at her, but his eyes go back to Grace's. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, Lieutenant Fleming--"

"Bearer of semi-bad news, I'm afraid." Grace says, ignoring the way her heart picks up a little at his half smile. She rushes to finish before she can see his face transform - he can't afford any more bad news. "Doc wants to see everyone, just a quick chat. After that there's food in the mess."

He nods. "What's one more doctor?" He mutters. She suspects she wasn't supposed to hear that. Then, louder, "You heard her, gents. Doctor's orders."

They grumble a little, but head into the infirmary behind Grace and Helen, taking a cup of coffee each as they go. Helen follows behind, empty tray tucked under her arm. She looks back at Grace, but Rosie is lingering behind, twisting the brim of his cap in his hands, and Grace can't bring herself to leave him out here alone.

She waves Helen on, telling her she'll catch up in a minute.

“Captain?”

He starts, like he forgot she was there. He also looks like he’s forgotten about his promotion. And that’s the thing with flying — a promotion isn’t always wanted. Deserved, certainly. But it often comes at the expense of other pilots, and it’s always a tough pill to swallow. “How’s it been? How’s— everyone?” He asks her. His face is so earnest. It makes her throat tight.

“As well as we can be, Captain. Most of the replacements are here.” She hesitates before continuing. She’s been here right along, with the Red Cross girls and the doctor and the other nurses. But just because she’s been here as long as everyone else doesn’t mean she understands what the flight crews have gone through. “How was your week off?”

“Too long.” He says, no hesitation. His smile is small, wry, a barely-there upturn of his lips. “I wanted to get back.”

“And you’re alright?” The question comes out almost without her permission. They don’t even know each other that well - she’s patched up a few of his scrapes and bruises and they’ve made idle conversation as he checked on some of his crew that ended up in the infirmary, but this is bordering on too casual.

But she’d argued with him, the day before he went on leave. She’d been too casual then, too, and so had he, both of them lost in the emotions of the Munster mission.

It feels a little awkward now, but she does her best to press on.

She can’t help but worry about him. She admires him, at the heart of it. The way he kept his men together through it all, the way he always has a kind word and a joke for anyone who needs it.

She just hopes he’d say so if he’s the one who needs it, this time.

“I’m as good as I can be, Lieutenant.” He replies.

“Grace.” She reminds him softly. “It’s— you don’t have to call me Lieutenant.”

“Grace, then.” He echos. “I’m okay. Have to be. For them.”

“I hope—“ she pauses, looking down at her shoes. “Forgive me sir, but I hope you know that we’re all here for you. What you went through—“

“I know.” He interrupts her, not unkindly. “You think we haven’t seen the way you’ve been there for us? Even when you thought we didn’t notice?” He shakes his head. “You write our letters when our hands shake, and get us extra blankets, and tell us it’s going to be okay when it’s—“ He stops himself, shaking his head.

When his eyes meet hers, they’re so soft she can barely stand it. This is dangerous, what this conversation is turning into, but she’s also relieved to hear that what she’s been doing besides being a nurse and keeping them alive has made a difference.

“I appreciate it more than I can put into words, Grace.” His voice is rough.

There’s a long moment of prolonged eye contact. Her senses are screaming, danger, danger! But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t look away.

“You just keep yourself and those boys alive, Captain.” She says, her voice thick. “For the rest of us.”

He salutes, a jaunty thing that lightens the mood. “Yes ma’am.”

She laughs, and he grins at her in response. “Go on, you have to meet with the Doctor too. Just standard procedure.”

He hums. “Heard a lot of that the last week.” He takes a few steps away and then stops, “Grace?” His face is suddenly boyish, shy. “You’d better call me Rosie. Or at least by my first name.”

It feels right — she’s given up calling anyone else by their rank anymore. They’ve been through too much for that. The new guys will be an adjustment - she’s not sure she can manage getting attached to any of them. Because it’s inevitable, what happens after.

But the line has already been crossed with this man, looking at her in the fading sunlight.

“You got it, Rosie.”

His answering smile stays with her until the next day, long after the roar of B-17s fades into the distance.

ireland got knocked out of the rugby world cup, i am apoplectic with grief, i have channelled those big sads into a buddie rugby ficlet. yes buck plays for ireland and yes eddie is a irish coach no you don't need to know how they got there.

for my rugby girlies. i hate this sport and also i love it with every part of me. i also think this counts for seven sentence sunday so thank u for tagging me @fangkinkdiaz

The final whistle goes, and Buck knows it's over. He doesn’t need to look up at the scoreboard to know that they didn’t make it - the World Cup dream is over. 

Tears are dripping from the curve of his chin before he even realises he’s crying - but Buck isn’t surprised, really. He’s not sure he’s ever felt devastation quite like it - four points standing between them, and a World Cup semi final for the first time in history. 

Four points. 

This one was going to hurt for a long time yet, Buck knew.

Accepting the hand offered by a teammate, Buck allowed himself to be pulled up off the field where he’d been sitting, hot, frustrated tears streaming down his cheeks, only adding to the mess of blood, and dirt on his jersey. 

“I thought we had it,” Jack mumbled as he dragged Buck to his feet, his hand shaking in Buck’s grip. It was his first world cup, Jack one of the youngest of their squad. It was Buck’s second, but his first with a team he really thought could make it all the way: and the devastation was worse, when you went into a competition believing the win was yours. At least last time, he had been playing for fun.

Buck could only grimace in response. 

He thought they had it too. 

Four fucking points.

It’s a blur, as he walks around the field, shaking hands with players in black celebrating, exchanging tight hugs with his own teammates, his own devastation reflected in their expressions as they take a lap of the field, thousands of sad faces in bright green jerseys looking on as they clapped a congratulations Buck wasn’t sure they had quite earned this time. 

Buck watched, standing alone on the field as his teammates went to find their friends and family. He’d always been jealous of that. Maddie tried to come, when she could, but Buck played for a team thousands of miles away from her California home, and she had a kid now - it wasn’t as easy as it used to be for her to be in the stands. 

He was more jealous of the players who were seeking out their wives, and girlfriends, sympathetic faces pulling them in for hugs, and kisses, the kind of reassurance Buck himself was craving as the adrenaline started to leave his body, and the reality started to hit: the World Cup was over. Rugby was a funny career. Buck liked to think he’d still be fit, and playing, by the time the next World Cup came around, but he knew one bad hit was all it took to end a career.

It was what happened to Eddie, after all.

Buck had watched Eddie play on TV more times than he could count, had stared, astounded, as Eddie had played some of the best rugby Buck had ever seen. And then one day, it was over. 

It had been a warm-up test - not even a championship game. Buck had been watching it back home in California, and it was 3am, and his eyes had ached from the brightness of the TV as he’d watched Eddie line out, 10 emblazoned on his back and a familiar confident grin on his face. He had been the best in the world, and then one bad hit had broken his shoulder so badly, he’d never regained full fitness again.

Eddie had joined the coaching squad, after his career had been cut short, and Buck had sought out the familiarity of another American voice in the Irish camp the first day he had arrived, three long years finally making it so he qualified to play for the country he had adopted as his home after Munster had offered him a contract to play club rugby. It had been a rogue decision, from their coach - America wasn’t lauded for creating the most memorable rugby players - but they’d seen something in Buck. 

He was grateful for that. 

Something in Buck broke as he watched another teammate embrace his girlfriend, and he started to walk, his feet carrying him where his heart so desperately wanted to be.

Eddie was standing near the edge of the field, teeth worrying the corner of his lip as he watched the devastation unfold around him. One thing that people didn’t know about coaches, Buck felt at least, was that they felt the hurt as much as the players did: coaches just had the harder job of putting on a brave face sooner and making sure the squad got back on their feet. 

His lanyard was tucked under his arm, in that ridiculous way Eddie always wore his accreditation, and his hair was a mess: Buck knew if he watched back the match, every time the camera panned to the coaches, he’d see Eddie running his hands through his hair. 

“You fought like hell,” Eddie offered, and Buck knew he wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t the comfort he wanted, there and then. 

The thing was - somewhere along the way, Eddie had stopped being that familiar American face, and he’d started to be Buck’s best friend, and then he’d become the love of Buck’s life - in that order, with a few stops in between. They’d talked about it - all the ways going public would affect Buck’s career, how it might make him a target, if he was ready for the snide remarks that would come with being an out rugby player in the peak of his career - and they’d agreed to keep it a secret until Buck retired. 

But they’d just gotten knocked out of the World Cup, and Buck wanted to kiss his goddamn boyfriend.

“There’s no going back, if you do,” Eddie whispered, and that was when Buck realised he’d said it out loud. Eddie had come out after his career had been cut short, never one to dream of being an advocate but suited to the role, all the same, rainbow laces in trainers and a pride flag pinned to his jacket a constant reminder to the world that he was here, and he was queer. 

“I don’t want to go back,” Buck shook his head. They had lost the World Cup - he would be a different rugby player for it, now. He was ready to be a different man, too. 

“Are you sure?” Eddie inclined his head slightly. “Buck, you’re not thinking straight right now - you’ve just played a crazy eighty minutes, and -” 

Buck kissed him. He was gross, and sweaty, and disgusting, and there was blood pouring down his face, escaping the plaster the medical team has hastily put on his head 47 minutes in, but Eddie kissed him back with a familiarity and certainty that Buck would never get used to as long as he lived. Eddie was home. This team was home, and Eddie was home - and he’d figure out the rest. 

The noise of the stadium hadn’t lessened - it hadn’t gone silent, in shock. No, the noise was still roaring, and the world had kept turning, and Buck was pretty sure that was an ITV camera that was recording the way Eddie kept a tight hold of the hem of Buck’s jersey and -

“You’ll take the heat off us losing, with that one,” Patrick grinned, and Buck let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding as his teammate teased him. 

“I was just doing it for the team,” Buck retorted, and despite everything, despite the hurt and the loss and the way it would take weeks to find his love of rugby again after coming so close - but not quite close enough - he looked at Eddie and couldn’t help but smile, his boyfriend returning the grin.

Yeah.

Everything was going to be okay, actually.

Flat *kind of like a part 2 to part 2*

Natasha x reader

Genre: fluff *maybe angst if you can call it that for like 5 seconds*

Warnings: I can't really think of anything

A/N: This is a continuation of part 2 but not actually part 3 if that makes sense also sorry for taking absolutely forever to post but part 3 will be out in a day or so.

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2

After the initial shock on Natasha's face, she quickly wiped it away. She moved her head to whisper in Alana's ear, flicking her eyes to you and smirking. She places Alana down and Alana runs off to go play in the living room.

Natasha slowly walks up to you swaying her hips as she does. She really does sway her hips at you all of the time and it still gets you. When she gets to you she wraps her arms around your neck pulling you down but just barely touching your lips.

"She wants to know if I'm your girlfriend." She says lowly against your lips. You hum in response raising your eyebrows half because you can't think of the right response and half because you can't really think of anything besides how much you want to kiss her.

"What do you think of that?" She asks giving you a soft quick kiss pulling her head back and smirking when you try to chase her lips. You're staring at her lips when you see her look up at your eyes so you meet them. She raises her eyebrows and you finally register what she said.

"I think I would like that. How about you?" That is all you say looking at her lips and then quickly back up to her eyes. She nods maintaining her smirk and whispers " I think I would like that too." She gently kisses you which you gratefully accept.

Before the kiss can get too too heated she pulls away with a hand against the middle of your chest to hold you away. She smiles widely at you and spins around to go join Alana in the living room.

You quickly follow and sit on the couch next to Natasha and put your arm around her shoulder while she leans her head on yours. You both sit there watching The Munsters and Alana playing.

After around 15 minutes you hear Alana speak up. "Y/N." "Yeah?" You respond. "Do you want to play mermaids with me?" She asks while getting up. "Yeah sure." You say putting on a smile. "Okay, I'll get my bathing suit." She says giggling before running off to her room.

"You the big bad biker are gonna play mermaids?" Natasha jests from next to you. You look at her trying to hide your dilemma. You didn't realize she meant in the pool. While you like swimming it's the beginning of summer so it's not super warm and the mosquitoes are out. Gross.

You roll your eyes standing up. "Well, I'll have you know some of my best men love playing mermaids." You tell her matter of factly. She raises her eyebrows at you "Your men? I thought everyone was pretty much equal in your little biker clubs." You didn't realize your slight slip up but you try to act nonchalant. "Yeah but I'm like the top biker of the 'club' so they're technically my men."

You can tell she's a little suspicious but she leaves it alone. "Y/N! ARE YOU GETTING READY?" You hear Alana yell from her room. You look to Natasha and point behind you to the stairs. "I have to go get ready I can't be late for mermaids." She softly laughs at you and you turn around and walk to her room.

You don't have a bathing suit so you put on a pair of boxers and go back to the living room to see Alana standing there with her hands on her hips. "About time, come." She says and you laugh as she grabs your hand and pulls you through the kitchen and through the back door.

Natasha has a decently big inground pool with a shallow and deep end. "Can you check it please?" Alana asks you. "Check it, for what?" You return. "If it's cold." She asks innocently. You walk to the side and dip your foot in when you feel her push you. It wasn't nearly enough to push you over but you indulge her and make it seem like you fell.

When you come up she's doubled over laughing and you smile wide at the scene happy to please her. When she's done laughing she looks at you with a smile. "Can you throw me in?" She says it like a question but you know that means to throw her in.

