#and I’m so so happy and proud he gets to do one of these roundtables

[cable-knit-sweater]

Sebastian on Method acting - On the Envelope Drama Roundtable (Full episode June 10th)

#It honestly puts a smile on my face to hear him talk about his craft #he’s so passionate #🥰🥰🥰 #and I’m so so happy and proud he gets to do one of these roundtables #and then there’s the SUIT #how am I supposed to survive all this content? #sebastian stan

[letarasstuff]

Go Little Hockey Star

(A/N): This is based on a concept I wrote a few days ago. I hope you like it as much as I do :)

Summary: At first Spencer worries that he is not able to be at his daughter's first hockey game. Then he gets additional worries about her well being while practicing a rough sport (or in other words: Spencer being the supportive dad he would have been, if we weren't robbed of Dad!Spencer)

Warnings: I have zero knowledge about ice hockey, so every term I used is thanks to a website I found through Google, and there are a few curse words

Wordcount: 1.6k

✨Masterlist✨ _____________________________

“What got your panties in a twist today,” Derek teases his friend, who sighed for the third time today, and it’s not even lunch time. “It’s nothing, just- (Y/N) told me her team’s next game is this weekend and it’s her first opportunity she is not on the bench. I’m worried she will get hurt.” Spencer answers honestly.

His mind circles around that subject ever since his daughter told him about these exciting news last night at the dinner table. And while he is incredibly happy and proud of her, he is scared that she will get hurt.

“Ah yes, she started playing hockey right? This means all the hours on the ice with her are paying off.” Derek is referring to all the weekends, and sometimes weekdays, he took his goddaughter out for a few rounds of skating. A few rounds always turned out to be several hours, but nobody complained. Spencer always saw her benefitting from it, both her physical and mental health and her bond to her uncle.

Still, he looks at his friend in deep worry. “I mean yes, but hockey is such a brutal sport, why didn’t she choose to get into figure skating? This would be a lot safer than a bunch of people with wooden sticks in their hands chasing after a little black plastic thing.”

“Oh, is it about (Y/N)’s first game?” Penelope excitedly asks, just going by because she needed to get something approved by Hotch. “She texted me about this yesterday and was totally thrilled.” Her eyes light up at the thought of her little birdy showing the other team what hockey means. “Oh my god, can we all go and watch it? Make a team thingy out of it with a little celebration party at Rossi’s?”

Just as Spencer wants to answer, telling her how much he appreciates her elation, Rossi butts in, who listens to the whole conversation from the catwalk. “Garcia, I’m not doing little celebrations in my backyard. I do, how do the kids phrase it these days? I go big or go home, right that’s it.”

A mutual quiver goes through the small group upon hearing their senior using those few words. “Rossi, please do us all a favor and never say something like this again,” Emily tells him on behalf of the others, who nod in agreement. He looks at them in hurt pride. “Well, then you don’t want me to host a big celebration for our little Reid?” The teasing tone in his voice reveals that of course he will do it, after all he kind of is the Supportive Grandpa of the BAU Children. It comes with the deal.

“Sorry guys, but there is a possibility that this will not happen. We got a case and it’s a bad one,” Hotch calls out to them while rushing into the roundtable room, the rest of the team following him.

After having the case pitched to them by JJ and doing their first round of brainstorming, everybody is on their way to get a few things sorted before they meet at the airstrip to board the jet. Hastily Spencer calls his daughter while grabbing his go-bag from under his desk.

“Hey Sweetheart, I’m about to go on a case in California. I’m not sure how long this one will be. I may not be able to make it to your game, I’m so sorry.” His face twists into a sad look. “It’s alright, Dad. Don’t worry, we’ll win for you, doesn't matter where you are. Just come back home in one piece, promise?” “As long as you promise the same thing for your game.” After a bit of teasing they end the call. With a sigh the father puts his phone back into his pocket.

“I guess she didn’t take it well?” Derek asks based on his friend’s reaction. Spencer shakes his head. “She did better than I’ve hoped for and that’s the problem. She was too understanding, meaning she already saw this coming. And that’s what devastates me.”

Rossi, who once again listened to a conversation that was not really meant for him, cuts in. “May come hell or highwater, I will make sure that you, Doctor Reid, get to see your child’s game, and if I have to drag that Son of a Bitch of an UnSub myself out of his hiding.” Appreciating his consolations, Spencer smiles at Dave.

What the whole team thought would be a joke, is a bitter reality: David Stephen Rossi, also known as man of the hour now, pesters everybody through the case. He even annoys the local PD so much with asking for updates, giving harsh orders or questioning their capability, that Hotch gets an earful from the local captain.

“I told you Reid,” he says gleefully a few days later, everybody sitting in their respective seats on the jet, happy that this nightmare of a marathon-case is finally over,”We will make it in time for the game. I guess it’s a good thing that I ordered catering and all for tomorrow. After bringing the goal home, you are all invited for a celebration party á lá David Rossi.”

Spencer smiles gratefully. “I- Thank you so much Rossi, I really appreciate this. But please, I don’t want anybody to feel pressured into coming. I know this case was draining and you all need your recommended hours of sleep and time with your own families.” He throws his arms around while talking, trying to get them to understand that there will be no hard feelings.

“Reid, we all are coming. We don’t want to miss (Y/N)’s first time on the ice for the world.” Hotch looks at him with a serious face, telling him that he is honest while speaking on the behalf of the team, who nods.

“Dad, I don’t think I can do this. Maybe Aunt Penny and Uncle Derek can fake a medical emergency and distract everybody, so we can get away without being seen?” (Y/N) looks at her father with a pleading expression, her nerves getting the better of her. Sitting on a bench with all her attire and gear already on, she is about to undo the laces of her ice skates.

Spencer kneels down in front of her and stops her motion by putting his hand over hers. “No, we are not calling this off, Sweetheart. You worked so hard to be in the place you are right now, I can’t let you throw all of your sweat, tears and dedication away, just because your body is acting on a stress response by boosting adrenaline into your bloodstream along with other hormones. You will go out there, take those skates onto the ice and show everybody that being a Reid is much more than a book and a smart fact.” The end of his monologue turns into a motivational speech he memorized beforehand from a movie he watched to prepare him for what can happen today.

(Y/N) nods in self-confidence. “You are right. I can do it. I’m capable and here for a reason. Thank you, Dad. I love you. See ya after the game!” Quickly the teenager gets up and presses a kiss on his cheek before exiting the locker room, catching up to her teammates.

“Oh look! Little Reid is out there, the colors are really suiting her,” Penelope gushes, being dressed in the same ones and even having red and white strips drawn on her cheeks to match with it. “Yeah, she just needed something motivational that could have come from Morgan,” Spencer tells the team, giving his best friend a smirk.

Everybody is there with their families, ready to cheer (Y/N) on. And they are the loudest, no matter what happens, if it’s her name being called out with her position over the speaker or her scoring a goal.

To be real and honest: Spencer is the most thunderous of them all. He also is dressed in red and white from toe to head, and while he really is cheering for his daughter like there is no tomorrow, he also screams the loudest when she is smashed by someone against the rinks or falling down on the ice whilst grasping on Derek’s (pretty firm) bizeps. He is sure to have some bruising going on there for the next few days.

But that doesn’t really matter, since like Rossi predicted, their team wins this game. Everybody is sure they will have a sore throat from all the screaming and shouting they do, especially when (Y/N) exits the locker room, wearing her normal clothes again.

“I knew it, I knew you would make this game,” Rossi is the first one to greet her, pressing a kiss on each cheek in his typical Italian fashion. One after one congratulates her, enveloping her in a hug as long as she is fine with it or just giving her a high five, the ever present smile not leaving the teenager’s face once.

“You can’t imagine how proud I am of you. You did it, you showed them all what you can do.” Spencer tells her while it’s his turn to hug her. A few tears make it into her eyes. “Thank you for always believing in me, Dad. I know this isn’t easy for you. Also, I think you need to rub some heating gel on a few places on my back later, the bruises already hurt like a son of a biscuit.” This gets a laugh from him, just being happy she is alright after being smashed against the rink countless times.

(If you have liked what you have read, please consider giving this a reblog and have other people see it too c:)

Taglist:

All works:

@dindjarinsspouse @big-galaxy-chaos @jswessie187 @kneelforloki

Criminal Minds:

@averyhotchner @mggsprettygirl @herecomesthewriterwitch @ash19871962 @ellyhotchner @thefandomchoosesthewizard

#Spencer Reid x reader #spencer reid x daughter!reader #spencer reid x teen!reader #spencer redi x reid!reader #spencer reid #x reader #x daughter!reader #x teen!reader #x reid!reader #reader insert #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction

[lyssismagical]

so small and so quiet

criminal minds

tw: homophobia, internalized homophobia 

*

Spencer Reid first realized he was gay when he was eight years old.

He didn’t think much of it, it was just another label to add to the plethora he already knew of himself – genius, nerd, schizo, weirdo, Einstein, freak, loser, every other insult the other kids at school would throw his way. Gay was just another word, whether it was directed as an insult or as something truthful. It didn’t really matter.

He was eight when he was forced into watching the school’s water polo game instead of sneaking off to the library. He was eight when fourteen-year-old Bradley Walters emerges from the water, dripping and shaking his hair out, grinning so bright Spencer thinks his cheeks might crack open. He was eight when he realized his attraction towards a man. Of course, Bradley never even looked at him, and he didn’t mind. He didn’t like Bradley. Bradley who pushed him into lockers and laughed when he held Spencer’s books way above his head. Bradley who called him a fag and introduced him to the darker side of being gay.

 He was ten when his father slung the same insults at him that his bullies did.

“You can’t possibly expect me to stick around when you’re too weak to leave your bed and my only child is gay.”

He was ten when his father walked out the door and never returned.

 He was twelve when he told his mother.

He was good at staying in the closet, it’s not like he had any friends. He couldn’t date because everyone he knew was years older than him and hated him. Most people called him gay without realizing the truth to their attempts at knocking him down.

His mother sat him down one day, more lucid than she’s been in a long time, and told him a story about how she met his father and their love. She asked if anybody made him feel like that. He laughed and told her that he didn’t even have any acquaintances let alone anyone to consider for a date. He was about to leave for college, anyway. He admitted, in a quiet voice, that the only crush he’d ever had was on the knights of the roundtable.

His mother had laughed. “Which knight?”

“King Arthur, duh,” he said, laughing. And then he went quiet, shy, and his voice was barely a whisper when he said, “Mom, I think I’m gay.”

“I know, honey.”

“How?”

“A mother always knows.”

 He was twenty-three when he finally found people that he trusted enough to be himself around. They might still mock his ramblings, tell him to stop when his nervous habits get to be too much for them. They might tell him to shut up, sideline him, and make him feel just a little bit like an outsider. But they’re family.

“I’m gay,” he told Gideon with no preamble, standing in the door to his office.

Gideon squinted up at him, pushing his glasses up his nose. “You know I don’t care, Spencer, but I think it would be better if you were to keep that a secret for the time being. It would be better for the team, for the press, for the bureau, if we didn’t have ties to people like you.”

“People like me,” Spencer echoed. “Yeah, for sure.”

And Gideon had gone back to looking at his reports.

 At twenty-four, he’s kidnapped.

 At twenty-five, Gideon left him.

The closet had never felt so safe.

 He’s twenty-seven when he’s trapped in a church with Emily, no way to escape hearing about the sins he’s committed simply by being who he is. He’s not called out personally, but when he throws up behind the SUV when they make it out, Emily must have an inkling why. Though she doesn’t say a word to him or anybody else.

He’s twenty-seven when he has to face his father again who takes one look at the way he’s dressed, the way he’s grown up, the way he carries himself, that he’s still the same gay kid he always was. He throws the word around casually, picking at Spencer’s sweater vest and muttering it under his breath.

He’s twenty-seven when his best friend, the first friend he’d ever made, is sitting on the other side of a glass door, making promises Spencer isn’t sure he can keep. He’s twenty-seven and scared when he tells Morgan the truth about himself, the one thing that he buries as deep as he can and feels shame for in every waking moment.

“I’m gay, Derek,” he says, refusing to look, using the glass as protection from the possibilities of violence that can come with this confession. He doesn’t think he’ll make it past the glass alive anyway.

“Okay, Pretty Boy,” Derek says like it’s the easiest thing on the planet.

“Did you not hear me? I’m gay.” And he says it like it’s been said to him. An insult, something to be ashamed of, something he should hide away forever, something he’ll be hated for.

But Derek doesn’t falter, he never has in his unwavering loyalty. “I know, Spencer. I heard you. And it’s okay.”

It’s okay.

When he wakes up in the hospital room, he begs Derek not to tell a soul.

(He’s thirty-four when Derek leaves him too.)

 He’s twenty-eight when he confides in Emily.

“I’m gay.”

“I’m bi, Spencer.”

And he feels more comfortable in his skin than he ever has before. He feels like it’s okay to be who he is for the first time in his life.

And he’s twenty-nine when he loses Emily too. It’s his fault. He shouldn’t have told her.

 He’s thirty when he tells the team.

When he stands in front the people he calls family and admits to the truth he hates most about himself. They threw him a birthday party. The least he can do is tell them who he is.

“I’m gay.”

And nobody seems to blink an eye.

Garcia hugs him so tight he thinks his ribs might break and JJ presses a kiss to his forehead. Rossi and Hotch give him proud fatherly nods.

He’s thirty-five when Hotch leaves.

 However, he’s thirty-five when he meets Luke.

He introduces himself in the way he always wished he had. “Hello, I’m Doctor Spencer Reid, I’m gay and I’ve been with the BAU for eight years.”

And Luke smiles, doesn’t try to shake his hand, and introduces himself as, “I’m Luke Alves, I’m bi, and this is my second week.”

He’s thirty-five when he doesn’t feel like his skin is crawling.

 He’s thirty-five when he goes to prison. He’s thirty-five when he gets out. He’s thirty-five when he lets everyone in, lets them understand him, lets them be his friends with no walls, no boundaries, no secrets.