You get out and walk behind her. "Can you swim?" You ask her. "Yeah, mommy made me take classes." She says and you're content with that answer. "One. Two. Three!" You both say at the same time and you throw her in. She comes up laughing and you hop in and stay beside her just in case.

Once you're to where she can touch she starts telling you how she likes to play. "Okay, so you have to swim with your feet together and then we play games." Easy enough. You were wrong you start trying to swim with your legs and you start drowning so you opt to just use your arms.

You're both playing tag when you hear the glass door slide open. You look over and see Natasha in a black bikini with a book in hand. "Having fun?" She says looking at you both. "Yeah Y/N is really strong they can throw me," Alana says excitedly and Natasha raises her eyebrows at you. "Really strong huh. I'll see about that later."

You're standing there with your mouth open like an idiot when you feel water squirt right into the side of your head. You whip your head around and see Alana giggling super soaker in hand. She squirts you again and you stand up quickly and point to her playfully. "If you spray me again I'm going to have to throw you." You say and her smirk turns mischievous ask she sprays you right between the eyes.

"THAT'S IT!" You yell before diving after her and she screams and giggles trying to swim away but you catch her. You lift her up and she drops the super soaker curling into a ball. You throw her and she splashes into the pool. She comes up giggling and then she yawns.

She swims over to you and wraps her arms around your neck tucking her face in it. "All done." She says and you carry her out of the pool. When you get out Natasha is waiting with a towel and wraps it around Alana carrying her inside. You stand at the door realizing you are soaking wet and she didn't bring you a towel.

You've been waiting for around 20 minutes before Natasha comes back out with 2 towels and walks right past you. You turn and watch her half because you're wondering what she's doing and half to look at her ass.

She sets down both towels before walking back over to you. When she got to you she grabbed you by the hand and started leading you to the pool. You obediently followed her until she started getting closer to the stairs and you got a better idea.

You stopped walking and when she noticed she turned to you confused. You smiled and pulled her into you. She wrapped her arms around your neck and smiled back at you. You promptly scooped her up bridal style and she looked at you with wide eyes quickly figuring out what your plan was.

"Y/N, No." She said as sternly as she could muster. You started laughing and kept walking purposely going a little slower than before. Her arms tightened around your neck and she started to get more frantic. "Y/N NO, PUT ME DOWN!" She said louder. She pulled her head back and gripped your jaw before pulling you forwards and meeting your lips.

You indulged her for a moment to let her think she's won until you started walking again. She pulled back and tilted your head down so you would look into her eyes "Put me down, baby." She said softly pecking your lips. You smiled and started giggling before jumping into the pool with Natasha still in your arms.

The second she came out of the water she started hitting you in the chest. Yelling "Ugh asshole!" At you, while you just laughed so hard you thought you might drown. In order to stop her attack on you, you quickly wrapped your arms around her waist and pulled her against you hugging her tight and putting your face in her neck still laughing.

She gave up her attack and ran her nails from the bottom of your neck up to your scalp and lightly pulled your hair to get you to look up. You met her eyes and she rolled hers "Wipe that smirk off your face you little shit." She said and you laughed more. "Little? Last time I checked you're like 5'-2"" you said and she rolled her eyes and said "5'-3""

You laughed and moved to start leaving kisses along the base of her neck. You gave her a soft kiss and pulled away to look into her eyes with a warm smile that she couldn't help but return. She buried her head into your neck and wrapped her legs around your waist. "I could get used to you being around."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

taglist

@theblackdalialived @poptartpoppyy @tashakink @risentohell @winterstorm311 @rice-wiife @marvelblackwidow3000 @lost-mortemanghel @bishopscheeseburger @r3dheadenthusiast @cd-4848

Some of the tags wouldn't take idk why but I don't post much besides my actual fics if I can help it so you can turn notifications on to be safe if you'd like.

Genealogy’s Characterization of Altena is Subpar

A couple nights ago when I was thinking about the Jugdral story again, my thoughts turned towards Altena] I was thinking of her pairings, of course, but I was also revealing her storyline in my head. That is when I made a shocking realization: I’ve been understanding Altena wrong this entire time. To an extent, I’ve been liking an idealized version of Altena. In reality, her writing is subpar, one might even say *awful*. Despite the popular conception of her, Altena is infantilized by her game. She is portrayed as rather immature. How so?

(Please read my earlier analysis on Altena here if you are not familiar with her story. Spoilers for FE4 and FE5 are ahead.)

I’ll begin with Altena’s appearance in Chapter 8 of Genealogy of the Holy War and Chapter 23 of Thracia 776. In those scenes, Altena orders her squadron of dracoknights to pull back upon discovering that Munster is mainly defended by civilians. However, her squadron led by Coulter defies her order and attacks anyway. Altena does not fight with them and watches them all die at the hand of either Seliph’s army or Leif’s army. After the massacre of her soldiers, she flies back to Thracia where Travant berates her for leaving her dracoknights behind. That scene ends in Altena being ordered to fight Seliph’s forces again and prove herself.

I want to compare this scene with Minerva’s first appearances in Shadow Dragon. Minerva also abandons a battle against the player army there but she seems mature and collected throughout her introduction. Minerva’s withdrawal is out of frustration with Harmein’s poor strategies against Marth while Altena’s withdrawal is an impulsive decision based on distaste with attacking civilians. Most of all, Minerva still leaves with her servants in the Whitewings and sees them to safety. Altena outright abandons her dracoknights and watches their annihilation while sulking alone. Because of that, Travant’s reaction to Altena’s withdrawal is completely understandable! No matter how morally right it was, she still wasted the lives of her subordinates by refusing to aid them. The player is meant to sympathize with Altena but she comes across as impulsive rather than wise.

I think this snippet from the scene at the beginning of Chapter 9 of Genealogy is interesting:

Arion: Enough, Altena. There's no place here for such meddling. Still your tongue and obey Father! Father, bear in mind Altena is still young and unseasoned. I suspect she merely found the last battle too overwhelming a prospect. Please do forgive her, even just this once.

Travant: You know, Arion? If you'd just hold back on the coddling, perhaps Altena wouldn't be so stubborn! Look, Altena. I'll give you one last chance. Take a dracoknight platoon and retake Meath! If you so much as slip again, then daughter be damned, I will accept no excuses! Understood?

Altena is likely one of the oldest child characters in Genealogy. It’s most likely that she was born prior to the beginning of the first part. The irony, then, is apparent: despite being older, Travant and Arion both treat her as though she is a child. She makes little effort to dispute this either, only meekly replying “understood” to acknowledge Travant’s order to her.

Recruiting Altena requires Leif to talk to her. As we all know, she tries to confront Travant after that and then she joins Seliph’s army after Travant dies. Most of the rest of Altena’s arc revolves around Arion. After reviewing the scripts, I can see now why people think their relationship has romantic undertones besides the throwaway line in the epilogue. During that scene when Altena tries to confront Travant, she actually stops herself when Arion forces her to “fight” him. 

Altena:  Gah... How dare you! How dare you mislead me all these years, Father! Er, no... Travant!

Arion: That's enough, Altena!

Altena: Get out of my way, Arion! This man dies here and now, and nobody can stop me! Not even you!

Arion: I cannot allow this. If you dare to turn on Father, then you'll have to contend with me first!

Altena: W-wait! I can't fight you, Arion! I could never-

Arion: It's too late for you to stand down now... Farewell, Altena!

Altena: Nngh... Arion...

You would think that Altena could try to fight Arion; after all, he’s complicit in keeping the secret of her heritage and she wants to avenge her parents above all else. Instead, she stays her hand and gives Arion an opening to knock her out. When she joins Seliph’s army, her first request is for Seliph to “help” Arion even though Arion refuses to negotiate a truce. Half of her four events with other player characters involve Arion as she asks both Hannibal and Leif for help with her quandary. And of course the epilogue scene with Seliph always mentions Arion even though he presumably flew off after joining Altena. I realize that Altena valued Arion a lot but it gets to the point where one could accuse her of being obsessed with him. 

Let’s step back and review Altena’s arc on the lens of how much agency she has. She tries to order Coulter’s squad to not attack Munster but they refuse, leading her to sulk and run away back to the capital while they all die. Then when Leif reveals her heritage to her, she runs away again and tries to confront Travant only to be knocked out by Arion before doing anything. When she wakes up, she joins Seliph and Leif only because Arion tells her to. When this happens, she tries to convince Arion to follow her but he refuses. He refuses again when she tries a second time to convince him. The only time when Altena really has full agency is when she is successful in her third attempt to convince Arion to defect. Altena has so little agency that you could even argue that Ishtar has more agency than her. At least Ishtar has some semblance of success in thwarting Julius’ plans. 

I’m a big fan of Altena. I don’t hate her as a character at all. But this realization of her poor treatment by the game was honestly mind-blowing. I definitely feel more frustrated to look back at her plot and see the missed potential in her arc. Altena could have been a character that drives the plot but instead she’s reduced to reacting to things that happen. Much like her mother, she is a bit impulsive but she lacks the backbone that Ethlyn has. I usually am not one to ask for a remake to try to “fix” a character but I think Altena could benefit from a rewrite more than most characters. 

It's actually shocking to realize that Altena's writing is this bad. I feel like she's gets overlooked because of how compelling Leif, Finn, and even Travant are as characters. If a modern FE character were written like this then they would get very maligned by the community. It's almost funny how much of the community (myself included) views her as this character who can impose her will on others when the reality is that the game strings her along in the same way that some other female leads have been strung along by the plot. To an extent, I’m still struggling to come to terms with this. I feel like I’ve personally been misinterpreting her and ignoring her emotional weaknesses which could make her a stronger character. I emphasize the word could because I think the writing dropped the ball. It takes a little bit of effort to write a character struggling with these weaknesses, this inability to stand up to one’s own family, without making them feel like a child. Unfortunately, I think Genealogy misses the mark.

This is not a hate post against Altena or even against Genealogy. As I said in the post, I am a huge fan of Altena as a character. I really love the concept that she brings and I can see the struggles she has with her family. I just wish that Altena was able to dictate her own way instead of being pushed around by other characters. But if I'm misunderstanding, please let me know - I'd be happy to be proven wrong!

Character ask suggestion: The Beast (Beauty and the Beast)

What a crazy coincidence! I was just about to make a post about him!

I've already answered an ask about the Beast from the original tale. You can read my answers here. So this time I'll focus on the Disney Beast. The animated and stage versions only, because like many fans, I have reservations about his 2017 live-action portrayal.

Favorite thing about them: His sweetness, gentleness, and endearing awkwardness after his character development, and the sheer selflessness of his love when he choses to give up the chance to ever be human again (so he thinks) for Belle's sake. Linda Woolverton, Howard Ashman, Glen Keane, and the rest of the crew really did an outstanding job with him, taking a non-human character who starts out so terrifying and then gradually making him so warm, funny, vulnerable, relatable, and lovable. It couldn't have been an easy feat, but they succeeded!

Least favorite thing about them: His beastly temper and selfishness at the beginning. That probably goes without saying. I'll always defend this movie against the claim that it romanticizes an abusive relationship, but I'll admit that his early behavior is abusive, and I'll admit that the movie is a "problematic fave" for that reason.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I've always had a temper that I've struggled to control.

*I'm sometimes insecure about my appearance.

*I tend to be messy.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm not royalty.

*I'm female.

*I doubt I could fight off a pack of wolves.

Favorite line:

His verse in "Something There":

She glanced this way, I thought I saw.

And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw.

No, it can't be; I'll just ignore.

But then, she's never looked at me that way before.

And his climactic confession, when Cogsworth asks him why he let Belle go:

"Because... I love her."

(Why the remake takes those all-important words from him and has Mrs. Potts say "Because he loves her" instead is beyond me. Can anyone tell my why the 2017 screenwriters thought that was an improvement?)

And from the stage musical, when he becomes human again:

"Belle, look into my eyes!

Belle, don't you recognize

The Beast within the man who's here before you?"

brOTP: Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts.

OTP: Belle.

nOTP: The Enchantress or Gaston.

Random headcanon: He's not a crown prince, but a younger brother of the French king, not in line for the throne. His parents both died when he was too young to remember them, and his brother was too busy ruling to raise him, so he was sent to the countryside to be raised by his servants. Unfortunately, they treated him as their master instead of as the child he was, and gave him neither enough discipline nor enough love. This is why he became so selfish and spoiled, and why the Enchantress cursed the servants too.

Unpopular opinion: He really was just eleven years old when he was cursed, as the lyrics to "Be Our Guest" imply. I know that a lot of people dislike this idea, because it seems too cruel of the Enchantress to punish a child that way, or because the mental image of a child Beast is too much like Eddie Munster, or whatever. But the movie's original script made it explicit that he was only eleven, and Howard Ashman was allegedly very angry when the directors decided to leave his age ambiguous instead, because his having been cursed as a child was central to Ashman's concept of the character. The Beast really does act like a man-child at the beginning: like an overgrown spoiled preteen whose isolated state has kept him from maturing, but who finally comes of age thanks to Belle's influence. This would also explain why he has no apparent knowledge of how to interact with a woman, let alone how to court her romantically, and relies on his servants for advice. This alone makes me refuse to believe that he was ever a preening playboy like in the 2017 version! Yes, it was probably too cruel of the Enchantress to curse a child, but arguably we shouldn't view her as being fully in the right. After all, the Beast's punishment doesn't teach him to be any kinder, but just makes him angrier and more solitary than ever – what gets through to him is Belle's balance between standing up to him and offering him her friendship when he earns it. And did the servants, including children like Chip, really deserve to be cursed too?

Song I associate with them:

"If I Can't Love Her."

And the music of the Prologue.

Favorite pictures of them:

@themousefromfantasyland, @the-blue-fairie, @ariel-seagull-wings, @superkingofpriderock, @gayfergus

"On the balcony"

Tom Hiddleston x Reader

NSFW

Warnings: Smut, semi-public sex.

"You're perfect, and everything in between

Keep moaning, 'cause we're making a scene

Keep going, until they tell us to leave"

Notice me - Role Model

"Oh, god…"

"Shhh" His hot breath on the back of your thighs sent shivers down your spine, "You have to be very quiet, princess. Can you do that for daddy?" 

You nodded your head, not realizing he wouldn't be able to see it. You were too far gone to use words anyway, too drunk on the heady cocktail of adrenaline and desire, too drunk on him.

On his big, calloused hands trailing caresses up and down your naked legs, slipping under your dress, pushing it up and up, over your ass, bunching it at your waist. On his lips, his teeth, kissing, sucking, and nibbling at the pliant flesh of your cheeks. 

On his wicked tongue, wet and hot even through the lace of your gossamer-thin underwear, that you had picked out just for him, and now he was taking great pleasure in ruining.

"Tom…"

Your soft sigh was almost imperceptible, you couldn't even hear it over the pounding of your own heart inside your chest. But of course he heard it. His tongue left you, but you didn't have time to complain before one of his long, dexterous fingers tugged your underwear to the side, toying briefly with your clit only to ghost over your entrance a second later, teasing you but never penetrating you. 

He felt your sharp inhale, no doubt about to whine or complain, but you caught yourself in time. It was worth it, if only to feel his lips trail kisses up your naked back as he stood up to tower over you. 

"Very good, baby" He breathed, husky, against your ear as you managed to keep perfectly still while he buried two fingers as far as they would go into your soft, velvety heat. "Just like that… nice and quiet. Prove to me that you can be a good girl taking my fingers in silent, and maybe… maybe I'll let you have my cock" 

It was an empty threat, you knew that by now. If you were to break and moan, whine, or even cry out, he would just slap his hand over your lips, muffling the sounds as he bent you over the railing, fucking you hard and fast in punishment. Good girl or not, there was no way you were leaving that balcony without christening it the same way you had done every other room, piece of furniture or surface, horizontal or otherwise, in that, your new house. Your safe haven. Your sanctuary. The little piece of paradise he had built just for the two of you. 

No, you knew he would never follow through, but that wasn't the point. The point was that you liked the praise. You liked being his princess, his angel, his good girl, as he did bad bad things to you. And Tom was quite aware of that. He loved seeing you bending over backwards to please him, to cater to his every whim, to obey his every arbitrary rule as he made it increasingly impossible for you. 

It was absolutely perfect, you were absolutely perfect. 

"Yeah… Just like that… such an obedient little thing…" Tom savored the effect his words had on you, your walls delicate squeezing his big fingers, the new wave of wetness falling on his palm like sweet ambrosia, like candy; you tasted just as sweet. A part of him wanted to keep playing with you, to drive you crazy, torture you until you begged for him to take you, debase you in the filthiest, lowest of ways you could think of.

But another, more powerful part, hungered for you, needed you even more than you wanted him. It had for the whole night, ever since you stepped into the garden in that shimmery, backless blue dress, designed with the sole purpose of testing his sanity. 

So far, it was a losing battle. 

The cacophony of music and party sounds downstairs drowned the sound of his zipper and belt buckle being undone, so you didn't realize what was happening until he was sliding his thick cock inside you in one long, slow and controlled stroke. 

"Fuck," your boyfriend broke his own rule, cursing out loud as he bottomed out, "you feel so good… being inside you is pure heaven" 

Understatement of the decade. There was a hunger, an ache in him whenever he was as much as six feet away from him. A heartbreaking longing that could only be fixed by having you like that, in his arms and all around him.

"You feel-ah… You feel amazing too" 

You could practically hear the smile in his voice as he started moving, unhurriedly but harsh. Deep and measured.

"Really now?" 

A sigh was the only reply you could munster, eyelids falling shut by their own accord, head falling back in pleasure.

"No no." He tsked, "Don't close your eyes… look at them" 

You did as he said, trying your best to focus on the housewarming party still going strong in the garden. On your family and friends, blissfully ignorant of what was going on above their heads. 

"All it would take is for just one of them to look up…"

There was no disguising the shiver that shook your body from head to toe at his words. You felt his dark chuckle against your back,

"Oh, but you would like that, wouldn't you? Them seeing us… I would like too," he confessed, "you look positively stunning when I fuck you"

He licked your ear, from lobe to top, and you swore you tasted blood, from how hard you were biting your lip.

"And no one… absolutely not anyone, can fuck you like I do, can they?" 

You shook your head. But he wanted more.

"Use your words, angel"

It was a trap. Of course it was, cause as soon as you opened your mouth, you felt his fingers dig into your hips for leverage, as he started thrusting brutally, his cock splitting you open in the best of ways. Your lips parted in a silent scream.

"I asked you… a question… princess" Tom demanded, punctuating every word with a hard, almost cruel stroke.

"Ah… yes…" you gasped, "yes, daddy. No one… never…" 

"Look at you, so obedient" He praised, "I think you deserve a reward… you deserve daddy's come"

"Oh god, yes" You almost came right there and then, your walls fluttering uncontrollably around his thick shaft, almost driving him to a climax of his own. 

"Ask me nicely, then" he commanded, his movements becoming erratic, "ask daddy nicely to fill you with his come…"

"Please, daddy, fill me with your come" You half murmured, half whined, not even concerned about the volume of your voice anymore. You needed it, you were so close, you could almost taste your release. And you wanted him to come undone with you.

"Take my come, princess… and come with me" 

You did, burying your screams against his palm, just as he buried his against your shoulder, no doubt leaving a mark. 

Tom pulled out of you, fixing your dress before taking into his arms, stepping inside the room, so you both could collapse on the king size bed.

"That was…"

"Absolutely amazing" he finished, once he could catch enough breath to talk again, "just like you, my angel" he brought your hand to his lips, placing sweet, reverent kisses on each of your knuckles.

"No. Just like you… Tom, you're a dream come true"

His replying simile was nothing short of breathtaking. It never failed to marvel him, the fact that you loved him back. The fact that you were his, such a wild and free creature surely ought to be elusive. But you had willingly let yourself be caught by him, and far from feeling trapped, you had actually liberated him. It wasn't the first time you had done something like that: You had let him fuck you on the back of a limousine, finger you under the table at the Met gala, sneaked your hand down his pants on the dancefloor… The list went on and on. 

He felt even more free with you than when he was a bachelor. 

For so long he had run away from commitment, from love. Now all he wanted was everybody to know he was yours and yours alone. 

Just like you were his.

"We should probably get back to the party before they start wondering where we disappeared to…" 

This time, he was the one letting out a bratty whine,

"I know… I don't want to, but I know"

"Do you think anyone saw us?"

Your boyfriend shook his head,

"The balcony is too dark, and the music is too loud, so I honestly doubt it" 

You breathed out in relief.

"Ok. Let me just grab a jacket and we'll go downstairs"

Tom frowned,

"Why? It's a very hot night… are you feeling alright?"

"I am, don't worry" his concern made you smile, "It's just someone left a hickey on my shoulder…" 

Far from looking guilty, a mischievous glint illuminated Tom's icy blues.

"Don't cover it" It wasn't a request. You were ashamed at the weakness of your knees in response to his dominant tone: he had just fucked you, you couldn't possibly be horny again. He was turning you into a nymphomaniac.

"No?"

"No" He confirmed. They might not have seen him taking you, right there under (or above) their very noses…

But they sure as hell would know what you just did. 

Survey #380

“so tear me open, but beware: there’s things inside without a care”

What do you want more than anything else? Good health, on both fronts. Have you ever tried coconut water? No, but I've heard it's gross. Who was your first love? My first "real" boyfriend, Jason. Have you ever been to a convention? (comic, YouTube, etc.) I've been to a reptile convention. Have you ever done a first aid course? No. What internet browser do you use? Well, I typically use Google Chrome, but because it hasn't been loading webpages for me, I've been using Microsoft Edge lately. Are you addicted to any energy drinks? No; I don't like energy drinks. How often do you see your mother? Every day, because I live with her. Do you like croutons in your salad? No. Are you the one who vacuums your house? Mom and I both do it. When was the last time your living room furniture was rearranged? It hasn't been rearranged in this house, but arranged when we moved in. What company do you get your internet through? Suddenlink. When you were little, did you like watching Cartoon Network, Disney, or Nickelodeon more? Disney tops 'em. I didn't watch very much Cartoon Network. If you have siblings, when was the last time you saw them? I see Nicole usually every Wednesday because she eats dinner with us. I haven't seen Ash in a little while. Misty and Katie both visited the house pretty recently, and I haven't seen Bobby for a few years. I really miss him and his son. How many cars does your household own? One. What’s your favourite meat? Chicken or pork. What’s the best amusement park you’ve ever visited? Disney World. How old were you when you got your first car? I've never had my own car. What colour is your shampoo? White. Are you listening to music right now? If so, what’s the theme of the lyrics? "Pet" by A Perfect Circle. Manipulation of a child would be my guess. What was the last thing you had to eat? I had cookies 'n cream yogurt. Are you picky about brand name for anything? Probably for some things, but nothing's coming to me right now. Do elevators freak you out? Yes. The idea of getting stuck freaks me out. Are you still in touch with your best friend from high school? No. Have you ever visited any celebrity gravesites? No. How do you feel about archaeology? I think it's very fascinating. How do you find new music to listen to when you want it? YouTube recommendations, usually. What is your favorite thing to do on The Sims? I only played the animals one, in which case I loved breeding them to see the babies, haha. Do you have any tattoos? Ye boiiiii If yes, is there any meaning behind them? All of them. If no, do you want any? What would you like? N/A Have you dyed your hair more than once (and different colors)? Oh yeah. Which hair color you’ve had has been your favorite? Red. Your favorite place to be aside from your home? Sara's house, haha. If you were stupid-rich, would you ever actually want a mansion? Nah, I don't need that much space. And I'm not really into hiring a maid or something to clean the place. Did you ever sit alone at lunch in school? Yes. I was usually too shy to "force" (as I saw it) my way into other's space, so I really only sat down with friends or acquaintances if I was asked. What is your least favorite beverage? Probably cranberry juice. Do you shave up past your knees (if you shave your legs)? If I shave, yes. Any old home remedies you use when you’re sick? Just sipping ginger ale. Do you like fruits or vegetables more? Fruit, definitely. Who was your last text message from? Sara. What was your first job? Sales associate at GameStop. Do you live near any volcanoes? Nope. Where does your best friend live? Illinois. How many people have you truly fallen IN love with? Two. Has anybody ever called you a tease? Yes, but only by my then-boyfriend, and he only meant it playfully. What about kinky? No. What’s your favorite bird? Probably barn owls. Have you ever been high? No. Who did you last confide in? My mom. How many keys are on your keychain? One. Where was your mom born? New York. Do you know how to tap dance? I took many years of clogging classes, which is very, very similar; the shoes are just a bit different to create a unique sound. Have you ever seen your siblings naked? My little sister and I used to bathe and take showers together as little kids, plus she is literally shameless and has walked into the living room looking for a towel after a shower on many occasions, haha. I actually don't think I've seen my older sister naked. When eating string cheese, do you dive right in or just peel it? I don't like string cheese. Do you have your own personal water jug? If so, where did you buy it? No. Well, Mom bought me one, but... we did NOT realize it was HUGE. We returned it, so now I don't have one. How do you get rid of your hiccups? Just wait it out and suffer. I've tried every trick in the book, and none work for me. Do you know how to take screen shots on your computer? Yes. When you sneeze, do you sneeze into your hand or the inside of your elbow? Into the crook of my elbow. What’s your ultimate favorite bagel? I really just enjoy a plain 'ole bagel with cream cheese. When you have chocolate, do you eat it room temperature? Or are you like me and stick the bar into the fridge first? I like it at room temperature. Are there any constellations you recognize just by looking at them? Well, I know either the Little or Big Dipper when I see 'em, but idk which is which. I just know one's upside-down. Which insect do you find the most beautiful? Butterflies. Moths can be gorgeous, too. What was the last thing you got very excited about? Someone is FINALLY adopting the dog this weekend. Mom and I have lost every ounce of patience with her. The family that wants her though came to visit, and they all adore her. Which Disney villain is your favorite? Probably Scar. I think he was pretty sly, plus he had a bangin' song, lol. Have you ever had a bedroom with a specific theme? Not really. Just filled with stuff I like. If you had to design a room with a theme, what theme would you choose? I would love to make a like, woodsy sort of room, if that makes any sense. Maybe like pine green walls with wooden accents and realistic decor. It'd be SUPER cool if I could build like one of those catwalk things along the walls that look like branches for my cat to maneuver along. Have you ever given money to a homeless person? No, I'm too distrustful. Have you ever designed your own Facebook timeline cover? Yeah. What is one site that closed down that you wish would come back? I used to really enjoy Dragons of Atlantis on Kabam! or whatever it was called. It transferred to a phone app that I have, but it's just not as fun. The dragons were super cool, and the artwork in general was just dope. If you have a partner, have you ever had to sleep in separate beds? If you don’t, how would you feel if a future partner wanted separate beds? I sometimes worry my future partner and I will have to have separate beds because of my nightmares/terrors that frequently cause me to lash out and basically attack the air. Sleeping separately would feel weird to me, but I'd far rather not hurt my partner. Hopefully, getting a CPAP mask really will help me. Though I don't imagine cuddling with one is comfortable. ;-; Or does having a partner even matter to you? I mean I want a partner someday, so I wouldn't say it "doesn't matter" to me, but it's not something I'm currently pitching a fit over not having one. How many languages can you count to a hundred in? Two. What is something you are skeptical about? The government lmao. What is something you find absolutely unethical? The meat industry, honestly. You look into it and it's just... disgusting, what they do to animals. I wish I could go without meat, I really do. What is something unethical you would not mind doing? Uhhhh? Is there a murder case you find absolutely fascinating? Okay so have you ever heard about or seen that video of a woman acting all strange inside an elevator at some hotel? Well, she disappeared after leaving that elevator, and some time later, residents complained about the water quality. They found her fucking body in one of the water tanks (I think that's what they're called?), and no one could explain how someone could have 1.) gotten up there and 2.) gotten the tank open to put her corpse inside. It's fuckin weird and creepy. What is an unusual item somebody you know owns? No idea. What’s the oldest TV-show you like? When was it made? Uhhh I don't know which is older, but I love I Love Lucy and The Munsters. Have you ever won a trophy for something? If so, what was it for? Yeah, sports and academic stuff. Have you ever been interviewed to a newspaper? If so, what was it about? No. Do you have a mug with your name/initials on it? No. Have you ever designed your own mug? No. Have you ever gone mud riding? No, that is not my definition of fun. I don't like being dirty. Have you met somebody that you want to spend the rest of your life with? Yes. Who was the last male you talked to? Does he have facial hair? My psychiatrist, and he does. Have you ever dressed up as a Disney character? Which one? Not to my recollection. Have you ever played chess? If so, are you good at it? No. If I wanted to buy you a chocolate bar, what kind should I NOT get? Don't get anything with coconut.