 He’s thirty-six when he gets into his first long-term relationship with another guy. A wonderful guy who loves him more than anything.

 He’s thirty-seven when he moves in with his boyfriend, when he finally has the guts to say I Love You without wanting to throw up, when he doesn’t hate himself when he looks in the mirror, when admitting to himself that he’s gay doesn’t make his lungs cave in, when gay isn’t an insult nor does it define him, it just is.

He’s thirty-seven when he feels happy.

#criminal minds #spencer reid #lyss writes #lyss talks #luke alvez #derek morgan #emily prentiss #ralvez #if you squint #aaron hotch #aaron hotchner #dave rossi #jennifer jareau #penelope garcia #jason gideon #tw homophobia #tw internalized homophobia

[brywrites]

“Farewell” - A Slight Fix to the Finale Episode

(Because I see your critiques and I hear you, and I’m here to make that change for you!)

We’re at Rossi’s party. Most everything happens as it was written, including the Garvez moment, but Rossi is still retiring as well. We toast Penelope first, and then we finish a toast to David Rossi, who feels he can finally retire to the peace and happiness he is owed. As he finishes, Emily awkwardly steps up.

“I don’t mean to steal the show, but I wanted all of you to hear first. I just got a call this morning - they’ve asked me to be the Director of the FBI.”

Everyone shouts, and she’s wrapped in hugs and congratulations.  She grins - she’s making history, and she’s so proud of herself. “Plus, she adds, “not flying across the country means I’ll have a little more time to visit Andrew.” Mendoza smiles, and takes her hand. As the congratulations settle down, she says, “This of course means that we’ll need a new unit chief for the BAU. And if she’ll have it, I want JJ to be the one to take the wheel.”

JJ is delighted and surprised. “I…” she looks at Will, who just nods, smiling. He’s happy for her. “Yes. Yes, of course.”

“Well if we’re announcing things,” Reid interrupts. “I’ve… I’ve had a lot of time to think. And I think that I want to start teaching full-time. Not immediately. Maybe wait a few months to help with the transition - school wouldn’t start until the fall, after all - but Blake put me in touch with Georgetown and they’ve offered me a position. If that’s… okay?” 

“Spence, that’s more than okay,” JJ says. Reid exhales. He doesn’t have to worry about disappointing them.

“We’re happy for you man,” Luke tells him. The party continues. There’s dancing and laughter and fun and toasts. 

-

When we fast forward it is in snippets. We watch Penelope clear out her office and say farewell. Luke walks her to the elevator and kisses her cheek. Lily Kershaw’s “Soft Dark Nothing” begins to play. [Good night, goodbye, good luck, don’t cry] Then we jump and Rossi and Krystall are packing for a vacation. She asks him if he misses it already, and he says for once, he doesn’t mind the quiet.  [It’s the edge of it all / it’s the edge of it all]

Another skip, and Reid is sitting in a park that looks like the one from his dream, but this time he’s with Max. She asks him how he’s feeling about leaving the BAU, and he says that it’s time for him to find out who he is outside of the job. To be himself. She responds, “To be nobody but yourself means to fight the hardest battle which anybody can fight.” He stares at her, and she clarifies, “It’s e.e. cummings. The poet?” 

“I know.” Reid is a bit stunned. The conversation is so familiar. “You know cummings?”

Max laughs. “I like more than just art. cummings is good, but I think nobody quite compares to Pablo Neruda.” Her words remind him that she isn’t Maeve. She’s different - and that’s not a bad thing. Maeve is his past. Max is his future.

“Better than Poe?” Reid asks

“Oh, for sure!” she responds. He disagrees, and they playfully tease each other. He’s found that passion again. He’s letting himself live fully. When they stop for a moment, he leans in to kiss her. She kisses him back. [All my friends at the edge of the world / I hope to see you again / it’s the end of our time / it’s the end of our time]

-

We jump again and Emily is adjusting her new nameplate in the Director’s office. She takes a deep breath, and looks out the window at Washington D.C. It’s a big change. An agent steps into the room. 

“Director Prentiss? The press conference will begin in fifteen minutes.” She thanks the agent, and when she’s alone once more, she picks up the phone and dials a number. JJ answers it.

“Everything okay, Emily?” she asks.

“Yeah,” she answers. “Just… wanted to say thank you. For everything.” So much is meant in those words. For being a friend, for saving her life, for standing by her. [Oh how little did we know/we had such a long way to go]

JJ is emotional too. “Always,” she answers. “You’re gonna be great.”

“So are you,” Prentiss replies. “Go get ‘em, Unit Chief Jareau.” [When you sleep tonight you’ll be in my dreams]

And that’s exactly what JJ does. She hangs up the phone in her office, grabs a file, and walks into the roundtable room. Luke, Matt, and Tara are all there, as are three new agents - two profilers and a media liaison. They’re young, diverse, and wide-eyed. There’s also a new technical analyst, one of the techies we saw at Garcia’s workshop  [Soft dark kind of love / soft dark nothing comforting me]

“We’ve got a case,” JJ announces. “It’s urgent, so we’ll debrief on the jet. But I know that this is the first day we’re all together as a team, and I want to do this right. So welcome to the BAU. We save lives, yes. But we look out for each other here. You’ll have to make a lot of decisions in the field, and it won’t always be easy. There’s going to be plenty of time to learn along the way. But the only thing you have to remember is that no matter what, we’re a family first. And everything we do, we do like a family. If you hold onto that, you’ll be okay. Now.” She takes a deep breath, and we pan out of the roundtable one last time. “Wheels up in thirty.”

They file out of the room and the camera moves slowly to a table at the back of the room. There’s a few different photos and we see them pan over, each of the agents that has been on the show included. We stop on a shot of the BAU we said goodbye to - Luke, Tara, Reid, Prentiss, Rossi, JJ, Simmons, and Garcia - at the farewell party. And we fade to black. [The earth went quiet and the air went still / I feel you know more than I ever will]

#criminal minds #spoilers #season 15 #finale #and in the end #fanfiction #bry's writing

[nobletoatea]

☯ + retaking the great bridge of myrddin, golden deer route (as in lorenz tells his dad to back the truck up)

Count Gloucester himself wasn’t at the actual fight unless I’m sorely mistaken so I’m writing this as Lorenz goes home right after to go and negotiate on Claude’s behalf

-~-

His father was not happy with him. Given the situation, Lorenz couldn’t blame him. He’d never done something of this magnitude before. He’d also never been kept waiting for a meeting with his father. He made an effort to keep his expression neutral, seated outside his father’s main parlor as though he was waiting in line for an appointment, but he knew he was the only one there. This grand house which had been his childhood home and playground had never felt so cold before. He’d crossed the threshold and for once wasn’t relieved to be home, normally happy to spend time in all the splendor the family had to offer. Even his little siblings young enough to still be around at home had made themselves scarce, perhaps anxious over the potential crossfire.

He’d faced worse opponents before. When he was finally summoned inside he rose up with a confidence he didn’t have a strode inside.

Lorenz shared many similarities with his father. They were both fond of the sweetly scented rose tea that was set out on a table with all the fineries nobility could afford, and for so long had been almost identical in conduct- not anymore. Such was the price of growing up. Lorenz kept his head held high, primly standing by the offered chair with his hands behind his back, eyeing his father who was already seated and pretending to be relaxed.

“I am here on behalf of Duke Riegan to discuss negotiations for the allocation of Gloucester resources and political stances at the Roundtable conferences to efficiently unite the Alliance under one cause and banner. If this meeting will only serve as counterproductive to these objectives I desire to be notified so I may expend my time elsewhere.”

Count Gloucester sighed, sipping his tea. Their hair and eyes were the same violet hue but that’s where their physical traits ended. He had broader shoulders than Lorenz and despite being a couple inches shorter, struck a much more intimidating figure. Lorenz would never have believed six years ago he’d ever be so openly opposing him. “Sit down, Lorenz. Our, or I suppose my, troops were soundly defeated. I do not have a choice but to stop fighting the tide for our survival.”

Lorenz sat but didn’t bother even looking at his tea, forcing himself to appear at ease as he perched on the edge of his seat. Perhaps he’d expected an outburst. He hadn’t seen his father for many months since defecting to Claude’s side. Lorenz folded his hands in his lap. “In addition to severing ties with the Empire, we are requesting your full cooperation in-”

“I wonder where I went wrong with you.”

Lorenz blinked but kept his face blank. “We have a great deal of official business to discuss. Is this the time?”

Count Gloucester ignored him, feigning to be lost in thought. Lorenz knew he was too shrewd to ever be truly lost in thought. “I wonder if it was sending you abroad for too many years during your education, letting foreign values contaminate you at such a fragile age. I wonder if shielding you from everything that’s been required to keep our power as potent as it is was a mistake. I think I may have made you too soft.”

“You will find that nothing about me is soft. Father.”

Lorenz expected to be snapped at, to spark an argument. He’d betrayed him, raised his own magic and lance against soldiers he’d once helped recruit. His father only looked amused. “Hmm. You’ll do anything for what you want, is that it?”

“No. It isn’t a matter of want.” Lorenz dug his fingertips into his skin. “It’s a matter of what’s right. I wish you had seen my point of view before aligning our House with the Empire.”

His father hummed again, his lack of reaction internally driving Lorenz mad. “What’s done is done. I too, would have wished to avoid losses to our own House.” He looked Lorenz in the eye. “If you had any qualms over whether you’re disowned, I can put those to rest. Your status is intact. In fact, I half expected you to waltz in and try to dethrone me.”

Surprise finally registered on Lorenz’s face. “And why would I do that?”

Count Gloucester huffed. “It’s how I gained power earlier than my predecessors. My own father was procrastinating on his retirement. I proved myself worthy, he handed over the reigns. That you do not have the same ambitions is a surprise to me.” 

Lorenz finally gave in and took a sip of tea to stall. Overthrowing his father post defeat hadn’t even occurred to him. It made his heart ache that the tea was prepared exactly as he loved it- had always loved since he was a boy. The sheer familiarity of the setting wasn’t helping him. “I have nothing against you. I wish to work with you and channel your influence while I’m needed elsewhere. A title is not what I desire right now.”

“You were always ready to lead our country. What happened, that you will let that illegitimate Riegan boy take it from you?” The first words to be colored with any sort of passion from his father made Lorenz’s stomach tightened with anger.

“Claude is Duke Riegan’s grandson.”

“You know damn well he’s half something else.”

“That’s how it goes. When someone is born, they are half one family half another,” replied Lorenz frigidly, setting his cup and saucer down with a sharp clink. “You asked me to monitor Claude and I have given you my findings time and time again. He is charismatic, resourceful, cunning, and every bit as able as I am to lead. Sometimes, I think perhaps even moreso. He streers away from bloodshed. His tactics as a diplomat has kept even you in check. I have found no faults that would invalidate him as my Duke who I willingly, gladly follow.

“You asked me to question his personhood too much for too long. It nearly cost me an amicable relationship with our current Duke in both personal and professional matters. I went against my own morals for you back in my school days, and I’ve had enough! You are surprised that after pushing me to take nothing at face value, I would someday find myself at odds with you? You are my family but you are not above the standard you drilled into me!”

Again, Count Gloucester’s lack of external reaction made Lorenz anxious. He nodded slowly, appraising Lorenz again. “Very well. I see I may not have made any mistakes in raising you. You are headstrong, confident, and bow your head without question to no one- not even me. The side you align yourself on is wrong, but-” he shrugged. “-someday you’ll learn.”

“I am not wrong. I have, and will stand by my beliefs.”

“You are on the verge of changing things for the worst, Lorenz. All I can do now is warn you.”

Lorenz held his head high, using his slight height advantage to let his voice ring out. “Warn all you like! I am proud to be a better man than you are.”

It was a touch too strong of a thing to say, but it did get a laugh out of his father. “I am forced to hope you are, with this path you’re blazing for yourself. Come on then, your Duke is expecting some sort of agreement out of me.”

When Lorenz went to bed that night, it was with an odd feeling in his chest.

He sat on the edge of his bed with the view he’d adored since before he could remember, of the sprawling rose gardens and surrounding landscaping of the estate. His bed had been warmed with a pan of coals by a servant and his belongings kept in pristine condition, as though all this time he’d been due back any minute. It was his home but there was something different now.

In all the years of knowing his father, he realized what had been missing until that night, what he’d finally earned by way of rising up against him and starting on the path to forge a different legacy than Count Gloucester.

Respect.

#haha this is like almost 1400 words whoops BUT ITS IMPORTANT TO ME #lorenz hellman gloucester #drabble #asks #meta #backstory #cynthero

[mymyfangirlsidedontlie]

Brave (a Quest for Camelot fanfic)

She wasn’t exactly sure how she knew something would go wrong that day. The day seemed like any other; she woke up, helped around the castle, ate breakfast, went to training. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, sending soft beams of light all throughout the castle, making the air seem light and cheerful. But she could feel something off in the air; like dark ink slowly spreading through a piece of paper, swallowing the world into darkness and despair. She chose, however, not to tell anyone of this; Arthur still had a kingdom to run, her father was busy training the knights, and Kayley, little, precious Kayley did not need to know of the danger she sensed. She loved her family, deeply and truly; she did not want to cause them to panic.

“I could just be going crazy,” she whispered to herself, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She did not feel very queenly as she stared at herself; Her blonde hair was tied back into intricate braids, a crown placed on her head studded with emeralds that matched the color of her dress. Her blue eyes were tired, her brow slightly crinkled from worry even as she tried to calm herself. Despite all the lavish jewelry and expensive fabrics she dressed herself in as a queen, she still felt as if it wasn’t her place. She had never been the type to want the royal life; in reality, she, much like her father Sir Lionel, wanted to be a knight. She didn’t like having to sit on a throne and issue orders around her kingdom; she yearned for a life of adventure and daring, where she could protect those she cared about without having to sit back and let somebody else do it.