1045.

Do you have any fascination with the macabre? Examples? >> I mean, sure, I guess you could say that. I think decay is neat and I’m obsessed with death rituals, stuff like that.

Do you actually think skeletons are scary? >> I mean, if I was seeing my own skeleton, that’d be fucked up. The bones are supposed to be on the inside, after all. But no, in general I don’t find skeletons scary. It’s just when you’re seeing one when you’re not at all supposed to be seeing one... now there’s the spook factor.

The Addams Family or The Munsters? Why? >> The Addams Family. I’m just attached to them; I didn’t get attached to the Munsters the same way.

Do you watch any late-night horror hosts? (Like Svengoolie or Elvira) >> I’ve never seen any of those.

Do you enjoy old horror/monster movies, or just enjoy making fun of them? >> I do enjoy some old horror movies. Not all of them, but there are definitely some gems.

What monster movie is your favorite? >> I don’t think I have a favourite monster movie, specifically.

Have you ever seen the Rocky Horror Show live? If so, was the event held at midnight? >> I’m not interested in Rocky Horror so I wouldn’t go to one of these. I wish I could have seen Repo! the Genetic Opera live, I heard that was a similar crowd-participation type experience.

Have you ever made fake blood at home? >> No.

Which TV version of Sabrina The Teenage Witch do you prefer? Why? (^^The Melissa Joan Hart one VS. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) >> I’ve never seen either.

Do you ever watch the original Bewitched TV series? Which Darrin did you like best? >> No.

Did you like the Bewitched movie with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell? >> I did not see it.

Have you ever seen The Witches of Eastwick? Did you like it? >> I did not see it.

Is Hocus Pocus really a good movie, or a bit overrated? >> I don’t know, I still haven’t seen it...

If you've seen The Craft, who was your favorite character and why? >> I didn’t have a favourite character. I wasn’t terribly interested in the movie when I saw it. It was okay, it just didn’t leave an impression.

Do you think a remake of it would be interesting? Or do you think it worked best in the nineties? >> I don’t think the remake -- which does actually exist now, for some reason -- would be interesting to me now, although maybe it’ll be interesting for the current teenage/young-adult generation the way it was for teenagers in the nineties. Or... maybe not. The nineties certainly were a different time, and witchcraft is less mystifying nowadays thanks to the internet than it was then.

What witch-themed movie/show is your favorite, anyhow? >> I don’t think I have one.

Do you like The Nightmare Before Christmas?  >> I actually don’t. You’d think I would, but it just didn’t stick.

Do you count it as a Halloween movie and a Christmas movie? >> I really don’t know what it’s classified as, but I always assumed it was a Halloween-y movie that just happened to be centered around Christmas.

Do you like Jack or Sally better? >> ---

What other Tim Burton works do you enjoy, if any? >> I loved Edward Scissorhands, and Corpse Bride is fun, but most of his other work has been “meh” for me. They hit better when I was younger.

Are there any 'dark' or 'spooky' films you recommend? >> I’m sure I could recommend many, but I’d have to know who I was recommending them to. 

Are any horror/suspense films actually scary to you? Which ones? >> Not really. There are a lot of engaging and immersive ones, but I can’t say they frightened me. I just enjoyed them.

Are there any songs that put you in a spooky mood? >> I don’t think so.

Just for fun -- what would your personal hell look like? >> I don’t think that’s a fun thing for me to think about.

What supernatural/paranormal themed TV show is your favorite, if any? >> The X-Files.

If you've watched Supernatural, did you like Crowley? >> I did like Crowley, when I watched it.

On Supernatural, do you like the angels or demons better? >> The angels. Most of them, anyway.

Did you have to read The Crucible for school? >> I did, and I fucking hated it.

Would you like to visit Salem, Massachusetts? >> Sure.

Would you like to visit the Winchester Mystery House? >> Eh.

What about Alcatraz? >> Meh.

Do you think it would be fun to stay at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast, even though the 'hauntings' are so obviously faked? >> Probably not.

On that matter...do you think Lizzie actually did it? >> I don’t have an opinion.

Have you ever purchased anything from an occult or New Age shop? What? >> Just random things, I guess. Books, pretty rocks, incense, stuff like that.

Do you ever watch paranormal investigation shows even just to make fun of them? >> No. Also, since this has come up again... I don’t watch things for the purpose of making fun of them. That seems like a colossal waste of my time, when I could be watching things I actually enjoy...

Did you know Samhain is NOT pronounced Sam-hayn? (It's pronounced Sow-wenn.) >> I’ve also been told it’s pronounced “shah-vin”. I think it depends on whether it’s an Irish or Scottish person pronouncing it, and what part of the country they’re from, and so on. But yes, regardless, it is definitely not “Sam-hane”.

Do you know any Pagans/Wiccans? >> Yes.

Did you ever think that Wiccans worship the devil? (We do not. There is no such thing as the devil in Wicca, the devil is a Christian concept.) >> I am aware. No, I never thought that because I never had a reason to.

Do you know any Satanists? >> I think I might. I don’t remember.

Have you ever read The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth? >> Yeah.

Are there any animals that scare you? >> Not without context. Like, of course I’d be afraid of a bear if I was under immediate threat by one. But I’m not just arbitrarily afraid of bears or anything.

Would you ever keep a tarantula as a pet? >> I’d at least like to be friends with someone else’s pet tarantula.

Do you wear mostly black? >> Yes.

What do you think are some of the scariest things that happened in reality? >> Oh, you know. Genocide and stuff.

Are there any urban legends in your area? What are they? >> Probably, but I don’t know them.

Do porcelain dolls unnerve you? >> Nope.

Does your imagination get away from you if you're alone after dark? >> Nope.

Do you find dead trees beautiful? >> I do.

Have you ever been inside of an abandoned building? >> Yep.

What mythical creature do you think you'd like for a pet? >> What is people’s obsession with keeping things as pets, christ. Can’t they just exist and I can admire them doing whatever they’re doing without having to keep them for myself?

Is the light of the full moon eerie or peaceful? >> I mean, I just think it’s pretty.

Have you ever actually believed in monsters? (Like as a kid) >> Not in the child’s sense.

Any recurring nightmares? Care to share? >> No.

What myths/legends do you find most interesting? >> Which don’t I find interesting? (Spoiler: they’re all interesting.)

Have you ever watched The Twilight Zone? Night Gallery? Alfred Hitchcock Presents? If you've watched all three, which is your favorite? >> I’ve watched and greatly enjoyed The Twilight Zone. Never saw the other two.

Do you like the look of gothic mansions? >> Yes.

Do you own any books from Llewellyn Worldwide publishing company? >> Nope.

Did you ever go through a goth phase? >> Phase??? I can’t imagine what kind of insane warping of personality would have to occur for me to stop being goth.

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation (Gen II) - Chapter 7

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

———————————

Chapter 7 - Earth Lance Gáe Bolg

T/W: Mention of likely one-sided romantic feelings between adopted siblings.

Travant ordered both Coruta's dragon knight unit and Princess Altena to deploy. With the empire's presence gone completely from the Thracian Peninsula, he considered this to be the perfect chance.

"Start by seizing Munster. Do not hold back against anyone who turns against you, even the citizens. Kill them all."

"Wait, Father!" Altena called out.

Altena wore the uniform of the Thracian Dragon Knights, and held her long brown hair back with a bandana. Her almond shaped eyes gave a bit of an intimidating impression, but when she put on her military uniform, it highlighted how brave and honorable she looked.

"I'll happily fight if the imperial army is our enemy, but there's no meaning in killing powerless civilians. Even if you say we'll fight with the empire, we should be happy to work with the liberation army. Why must we fight them?"

Prince Arion, General Hannibal, and a few other people held the same opinion as her, but she was the only one who was open about it with the king. 

However, no matter what she said, Travant would not be swayed. "Altena! Are you trying to lecture me!? Do as I say! I will not allow you to talk back to me!"

"But…"

"Altena, do as Father says." Prince Arion said. He felt that their father would only get angrier the more they opposed him.

"Brother… I will." Altena said and bit her lip. Her dissatisfaction with her Father's orders did not go away, but she always believed in her brother's decisions.

'Big brother said he thinks the same as I do. He must have a reason for saying that.'

Deep down, the reason why she believed him was because of her love for him (though she did not realize it). And it was not just the love of a brother and sister, but something much more. Her feelings were simply locked away in the subconscious of her heart, so she did not notice them.

Travant watched her begin to leave the reception hall, and said, "Altena, have you finally agreed to deploy? You're a very strong-willed girl. Your mother was just as tough. Don't fight your blood."

"Altena means well, Father. Please be lenient with her." Arion interjected.

"I know that. You would speak the same words as her if you had the opportunity. Unifying with Northern Thracia has been our deepest wish for many long years. Our lands are barren, so the men are all hired as mercenaries, while being looked down upon as hyenas… And the women remain here to dig into the mountains' slopes, and must till their meager fields. If we continue to live here alone, then we will always be forced to live in poverty. Altena grew up in the palace, so she does not know what the people wish for."

-

The dragon knight unit lined up in front of Munster Castle.

"The liberation army that killed Bloom is still on the other side of the river. But only the citizens who revolted are currently at Munster Castle. And I've received reports that they know of our movements and are gradually running away. We should begin our attack straight away." Courta explained to Altena.

"Wait, Coruta. There's no reason for us to attack an enemy like that. I'll go and suggest to them that they surrender. Wait here for a bit."

"I can't do that. I was given specific orders by the king. No matter what you say to me, I cannot go easy on them.”

"I am your commanding officer. Are you going to ignore my order?"

"This is my unit, and I received my orders from His Majesty directly. If you disagree with that, then stay here and watch. We will attack on our own." 

Coruta flew off and delivered his order to his soldiers. "All units, we will ambush the enemy! Those who resist will be killed! Now charge!"

The dragon knights all flew into the sky at once.

As she watched them fly towards Munster Castle, all Altena could think about was the tragedy that was about to unfold, and how infinitely powerless she felt.

'Maybe my views are wrong. ...No, they couldn't be. Brother agrees with me. Father and Coruta are the ones in the wrong. Even in the event that they win, killing civilians will make the people hate us, and do the exact opposite of unifying us.

But are Father and Coruta the only ones to blame? I couldn't do anything to stop either of them. Am I just as guilty as they are?’

The first dragon knights to try to fly over the castle wall were suddenly hit by the strongest gust of wind they'd ever experienced. Their dragons' wings twisted, and their bones, usually able to withstand anything during flight, snapped in an instant. Without the ability to stay in the air, they all began to drop like flies.

And it didn't end there, with another guest of wind assaulting the next group of dragons.

"Dodge! Just dodge it!" Coruta shouted, realizing this was no force of nature.

They cautiously made their way around the castle, until they found a single man standing atop the castle tower.

'Dammit, he's using wind magic!'

Faced with an enemy stronger than he thought there'd be, Coruta decided to change course and go after the citizens fleeing from the castle.

'If it's just that group, we can kill them all before they make it to the river.'

However, Seliph and the liberation army had just crossed the river. And to make matters even worse for Coruta's unit, the liberation army was much larger than they'd ever imagined, and had archers amongst their ranks, which dragon knights were weak against.

Coruta was only lost about what to do for a second.

'If your only other option is to run away, then choose to die a glorious death.'

That was the pride of the Thracian dragon knights, and a legend that had been passed down for generations.

'Even if our bodies should perish, our tales of bravery will live on.'

"Chaaaaaarge!" Coruta shouted, and led his unit in a dive bomb maneuver.

The enemy army grew larger and larger with each passing moment.