Some would say that training to be a knight and ruling a kingdom was too much for a seventeen year old girl. She wasn’t married, which meant she had to run the kingdom on her own, and her citizens and family were worried it would be too much for her. She knew she could do it, though. She had always had a strong spirit and immense dedication; if she wanted to do something, then you’d better believe she was going to do it. She refused to let anyone else stop her; why should they be able to control what she did with her life?

Her chest rose and fell quickly as she sparred with Kayley, now dressed in a green tunic, her crown left on the side. She always knew Kayley would be open to sparring with her; she, like herself, wanted to be a knight too. Arthur was the only one who was happy living his royal life. She still remembered the day they found out Arthur would be king, when he had pulled the sword out of the stone right in front of everyone. It had shocked everyone except herself; she had seen the strength and dedication inside of Arthur to be a king even when they were little. Being related to the king, of course, meant the whole family was royalty now, which was quite a shock to their mother and father, who lived in a small farm a little while away from the kingdom. Their father had quickly grown into the royal life; he had already been training to be a knight, so living at the castle wasn’t much of a change. Their mother, however, had decided to stay at the farm; she did not wish to embrace the royal life like the rest of them had. Kayley lived at the farm too, their mother and father deciding it was best for her to be living in a stable environment while she grew up. She did visit often; today had been one of those days.

“You’re getting way better, Kayley! You’ve really been improving,” she praised, smiling at her sister with kind eyes.

“Thanks! I’ve been training a lot, you know. Dad’s been teaching me,” Kayley said proudly.

“Well, he’s been doing an excellent job then. You’re getting closer to being able to beat me everyday,” she said, and disarmed her sister. “But you’re not there yet, little sister,” she teased.

“Alice, you’ve been doing this longer then I have, of course you’re better,” Kayley said, slightly exasperated. Alice laughed.

“I guess that’s fair. Really, Kayley, you’ve improved so much, I’m really proud of you,” she said, feeling as if she should tell her sister just in case something bad did happen. No matter how much she distracted herself, or reminded herself that everything had been going okay that day, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was going to happen.

“Oh… Uh, thank you, Alice,” Kayley said, looking away shyly. Alice felt a warmth bloom in her chest as she gave her sister a fond look. She had always been protective of Kayley, even though she wasn’t much younger than herself. Kayley had always been a tough kid; she had guts, and like herself, she had always wanted a life of adventure. It made her heart twist to think that if something did happen that day, she might lose that.

“Hey Kayley, I see your boyfriend,” Alice teased Kayley as Garrett started making his way over to them. Kayley scowled and blushed while she laughed. She decided to leave the two to do their own thing and hummed as she walked through the castle courtyard, deciding if something bad was going to happen, she should enjoy the day while she could.

She shook her head. Nothing was going to happen, she was just being paranoid. Besides, how could something happen on such a beautiful day like this? She could hear birds chirping away on the castle walls as people bustled around the castle, all going about their days with soft smiles on their faces. She felt lucky that she could be here while this was happening, to see the servants looking so happy and carefree. In her own kingdom, morale always seemed to be low, and she couldn’t understand why. Perhaps it was the fact that they experienced many more rainy days than this kingdom did, which led to an abundance of crops, but a shortage of smiles. She should probably fix that when she got back, but for now, she would simply enjoy the fact that she was here.

She found her brother, King Arthur, in the council room, all the knights of the roundtable gathered together to discuss defensive strategies to keep their kingdom safe, while also simply just laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Her brother was the center of it all, making jokes as he offered different defensive positions to place guards around the castle and the outskirts of the town. He had always been very charismatic, even as a kid; their father had always joked that he would simply charm his way out of everything if he ever got into trouble.

“Well, look who decided to pop in. Hello, Alice,” Arthur greeted her. She smiled at him.

“Hello, Arthur. Sounds like you’re doing lots of planning,” she teased and the knights all laughed.

“Well of course,” he said, a warm smile on his face. “How are you enjoying your stay? Are you enjoying your break from your kingdom?” he asked.

“I do kind of miss it, but not having to boss people around all day is nice,” she admitted. The knights all chuckled and continued their discussion as she and her brother spoke.

“Everyone is excited that you’re here. I think they’re happier you’re here then mom is,” he said, shaking his head. She chuckled.

“I suppose I did leave a mark the last time I was here,” she said. The last time she had been back was for a knights competition; whoever was the best at sparring won. She had managed to make it to the top three, surprising many of the knights, and enraging the rest. The boys did not like being beat by a seventeen year old girl, especially not one who wasn’t even a knight from their kingdom.

“We could really use more knights with your skill around here. Apparently there’s been the threat of an attack, and we don’t know who’s coming,” Arthur said, his brow crinkling. She frowned. So perhaps her gut feeling wasn’t for nothing. But did that mean the attack would be today? They weren’t ready for an attack.

“Do we have an estimation for when the attack is coming?” she asked. He shook his head.

“Unfortunately, no. All we know is that they’re coming, and that we need to be prepared for them,” he said. She sighed.

“Maybe we should do less joking around and more battle strategy,” she said and he sighed.

“I don’t want them to start to panic. That could throw them all off. It’s better to keep things light so they aren’t working themselves to death to prepare for a threat that could be coming months from now,” he said.

“I don’t know, Arthur. I think you should be getting prepared for the attack coming sooner than later. I have a feeling that we may have less time than you think we do,” she said.

“I suppose you’re right. Thank you, Alice,” he said, and began to walk away.

“Oh, and Arthur?” she said. Arthur stopped and looked at her with a brow slightly raised. She took a deep breath in and smiled. “I’m really proud of you. I love you, a lot,” she said. Arthur frowned.

“I love you too, Alice, but why are you saying it like that? Are you alright?” he asked and she nodded.

“I’m fine, Arthur. Go prepare your men,” she said. He sighed but nodded, turning and walking away, his shoulders squared, making him look like true royalty as he left.

She found their father in the gardens, just wandering through with a thoughtful expression on his face. He didn’t notice she was there until she tapped on his shoulder, making him jump.

“Alice! You startled me!” he said smiling at her. She chuckled.

“Sorry, dad. What are you doing?” she asked. His smile fell and he sighed.

“Has your brother told you about the attack that we’re expecting yet?” he asked and she nodded.

“I just went and saw him, he told me everything. Is that what you’re stressing about?” she asked.

“Of course. If there’s an attack coming, then you know what they want and what they would do to get it,” he said and she sighed.

“I know, dad. But Arthur will be fine! He has some of the best knights protecting him, which includes you. Everything will be okay,” she reassured him.

“You never know. I am getting older, Alice,” he said.

“I know. But so am I, and the older I get, the stronger I get. I can help, too,” she said and he shook his head.

“You’re a queen, Alice, you have a kingdom to run. And there’s also no guarantee that you’ll be here,” he said and she thought for a moment.

“I could always send some troops over here to help. Our kingdom has a strong military, we can have a few troops gone for extended periods of time without having to worry too much,” she said, a little disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to send herself in. That was what she wanted to do with her life; she wanted to be able to protect her family and their kingdom with her life, without having to worry about running a kingdom. If she wasn’t a queen, she wouldn’t have to worry about being put out of commision for a little while, and she could put everything into keeping her family safe.

They both frowned when a knight came running at them with wide, panicked eyes. She could feel her heart sink as he drew closer, already knowing what was wrong.

“The castle! It’s under attack!” the knight cried. They both looked at each other and took off running, their hearts racing as panic shot through them. She almost felt like she couldn’t breathe; this was the one thing she had always wished for, a chance to protect her family. But not like this; not when they were so vulnerable, when she didn’t know what was coming at them.

She had to protect them.

She needed a weapon.

She and her father both ran to the armory, but never made it; Arthur was in the council room, facing off a Griffin, holding Excalibur with a look of fierce determination.

“Arthur you idiot get out of there you’re the king!” she shouted, bursting in weaponless but fiercely determined to protect her brother at any cost. The griffin looked at her and growled, but she didn’t back down; all she needed was a weapon. “Dad, I need a sword!” she shouted behind her, seeing him take off. He tossed her a sword from one of the suits of armor that decorated the halls. She faced the griffin with a grim look.

“Alice, you’re a queen, you have a kingdom to run too,” Arthur scolded.

“Shut up and get out of here,” she ordered, getting into a fight position. The griffin lunged at her and she rolled to the side, popping back up and slashing the griffin’s side. It roared in pain and looked at her with deadly eyes. She stared back with a look just as deadly. She refused to let this beast win. That was when Arthur, quite stupidly, decided to try and stab it from behind. Hearing his footsteps, the griffin whirled around to face him. She only had a second to think of what to do. She threw herself onto it’s back and attempted to stab it. It threw her off and as she hit the ground it threw her into the wall with a powerful swipe of it’s front claws, tearing her tunic and digging through her skin like she was made of butter.

She wasn’t sure what all happened after that. The griffin must have left, because both her father and her brother were now at her side, staring down at her with horrified eyes. There was an unbearable pain in her stomach, and she realized that the floor was wet with her blood, now seeping into her father and brother’s clothes.

“Alice, what were you thinking?!” Arthur cried, his eyes wide and panicked. Their dad had a solemn look on his face; she had a feeling he already knew what was coming.

“I was trying to protect you, you idiot,” she managed to croak out.

“No, don’t you dare die on us, don’t you dare,” he snapped.

“Arthur,” their dad said softly. Arthur looked at him with pain in his eyes. She wished she could take it away; she hadn’t wanted him to be in pain.

“Hey, dad?” she said. He looked at her, though barely. She could tell he was having a hard time looking her in the eyes; he was hurting too. “Please make sure that my kingdom is taken care of,” she said. He nodded with tears in his eyes.

“Alice, you were so, so brave. I am so proud of you,” he said. She smiled weekly.

“Thank you. Please tell Kayley and mom how much I love them, okay? You have to make sure they know, you have to make sure to take care of them. Please promise me you two will look out for them,” she begged. They both nodded, their voices failing them as she started to slip away.

“Alice, you were so brave…”

She smiled and closed her eyes.

Requested by @alicependragon73 (oc also by @alicependragon73)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the story of Quest for Camelot!

Please enjoy!

#writing #story #stories #one shot #quest for camelot #fanfic #short story

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Elizabeth and the Knights

One of my ‘still planning cause this is a doozy’ stories would be what I want to be a series aimed at kids from 11-19 that like Harry Potter, grows with the kids.

Basically, the story starts with the knowledge that everyone knows King Arthur was real due to the fact that Excaliber was, in fact, a key to all of the pathways the are between worlds. When he died, the Sword was left in the stone, and thus the pathways are open. Given the realms go from Happy Bunny and Rainbow realm to Demonic Spawn of Evil... (yes, one of those is a real title I will be using for my own amusement) it’s a problem. However- the thing is the sword can ONLY be pulled out by Arthur.

 Not his kids. Not his wife. Not his bloodline. Arthur himself must draw the sword.

 Everyone is freaking out because Arthur is dead, how do we stop this, when Merlin remembers Morgana had placed a spell on her line to cause reincarnation. Given she was Arthur’s sister, this means his soul is just as likely to reincarnate into his line. So they make plans and cast the spell on the Knights of the Roundtable.

 The story then goes to Elizabeth Kingsmen who is being raised by her elder sister Victoria as their parents died in a brutal match between the Knights and the denizens of another realm.

 (Side note- this is a mix of superhero and magical girl bullshit I had to much fun with).

Elizabeth is a huge fan of the Knights- the various descendants of the Knights of the Roundtable who carry magic in their veins and fight off evil. Not all are reincarnations (some are but not all). At age 11 this magic can begin manifesting and often they end up becoming Knights. In particular, Elizabeth is a fan of the once leader of the Knights the Blue Knight who vanished a few years back. 

Elizabeth discovers- through Merlin and the fae- that she is the reincarnation of Guinevere and she is the key to discovering Arthur because according to the Fae, there are signs he reincarnated outside his direct bloodline- which is actually quite common as the bloodlines did spread out a fair bit and while Kingsman is the direct line, they did have many kids in other generations- and they believe she will fall in love with him again. Elizabeth is thrilled and joins the Knights.

So yeah- just... a really weird mess I have to much fun with. Mostly I’m still hashing out characters and plot. I want this to be realistic so like... I’m also researching culture and creatures and disabilities because I am shoving as much representation in as I can.

Characters:

Elizabeth Kingsman- will become Lady G, the leader when she is sixteen.

Merlin- Also known as Mr. M, Merlin has a really weird reincarnation thing. Currently, he is a teacher of magical theory at the school Elizabeth goes to.

Various Fae who have no names yet- the teachers.

Various Boys and Girls Elizabeth gets crushes on and thinks are reincarnations- no names yet.

Victora Kingsman- The older sister of Elizabeth. Works in the morgue. 

Chase Drake- the deaf magic user who is the descendant of Lancelot. Currently uses the title White Mage. is also Lancelot’s reincarnation.

Mr. James Lee- the blind math teacher who is the cousin to the current Green Knight who is the descendant of Galahad. Used to be the Green Knight himself. Trains kids from time to time.

Jacob Lee- the current Green Knight.

Muslim Character- Current Knight. Not sure about the color, is descendant of Percival. Female, wears hijab. No name because still fucking researching.

Timothy Clarkson- Uses the title Purple Mage. Descendant of some Knight Kay. Is trans and very proud. 

VARIOUS OTHER CHARACTERS STILL IN WORK.

#elizabeth and the knights #original work #elizabeth is bi #victoria is aro ace and this will be stated #she makes gross faces at the thought of anything about sex or romance

[basicshadowhuntersstuff]

This week in Shadowhunters news, updates, sneak peeks, and behind the scenes. All the stuff you need to stay up to date.

Official Promotion

3x07: Salt In The Wound trailers: Official Trailer.

3x07: Salt In The Wound sneak peeks: Maia Is Shocked To See Kyle, Magnus Blames Himself.

Just How Virtuous Are You?

Are Luke Garroway And Maryse Lightwood Actually Perfect For Each Other?

Shadowhunters In The News

Synopsis for 3x08: A Heart of Darkness: Official Press Site.

Synopsis for 3x09: Familia Ante Omnia: Official Press Site.

Synopsis for 3x10: Erchomai: Official Press Site.

Reviews for 3x06: A Window Into an Empty Room: TV Line, TV Source, TV Fanatic, TV Guide, Spoiler TV, With An Accent, TV After Dark (fan roundtable), When Nerds Attack.

Advanced reviews for 3x07: Salt In The Wound: Screen Spy, Spoiler TV.

Hollywood Life (interview): Shadowhunters Star Dominic Sherwood Warns: Jace Is Going To Do ‘Awful Things’ As The Owl.

Hidden Remote (interview): Shadowhunters: Dom Sherwood talks becoming The Owl, teases the future of Clace.

Hypable (interview): Shadowhunters season 3: Dominic Sherwood takes us inside Jace’s transformation.

Mr Mag (article): Man of Style: Isaiah Mustafa.

Video & Audio Interviews

Inside of You Podcast: Get inside of Isaiah Mustafa - the hunky shirtless Old Spice guy and Luke Garroway from Shadowhunters.

Twitter & Social Media Stuff

A collection of some of the cast, crew, and fan livetweets during the #ShadowhuntersChat for episode 3x06.

“Don’t ask me how tight that harness was... 😂” David (Raphael) shares a video of himself working on stunts.

“Try as you might, you won’t be able to “pull” any spoilers out of us!” Kat (Clary) shares a behind the scenes photo of herself and Harry (Magnus) from episode 3x06. [1]

“Having a ball of a time! Being evil and stuff! (Pls don't say u wanna kill me Lilith is just trying her best goddamit)” Anna (Lilith) shares a behind the scenes photo of herself and Dom (Jace) from season three.

“Fun fact! This was almost Lilith's look (my natural brown) but ppl thought me and @aleyordolis looked too much like sisters. Compliment city to me!!! 😘” Anna (Lilith) shares a behind the scenes photo of herself.

Alexis Ostrander (director) shares behind the scenes photos of Matt (Alec), Harry (Magnus), Alisha (Maia), and Alberto (Simon) and crew from episode 3x06.

“happy thoughts, high fashion” Alisha (Maia) shares a behind the scenes photo of herself and Alberto (Simon) from episode 3x06.

“My view from tonight’s episode! One of my favorite episodes EVER!” Nicola (Maryse) shares a behind the scenes photo of Matt (Alec) from episode 3x06.

Behind the scenes photo of Kat (Clary), Dom (Jace), and Alberto (Simon) with Production Petey.

Emeraude (Izzy) shares behind the scenes photos of herself from episode 3.

“Introducing, Brother Zachariah!” Kat (Clary) shares a behind the escenes photo of herself, Harry (Magnus), and (Zachariah).

Matt Hastings (director) shares a behind the scenes photo of Emeraude (Izzy) from season three.

Matt Hastings (director) shares a behind the scenes photo Isaiah (Luke) from season three. [2]

“Welcome Brother Zachariah!” Brian Hui (hair & makeup) shares behidn the scenes photos of Jonathan Ho (Brother Zachariah) from on set of episode 3x06.

“A quiet moment with #Clary. A lot on her mind, huh” Matt Hastings (director) shares a behind the scenes photo of Kat (Clary)."

“First Selfies without Runes!” Nicola (Maryse) shares behind the scenes photos of herself from episode 3x06.

“Together again. 😍” Shadowhunters TV shares a behind the scenes photo of Dom (Jace), Nicola (Maryse), and Emeraude (Izzy) from episode 3x06. [3]

Brian Hui (hair & makeup) shares a behind the scenes of Chai (Jordan) from episode 3x06. 

Nuno De Salles (trainer) shares a photo of Matt (Alec) training for season three.

“Practice makes perfect.” Shadowhunters TV shares a behind the scenes video of Dom (Jace) and Harry (Magnus) from episode 3x06.

Kat (Clary) shares a behind the scenes photo of herself with Production Petey.

Brian Hui (hair & makeup) shares a behind the scenes photo of himself with Chai (Jordan).

“Biscuit and Magnus. 💕” Shadowhunters TV shares a behind the scenes photo of Kat (Clary) and Harry (Magnus) from episode 3x06.

“Rainy day vibes. ☔️” Shadowhunters TV shares a behind the scenes photo of Matt (Alec).

Shadowhunters TV shares a photo of Tessa (Heidi) from on set of season three. [4]

Jamie Gorenberg (writer) tweets: “The Queen of Edom has interests beyond draining mundanes for blood. In her penthouse, I found Bach's Capriccio... along with a page from a German music historian who wrote Bach's biography. A demon who's into classical music... I'm in for that ride.“, “Q: Do the werewolf chefs at the Jade Wolf keep a clean kitchen? A: You betcha. And bonus points if you can guess what they do while hanging out between shifts”.

Aisha Porter (writer) tweets: “Oh man. Seen it 100 times and this scene still makes me smile. I’ve been waiting YEARS to write that corny “doggie bag” werewolf joke. Thank you @ShadowhuntersTV @arosende and @ch8i for making my dreams come true. 😂 PS - I still don’t trust this Kyle dude... 🤔”.

Joshua Butler (director) tweets: “Congrats to @NappyThoughtz for writing such an amazing @ShadowhuntersTV episode tonight. Stay tuned for next week’s epic written by my friend @Trashquez and directed by yours truly AKA @TheJoshuaButler.“

Matt Hastings (director) tweets: Filming of episode 3x20 has begun.

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweets: “Many more facts are coming. His journey is just beginning #apraetorslife #hewasntalwayslikethis #wishwecouldturnbacktheclock @ch8i is going to crush you“, “We would all be blessed to have an Underhill in our lives @TheSteveByers is the perfect blend of warmth and kindness #friends #forlife”, “Meet Brother Zachariah aka Jem Carstairs. He will be back to shower us with his wisdom and compassion #welcomeJonathanHo”, “They're all like my children. Impossible to name a favorite. But I will say we all are particularly proud of next week. So many things happen. Things that are bound to blow your mind #hellojiapenhallow #saltinthewound”, “If the trailer broke your heart, you might not make it through the episode @trashquez wrote an amazing script that @TheJoshuaButler directed the hell out of #stillnotoverit #multipletissuesrequired”, “But of course @TheSteveByers @HarryShumJr are terrific together #waitforit #theplotthickens”, “Much significance behind every color choice in the show, especially the magic of Magnus #stayawayfrompurple #justaskmatt @mattdirector @DSwim @folksvfx and I have had endless conversations”, “Like any sensitive, compassionate, loving, loyal, artistic, brilliant, badass Shadowhunter would. One of the best Clary chapters in the series #Kat_McNamara is mesmerizing”, “Ready to go to Alicante? Step through a portal this Tuesday #welcomebackimogen  #legacyofmalachiliveson”, “It's not every episode that you get to go back to the beach #jerseyshore #maia&jordan #howitallbegan @WainwrightAE @ch8i will crush you like they crushed me”, “No mistake. 309 & 310 will air the same night. A night you won’t want to miss #supersizedfinale”, “Shadowhunters love fiercely in every way. Their loyalty  & desire to protect one another is inspiring to us all and shines brightly this week #wishfulfillmentforusall”, “A few more days of filming but yes we are close to wrapping production on season 3. What a ride. Thank you fans for all your amazing feedback. If you're enjoying 3a, 3b will destroy you #bestcastandcrewever“.

Darren Swimmer (show runner) tweets: “Brother Zachariah is played by Jonathan Ho.”.

In Other News

The trailer for Harry’s new movie Crazy Rich Asians.

The cast and crew had their season 3 wrap party: Photos of various cast members at the party, photo of Brian Hui, Tessa Mossey, Kat, and Chai at the cast party, photo of Kat via her twitter.

#shadowhunters #sh news #bss news roundup

[sweetdimplesbruv]

Whatever your feelings on the end of tGC and Eggsy’s relationship with Tilde (I’m a no negativity sort with regards to her, personally), there is one storyline that I can’t stop thinking about that would be amazing to explore in fic and that is...

Harry secretly pining for an oblivious Eggsy. Think of all they’ve been through, man. It’s ripe for a slow burn exploration. Take Harry’s demeanor at Eggsy’s wedding, it could totally be viewed as wistful.

Harry is probably so happy for Eggsy, but also feels a certain level of sadness because he can’t help that he secretly longs for Eggsy himself. He looks at Eggsy and sees this beautiful butterfly (don’t blame me for that, the movie went there first!) and he’s so proud of who Eggsy has become while he was away. He’s strong, intelligent, and everything that makes a good agent. But underneath all that what Harry really loves is that Eggsy loves and cares so much for those around him, too. And after everything that happened in tGC the two of them would be on more equal footing with each other rather than the mentor/protégé from before and that just makes it that much harder for Harry to get over how he feels.

Harry wasn’t necessarily lying to Eggsy on the plane when he said he’d never been in love before, but it wasn’t 100% truth either because what he really meant was he’d never felt anything approaching that before Eggsy. And maybe it wasn’t love pre-Valentine, but there was certainly a level of intrigue on Harry’s end. There was just something about Eggsy, hot-headed, cheeky irreverence, yet so eager to prove himself, that piqued Harry’s interest. That’s why he was so angry when Eggsy failed the dog test. It felt like a loss of potential for Eggsy at Kingsman, yes. But it also felt like the loss of potential for something completely unknown to Harry that he was so desperately curious to explore. That’s why he didn’t want to let it go and told Eggsy he would sort it out when he got back, even though he must’ve known there wasn’t anything he could actually do. He didn’t want to say goodbye.

And now Eggsy is married to Tilde, and everything at Kingsman and his home is so different (or gone completely) for Harry. Everything has changed. Sure, Merlin is alive and kicking and annoying Harry endlessly with his grumbling about his legs, and Roxy is back in the field and kicking bad guy ass on the regular (I will always add these two back in, lol - feel free to headcanon Percival back too lmfao), but Harry still laments what was and could’ve been. And all the while Eggsy has no idea about any of it. Harry is actually really good at keeping secrets and not letting anything slip that would compromise himself despite what the two meetings with Valentine may have you believe.

So he has lunch with Eggsy at Kingsman whenever they’re both able, and they talk about anything and everything and the rapport between them has only gotten better with time. Harry only grows more charmed by Eggsy with each passing year. Sometimes Eggsy invites Harry to his house for dinner, which Harry both loves and dreads every time. He’s so happy for Eggsy, and he adores Tilde, but he can’t help but long for what-ifs. For years this secret part of Harry loves Eggsy.

And maybe with time Eggsy and Tilde start to grow apart. Eggsy’s work with Kingsman would make their relationship difficult enough as it is, but adding on the royalty aspect would only increase that exponentially. So they eventually separate amicably. I don’t think Harry would try anything though. He wouldn’t want to jeopardize what he has with Eggsy already.

The shift starts slowly on Eggsy’s part, so slowly that it takes him by surprise when he finally realizes that how he sees Harry has changed, and Harry has absolutely no idea whatsoever. Eggsy might freak out a little just because he doesn’t want to jeopardize their relationship either and he’s like, “Fuck me, I wanna bone Harry?” He thinks about it in vivid detail almost non-stop any time they’re in the same room. At lunch, debriefs, Kingsman roundtable meetings, all the time. So then they both pine for each other for a while. Mutual pining is the Ultimate, okay? And maybe something happens...like, Eggsy returns from a mission to his finalized divorce papers waiting for him, and he just needs to not be alone. So he goes to Harry’s that night and they talk for hours and hours and hours and drink a little too much. Not enough that they’re drunk so much as inhibitions are lowered and obviously they fall into bed and have really intense sex. With both of them channeling so much feeling from their end while completely oblivious to how the other is feeling in return it couldn’t be anything other than intense. There would be kisses with barely a pause for breath between them. Harry would be unable to stop touching Eggsy, running his hand from his throat down his chest to his hips, leaning down and brushing kisses everywhere, clutching Eggsy’s thighs wrapped around his body, Eggsy’s ankles crossed behind Harry’s back as Harry fucks him.

Harry is basically thinking the entire time, “He needs comfort and I want to be the one to give that to him. This is the only time I’ll ever get this and I’m going to be awful and selfish and take the opportunity. I want it to be the best sex he’s ever had. I want him to see me and not be able to think about anything but this.” Then they fall asleep together in Harry’s bed, Eggsy nuzzling his nose to Harry’s neck, and Harry trailing the tips of his fingers up and down Eggsy’s back.

The next morning they wake up and it's not awkward, but not exactly comfortable either. Eggsy probably awkwardly thanks Harry for keeping him company when he didn’t want to be alone, and Harry would give one of his close-mouthed dimpled smiles and then give him a hug, using it as an opportunity to breathe in the scent of sleep and sex still lingering on Eggsy.

And at work it’s okay. They still have lunch together, and after a few days fall back into something near their usual rhythm because both of them are determined to not let what happened affect their friendship.

But obviously they fall back into bed together at some point and it’s still so good. And again, and again, and again it happens. It’s been a handful of times now that they’ve fucked with neither of them having a clue that they’re kind of being idiots and are both totally in love with each other.

It’s not until Merlin makes an off-hand comment to both of them about filing the relevant couple’s paperwork that the truth comes to the surface. Poor guy probably reacts to their reactions in bemusement because he thought they were just together already, not that it was some weird complicated thing between them. And with a sigh and a mumbled, “Idiots,” he walks out of the room. Then it’s confessions, reaching understandings, blazing hot “we’re in love” sex on the roundtable, and happily ever afters.

---

......lol. Anyway. I was listening to KyIie Minogue’s “Dangerous Game” and I was like, “This makes me think of a desperately pining Harry...” which led to this madness. Here’s the lyrics if you’re curious. Here’s the song too but it’s really ‘90s sounding and probably only something a Kylie stan would love (aka: me lmao). Maybe it makes me a big cheeseball (it so does) to think of Harry because of these lyrics, but I accept that!