The moment he saw a bow, Coruta knew that an arrow had been shot at him. 

As Altena watched Coruta's unit fight spectacularly yet tragically from a nearby mountain ridge, her feelings were very complicated. The regret of losing her allies, the blame she placed on herself for what she hadn't the chance to tell the unit, and the justification that made her sure this was not the way to fight, all swam around in her mind.

After watching the last dragon knight fall, Altena lightly pushed her knees into her dragon, signaling her mount to flap her wings and fly into the air.

She flew high into the air so that she would not be attacked, and slowly circled around the battlefield.

The liberation army had once again started marching towards Munster Castle.

'We weren't the only brave ones here.' Altena thought. 'What is the liberation army going to do next? Since we attacked them, they must now think of Thracia as their enemy. If they intend to march to Grannvale, then they'll travel through Thracia to get there. So they'll most likely attack Mease Castle next.'

There were only a few soldiers, led by General Maikov, stationed there.

'Maikov is a brave general, but there's no way he can defend the castle against an army as large as this one.' She turned her dragon towards Thracia Castle.

-

Meanwhile, from amongst the liberation army, Finn said to Prince Leif, "Lord Leif, please take a good look at that dragon knight."

"That one? I've looked up at them a few times already. They appear to be a woman, but I don't think that's uncommon in Thracia. And she seems to be bathed in light. Perhaps she's flying in a ray of sunlight?"

"Yes, that light is what I'm referring to. It looks just like the light of Crusader Njörun, which would also envelop your late father whenever he wielded Gáe Bolg. If I am correct, then she is wielding that lance right now. It id the one passed down through the Leonsterian royal family."

"What? Why would a female Thracian knight have Father's Gáe Bolg?"

"I don't know. The only thing I can think of is that she is your elder sister, who went missing when the Thracian Army attacked. Lady Altena seemed to be unharmed, but had gone missing with Gáe Bolg."

"But why would my older sister be with the Thracian Army?"

"My guess is that she was kidnapped by Travant, and he raised her as his own."

"I've heard that Travant is a coldhearted man, but he might have a small human heart inside him after all."

"No, I don't think that's it. Crusader Njörun's blood was passed down from Lord Quan to Lady Altena, so Travant must have wanted Gáe Bolg's power. It seems like something he would do."

"So he's tricked her, hasn't he? How could Travant be so horrible…? Finn, let's help her. I want to tell her the truth and team up to free Father and Mother of their regrets."

"You are the only one who can do that, Lord Leif. If her younger brother tries to persuade her, then she is likely to open her heart and listen to you. Please save the princess!"

"Of course I will! You always stop me from doing so, but when we fight with the dragon knights, I'll go on the front line. I'll risk my life, but try my hardest to persuade Big Sister! And if she's alive, that means…"

'That means I'm not alone anymore.’ Leif thought.

As a boy raised without any memory of his birth parents' love, he was starved to meet someone from his blood family.

He knew full well that Finn loved him. But that love was an extension of his loyalty to Quan and Ethlyn. Finn was a great guardian and teacher, but wasn't someone that Leif felt he could fully open up to about his troubles and worries.

Finn had said to Leif on countless occasions in the boy's youth, "Lord Leif, you are the next in line to become king of Leonster. You mustn't say such things."

Or sometimes it was, "You mustn't do such things." Other times it was, "You mustn't cry over such things."

"I understand, Finn. I won't say that ever again.” Leif would answer. 

But deep down in his heart, he always muttered to himself, ‘Mother, why did you die and leave me here all alone? Why…?’

He also had that thought when he was living in hiding, and saw parents or siblings expressing love towards one another.

'Why am I the only one who's all alone?'

When he became so sad that he couldn't bear it anymore, he would find a place where no one else would find him, and cried.

'Mother, why did you die and leave me here all alone?'

So the news that his sister was alive (even if he couldn't confirm if it was true yet), made him happier than anything else in the world.

As he marched together with his unit, he imagined what his sister might look like. Then, he imagined successfully persuading her, and how they would hug each other, and be so happy...

'I'm not alone anymore!'

-

Seliph lowered the gate and entered Munster Castle, then met Ced inside.

"Hero Ced, many of the citizens' lives have been saved because of you. Thank you."

"I've waited so long for this moment to come… Lord Seliph, please save not only Thracia, but the entire world. The people are living in despair. Even in Munster, many children have been kidnapped and taken to Miletos Shrine. I couldn't save them. I am no hero, but a mere coward."

"No you're not! I couldn’t do anything by myself! I've made it this far because of everyone else's power. Hero Ced, I want you to join us."

"Understood, Lord Seliph. I will follow you to the ends of the earth." Ced took a step forward to shake Seliph's hand, but when he saw Lewyn standing behind Seliph, his hand froze. "Lord Seliph, who is that behind you?"

"Huh? Oh, this is my advisor. His name is Lewyn. He is Silesse's King Lewyn. Oh, that's right, I heard you're from Silesse, too!"

Ced did not answer Seliph, instead walking up to Lewyn. "Father… It's you, isn't it, Father?"

"Ced, it's been a long time since I saw you last. How have you been?"

"'How have I been?' I've been looking for you this entire time! Do you have any idea how many years have passed since you left!?"

"Now that you mention it, I do wonder how long it's been. How is Erinys?"

"How could you be so… Mother passed away! All she wanted was to see you one more time, and watch you pass Forseti on to me! That's why I went on my journey, to find you!"

"I see, so she's… How unfortunate."

"You're so cold, Father! You're finally heard that Mother died, yet you won’t shed even a single tear!"

"Ced, I don't have a wife, nor any children. That's what I have decided. I want you to think so from now on as well." 

Ced glared at him in response.

Seliph knew very well that Lewyn was not a cold person, so he questioned his flippant response towards finally reuniting with Ced.

-

That night, the army held a modest celebration, where Ced and Fee realized they were brother and sister. That reunion was a happy one.

"Fee and Lewyn joined us in Isaach, so they've been face-to-face since then. Yet why haven't they called each other father and daughter?'

Though Seliph's trust in Lewyn did not change, the suspicion within his heart slowly began to grow.

Black Leather - Chapter 5

When Eleven had knocked on the door of my room at five in the morning; I’d half expected the typical complaint of a nightmare that had been so commonplace back when Sara was around.

To my surprise, she looked anything but spooked when I opened the door; eyes already wide and perky from an early start of kids TV.

“Happy Halloween.” She said; sounding more like an alien come to earth to learn our traditions, than any sincere well wisher, but I smiled anyway, because it was cute that the kid was trying to be normal.

“It’s four in the morning.” I stated; arms crossed across my chest despite the smile peaking on my face.

She just stared at me; brown eyes comically large as the Scooby Doo Theme filled the silence.

“Is there a reason you’re waking me up this early, or are you just being super prepared?” I asked; already aware that if I wanted to uncover the kids true intentions, I’d have to pull them from her like teeth.

“Costume.” She stated; the word seemingly unrelated if not for the worn bedsheet clutched in her fingertips.

I took it from her, inspecting the pulls of the threads and the discolouration of stains spread across the fabric.

“You know; usually people only wear costumes because they’re gonna go trick or treating or something...” I stated, still not quite understanding where she’d found a sheet that should’ve been thrown out years ago.

“I want to go trick or treating.” She stated; the sentence so broken that you could almost believe English was her second language.

I looked at her; those big brown eyes still staring up at me with all the conviction of a blood Hopper.

I really should say no. Dad would lose his shit if he thought for one minute she was going outside the cabin.

Still; there was no harm in indulging her, not really. And just maybe dad was having a good day this week; stranger things had happened.

——————————————————-

Springing Eleven’s costume on dad mid-breakfast prep probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but the longer I’d wait; the less chance the kid had of doing anything but watching Munster reruns for the rest of Halloween.

She looked cute in her little ghost costume; the whole homemade sheet thing looking very E.T., and judging by the way dad jumped at the sight of her; the classics still had some life left in them.

“Oh; Jesus!” He exclaimed, nearly dropping the hot pan he’d been frying bread on moments earlier.

“Ghost.” She said, repeating the word she’d heard on Scooby Doo mere hours ago.

“Yeah; I can see that...” He agreed; his voice already strained as he shovelled slightly burnt toast onto plates, and already I knew this was gonna be a hard sell.

“Cute; right?” I asked; hoping our shared affection for the kid might break down a few walls and put us on an even playing field.

He just mumbled in agreement, avoiding eye contact as he dumped the hot pan into a sink full of water; his lack of words a clear signal that no; he wasn’t willing to negotiate with us.

“Halloween.” Eleven stated to him; the word harder now than it had been with me, as if she’d already picked up on how exactly this conversation was going to go.

“Sure is...” Dad lilted; sarcasm dripping from the tone, because Hopper’s were nothing if not painfully dry in their sense of humour.

“But right now it’s breakfast; okay.” He continued; sounding overly patronising before returning to normal. “Come on. Let’s eat.”

“They wouldn’t see me.” Eleven petitioned;  already launching straight into negotiations with all guns blazing.

“Who wouldn’t see you?” Dad asked calmly as he made his way over to the kitchen table; already deciding he’d humour her for now.

“The bad men.” Eleven stated; the words coming across as painfully naive.

“What are you talking about?” Dad asked, scrunching up his brows as he sat down to eat.

“Trick or treat.” Eleven said; adding my words to her arsenal like they were bomb shells.

“Wait; what?” Dad asked; the reality of the exact type of negotiation he’d just been roped in on dawning upon him.

“I said I’d take her out trick or treating tonight...” I jumped in, hoping to save her from some of dad’s scorn when he inevitably blowed on us.

“Wait, wait, wait...” Dad interrupted me; already well versed in the ritual of Hopper to Hopper negotiation, and knowing I could hammer my point home harder than a home run.

“You said she could go trick or treating?” He spat the words like they were curses; bitter sounding and hard to pronounce.

“Yeah; I knew you wouldn’t let her go alone, and I figured you wouldn’t get back in time, so I thought...” I peddled in with my hastily rehearsed pitch, knowing that the more words I could cram in; the better chance I had of winning him over.

“Lola...” Dad got to his feet; disapproval dripping from his tone to match the frown on his face. “You both know the rules...”

I sighed, rolling my eyes because I already knew this battle was lost, but poor sweet naive El still had some fight in her.

“Yes, but...” She butted in; hope still bright in her eyes as she blocked dad’s path to the front door.

He was already resorting to the Hopper’s go to escape tactic when it came to emotional confrontation; all out denial.

“So you already know the answer...” He insisted, attempting to slide past her despite her superior agility.

“No, but they wouldn’t see me...” She continued, desperation peaking in her voice as she realised the moment dad walked out that door, it was game over.

“Come on, dad!” I petitioned, because really; this was petty even for him. The least he could do was let the kid loose once in a while.

“I don’t care!” Dad stated; anger rising up through his veneer of calm, his patience already worn thin.

“But they wouldn’t see me...” El continued to plead; tears breaking her voice slightly.

“I don’t care; alright?!” Dad insisted, crouching down to her meagre height so he could look her in the eyes.

“You go out there; Ghost or not, and it’s a risk.” Dad explained, and in any other situation it would seem sensible, if not for the overwhelming paranoia that led him to keep her trapped here all these months.

“And you...” Dad turned to me, pointing a damning finger like a proclamation of guilt. “You should know better.”

I rolled my eyes once more, because there was nothing more I could do; he’d already won.

“You go out there and I can’t protect you. Lola can’t protect you...” Dad stated with that same calm firm voice he’d used on me a hundred times before.

Eleven looked at him; eyes wide, but not as bright. She was already accepting defeat.

“Look; we don’t take risks, alright?” Dad continued, finally returning to his role as reasonable father, and not domineering patriach.

“They’re stupid, and...”

“We’re not stupid.” Eleven finished the sentence for him, repeating the mantra he’d drummed into her a thousand times before.

“Exactly.” Dad smiled, happy that he’d put down our little uprising without so much as a grounding.

“Now you go and take that shit off and sit down and eat. Your food’s getting cold...”

Eleven retreated into her room and I took that as my cue to leave, before dad’s attention finally turned to who he viewed as the instigator of this new push for independence.

I ducked across the room, grabbing my backpack and swiping my keys off the kitchen counter.

“Uh; where do you think you’re going?” Dad asked; easily slipping back into his scolding tone like a comfy pair of slippers.

“To school.” I stated blankly. I wasn’t about to have a shouting match now; not when I already had so much on my mind.

“Uh no; you get over here and sit down. We’ve got things to talk about.” Dad instructed, and as much as I’d like to disobey him and rush out that door; I knew it would only cause me more hassle in the long run.

So I strolled over to the kitchen table with a sigh, refusing point blank to sit down, because I wasn’t about to be that much of a pushover.

When dad realised I wasn’t going to relent; he launched straight into his interrogation, once more donning his Chief  of Police hat with unbridled force.

“Now where has all this crap about trick or treating come from?” He asked; his hands waving about incredulously, as if the whole situation astounded him.

“I thought you were meant to be going to a party?”

“I was, but I thought it might be better...” I pleaded my case, because I’d already planned this far and knew exactly what to say to appease him.

“Buh, buh, buh...” Dad interrupted; halting my Oscar worthy performance mid-flow.

“Since when did you decide this?” He asked; disapproval and suspicion blending between his words.

“I wasn’t even gonna go, but then Nancy was talking with Jonathan; and she was like ‘Don’t be such a bore.” And then Steve was all like ‘you gotta come”... and...” I began to spew, frustration bleeding into my tone, forcing my argument to turn into an opportunity to vent.