But just thinkkkkkkkkk of the possibilities! I am so here for Madly in Love!Harry who yearns for ages, but keeps it secret and an oblivious Not There Yet!Eggsy slowly falling in love with Harry in return. I could read 30k of that, easy.

P.S. Follow my Hartwin blog @visuallyhartwin! But be warned there’s a lot of NSFW content there as it’s where I collect images, gifs, and maybe even videos that make me think of Hartwin/Eggsy/Harry as well as the more typical Hartwin content like fanart/photosets/fanfic. BUT FOLLOW ITTTT! LOL

#fanfic #hartwin #kingsman

[zukalations]

Angel's Ladder director roundtable talk

This interview with Director Suzuki Kei and Angel’s Ladder leads Suzumi Shio and Otoha Minori was published in the March 2012 issue of Kageki.

Angel's Ladder director roundtable talk

Participants: Suzuki Kei (director), Suzumi Shio, Otoha Minori

Suzuki: This story is set in the English Lake Country of the 17- and 1800s, and concerns a romance between a man from the upper class and a woman from the middle class. The original work, Pride and Prejudice, is called one of the foundational romance novels. Both of them pass each other by due to their own prejudices, but in the climax all the misunderstandings are resolved and they realize their love for each other - it's an archetypical romantic drama. The titular 'Angel's Ladder' is not referenced in the book, but I wrote it to reporesent Toyoko's (Suzumi's) character of Darcy. The Lake Country is apparently very cloudy, so I thought of using the clouds to signify his 'pride'. And then the light filtering through the clouds makes one think 'oh, that's what he's really like...'

Suzumi: This is the first time I learned that when the light is filtering through the clouds it's called 'Angel's Ladder'. Apparently it is also referred to as 'the path of angels'.

Otoha: How lovely!

Suzumi: In the story, there's something like an Angel's Ladder...storybook?

Suzuki: There's a children's story about it in the play.

Suzumi: I thought that was a very cute touch.

Suzuki: Quite romantic, right?

Suzumi: (laughs) Today was the initial day of rehearsals, and I arrived feeling very excited. Since it was announced I would play the lead role in this show, I watched movies and TV dramas, and read the original book, and in the process I started thinking that the role of Darcy is really like me...and really perfect for Takarazuka. The supporting characters are also fun, with a lot of depth, so I was really looking forward to seeing what Director (Suzuki) Kei did with it when writing the script. I was really moved while reading it today.

Suzuki: Thank you so much.

Suzumi: I thought 'All this happens in 2 and a half hours!' At the first table reading*, all of the cast put tons of individuality into their characters.

Suzuki: It was really fun.

Otoha: As I read through the script, I was really moved by Darcy's change of heart as well... I'm so happy to be in such a beautiful show. Lizzie is a member of a large family, and during the table reading I couldn't stop laughing. With Junko-san (Ema Naoki) as my mother and Chigu-san (Chigusa Miki) as my father, I can see that it will be a very lively and bright household. The junior actresses playing my sisters are really powerful too, so I was trying to picture how it would turn out when the proper rehearsals start...

Suzumi: I was thinking that the casting of the 5 sisters was so cute.

Suzuki: In the story 'The Bennet Family' is a sort of key-word, so I think that will be very fun.

Otoha: I was in one of your previous shows, New York Rhapsody, as well, and I'll give my best in rehearsals for this show too.

Suzumi: I feel like Director Kei is the director I have the strongest bond with. I worked with Director Kei on my first lead, the Bow Workshop Love Goblin, as well as my last shinjin kouen, Glassy Landscape, and even an international tour.

Suzuki: We get along remarkably well (laughs)

Suzumi: 'Remarkable', he says (laughs)

Suzuki: But we haven't worked together on one of my original shows, so this time we finally have that chance.

Suzumi: Today I was really overwhelmed by Director Kei's warmth and kindness. You wrote such a great show and put so much love into the cast and everything... Although you may seem very brusque, you're really kind on the inside (laughs)

Suzuki: No, no...I seem brusque? I never knew... (laughs) Anyway, I told everyone this already today, but of course I really wanted to write something Takarazuka-esque - The closer I could get to that the better, I thought.

Suzumi: Hearing that made me think once more about a lot of things. It's really important that it is a Takarazuka original show.

Suzuki: Therefore I feel that Darcy, Lizzie, and Pride and Prejudice itself are all good elements to use towards that goal. It's no fun if everyone does it the same way. I really want to see Toyoko's Darcy. I think through the character of Darcy, your appeal will really shone. That's part of the fascination of Takarazuka, I think, and I'm relying on that too. Once Toyoko and Haruko (Otoha) are together we'll proceed by trial and error. Everything is an 'element', that's all. That's why I thought of changing the title from the original work.

Suzumi: Haruka is playing my lover again in this show.

Otoha: Yes. This is my second time in a row playing Suzumi-san's lover, since A Second Fortuitous Meeting. Since that show, everyone has been telling me 'you've really changed!' I really learned a lot from that as a Takarazuka Musumeyaku.

Suzumi: You've always been so lovely and straightforward...

Otoha: Oh no...thank you very much.

Suzumi: Therefore you should believe in yourself more and work on breaking down barriers.

Otoha: Yes. Though that 'breaking barriers' will be a bit of a challenge...

Suzumi: But you've really been changing steadily, so in the course of this I think you should work on breaking more of the barriers around you.

Suzuki: Though this isn't really related, if your pairing is performed according to the traditional hierarchy, going straight from the script there is a 'lead' and 'supporting' role, but I think that won't do in this situation so I want you to try to overcome that framework. I think you two have to thoroughly create 'Toyoko and Haruko's world' together.

Suzumi and Otoha: Yes.

Otoha: In this show, will the finale have a duet dance, or...

Suzuki: There is. That's foundational, after all (laughs)

Otoha: Thank you! I love Takarazuka duet dances, and I longed to be able to do them even before I joined the company. In New York Rhapsody I was able to do one for the first time and I was so happy... I'm really looking forward to it in this show too.

Suzuki: Takarazuka's duet dances are different from your typical 'couple dance', aren't they.

Suzumi: They're really special.

Suzuki: Right. And they're not the same as when two people dance together in a musical play. The 'Takarazuka' part is really important, so it feels like 'if it's not there, don't bother!'

Suzumi and Otoha: (laugh)

Suzumi: They showed me the costume design pictures, and the costumes for the finale are really beautiful. I'm very excited for it.

Suzuki: When we did the poster photoshoot, there was one shot we didn't use, so I'm thinking of recreating it in the play.

Suzumi: Right, your favorite couple shot (laughs). It had really lovely composition. But onstage, I feel like the audience might think 'Huh? Where is this happening?'

Suzuki: It's fine, don't worry. It's a scene where they'll be like 'Ah~ They've finally...' Wait and see, it'll be good (laughs)

Otoha: I'm so happy to have been given the role of Lizzie in this show. When she first meets Darcy, she thinks he is very proud and unpleasant, but then she realizes that he has begun changing because of what she's said to him. By the very end, he's changed enough to ask her 'will you marry me', and I think that's one scene I'll have to treat very carefully in performance.

Suzuki: I think being able to clearly tell the person you like 'will you marry me' is one of the happiest things there is. I feel like that plain statement is how proposals started in the world, and they gained decoration later. Therefore, since it's a foundational romance novel,I decided I wanted to use really foundational dialogue, which is why in the end he says it straight out.

Suzumi: I see... In this show there are many people who are transferring to other troupes, and Junko-san is also appearing after recently going to Senka, so I think a lot of passion will come from all of their feelings. I really love acting, myself. Darcy isn't a role where I'm expressing his feelings with my whole body, but I really want to lay myself bare as I'm performing with everyone. I'm going to do my best and I hope everyone in the audience will go home full of happiness.

Suzuki: In any case, in order to make this a good show that looks the best it can be, I want to observe you and get to know you well. I'm going to join you in getting to grips with the show - let's keep pushing on without giving up on anything until opening day.

* Table reading: first cast read-through in character

#takarazuka #article translation #mag: kageki #show: angel's ladder #staff: suzuki kei #sienne: suzumi shio #sienne: otoha minori

[loki-hargreeves]

Loki Imagine, Illusions - Chapter 1

(prologue)

Your P.O.V.

It was finally time to move out of the nest. After 23 long years of living at home, I would become more independent and get my own place. It was bittersweet. I would miss being at home but I would also love to start my own life. The reason I would finally move away was my new job. I had graduated with good papers and it helped me to get the job place. I would work as a personal assistant at a nearby office.The pay would also be good and hopefully, I could get promoted quickly.  A lot of emotions were mixed inside me.

''Hey! Geroge help me!'' I yelled at my big brother. There was a lot of stuff I had to pack and I wouldn't do it all by myself. I heard footsteps approaching and that's how I knew he was coming. ''What's up?'' He asked me and jumped over a cardboard box. George had dark brown hair in a man-bun and his eyes were blue. He was quite the charm, which was annoying at times. He was always super popular in school and he had a lot of friends and girls around him because he played football, as I was the strange quiet girl who read books all alone. I had only dated once and the guy was a total asshole who tried to get in my pants. Luckily George had my back if anyone ever bullied me. Not many knew about this but once George found out about my ex, he got into a fight with him. Not that I support violence but that time was rightful.

''Could you please help me pack? The moving car is here soon and I can't possibly get everything in these boxes alone'' I pouted at him and hoped he could help. ''Sure'' He smiled, happy to help. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Our parents stood there with concerned looks on their faces. ''Y/N, we should talk'' My mom Alishia said quietly, almost sadly. It worried me immediately. ''George, you should come too'' Our dad Jonathan said to my brother. We shared concerned looks as we walked out of my bedroom.

Our parents led us to the kitchen where we sat around the roundtable. By now, my heart was beating hard against my chest. Was someone sick? Had someone died? I looked into my mother's glossy blue eyes. ''We know this isn't the perfect moment to tell you this but we felt like we had to do this'' She sighed and then grabbed my hands. I glanced at my brother who looked like he realised what was going on. It just filled me with fear.

''What's wrong, mom?'' I whispered, suddenly feeling small. Dad gulped and grabbed my hand as well. I wasn't sure what was going on but tears stung my eyes. ''Just remember that we love you endlessly and this won't change anything'' Dad spoke up and looked me straight in the eye. I had a small hunch of where this was going. It made my gut twist because I didn't want to hear it. I really didn't want to hear anything.

''Y/N, you're..you're adopted'' My mother was the one to spill the truth. Those words changed everything. The air around me felt cold and goosebumps covered my skin. I could feel how my heart dropped in my chest and everything felt unreal. I was speechless and that shock made me angry. It's like I couldn't melt those words into my brain.

I was adopted.

Adopted!

''Y/N, are you okay?'' George asked me, breaking the awkward silence. My head snapped to look at him and I pulled my hands away from my parents, or whatever I could call them. Then I stood up and let the chair fall on the floor. I was furious!

''Are you fucking kidding me?'' I screamed at George and then groaned, wanting to smash everything. By now my blood was boiling in my veins. ''You're telling me this now? The day I'm moving out!'' I yelled at my parents, not caring about the tears that were cornered in their eyes. I was so mad that I didn't even acknowledge my own hot tears that ruined my make-up.

''I can't believe you'' I whispered and then sniffled. My body started quivering and I had to lean against the blue wall so I wouldn't fall on the floor. ''We're sorry, dear. We didn't want to tell you when you were younger because we didn't think it was important-'' Mom began explaining herself. It made me feel heartbroken and angry at the same time.

''Not important?'' I chuckled and wiped away my tears. ''I'm 23 years old. I have lived 23 years believing I was your daughter. You could've just told me earlier! I'm moving out today. Do you think I want to call you anytime soon? Maybe it's just good that you told me so I can have a damn break of you all'' I spat rudely and then made my way back to my bedroom. As I reached it, I slammed the door shut and fell down to my knees on the cold floor. A shiver ran down my spine, feeling like someone dragged the tip of a knife along my skin.

That's when my anger faded and it got replaced by a painful sorrow. I buried my face into my hands and began to sob uncontrollably, getting a heavy feeling in my chest. Breathing was hard and I sounded like I had been stabbed. I punched the floor and then started screaming out curse words, feeling hatred against my family. This was the worst thing they could've said to me today.

Someone opened the door and suddenly I felt a warm hand on my back. I turned around and clenched my jaw as I saw George. He looked sorry. ''D-did you know?'' I stuttered and swallowed my tears. Guilt washed across his face as he nodded. I pushed him away from me and stood up. ''I fucking hate you right now'' I told him with poison in my voice.

''Y/N, please listen to me! Our parents are devastated'' He tried to speak some sense to me. I wasn't in the mood for any of it. Instead, I felt like spilling each and every word of anger I had. ''Your parents, George. Your parents'' I let out a sarcastic laugh and walked back to my bed where I had stuff I needed to pack. Then I started placing them in the bag, continuing what I had done a few minutes ago.

''Y/N they are your parents. They raised you'' He reminded me a little angrily. I just shook my head no, too overwhelmed to say something. ''I'm still your brother'' He let me know. Of course, it was sad but I didn't want to show them I was okay with this. No, it was wrong to tell me now. ''Fuck you, George. I'm moving out and I need some space. Don't call me or visit me. I'll let you know when I'm ready to see you lying idiots again'' I informed him as casually as I could but my voice cracked and fresh tears washed away the old ones.

He didn't reply. Instead, he sighed and started to pack my things. The tension in the room was anxious and I felt like I had to escape. Luckily, my ride was on the way and I would soon be in my own space, in the centre of New York City, a few miles away from here.

Around ten minutes later the silence was broken once again. My mum was the one to speak up. She got next to me and she placed her hand on my cheek, wiping away my tears. ''Darling could we please talk?'' She begged me with a small voice. I let go of the white shirt I was holding and then I faced her harshly. ''Sure'' I sighed, sitting at the edge of my bed. She sat next to me and grabbed my hand once again.