Dad held up his hand, stopping me mid gripe before asking “Lola; if this is about that boy again...”

“It’s not Dad!” I insisted, rolling my head back, because of course; he’d somehow make this about my personal issues.

“Jesus; can we just drop it?!”

Dad was about to snap back with something, when the sound of a door slamming drew both of our attention.

Eleven had emerged from her bedroom, sans bedsheet, and was marching over to the table with a face like thunder.

“Glad that you could join us; now if you could both sit down, so we can enjoy this lovely breakfast that I...” Dad began, resolved to play happy families once more, despite being the only one with a vested interest in it.

“I haven’t got time.” I interrupted, making my way over to the front door, because dad couldn’t throw Billy in my face after I confided in him, then expect me to play nice.

“Lola...” Dad called after me, but it was futile. I was already out the door with no intention of turning back.

That truly was the last time I’d let us discuss things like adults. If he wanted to treat me like the bratty teenager; I could act like the bratty teenager, starting with Tina’s party.

You Are My Cup Of Tea (Chip) 12″ x 12″ Metallic Acrylic on Canvas To purchase Artwork, please visit BSSart.com/ordering LINK Chip, the teacup from Disneys Beauty and the Beast was used for this version of the Teacup series.  Most of the image is metallic, reflective paint, but there is alot of matte colors to offset as well. All black is flat to define the image at all angles.

Chip Potts is a supporting character who was featured in Disney's 1991 animated film, Beauty and the Beast. He is the son of Mrs. Potts. As a human, Chip is a young boy who works with his mother in the castle kitchens. Like the other inhabitants of the castle, Chip was cursed by the Enchantress. When his mother was turned into a teapot, Chip was likewise turned into a teacup. At the end of the film, once Belle and the Beast fell in love, Chip was magically restored to his human form

Chip is adventurous and constantly curious about the world around him. Chip is a cheerful and active young boy and (like his mother and friends) is shown to have a great fear of the Beast's temper. He is also shown to be very brave and heroic shown in the first film, where he saved Belle and her father Maurice in order for them to rescue Beast from Gaston and the angry mob. He loves Belle very much and views her as his big sister and best friend. As is typical of curious boys his age, he apparently has an overactive imagination; when he comes rushing in to inform his mother that there is a girl (Belle) in the castle, she scolds him for making up such tall tales. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 15 facts about Beauty and the Beast

1. WALT DISNEY CONSIDERED REMAKING THE FAIRY TALE AS FAR BACK AS THE 1930S.Walt Disney liked to take his time mulling things over, and while he was pondering Beauty and the Beast, a live-action version of the movie was released by French filmmaker Jean Cocteau. Perhaps not wanting to release an animated version of a movie that had just been released, Disney tabled the idea

.2. A NON-MUSICAL VERSION WAS COMMISSIONED IN THE LATE 

1980S.In the late '80s, Disney hired British animator Roger Purdum to direct a non-musical version of Beauty and the Beast, with Linda Woolverton writing the script. But the company wasn't happy with the result of 10 weeks of storyboarding (which you can see here)—the story was too dark and depressing."In the middle of our process, The Little Mermaid premiered, and that changed everything," Woolverton told the Los Angeles Times. "[T]he concept of the musical, the Broadway musical brought to animation by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. So I was flown to Disney in Florida to meet with Howard. Howard and I just clicked. ... In a hotel room in Fishkill, New York, Howard and I pretty much conjured up this version of Beauty and the Beast. Howard and I never clashed. I was his student. He taught me everything I know about musicals."

3. JACKIE CHAN CONTRIBUTED TO AN INTERNATIONAL VERSION.Jackie Chan dubbed the Beast’s voice for the Chinese translation of the movie—including the singing. Here he is performing the title track in Mandarin with Sarah Chen:

4. "HUMAN AGAIN" WAS CUT FROM THE ORIGINAL MOVIE.

The song “Human Again” was cut from the original movie, in part because it added 11 minutes to the film, and partially because it created a problem with the passage of time. "[W]e kept asking, 'Well what? Is Maurice wondering around in the woods all this time? Is Gaston just sitting around in a tavern drinking beer after beer growing a long white beard?,'" co-director Kirk Wise said. "We couldn't quite figure out what to do with the other characters during this time that Belle's at the castle and keep the motor of the story running." In recent years, the whole sequence has been included on DVD and Blu-ray extras. In case you don’t have either of those sitting around your house, check out part of it here:

5. THREE OF ITS TUNES EARNED "BEST ORIGINAL SONG" OSCAR NOMINATIONS.

Many people remember that the title song from Beauty and the Beast took home the “Best Original Song” Oscar in 1992, but it was just one of three songs nominated from the movie. But “Belle,” the opening song, and “Be Our Guest” were also up for an Oscar. Must have been rough to be the writers of the other two songs in that category: “When You’re Alone” from Hook and “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

.6. THE CO-DIRECTOR STARTED HIS CAREER DRAWING CARICATURES.

Co-director Kirk Wise started his career drawing caricatures for tourists—but not Disney tourists. While attending art school, Wise made extra money by working at Universal Studios

.7. THE BEAST IS A MASH-UP OF VARIOUS ANIMALS.

He’s got the mane of a lion, the beard and head of a buffalo, the brow of a gorilla, the eyes of a human, the tusks of a wild boar, the body of a bear, and the legs and tail of a wolf ... and a little something extra. Animator Glen Keane claims that “Beast actually has a rainbow bum, but nobody knows that but Belle.”

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

8. ONE ANIMATOR WISHED THAT THE BEAST STAYED A BEAST.

Keane wished that the Beast had stayed a Beast instead of transforming into his princely human form. To help bridge the gap, he penned a funny line for Belle to say at the end: “I had them record Belle saying, ‘Do you think you could grow a beard?’ It was a good idea. It’s not in the movie. We should have put it in there.”

9. ANGELA LANSBURY SAID THE DEMO MUSIC WAS A LITTLE TOO ROCK 'N' ROLL.

When Angela Lansbury heard the demo of "Beauty and the Beast," it was "kind of a rock song," she told The Huffington Post. "I told them, 'This is a sweet message, but this really isn't my style. Are you sure you want me to do this?' They told me to sing the song the way I envisioned it, so that's what I did. I created it the way a little English teapot would sing the song." Producer Don Hahn said that Lansbury "went into the booth and sang 'Beauty and the Beast' from beginning to end and just nailed it. We picked up a couple of lines here and there, but essentially that one take is what we used for the movie."

10. THERE'S A SLY REFERENCE TO DISNEYLAND

.You have to squint to see it, but when Maurice gets lost in the woods toward the beginning of the movie, one of the road signs he finds points the way toward Anaheim—which is home to Disneyland.Walt Disney Studio

s11. THE POSTER WAS DESIGNED BY A MASTER OF THE ART.

John Alvin, the artist who created Beauty and the Beast's iconic movie poster, also designed the posters for some other films you might be familiar with, including E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Gremlins, The Lion King, The Color Purple, and Blazing Saddles.

12. BELLE MADE A CAMEO IN THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.

Fittingly, she has her nose in a book. You can also see brief appearances by Pumbaa from The Lion King and Magic Carpet from Aladdin. It’s hard to spot Pumbaa—and tragic, as he appears to have been slaughtered—but both directors have confirmed all three cameos.

13. BELLE ISN’T THE ONLY BEAUTY AND THE BEAST CHARACTER THAT POPS UP IN OTHER MOVIES.The Beast can momentarily be seen in Aladdin as one of the animal stacking toys the Sultan plays with

.14. THERE'S A NON-MUSICAL VERSION.

An earlier version of the movie contained no music. It also gave Belle a little sister named Clarice and a cat named Charley.

15. AUDIENCES WERE SUPPOSED TO SEE THE SEQUENCE WHERE THE YOUNG PRINCE IS TURNED INTO THE BEAST.

The sorceress would chase the prince through the castle hurling magic at him, hitting servants and accidentally turning them into objects instead. Eventually, she hits her target and turns him into an animalistic creature. She leaves, and we see the young Beast looking out from the castle windows, screaming for her to come back and fix him. Wise nixed the sequence. He later said, “The only thing that I could see in my head was this Eddie Munster kid in a Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit.”

Such a Softer Sin (Chapter ten)

(Chapter one)

(Chapter two)

(Chapter three)

(Chapter four)

(Chapter five)

(Chapter six)

(Chapter seven)

(Chapter eight)

(Chapter nine)

What’s this you ask? Two chapters in one day? Yes, because I’m feeling generous loooool.

Shit hits the fan when Lila finds out what the twins have been telling people about her, and it’s only about to get worse.

Fun fact; the pronunciation of deartháir, which is Irish for brother, sounds a lot like jeheart in the Munster dialect which is what I’m going off. I’m actually learning Irish myself since I’m half Irish and have a lot of Irish family!

----------------------

It was Friday once again, the week had flown by. The three of them had settled into a routine quite easily and the boys were shocked at how at ease they were with her living there. They'd never had the need or want for a lass to live with them. They'd never been in a serious relationship and it had just been the two of them, they had liked it that way. Yet Lila was different. They weren't even together yet she fit in well with the twins like she had always been there. It was hard to remember what their life was like before she came into it. They actually enjoyed having her there and getting to see her every day.

The boys had been back at work since Monday and Lila was working every night. She spent the time when the boys were at work to clean the place. She’d bake and cook, much to the brothers' delight. She’d make cookies, cakes and all sorts of goodies that they thoroughly fucking enjoyed and they always came home to a home-cooked meal. They couldn't believe how lucky they were. She’d even started making them lunches to take to work which was fucking adorable. They usually just had a power bar which wasn't exactly healthy since their work was so labour intensive, or occasionally Rocco would bring them lunch and eat with them. Sometimes she'd write little jokes for them and put them in the bags to make them smile, and they fucking loved it, especially if they were having a rough day. It was insane how she was able to make them smile and feel unbelievably fucking happy when she wasn't even with them.

After dinner, they’d all go to the bar so she could work and the boys hung out with Rocco, then after work they'd all come back home and chill out or sleep. She'd gone back to sleeping in Murphys bed, and the boys wished she hadn't but wouldn't bring it up and make her feel uncomfortable. Everything was going really well for the three of them and they all worked well together like a well-oiled machine. Even Rocco loved her, she was hilarious and teased the boys relentlessly which he found more than amusing. She could clearly give as good as she got. He knew just why the boys were smitten with her. He just wished they'd fucking tell her because it was driving him insane. They were always gushing about her and it was almost sickening. Shit got out of hand when Murphy told him ‘ and we came home and she was paintin’ her toenails, she’s got the cutest fuckin’ toes.’ That comment had earned him a punch to the arm off his hairy friend and a roar of laughter from Connor, Murphy knew he deserved it as soon as the words left his mouth, who the fuck thinks toes are cute? Even Connor thought that one was ridiculous.

The bar was busy since it was Friday, over the weekend seemed to be the busiest time at the bar with a lot of other people coming in for a good night out, not just the regulars. It was good for business, but the boys hated it. The unspoken rule of McGinty’s was that Lila belonged to them, despite their lack of a relationship status. So the men could look, and boy did they fucking look. Murphy was always ready to fucking pounce when he was at the bar with her. But they couldn't touch, and they wouldn't ever dream of it. The regulars were not stupid enough to want to piss off the MacManus boys. The kind and sweet boys could be downright scary when they wanted to be and the men had seen them in enough bar fights to know not to cross them. But on Fridays and Saturdays, it wasn't just the locals there, there were many men unaware of this rule, nor would they care. And that is exactly what lead Connor and Murphy to be sat in a booth with Rocco, staring daggers at a man at the bar.

Lila was having a good day, and she was more than pleasantly surprised when one of the new men in the bar had sat down and chatted away to her. He looked like a young Johnny Depp and he was charming as hell. It was obvious he was flirting with her and she was soaking it all up, loving every second of it. She hoped by the end of the night they would have exchanged numbers. The boys had been sat at the bar at the start of the night, but they moved to a booth with Rocco in hopes they could hear the conversation between Lila and the asshole, but they couldn't. Being in the booth meant she could no longer come over and chat with them like she had been doing but people were in their seats at the bar now so they couldn't very well move back. So instead they sat there brooding, with Lila unaware of the glares being sent their way.

“The fuck does he think he’s doin’ touchin’ up on her like that?!” Murphy hissed, ready to launch off the seat and throw the man through the window. Connor pursed his lips as he watched them carefully. He wanted to make the man leave her alone but he didn't know how without upsetting Lila. He was trying to think of a way. He wasn’t irrational or impulsive like his darker-haired counterpart. He was meticulous and calculating, always needing a plan first.

“Touchin’ up on her? He just touched her fuckin’ arm man!” Rocco laughed incredulously, shaking his head. He couldn't believe these two asshats.

“Still fuckin’ touched her though.” Connor grumbled, his eyes never leaving Lila and the man.

“And what? She’s single, she can talk to who she wants.” Rocco knew he was heading in dangerous territory, but his meaning was loud and clear. You want her? Fucking tell her. The boys shot a dark look his way and he shook his head and shut up, watching as their glare returned to the man in question.

“Fuck, I’m gettin’ another drink.” Rocco sighed, getting up and walking to the bar next to Lila and the man.

“Hey Roc! What can I get you?” She beamed at him. He smiled back, unable not to. Lila was gorgeous and she had a way about her that just made you like her.

“Just a beer sweetie.” He grinned. She trotted off to get his beer and he was awkwardly left with the man that he feared would be murdered by the end of the night if he didn't leave.

“Hey, I’m Maddox.” The man smiled with a nod, wanting to introduce himself since he was obviously friends with Lila.

“Hey man, Rocco.” He replied, feeling more and more awkward by the second.

“So, what's up with your friends? They've been staring daggers at me for like an hour.” He chuckled, motioning to the twins who were sat up tense and ready to fucking throw punches.

“Uh...yeah...well...the thing is...them and Lila...well they’re kind of… a thing.” He rambled nervously. But when the man's eyes widened he knew he said too much.

“What? The three of them? They’re in a relationship?” He asked incredulously, the idea of it absurd to him. Rocco frowned, not knowing what to say and being annoyed by the man. He didn't think it was so weird if the three got together, to each their own and all that shit.

“Well, I mean...technically they're not together.” He stated, fidgeting a little and looking for Lila so she could rescue him from this hell.

“So they're just friends? That doesn't explain the looks.” Maddox squinted, feeling like something was amiss and he didn't like it.

“Look man, I’m not here for a fuckin’ interrogation alright? Lila belongs to them, just fuckin’ remember it.” Rocco scowled. Maddox didn't have time to respond as Lila came back with a beer and a smile on her face, unaware of what was going on. Rocco gave her a weak smile as he handed over the money.

Maddox was frowning and got up, putting on his coat. Lila looked at him curiously, he was suddenly going cold on her and she wondered what she had done.

“You’re leaving?” She sounded so genuinely sad that Rocco grimaced. He felt bad for the poor girl.

“Yeah well, wouldn't want your boyfriends beating me up since you belong to them and all.” He spat at her before leaving. She had visibly recoiled from his words and she felt like she’d been punched in the gut. She looked the Rocco confused but his guilty face made her narrow her eyes.

“Rocco, what the fuck did you say to him?” She asked lowly. Rocco squirmed a little and wiped a hand over his face.

“Don’t fuckin’ kill me, please. It's just… he asked why the boys were glarin’ at him, so I told him.” He winced, looking at her curiously.

“You told him what?... Wait a minute, you told him they’re my boyfriends and I belong to them?!” She asked incredulously. Rocco lowered his head, he had the decency to look guilty.

“Well yeah but only because it's the truth. Everyone here in McGinty's knows not to go near you, the boys put the fear of fuckin’ God in them.” He replied weakly. Lila furrowed her brows as everything clicked into place. Her first night working here, everyone was handsy and she got flirted with a lot, after that no one spoke to her unless it was for an order or some friendly chat. She wouldn't have minded so much but there had been a few guys her age in here that she had tried to talk to and they all brushed her off. She had thought it was her and it hurt her self esteem but now she knew that for some fucking reason, the boys had stopped anyone talking to her. She was livid.

She stormed around the bar and marched over to their booth. They boys had relaxed since the man left but seeing Lila storming over looking murderous, made them sit up straight and look at her warily. They had never seen Lila angry before and they were completely unaware of hurricane Lila that was about to tear the fucking place down.

“Outside. Now.” She growled as she got to their table, she didn't wait and just stormed outside. The twins looked to each other, terrified of what she might say, what Rocco had clearly said to her to make her so mad at them and they got up and hesitantly went outside.

As soon as the door closed behind them she whirled to face them.

“How fucking dare you! I thought we were friends!” She yelled, her chest heaving as she pinned them with such an intense glare. Murphy frowned looking confused and Connor tilted his head. Neither of them made a move to get closer to her, fearing how she would react when she was so worked up.

“We are Lila-” Connor started, but he was cut off.

“Really?! Then how come I’ve just been informed that you’ve been scaring off guys from talking to me? How apparently I belong to you!” She seethed. She started pacing and Murphy couldn't help but think she looked like a caged animal ready to attack and honestly, he was scared shitless.

“Love, we can explain-” Murphy tried, but again was unsuccessful.

“What gives you two the fucking right?! As my friends! To fucking decide who I do or do not talk to?!” She was furious and the twins knew they fucked up big time. She was right. They had no right doing that to her, they weren't even in a relationship.

“M’girl please.” Murphy pleaded, wanting her to calm down and listen to them, to see if they could fix it.

“I’m not your girl!” She spat bitterly, making Murphy take a step back like he had been physically struck. The words hurt him more than he liked and it felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest.

She was so mad she couldn't see how upset Murphy had become, she was too enraged at the audacity that these two assholes had done this. She had trusted them wholeheartedly, and they betrayed her trust. To go behind her back and make out like they were together, to lay some sort of claim on her. To stop people talking to her, stop her having potential dates. They were her friends, they should be happy for her if people wanted to ask her out. Connor grabbed Murphy by the back of the neck, grounding him and trying to soothe him. He knew those words were seeping into his brother's heart like poison but as much as he hated to admit it, the lass was right. It was clear now how selfish they had been, they hadn't thought about how it would affect her, they were only thinking of themselves. He was trying to think of a way to fix it, his mind going through everything to try and repair the damage they had caused. She didn't trust them now and he didn't blame her. But it was never their intention to hurt her. He wasn't sure just what to say to her to make it right, not when she was so mad and didn't want to hear any of it.

“Lila, lass, we didn't mean te hurt ye I swear.” Connor begged, looking desperately at her.

“Right, of course not. Why did you fucking do it? We’re supposed to be friends! It’s not like you're interested in me that way anyway, what do you care if I talk to guys!” She yelled, her arms swinging around wildly.

“We do.” Murphy whispered, his voice strained as he tried to contain his hurt and tears. Lila looked at him like he’d grown three heads.

“What?” She asked, frowning as she looked between the boys. Murphy just lowered his head, he couldn't look at her, her words were ripping a hole through his chest and leaving a gaping hole.

“We do like ye like that lass, we couldn't stand the thought of ye bein’ with another man.” Connor admitted, grimacing at how it sounded to his own ears. They had been so selfish. So fucking selfish. She scoffed and looked at them incredulously. All this time she liked them and she never thought they'd like her back, yet here they were admitting it after they broke her trust and hurt her.

“You know, if you would have just told me that instead of being assholes, things would have been different.” She stated, looking more hurt than angry now. Murphy looked up blinking at her, it just made him hurt more. She basically just admitted she felt the same and would have been willing to give it a go, but they’d fucked it up. Connor looked at her pained, wiping a hand over his face frustrated.

“It’s doesn't have te be different Lila, we can-” He started, hoping she would listen.

“I’ll get my things after work and go to a motel.” She shook her head, looking at them both with so much hurt and sadness on her face that it made the boys hearts ache in their chests. She stormed past them and went back inside. Murphy felt like he was crumbling. Her words were eating away at him as they were on a painful loop in his mind and he could feel the tears sting his eyes. ‘I’m not your girl, I’m not your girl, I’m not your girl.’ Connor was looking at the door that the girl had gone through, trying desperately to think of what he needed to do to make things right, he couldn't lose her, they couldn't lose her. He needed to fix it and quick.

“Connor...” Murphy's voice broke the silence, he sounded utterly devastated and broken, his voice cracking a little. Connor whipped around to look at his brother and his heart clenched seeing the unshed tears and the look of heartbreak all over his face. His poor little Murphy always wore his heart on his sleeve and it didn't take much to upset him. But the boys had never actually cared about a lass before and this kind of heartache was new for them and he knew Murphy wasn't handling it well.

“Aye, c’mere deartháir (brother).” He sighed, pulling him in for a hug. Murphy clung to him like a lifeline, burying his face in his brother's neck and letting his scent soothe him. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the lump in his throat to go away.

After a few moments, Murphy had calmed enough to move away, sniffling slightly and wiping his eyes. Connor wrapped an arm around his shoulder and started walking them home. It wouldn't do any good to go back in the bar. Lila wouldn't want to see them and he wanted to think of a way to get her to stay. It wasn't safe for her to just go off and stay in some shady motel, he needed to sort this mess out. It was their own faults and they were atoning for their sins now, but he hoped to God they wouldn’t lose the lass because they needed her. Seeing how devastated Murphy was, he wasn't sure how his brother would take it if she just never spoke to them again. Connors own heart ached at the thought. The girl was meant to be with them, even if it was just as friends.

Kayvan Novak takes a bite out of ‘Shadows’ role

Actor’s improv background pays off in comedy's flexible scripts

LOS ANGELES — Kayvan Novak was drawn to a career in acting because of the escapist element. He loves to be able to get lost in a character so deeply that it’s difficult to recognize himself

He’s made such an acting escape with the new FX comedy “What We Do in the Shadows.” Think of the series as “Modern Family” meets “The Munsters

Novak plays Nandor the Relentless, the self-appointed leader of a small group of vampires living under one roof. There was a time when Nandor was a great warrior and conqueror from the Ottoman Empire, but these days, he’s more concerned with the ins and outs of a Staten Island city council meeting. A camera crew is on hand to document how the group gets back to the task of dominating the New World while dealing with everyday life.

“This role felt so immersive to put in the fangs, get the hair, the cape, the clothes, the sets,” Novak says. “Everything felt like just a beautiful escape for me, which is what I look for in a part.”

An additional plus is that series creator Jemaine Clement (“Flight of the Conchords”) gave Novak a script that was just a guideline, leaving him a massive amount of room to improvise. That fits perfectly with the work he has done in the past, as Novak co-created the British prank call show “Fonejacker” and the spinoff series “Facejacker.” Novak also has a history of voice work with such projects as “Danger Mouse,” “Thunderbirds Are Go” and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.”

Clement’s idea was to write distinct characters but to leave a lot of improvising so the actors take their roles and make them more distinct. Some of the improv work Novak did when he auditioned for the role was added to the scripts for the 10-episode order. Novak called the process of writing, improvising and writing some more a constant evolution for the script.

“My background is mainly improvisational comedy,” Novak says. “Working on the pilot was a steep learning curve because of the pace at which they would come up with new ideas and suggest new ideas. It was a matter of implementing what they thought of on the spot and putting it into your character in a seamless way.”

He’s not alone. Along with Novak’s role as leader of the blood-sucking pack, there’s the dapper British vampire Laszlo (Matt Berry), plus seductress Nadja (Natasia Demetriou). They are joined by Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), Nandor’s servant/protector during the daylight hours, and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), an energy vampire.

There’s one thing about his role that confuses Novak.

“I’m not sure how he actually became the leader of this clan, because none of the clan actually listens to a word he says, which is kind of upsetting for me because I kind of take that personally. I want to be the commander and in control and everyone just ignores me. I don’t know how old he is. I think he’s at least 400 years old,” Novak says.

Novak found all the inspiration he needed to play the vampire role in the script, wardrobe, sets and fangs. The British actor has never been a fan of the vampire genre, calling ’80s American television shows such as “The A-Team,” “Nightrider” and “CHiPs” more of an influence on him as an actor.

And, Novak was influenced by the source material. The new FX offering is loosely based on the 2014 film co-written and co-directed by Clement and Taika Waititi of the same name.

“I only really wanted to become a vampire because I thought it would be a very cool thing to be and a very funny thing to be after I saw the original film. I was a big fan of the film,” Novak says. “When I heard they were doing this, it was one of those auditions that I really, really, really wanted the part.

“I wanted the role so much, I figured I was never going to get it. Once I got it, and to have had the most amazing time filming the series, it’s a dream come true.”

https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/apr/05/kayvan-novak-takes-a-bite-out-of-shadows-role/

The Answer Pt. 8

for @roshanaks because she’s ignited my need for more Elouise/Michael and I can get her what she wants quicker ;)

“Rise and shine!” Maggie’s singsong greeted Elouise as she rolled over in bed with a grunt. Her voice was low from sleep and muffled by the pillows and blankets, but Maggie could just make out the faint ‘no’ falling from her friend's lips, disappearing further in the bed. “Come on Lou,” Maggie said, trying to find her friends foot to grab onto. Once she found it she started pulling, though Lou fought back as her hands emerged from the shadowy depths, grabbing onto the bars of the headboard. “You...can’t...stay...in..bed..forever.” Maggie groaned in between each tug in this game of war, as Lou gripped harder, her nails digging into her palms.

“I can.” Her voice a muffled whisper.

“You can’t.” Maggie said, giving Lou’s ankle a final, rough tug, just as Lou had finally given up and let go, sending both girls toppling over. Maggie soared through the air, landing down hard on the floor, sending Elouise shooting up to make sure she was ok.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Maggie squeaked as got up, rubbing the side of her leg as she made her way over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. She looked at Elouise long and hard before saying anything, seeing her friend in this state of dejection truly for the first time. The silence filled the air around them for a few moments, Elouise staring blankly out the window, her mind trailing off into the distance.

“I know you’re upset, but you gotta snap out of it.” Maggies harsh, but true, words broke the silence, pulling Elouise from her trance-like state, looking at Maggie for the first time in a while. Her reassuring smile made Elouise feel something she hadn’t in the past few days; hopeful. She sat up straighter, ready to listen but not willing to say anything. “You gotta get out of bed. Get out of the house. You haven’t been to work in five days.”

“I’m not even sure I have a job anymore.”

“Well why don’t you go find out or something. Sulking around all day is not good for you.”

“I can’t face them.”

“You can Elouise. They’re probably worried about you.”

“Doubtful.”

“I give up.” Maggie said abruptly, standing and heading towards the door. “I’m trying to help you but Polly was right about this self-loathing. Go talk to them or don’t, I don’t care, just get out of the goddamn house for a few hours. Go buy us some alcohol at least, since we’ve run out.”