''I'll tell you everything you want to know'' She offered kindly. Of course, I had a million questions in my head. But the most evident one was bothering me. ''Who are my real parents?'' I wanted to know. It made George freeze and he looked at me strangely. Mom and George changed looks which was a little annoying. It made sense now why George was always the great kid, the one they were so proud of.

''Twenty-three years ago a woman was walking her dog in the forest. The dog had picked up your scent and found you in the middle of nowhere all by yourself'' Mom began to tell me my true story. My eyes widened by her words. So I had been abandoned?

''She took you to the police. They tried truly hard to search for your real parents but with no luck. It's like you had appeared out of nowhere. The police officer who was in charge of your case knew us. It was Mr Brown, you probably remember him'' Mom told me and offered me a smile. I just nodded. Mr Brown was dad's friend.

''We had tried to get a sibling for George for a long time but then we found out we couldn't get any more children. We decided to adopt and Mr.Brown helped us so we could have you'' She told me sweetly and squeezed my hand. By now I was crying again, letting my tears roll down quietly. ''You were just a baby. You fit in perfectly, just like you would've been ours biologically. No matter what, you're our daughter. Your biological parents were probably druggies according to the police. No one leaves a baby in the forest like that'' She spoke quietly. I just nodded as all this information sunk into my head.

''I just need to process all of this'' I whispered and then looked around my room. My life felt like a lie but I tried hard to stay calm. ''We understand, honey'' Mom reassured me softly. Then I stood up and cleared my throat. ''I have to pack'' I told her coldly. Mom nodded and walked out of my room, allowing me to handle things on my own.

***

It was evening and I was in my new apartment. It was in a huge block of flats, on the ninth floor. Luckily, there was a big elevator here so it was easy to move in. The apartment wasn't that big but it was great for me. The entire living room wall was a window, giving me a beautiful view of the city. I had two bedrooms, a master bedroom with a walk-in closet and a smaller one I would use as an office. I had one bathroom, a tiny laundry room and of course a kitchen. The kitchen was lovely with a kitchen island as well. All of that fit inside this apartment and I couldn't be happier. I had even thought of getting a pet.

It wasn't as great as I had imagined yet because I hadn't unpacked. I only had a bed set up in my bedroom. Since this day had been insane, I didn't have the energy to unpack anyway. So I sat on the bed for two and grabbed my phone, deciding to read the daily news. I didn't want to be alone with anything else to think about. Right now, I was sure I'd lose my mind if I began to think about the fact I was adopted.

As I scrolled down the boring news, something more interesting caught my eye. 'Thor is back!' was the headline so I clicked on it. I had been so excited the last time Thor was on earth. I had always been interested in history and mythologies. Once Thor came, it proved that there was life out of this planet and ever since I had been so into Norse mythology. I had rented books from the library and read everything I could, learning a lot in the process.

'Thor has been spotted recently with people like Tony Stark. Nobody knows what the Asgardian man wants but it wakes curiosity and even fear in people. Is earth in danger? Or is he here to see his human friends?' The article was quite short. It was more than enough for me. At least I got something exciting to think about. I scrolled down and saw some poorly taken pictures. But there he was. It looked like they were in the Stark tower.  Too bad it was a blurry photo.

Tomorrow I would visit the library and rent books about Norse mythology. Maybe there was an answer there? That night, I went to bed and luckily thought of something else than the devastating truth of my roots. Although I thought about Thor and Iron Man, I couldn't help but to wonder, who am I?

    The next morning I woke up to the beeping of my phone. I groaned and turned it off, annoyed that my sweet dreams had been interrupted. My body felt weak and I was still tired but I had to get up. Thank God it was Sunday, which meant I had a free day. Work didn't start until Tuesday. I forced myself out of bed and for a little moment, I didn't remember what I had learnt yesterday.

As I made my way to the bathroom and I unpacked a box where I had my toothbrush, the truth hit me. It felt like a cut with salt in it. I inhaled a shaky breath and then cleared my throat. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and my thoughts got the best of me. I didn't look that much like the rest of my family. My eyes were really different. Theirs were duller and smaller. My hair had always been different than theirs. It grew quickly and it was stronger and thicker. I was also different. The rest of my family seemed social and happy.

I was different than most people I knew. I didn't care about the newest phones, the best clothes and the hot gossiping. My passion belonged to books, myths and unexplained science. It all began to make sense now.

I brushed my teeth quickly and decided to unpack some things, beginning with my bathroom. I put the soft towels in the white cabinet in the corner. Then I put the grey laundry basket next to it. I unpacked my soaps and placed them in their rightful places. Slowly, the bathroom felt warmer and more like home. I smiled happily as I was finished here. One room less to decorate.

As I had eaten breakfast and done my makeup, I opened a bag so I could get changed. I threw my oversized white shirt on the floor and got dressed in casual clothes; black jeans, white socks and a green sweater. It was autumn and a little cold outside. Today I had promised myself to think of happy things so I wouldn't fall into a dark hole again. How couldn't I be excited? Thor was here again!

I put on my brown boots and my black jacket so I wouldn't freeze. Just perfectly I grabbed my purse and left my apartment, heading straight to the library. As I got outside, I heard the city sounds of cars honking, people talking and the traffic lights beeping. I put a smile on my face as I began walking the familiar route to my favourite library. It was full of books and old reports.

As I walked, I saw a cafe in the corner. Coffee sounded great so I decided to stop by. I walked inside the building that smelled like delicious coffee and fresh buns. It was a cosy place with a few people. I got in line and looked at the menu. Then my phone rang. I picked it up and replied with a casual 'Hello'.

''Hi! I just wanted to check if you're doing alright'' It was my dad. Although I was still bitter about the fact they waited so many years to tell me, I didn't hang up. ''I'm alright dad. I'm actually about to go to the library. Did you hear that Thor is here again?'' I asked him and moved forward in the line. ''What? No! Why?'' He seemed genuinely surprised and interested. ''I have no idea-'' I tried to answer but I was interrupted.

As I just stood there casually, a loud bang startled everyone. The ground shook and some even screamed. Immediately I thought it was an earthquake.

I ran to the window and looked outside although I should've sought shelter. Everyone else got under their tables. My eyes widened as I saw what caused the bang. A blue beam pointed to the sky and a hole appeared. My mouth shaped into an 'O' and I felt dumbfounded. The beam came from the stark tower. My dad tried to ask me what happened but I couldn't bring myself to answer.

Foolishly I walked outside and stared at this. Was it even real? Had I gone mad? As I stared at the hole that looked like outer space,alien-like creatures started pouring out of it. Fear took over me and I felt like the end of the world just began. My heart started beating faster and all I wanted now was my family. ''Oh my God..'' I breathed out, not knowing how I was a part of this chaos. Then I dropped my phone on the ground, not so worried about its safety at the moment. I was more worried about myself and everyone else on earth.

(Chapter 2)

[incomplete-nano-stash]

Welcome to Technasia Ch 10

              Lord Jair loved going into his properties, loved seeing the happy, gleeful faces of the people he counted as his prime clientele. The gaming was consistently lively in his inns, with sizeable profits to match the sizeable entertainment. He moved through the crowds in his largest inn, fielding hand clasps and pats on the back from every one of the customers.

              He loved the adoration. People came up to him, gave him the warmest regards, showered him with money. The only dark thoughts that tended to cross his mind at these visits were ideas about King Turgen and Prince Guent. God, but he hated them.

              He made his way to an elegant wooden staircase, ascending to the office level of the inn, and quietly making his way into his own private suite. Inside, waiting for him, were four servant girls, giggling and motioning for him to approach where they lounged on one of the four beds present. Lord Jair was also never one to turn down such an invitation, tossing aside his tunic as he crossed the room.

              The servant girls tended to the Lord, stripping him, making him comfortable. They plied him with drinks, handed him goblets, kept his wine refreshed. Lord Jair was certainly enjoying the affair, but he was interrupted by an urgent knock on the door.

              He growled and threw his goblet across the room at the door. “What the hell is it?”

              A young attendant nervously went into the room. “My apologies, Lord Jair, but there is a missive from King Turgen that requires your attention.”

              The girls kept on giggling. Lord Jair sat straight up in the bed. “Bring it here.” He rolled his eyes. “The things I do for this King, I swear. Keep it warm for me, girls.”

              They giggled more. The giggling became slightly louder.

              Lord Jair rubbed his temple, trying to read the missive. He muttered to the attendant, “if only we didn’t need the gigglers. I’d much rather take their tongues so they could make no sounds at all.” He read the missive quickly.

Urgent Council of Lords meeting, tomorrow morning at dawn, at the royal palace. Attendance mandatory for all Lords within the borders of Litigia.

              Lord Jair grumbled. “This sounds like the Prince. He’s such a nuisance.” He crumpled the missive into a ball. “You may send my acknowledgment immediately.”

              Lord Jair went back to his ministrations with the servant girls. Their giggling grew louder. Lord Jair covered his ears at one point to protect himself from the encroaching noise.

              “God, shut the hell up!” He shook his head, looking up and noticing the attendant still there. “What the fuck are you looking at? I dismissed you!”

              The attendant smirked. “And now I dismiss you.” He pulled a crossbow out from behind him, hidden in the folds of his tunic. The servant girls, giggling even louder now, took hold of each of Lord Jair’s limbs. The attendant nocked his arrow and drew the bow.

              “God, what? Wait, I … I’ll give you what you want … I’ll do anything!” Lord Jair was reduced to blubbering and sobbing, pleading and begging for his life. His moans fell on uncaring ears, though, as the servant girls held his limbs even tighter down to the bed.

              The attendant crossed the room menacingly, placing the crossbow at the base of the Lord’s crotch, the point of the arrow beneath his genitals pointing upward. “Sorry, but there’s not enough in this entire pleasure palace to satiate us.”

              Lord Bruxien Jair screamed, the last sound he would ever emit as the attendant, now assassin, pulled the trigger on the crossbow. His scream was overwhelmed by the giggling of the servant girls. The arrow drove into the Lord at point blank range, burying itself within his body. A soft puff of air was heard, coming from the entry wound, and soon Lord Jair lay dead.

              As soon as his body stopped thrashing, the servant girls released their hold on the Lord’s limbs, reaching for the gigglers and ripping them off. One of the girls, the eldest of the group and clearly the leader, coughed and spat. “God, that was disgusting. How can the women of the place stand these things?”

              The male assassin approached carefully. “They aren’t left with much of a choice.” He stroked the lead girl’s hair. “Are you all right, Moira?”

              She smiled. “Better now that I know I won’t have to get plowed by this asshole.” She kicked Lord Jair’s body, then motioned to her other companions. “Ladies, get dressed, let’s go. They need to find the body before sunrise, and we need to put on a show.”

                Prince Guent stood in the pouring rain, standing on a grandstand before a long procession of guards. He sighed with a bored expression on his face, not willing to hide his distaste for the place and the people around him.

              To his left, Lord Umbrient Qine leaned closer to the railing of the grandstand. “They’re proud of their duty here, Your Highness. They simply want to impress you.”

              Prince Guent grumbled. “If they want to impress me, they need to be getting ahead of Technasia’s weapons, they need to be ready for war.”

              Lord Qine sniffled. “And are you?”

              “What?”               “Ready for war?”

              Prince Guent turned threateningly toward Lord Qine. “I was born ready. I was born ready to put a giggler on the Technasian queen and bend her over.”

              Lord Qine nodded. “It won’t exactly be that easy, you know. Even before she was queen, Guerrania had a reputation as an outstanding general for Technasia.”

              “Who needs a woman to run the army?” Prince Guent spat over the railing. “To fight and win, you need manly leadership.” He pounded on his chest to emphasize the point. “And since there’s not a manlier royal in all of Litigia, I will lead this army to glory!”

              Lord Qine narrowed his eyes. “Is everything for you about proving you have the biggest cock? Maybe Queen Guerrania isn’t a man, but what she can do is out-strategize most of our roundtable of generals. What have you done to prove your leadership?”

              Prince Guent fumed on the question, only interrupted by one of his many royal attendants, rushing up to him with a hand slate. “Your Highness, this just came, it’s urgent!”

              The Prince took the hand slate from the attendant, reading the missive upon it. His eyes widened. He breathed quickly, then vomited over the railing. Lord Qine immediately stood up to help the Prince. “Are you all right?”

              Prince Guent shoved Lord Qine away. “I’m fine, you fuck. I need a drink.” He roared for another attendant, making his way down the row of the grandstand. The hand slate remained on the seat, so Lord Qine picked it up and looked at the missive.

Lord Bruxien Jair has been assassinated. No group has claimed responsibility yet. All Lords are to return to the royal palace for an emergency meeting.

              There was a picture attached to the missive. Lord Qine brought the picture up, then winced. The photo showed Lord Jair, naked, hanging from his elbows above what appeared to be the back door of one of his inns, a river of blood flowing from between his legs.

              The Lord’s mind started racing. Lord Jair had no heirs. His house would lose its place in the Litigian hierarchy, no more House of Jair on the Council of Lords. The House of Poe would take the position vacated. Everyone would move up in the hierarchy. Even the House of Moethran.

              Lord Qine pocketed the hand slate and quickly motioned to his attendants to follow Prince Guent off the grandstand.

                “This would be our royal chamber for governmental affairs,” Queen Guerrania announced, motioning into a beautifully gilded conference room.

              Thaylen nodded. “It certainly is impressive. I like it.” He turned to Firnian, urging her to compliment the room.

              “Oh yeah, it’s really nice,” she finally blurted out. She was getting exceedingly bored, as the Queen’s tour dragged on and on, a tour that had started shortly after their breakfast together and was threatening to encroach on the dinner hour. She sighed.

              “Now, let’s settle in at the table and we can discuss any issues you may have in regards to our nations’ relationship.” Queen Guerrania motioned toward the conference table, guiding Thaylen along.

              “Thank you, Your Majesty, your hospitality is greatly appreciated.” Thaylen sat down at the table, a small sheaf of papers in front of him. Lord Moethran took a place to his right.