Elouise perked up at that, knowing deep down that Maggie was right, she’d get nothing accomplished if she stayed inside and surrendered. In these few days without the Shelby’s, she had been truly familyless, and she hated that feeling more than the feeling that she didn’t have her very own family, instead of being taken in by one. She sighed, finally standing up and walking to the closet where a few of her things were hanging amongst Maggie’s, a clear divide between the darkest dresses and super girly ones.

“You trust me to go buy alcohol? Last time you called me an alcoholic if I remember correctly.”

“I said you might have a problem, it’s different. But of course I trust you, just bring the bottle back full.” Maggie smirked, throwing her some money before leaving for her fashion class.

And it was that easy to be alone again. Elouise sighed, pulling on a dress and getting ready to face the world after being disconnected from it for what felt like forever. As she stepped outside, heading towards the city full of demons, she wasn’t sure the world was ready for her again.

Elouise hurried into the first liquor store she saw when it had started to rain. She wasn't in a rush, but she didn't want her hair to get wet, sometimes she cared about girly things like appearances and stuff. But besides that her feet were beginning to ache, as she had went out of her way to go to a store on the opposite side of town as an attempt to steer clear of the Shelbys. It was times like this she wished she could have a car of her own, but she knew she was lucky to even be allowed to drive it sometimes, albeit how bad she was once she was behind the wheel.

A little ding filled her ears as a bell rang when she entered. She shook the little droplets of water off her coat and wiped her shoes as she looked around. The only other person in the store was the man who owned it, giving Elouise a smile and then walking towards she when she started looking at the whisky.

“I think what you're looking for is over here.” The man said, pointing her towards the wine. Elouise sighed, crossing her arms as she stood firmly in front of the section.

“I know what I want, thanks.”

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Can...can I help you with anything?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m looking for top shelf Irish Whisky.”

The man’s eyes grew wide at the request, but nonetheless he what she had requested, which was hidden behind the counter. She grabbed a bottle of gin as well, Maggie’s favorite, and walked over to the counter, waiting for the man to ring her up.

“Top shelf Irish Whisky, that’s what they have down at the Garrison. What’re you doing all the way over here?”

“Minding my own business. Can we hurry please, I have to go.” She said worriedly now, almost hopping from foot to foot as the possibility of any one of the Blinders coming in now, because if this guy knew about the Garrison, obviously Elouise hadn’t gone far enough.

“That’ll be 20 pounds.” The man said with a fake smile now as he watched Elouise dig through her pockets and place crumpled bills on the counter.

“Shit, shit, shit…” she said under her breath, digging through her pockets hoping to find more than the few bucks Maggie had given her. The man looked at her cautiously, like most people do when she enters a room. In the midst of trying to find enough money to pay, she hadn’t notice the faint bell ringing again.

“Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, I’ll just take the gin.” She said, cursing herself for needing the money her job had provided, wondering how she was going to munster up the courage to drag herself back across that threshold. She might have to beg for her job back, publically apologize to everyone, who knows what she’d have to do but she needed her job. Unsure why, but standing in the little liquor shop without enough money to pay for booze, Elouise realised maybe Polly was right; she needed to turn her life around.

“I’ll get the Whisky.” A voice beside her made her jump, ready to defend herself against the creep trying to buy this for her, probably hoping he’d get her into bed afterwards.

“Look, fuck o-” she started, only stopping when she saw Michael beside her, digging in the deep pockets of his coat and placing money on the bar. “Michael? What’re you…” She asked confused, watching him take the bag of booze from the man behind the counter and starting to walk out. She followed reluctantly, still throwing an intimidating gaze over her shoulder at the man as she left.

“What’re you doing here?”

“I was just out running an errand.”

“On the opposite side of town?”

He just shrugged, stepping into the street to cross without looking, and Elouise followed a second after, getting honked at by some car passing by. She sped up to be by his side again, noticing the suit he was wearing, another old one of John’s. She furrowed her brows as she tried keeping up with his long strides, wondering about all she had missed in the past week if Michael was now wearing John’s old things on a daily basis.

“Well, what were you doing on this side of town?” He countered

“Trying to avoid you lot, can’t imagine that’s your reasoning too.”

He shrugged. “Happy coincidence I guess.”

She laughed under her breathe, crossing her arms as the clack of her heels filled the air. “He’s looking for me.”

“What?”

“Tommy, he’s upset I haven’t come into work.”

“Well, I mean yeah. I had your pay for this week but just spent it on this little thing.” He said, waving the bottle around at her, causing her to grab it from his hands.

“What the hell are you doing with my money?”

“The world didn’t stop just because you left El, thing’s are changing.”

A shiver ran down her spine as she heard the name.

“Changing huh? You sound like her.”

“Sound like who?” He waited but when she didn't answer, having slight flashbacks to the fight she and Polly had in the bar he ignored it and continued. “Anyway...are you gonna come back?”

Elouise stopped in her tracks, staring at him thoughtfully. Sure, he was wearing John’s old clothes, but he looked even more like Tommy when you stared at him. The light eyes, the clenched jaw, he already looked different than when he first showed up a couple weeks ago. She tisked him as they kept walking.

“So it’s Poll who’s sent you to find me.”

“Well, she was worried about you yeah, but she wasn’t the only one.” He said, looking at her sideways and a hint of a smile playing on his face. She tried not to blush too hard, but she literally didn’t know she was even capable of blushing. “How are you doing after the auction.”

“It’s over. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough.” Michael stated after clearing his throat, the two turning the corner and Watery Lane coming into view. In the time they had spent talking, she hadn’t realized how much they had walked and the betting shop was on her right with the Garrison on her left, and she held her breathe at the thought of seeing anyone else.

“El?” He called, stopping at the doors of the shop when he realized she wasn’t following anymore.

“Uh, I have to get back to Maggie’s.”

“Right well, you won’t have to talk about it at the party this weekend?”

“Party?”

“Yeah, it’s my birthday, everyone’s going to the Garrison. They’d all like to see you.”

“Oh I...uh...I don’t know…”

“Come on, at least do it for me.”

She scoffed at that, stopping before getting to close to either of the Shelby territories. Her eyes roamed the street, constantly checking if anyone was showing up and when she knew she was in clear she turned back to Michael with a playful smirk on her face. “You might look and sound the part now, but you've got a lot left to learn Gray. No one tells me what to do. Thanks for the Whisky.” She finished off as she walked away, sighing deeply when she was gone again, trying to regain her composure she seemed to lose every time she was around him.

Chapter 1  Dubh linn

Maire’s first post.

…and there was a small cottage along the big sea, nestled in some trees where Maire went for alone time.  On this morn she rose to sit outside it along the rocks to enjoy the quiet.  There was not even a ripple to lap upon the shore and the sands were firm and wet with stillness.   A perfect time for thinking….. Restless and slow, the huge ball of orange fire, lifted out of the sea, and a cloudy Irish sky welcomed it.  Maire welcomed it as it was reliable.  The Irish believed that water….the air, earth, and fire were the elements of life.  Her people were grateful for it.

Downstream, there would wake, a bustle on the wooden quay; as shipbuilders resumed their work once more.  Maire thought about the way of life in Fingal Town.   Three cultures living in harmony; the Picts, the Norse and the Irish….even she had them in her veins….and she desired  that she would live to tell the tale.  

Her father and those before him wanted it so …made it so that his descendants would remember the lessons, the struggles and the dreams of those who came before.  Maire knew her roots; and as she gazed out over the Irish Sea, a warm pride filled her.  

Morning was Maire’s favorite time.  It was a time for musings, a time to make connections and to make sense of her being.  Something in her past had made this so, this desire to look for beauty among those who had come before in order to go forward.  Maire knew she was different than her sister and brothers.  She wished there was a way to “keep” the stories she knew.  She could read and write.  She dreamed of writing it down....making a book~ like the monks in the monasteries.  But her people were pagan.  Not that being a lover of the old ways was backward, but she loved knowledge.

Maire started coming to the cottage, even as a child with her mother.  Sometimes they came because her father had gone: traveling…meeting with clans or other minor kings in Mide….  sometimes he was at a Dyflin Town meeting with the underlord, King Silkbeard, who was also Maire’s uncle.  She was of Viking descent through her mother.  

As she grew older her mother, Maul Muire ingen Amlaib went to the cottage to be alone.  Maire feared she was sad….and that is when she became lonely.

This morning she was at the cottage alone, and when she awoke, ventured out onto the rocky shore. A few stray auburn tresses blew across her face as a gentle mist soothed her cheeks.  As she walked she drew near to the wooden quay, where long ships were roped, built, and hoisted.  Maire waved to a group of workers as they were just arriving for the day.  Most were Norsemen, yet because through the years, the Irish had intermingled and married, the two cultures had become one.

Moving back toward solid land, Maire caught the whiff of coffee and pork wafting through the air.  It’s origin was the bar on the corner on the main street which fed onto the quay.  

Lifting her linen skirts, the princess entered the open doors, lowered her face, not really wanting to draw attention, she slid onto a small wooden chair at a table near a window which overlooked the sea.

Her thoughts ventured out, studying the shapes and sizes of the Viking ships lining the horizon beyond the shipyard which were tied along the Dublin shoreline.  Gulls were gliding and feeding overhead, while the smoke from fisheries and shouts from men gathering up nets, and lobster pots flew into the crisp, morning air. She scarcely noticed when the barkeep placed a mug of cocoa and a nutty scone before her.

This was a place she had frequented often…mostly as a young adult, but even when she was a child, she would come here, with her mum.  Everyone knew she did not live here, in Dubflin, as it was called by the Ostmen.  The people, her people, the Irish before that, named it Dubh linn meaning “black pool” because it was located where the River Liffey and other streams met as a deep bay. But she loved it.  It was taught to her even then, that this was a place to come for comfort.  A place free from attitude, where one was not judgmental because everyone was the same yet different.  

Maire was sure she was overthinking this morning, but hadn’t she heard her father, the King of Mida, tell a King in the North that he was looking to marry her off?  Didn’t she know that it was important that she marry another with O’Neill bloodlines or at least with those of her mother?  Her elbow was now bent on the table, her hand rested submissively on her forehead.  She did not want this.  Not now, not ever.  Memories of her mother’s tears and unhappiness came flooding back to her…Mael Muire, daughter of Ambaib had not taken to the life of a Celt.  Maire knew there were other reasons for her mother’s despair, but she had given her husband four children just the same, the eldest being Maire.

Maire began her tired musings; about how she might escape the whole royalty scene.  How she might fall in love with a sailor and escape all the politics and conflict in Ireland at the time.  How she might find romance and together they would find a beautiful ‘island somewhere to settle on.  There had to be such a place, the oceans should be full of them.  Who and where would that be, she mused, and exactly what was love?  The princess closed her eyes to imagine, just in time to notice a sandy haired monk clothed in a brown hooded robe, slide into the chair opposite hers.  

“Father Cinaed!  Good morning, how are you?”  she tried to sound welcoming.  ”You caught me in a daydream.”

“That I did, Maire, as I’ve been standing here for a while waiting for you to invite me to sit.   I am fine, and what about you?  What brings you to Dyflin this morn.”

“Weel, I stayed in the cottage last night.” He nodded understandingly and sat silent, allowing her to continue.  He knew that there would be a story behind her coming.”  She winced, knowing he would drag it out of her if she hedged.

“Things are unhappy at home.  My father spends so many hours at Dun na Sciath…I fear mother may leave him.”  The monk drew a breath, he knew the Mide King had made many unpopular decisions as of late.  So many had been pleased when he had triumphed over the renegade king from the southern part of the island.  So many had seen it as a victory, and that peace would prevail.  But now the greedy Munster leader was thirsty for more…and Maul Sechnaill was considering submission.  

“We are caught in the middle, Maire.”  We have friends here in Dyflin.” His head lifted, so his eyes could scan the bar.  Up until then, both had been huddled close, their voices low.  Cinaed had attended formal education as Maire had, at the monastery in Kildare.  There he had studied religion, and she literature and history.  Both could read and write.  Because of the spread of Christianity, many scholars, bishops, artisans and musicians, had gathered at the monastaries which were thankfully protected throughout Ireland.  Children with royal blood attended classes there, but even common folk could attend the one in Kildare.  It was founded by the famous priestess, Bridgit.  She was now regarded as Saint Brigid for her diligence and faithfulness to draw others to the Lord.

Maire frowned, “I admit, I’m not knowing where I fit, Cinaed.  I love my father.  I know I’m like him.  My love for stories… and our past.  But I want more than the life of a royal.  I fear I will be unhappy just as my mother if I marry and have children.”

The two friends were silent.  Cinaed would understand as he had made his break from a powerful clan ten years prior, so that he could go to the monastary.  Cinaed was amazingly talented in art and had made his home on Lambay Island.  It had been established followers of Columba, Roman Catholic Bishop, then ransacked by Vikings in the late sixth century.  Cinaed was one of a party of artists and religious to rebuild and recover the settlement.  He worked in the scriptorium there.  

“You are young Maire, and you are smart.  I will pray for you.” He  whispered as he rose from his chair.  I must go to visit a family who has lost a child to disease.  Pray for me, Maire.

Maire sat, ashamed of her petty problems, after hearing the weighty ones of another.  She reached for his hand, squeezed it and smiled.  “I will.”

There were so many sorrows in life, she thought, and so many kinds of love.  How long would it take to learn it all?  Probably forever.