              “Now,” Queen Guerrania began as she sat down, “what concerns can we be of assistance with?”

              Thaylen folded his hands in front of him. “We are concerned about the large numbers of our citizens who are attempting to leave Litigia and make their way here. Primarily it has been women. We need to discuss some border measures or some controls that will prevent any further depletion of the Litigian population.”

              Queen Guerrania stroked her chin. She looked over at Firnian. “And what say you, Lord Moethran? Do you agree with your Prince’s assessment?”

              Firnian appeared to be trying to hold in her personal opinion, and she was unsure if it would hurt her relationship. Finally, her internal struggle reached a decision. “It’s probably our own fault that so many women are trying to get here, but we’d like some assistance in stanching the bleeding, so to speak.”

              Thaylen’s face dropped at Firnian’s metaphor, but Queen Guerrania nodded. “We have heard for a long time, stories of the treatment women endure in your nation.” She leaned forward. “Of technological means used to assure female obedience. Of strides made to reduce or eliminate rights of women, to deprive them of agency.” She looked directly at Lord Moethran. “To deprive them of their true station.”

              Firnian squirmed in her chair. Her discomfort only seemed to rise as a knock came on the door of the room, and one of her own attendants entered. “Excuse me, Your Majesty, Your Highness, I have an urgent missive for Lord Moethran.”

              Firnian stood up from the table and took the printed missive from the attendant. Her face drooped and complexion grew ashen as she read it, and saw the picture attached to it. She looked up at Thaylen.

              “What is the matter, Lord Moethran?” Queen Guerrania’s voice was reassuring.

              “I apologize, Your Majesty, but there’s an urgent matter at home that I need to discuss with Prince Thaylen. Your Highness, a word please?” Firnian was nearly hyperventilating.

              Thaylen stood up and came to the other side of the table, following Firnian out the door. Once in the hallway, she handed him the missive.

              His own complexion went gray. “Lord Jair … what a way to die.”

              Firnian harrumphed. “Serves him fucking right, he was a pig, he deserved to be served on a spit. What the hell does this mean for us? For our diplomatic mission?”

              Thaylen sighed. “What should we do?”

              “I want to stay here.” She took Thaylen’s hand in hers. “For us. We need this place. We need their understanding.”

              Thaylen’s eyes darkened, as he squeezed Firnian’s hand. “I agree.” He clutched her tightly. “We can’t go back. Not now.”

                The small group reached a ridge above the inn, stopping to take stock of their numbers. Moira pulled a hood off of her head, looking around. “Everyone here?”               The other three girls and their male companion acknowledged her. The man kept his crossbow at the ready, expecting trouble at every turn. They were relieved, however, to reach their planned upon campsite, and catch sight of a familiar figure.

              “Oh, it’s you, Interis. We’ve done our part.” The man put his crossbow back in his holster, sitting down by the campfire next to Interis, totally obscured by his light colored cloak and hood.

              “You’ve done well, Furger. All of you. Moira, how are your girls?”

              Moira sat down on Interis’s other side. “Present, milord. Ginny and Sophia need a bit of bathing since they were gotten to earlier in the night, but myself and Lorna, we’re good.”

              Interis nodded. “Good, excellent. You have done well.” He tossed a large bag into the center of the group of mercenaries. “As promised, here is your payment, including your border paperwork to get to Technasia.”

              The group scrambled for the bag, pulling out paperwork, money, and other supplies. Interis stood up, moving away from the group.

              “Wait, Interis, where are you going? It’s the middle of nowhere here!” Moira called out to the mystery figure. “Come back! Let’s celebrate and head out in the morning.”

              Interis let out a low, dark chuckle. “I’m afraid I am needed elsewhere. Here, enjoy a show.”

              The mystery man tossed a small green orb over the heads of the group and into their campfire, then turned and walked away from the site. The mercenaries continued to celebrate their good fortune, even as their bodies started drooping and their speech became even more slurred than alcohol would cause. Soon they were all sleeping. Soon after that, they were all dead.

#nanowrimo #incomplete nano

[oneweekoneband]

ALL THE WAY ACROSS TOWN: Contributor’s Roundtable

The very first decision I made about this week (before, in fact, Hendrik had even given me the go ahead) was that if I was going to do it, I wasn’t going to do it alone. Part of that was self-preservation: Green Day are a massive band, with a three-decade-long career and insurmountable amounts of energy. It’s a lot for one person to tackle. Even between the five of us, we’ve barely managed to scratch the surface.

But more than that, there was this nagging feeling that’s only grown more powerful over the course of this week, that it would really just be a shame if only one person wrote about Green Day. They belong to everyone. They’re there for the people who need them, when they need them, for whatever they need them for. Yes, they mean the world to me. The thing is, they probably mean the world to you, too.

So I put out the call on Twitter and my blog (restricting it somewhat to my circle of acquaintances by doing so, unfortunately, but this did make me more comfortable with asking in the full knowledge that I wouldn’t be able to pay any contributors for their work), and I got lucky: most of the people I was secretly hoping would offer to write about Green Day did just that. And, oh man, did they write. I can’t express how proud I am to have been able to give those pieces a platform, and to have myself and my writing associated with them and their writers. I was so impressed with the generosity and honesty of everyone’s writing that I wanted to hear more, and so I suggested the idea of a roundtable, where we could all come together to talk about our mutual topic: Green Day. This is the result.

All of us, this week, have touched on notions of belonging and acceptance in our pieces. There’s been an undertone, throughout, of the notion of Green Day as a safe space of some sort - whether it be for kids to start to figure themselves or the whole punk rock business out, or in the crowd at gigs, or as not-male or not-straight music fans. Do any of you have any more (or more specific) thoughts about this? Is this a feature of Green Day’s music, or the band themselves, or something else entirely? (Despite my piece on punk, I know it’s not as simple as that, as I’ve been in more than one punk space and met more than a few punks who made me feel unsafe - there’s a difference between ideal and reality, always.) What is it that makes a band feel “safe”?

KJ:  I think I thought of Green Day as a supportive space for all sorts of people who were different, and therefore avoided owning up to liking them because I didn't want to be thought of as different? Thankfully, I've gotten over that.

Jessie:  For me, it’s a combination of factors. Some of it has to do with the punk thing. Green Day weren’t the first punk band I heard--that honor goes to another East Bay band, Operation Ivy--but sometimes I call Green Day my first punk band because it was around the time I first heard them that I started thinking of punk as an identity. I have definitely felt unsafe in punk spaces/around certain punks, and I guess Green Day sort of represented some utopian ideal of punk as this super welcoming club for nerds, freaks, and outcasts. I’m not sure why that is--maybe because of the scene they came out of, or maybe, because I said in my piece on “She,” it felt like they understood what it was like to be freaks and outcasts. Which leads into the second reason they felt safe to me, and that was entirely about their music. I was being bullied pretty much constantly during the time when I first heard them, and it just felt like they understood that. Like they’d been there. I mean, Dookie had a song (“Having A Blast”) about getting revenge on the people who bullied you. (More on that song later.) The third reason they felt safe to me is a very personal one, and it may sound weird, but--they felt safe to me because I didn’t have a crush on any of the band members. From the age of 12 to around 17 (or maybe even older, but that would lead into some topics that are beyond the scope of this roundtable), I usually ended up getting a crush on at least one member of every band I liked. I mean sexual fantasy-type crushes. And I was sort of terrified of my burgeoning sexuality (for many reasons). But with Green Day, I thought of them more like cool older brothers than people I wanted to get with, and that made them feel safer to me than a lot of other bands.

Jacqui: Jessie, I’ve never even thought about it the way you put at the end there, but now that you have I completely agree. I’ve also never had a crush on any of them, and it does make a difference. There’s something a lot safer about wanting to swap guacamole recipes with Mike, for instance, than ever having been properly attracted to him would have been. 

Alice:  It was much the same for me, though I think Green Day was my first punk band (or, possibly, The Offspring). But Green Day also was sort of a gateway drug, in terms of pop punk, and I think that in so many ways the pop punk scene of the early-to-mid-2000s was my safe space. It’s like we’ve said, that punk in reality isn’t always the safe space it is supposed to be - and of course, it is different for everyone and we are ignorant, of certain things, when we’re young. But when I was growing up, in Alabama, there weren’t many spaces for me. The pop-punk boom/resurgence of the 2000s was a saving grace, I think. Those bands - Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, etc. - and the people I met through them, mostly online, became a huge part of the ways in which I reckoned with myself and my identity. Between “Well, maybe I’m the faggot America / I’m not a part of the redneck agenda” and Bert McCracken (of The Used) wearing a shirt that said “Gay is OK”, I felt included and comforted by these group of weird punk misfit dudes.

This is perhaps a corollary to the above: as far as I know, everyone who’s written for this week is, in some way or another, not-straight. One of my favourite things ever written about Green Day, Cristy Road’s coming out memoir Spit and Passion, is also, obviously, written by a not-straight woman. I know that when I think of Green Day, I think of a band that is Not A Straight Band, in smaller ways and larger ones (I’m thinking of Billie Joe, of course, and of certain lyrics, and safe spaces, again, and of the secret-community like collection of “Coming Clean” tattoos I’ve seen over the years). What do you think?

Jessie:  I don’t know why so many not-straight people are into Green Day, but it certainly does seem to be true. I didn’t know that Billie Joe identified as bi until way after I got into the band, but when I found out I was like “Hell yeah! Yet another reason to love them!” Dookie came out the year I realized I was bi (though it would be another four years or so before I actual felt wholly comfortable with that label), and though there were no explicitly queer songs on it, it goes back to what I mentioned above--so many Green Day songs seem to speak to that sense of being an outcast, being lonely, being bullied, and one of the things that made me an outcast and that I was bullied about was my sexual orientation and gender expression. Another theory as to why so many not-straight folks love Green Day: they are not an uber-macho band. Billie Joe has often been seen wearing makeup, nail polish, even dresses; I’ve seen Tre in eyeliner, too, and he’s just sort of goofy-looking (I mean that as a compliment!). Mike is probably the most ‘masculine’-looking of the band members, but even he is not some meathead. There are just so many rock and punk bands that are so so into the whole machismo, look-at-me-I’m-a-man thing, and Green Day are not one of them and it’s great.

Cat: So, haha, funny story, Billie Joe is sort of the reason I admitted to myself that I liked girls. I mean, God knows every single person in my life knew I wasn’t straight, I was bullied for it relentlessly from the ages of eight to eighteen, but I was really terrified of this idea of “not being normal”. Small town, small school, white picket fences and 2.5 kids - I had this really clear idea that there was a Right way to live your life, which was “how everyone else was living it”, and that there was a Wrong way. And then I read that Advocate interview - which I was so happy to find again in your post about Coming Clean, Alice! - and Billie Joe says there, I think everybody is born bisexual, I think everybody fantasizes about the same sex. Which I disagree with as a point of view these days - but at the time, it was exactly what I needed to hear, to understand that my thoughts and feelings about girls weren’t just a random fluke that I needed to suppress. And then later I was able to move into a more mature standpoint, i.e., “oh, it doesn’t actually matter if this is normal or not, it’s okay anyway”, and also, “oh, I’m actually way more into girls than guys.” But I really, really needed that Advocate interview to get me to that place.

Alice: Thanks, Cat! Yeah, as I mentioned in my piece, I didn’t read The Advocate interview until much, much later. But I read it - when I was seventeen - exactly when I needed to read it. I don’t think that I ever connected Green Day, and the ways in which their music always meant so much to me,  to my being gay until that moment. It was a moment of satisfaction, reassurance, almost. Like oh this is maybe why they always felt like home to me.

KJ:  I have a very vivid memory of frantically late-night Wikipedia-ing a “list of bisexual celebrities” and feeling utterly relieved when I saw Billie Joe’s name. Like, if this guy who I looked up to could be bi, so maybe could I? Not for the first or fifteenth time, I thought about starting a band.

[ continued under the cut ]

We’ve also talked a lot about what Green Day meant to us, about our memories of the band and their songs, simply by virtue of this week being a retrospective of their career. Have your feelings changed, in the present? Do they mean/are they the same band to you now as they used to be?

Jessie: Green Day have drifted in and out of my life. They’ve grown as I have and sometimes I’ve needed them and other times I haven’t. It’s like they’re old friends who I sometimes go years without speaking to, but when we run into each other we pick up where we left off. Some of their albums have come out exactly when I needed to hear them, others have grown on me, others I’ll probably never be that into. But they’ll always mean a lot to me because of the things we went through together (to stretch that “old friends” metaphor), and I adore Revolution Radio--I think it’s their best album since American Idiot.

Cat: I mean, part of it’s just going to be the usual punk problem, i.e., American Idiot was the most important album of my entire life, it defined everything in my life, it was my constant soundtrack and the only thing that explained the world, and then Obama was elected president.

And then Trump was elected president! And suddenly it’s - not the most important album in the world, the Bush era was very specific and unique and I need slightly different content from my punk for 2017, but it means more to me than it did in 2010. It’s like cicadas, it comes out of the earth to scream every 16 years.

KJ:  Funny enough, I was up at my parents’ house the week before this OWOB started and my mother still uses the one mix tape I made her in high school as her alarm clock cd. So, while I'm thinking about Green Day and Having Some Real Feelings, out of nowhere comes the strains of “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” my mom's only acceptable Green Day song (all others deemed too noisy). So in a way, Green Day is less a rebellious sound and more a coming home, to me, now.

Is there anything else you wish you’d had the space to say about Green Day? Another song you wanted to cover, maybe, or a story or observation or thought that wouldn’t fit in any of your pieces?

Jessie: There is so, so, so much more I could say. A lot of thoughts and ideas came up over the course of this week. One thing I thought of that I eventually want to explore further is about “Having A Blast.” That song came out before Columbine, and I wonder if it sounds different to people who heard it for the first time after that. I wonder if that song could even be written now. In 1994, it sounded like a harmless way to vent about being bullied, a way to get our your anger without actually hurting anyone. Now that people have actually taken those feelings beyond the realm of fantasy, that song sounds a lot darker. 

Alice: Only that we really, really should have planned for a second roundtable, just to discuss Green Day’s cover of Eye of the Tiger.  

More seriously, I am a bit sad I wasn’t able to write a piece about the musical (sorry Jacqui!) - I had the chance to see it when it opened and it remains, to this day, the only Broadway show I’ve ever bought full price orchestra tickets for. It wasn’t perfect, but sitting in a Broadway theatre between people my age who had obviously been with the band since the beginning and women in their 60s and 70s who still wore gowns to the theatre - and seeing that they were both equally happy to be there - that was a really special moment for me.

KJ:  Oh man, eye of the Tiger! Ditto their “I Fought the Law” cover. Basically, I guess we should have luxuriated in covers.  

Jacqui: I know that I, personally, avoided covers this week because there was already so much to say about their original work. But if I had gone in that direction, it would have been “Working Class Hero”. One of the major ways I had of connecting with my dad was through music - a good 75% of the stuff I know about rock history, still, came from him - and this song and really the whole benefit album it was released on was an actual, tangible bridge between us (I have this incredibly fond memory of waiting for me just inside the door when I came home from school one day, bursting with the need to tell me that “Justin Timberlake is really talented, actually”). I’d also want to talk about the difficulties and complications of things like benefit albums, probably, and about Green Day’s activism in general.

Finally, is there anything you want to say to each other (or me) - responses to posts, questions you want to ask, etc?

Cat: I get the feeling I’m a lot younger than a lot of you - was born in ‘95, Bush’s election is my first real political memory, and you guys talk about American Idiot and the Iraq War and the ‘00s as things you experienced as people who were coming of age, not young kids. Do you all think that makes a difference? Do you need to be a certain age to appreciate Dookie in a certain way, for example? Also, jeez, y’all have been incredible, I’m so honored to be part of a week with such amazing and thoughtful writers for such an amazing and thoughtful band.

Jessie: Hmm, I don’t know if it’s an age thing. I will say that I’m probably the oldest one here--I was born in 1981!--but I know people who are 10-12 years younger than I am who heard Dookie as adolescents and loved it just as much as I did. So maybe it depends more on who you are/what your life was like when you heard it than on your actual age. 

I don't really have any questions for any of you, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being part of this as well. All of you are amazing writers and I’ve loved reading your different perspectives on Green Day. Also, I’m working on a long essay-thing about Dookie (I’ve been mapping it out for about a month already!), and I may want to interview some of you for it, if that sounds like something you’d be interested in.

Alice: I certainly don’t think you need to have been a certain age to appreciate Dookie - like I’ve said, my mother loves early Green Day and she turned 65 this year. But I do think perhaps you’re right about American Idiot, not that it doesn’t hold meaning for people who were too young to remember 9/11 or people who were well into adulthood. But, I was born in 1990 and so my “coming of age” period was literally when Bush got elected. I very much remember watching the towers fall. And, as someone who had the questionable delight of meeting him personally, I certainly remember George Bush. There aren’t words for how important that album was, in that moment in time. Waking up when you’re eleven years old and realizing that world had suddenly and completely changed, and for reasons you don’t really understand - well. Music helped with that, it helped a lot. So, again, not that it didn’t or couldn’t mean the same to someone a bit younger than me (it obviously did!) but for someone who came of age in Obama’s America? I don’t think it’s possible to really get the very specific - and bleak, angry, defiant - zeitgeist American Idiot captured.  

I don’t have any questions either, but like Jessie I wanted to thank you all so much for this! I love doing One Week One Band and I loved it even more doing with it with y’all! And thank you Jacqui for facilitating this. It’s been an absolute blast.  

KJ: Just want to thank Jacqui for the opportunity to write about and come to terms with my Green Day fandom. (I don't think my therapist was...intending? To discuss a pop punk band for 30min this week?) Also re: age, it really doesn't matter, as there are many accessible avenues to Green Day. (Thatsaidamericanidiotisclearlythebestfightme.)Thanks again!

Jacqui: Jessie, I would be absolutely delighted if you decided to interview me, and am going to take a second right now to beg you to let me know when that essay goes live regardless, because I will definitely want to read it. I’ve left your mention of it in, here, so that people will know to keep an eye out for it!

I agree that age doesn’t matter when it comes to getting into Green Day, or even understanding them - there’s a difference between remembering a specific point in time and understanding or finding your own meaning in what came out of it, and I think that’s true of all art. Whatever you love, whatever sparks a feeling of recognition in you, that’s yours and no one can take that feeling away from you. That said, I do think there’s a difference in types of understanding when it comes to huge, world-shaping events like watching the towers fall (or, more positively: the development of the internet and its ability to facilitate both music sharing and community building.) Basically, I agree with Alice. No one is surprised.

Thank you so much again, everyone. It really has been a delight, and a privilege. I’ll be making a round up post that re-introduces you all and collects your contributions to end the week.

#green day

[kiingmango]

Smart Egg Unwin

I saw this post, and honestly i dont even know if this fic matches it anymore. It changed a lot. This also was supposed to be like maybe 500 words and then somehow became 2200… I am not british, so i’m sorry if this all sounds extremely american. Gonna tag @alethiaii and @notbrogues who contributed to the post (hope you dont mind me tagging you)

Eggsy had gone through extensive training for an additional four months, while taking missions after v-day and after weeks and weeks of lessons about espionage, he was finally getting his first lesson on tailoring in the shop. He handed in his finished written debrief and took the train to the shop, adjusting himself and fixing his tie. He walks up to Dagonet and gives him a smile.“I’m ready for my lesson,” He states. Dagonet gives him a small smile and shakes his head. “Harry is giving you your lesson. He’s late, as usual, but he’ll be here soon,” He nods and returns to what Eggsy assumes is filing people’s order paperwork. Harry and Eggsy had been spending quite a bit of time together, him giving Eggsy most of his lessons even while he’s busy with being Arthur. Apparently, after a candidate takes their place at the roundtable, their proposal agent will continue to teach them and go on some small joint missions for skill practicing purposes. It’s usually only for a couple of weeks, but Harry had only returned in the last month or two and he was slowly getting used to meeting up with Harry every other day or so to learn a new skill, even if he sometimes already knew it.    

He went into dressing room #1, looking through some of the drawers he wasn’t familiar with. He had just found the drawer for all the measuring equipment when a man knocked on the door and entered a second later. 

“Hi I’m here for my first appointment,” he sounded a bit unsure of himself, shuffling nervously in the doorway.  “The man at the from told me to go ahead in here.” 

Eggsy had never actually measured someone before, but he had once spent four months doing nothing but reading and watching about how to sew up clothes. At that point Dean wasn’t willing to spare any money for new clothes, he was too busy buying beer and drugs to worry about it. So Eggsy learned how to sew up his old clothes, and take ones that were too tattered to fix to make small clothes bigger. That is until people started getting suspicious and Dean had to buy clothes for Eggsy, and later Daisy.

So no, Eggsy had never actually done this before, but he had read six separate articles on suit making and he knew how to measure people. In theory.

“Uhhh come in and we can at least get you started.” Eggsy ushered the man in and took a tape measure from the drawer, swung it around his neck and took out a pen. “My name’s Gary Unwin by the way. My colleague has some important business he’s finishing up and is in turn a bit late, terribly sorry,” Eggsy addresses the issue of Harry’s absence and gestures for the man to stand up on the raised platform.

 “What are you looking for exactly? Are we doing a waistcoat or a two piece..?” He takes the small notepad next to him and jots down the man’s requests, asking the occasional question and throwing in bits of humor for charm. If he’s gonna work in the shop at least 10 hours a month (excluding long-term missions of course) he might as well practice his salesman bit.

 “Alright. Let’s go ahead and get your measurements,” Eggsy put his pen down and walked behind the man, whose name he learned was Tom, and began at the waist. He wanted to take a minimum of 30 measurements, really make sure that the suit was as best fit as possible, and so that if he accidently messed up Harry could have at least a number of options to work with. Twenty measurements in and there was another knock at the door, Harry entering looking as gorgeous as ever, in Eggsy’s opinion.

 “Terribly sorry, caught up in the fabric room,” He walked towards Eggsy’s notepad to see how far along they had gotten, his eyebrows coming together and forming two small lines on Harry’s forehead. “Well it seems Mr. Unwin has you all squared away.” Harry nodded at the two men in the middle of the room, a small pleased smile on his face. He stayed for the rest of the fitting, hovering just behind Eggsy in case he needed him. Ten minutes later Eggsy sent Tom out to Dagonet to set his next appointment, measurements complete, fabric chosen, and his own custom suit in progress. 

 “Where did you learn how to get the correct measurements for making a suit from scratch?” Harry asked, looking at Eggsy as he began putting things away and finalizing his notes. “That was supposed to be your first lesson today. You weren’t even going to measure that man, you were supposed to be measuring me,” Harry was mumbling now, almost to himself more to Eggsy. Eggsy stood to his full height, grabbing his notepad and smacking it against Harry’s chest twice before saying, “Well wouldn’t you like to know.” Eggsy sauntered out of the dressing room feeling smug, and Harry followed closely behind him feeling completely smitten.

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

 Eggsy came back from a brutal three day mission with four weeks of mandatory R&R. Eggsy was, to say the least, not happy. Harry hadn’t seen him in a few days and was a little concerned, not that he thought Eggsy would do anything stupid, he just worried. He finished up the day’s work, cleaned his desk off and headed to the shop, ready to flop into a cab and head home. Maybe enjoy a few fingers of scotch before reading in bed. He’s looking for Dagonet, he always says goodnight like a gentleman should, when he ends up in the back of the shop, finding Eggsy hunched over a table with pattern paper, rulers and a chalk stick in his hand.

 “Eggsy? I haven’t seen you in days, what are you doing?” He briefly looked up from tracing his garment patterns onto his muslin to acknowledge Harry, his hands moving with skill.

“I’ve been spending them back here with Dagonet. Watched him for a couple of days and then mentioned Tom’s suit. He said if I wanted I could do it, since he hasn’t even cut the patterns for it yet.” Eggsy whipped out a pair of scissors from god knows where and cut the muslin with ease, every line precise and not a stray cut in sight.

 “You learned how to measure, draw, and cut your own suit patterns by observing Dagonet for two days?” Harry sounded almost incredulous, but Eggsy still hadn’t looked up from his delicate work when he said “Yes, Harry.” And didn’t that just drive cupid’s arrow deeper into Harry’s old heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 Tom came in for his second fitting two weeks after Harry found Eggsy cutting the patterns, and Eggsy made sure he was free that week. He greeted Tom with a smile, made excuses for his sprained wrist (which he had received in the caribbean last week, so it was mostly healed) and led him back to the same fitting room they had used before. 

“Your trousers are mostly complete, I’ll just need to finish the inseam and any final alterations if need be. Your jacket and waistcoat will take longer, and today I’ll put you in the pieces and make adjustments.” Eggsy gave a shy smile, probably more nervous than Tom was about how the pieces would fit. He quickly retrieved the three piece suit from his claimed work table and slipped back into the room, handing them over to his first client. He moved in the jacket and trousers for a bit and got back on the platform.

“Trousers are perfect. Great fit and move. The waistcoat is a bit large around here,” He gestured to his pectorals and Eggsy nodded, committing to memory everything Tom said. “The sleeves are a bit uncomfortable around my shoulders,” Eggsy nodded once again and stepped up to Tom, helping him adjust the sleeves and pinching here and there.

“So as strange as this sounds, I’m actually going to make these armholes a bit smaller. It’ll make for a better fit,” He went from the bottom and tucked a bit of the fabric in, pinning it with a small pin. He finished up the adjustments and final measurements, took out the pins and shook Tom’s hand.

 “Dagonet will set your pickup date but it shouldn’t be more than two or three weeks. I pick stitch the suit by hand so it takes a bit longer but it is definitely worth it.” Tom left the room and behind him Harry came through the door, closing it softly and sending a short grin towards Eggsy as he cleaned up his area. 

“You pick stitch as well?” Harry was surprised Eggsy was doing it by hand. It definitely was worth it, as he had said, but it took a skilled hand to do so. “Done it before,” Eggsy replied, finally looking up. “Dean didn’t care about buying clothes for a twelve year old so I got used to stitching up stuff, puttin two and two together.” Eggsy shrugged while putting the tailored suit on it’s hanger. Harry always felt a sense of dread when Eggsy talked about his childhood, and he shook away the feeling and gave him a wry smile. “Well I look forward to seeing the finished project,” and with a final nod he left the room.

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

True to his word Eggsy finished the suit in record time, hand did the pick stitches, finished the inseam of the trousers and pressed it to perfection. He left for a five day mission in Dubai as soon as he had bagged the suit. Eggsy knew it was unlikely he would be back before Tom came to pick up his custom suit, but Harry assured Eggsy that it was perfect, and waved as the plane flew away. He still had a stack of papers (financial statements, debriefs to sign off on) but he instead decided to head to the shop and take a peek at Eggsy’s suit. Agents needed to learn only basic tailoring skills, taking measurements and finer details, but Eggsy had completed this suit by himself, from start to finish.

 To say Harry was proud of his dedication was an understatement. Eggsy had surprised him with just how much he knew, how capable and smart he really was, and taking a look at the finished product he was a damn good tailor. The prick stitching was flawless, seams pulled together in a gorgeous finish, buttons and fabric matching, and the lining tucked to perfection. Tom would be very pleased indeed. Merlin came into the room shortly after Harry had zipped the bag up, clipboard in hand.

 “What are you doing here?” Harry asked.

“I could ask you the same thing, because I remember dropping off a file of new driver candidates in your office not twenty minutes ago,” Merlin finished writing on his clipboard and looked up at Harry, who was attempting to look as innocent as possible. “Eggsy asked me to look at his suit,” Merlin replied to his earlier question and unzipped the bag once again, pushing it aside to take a look of the three piece.

“I don’t know why he would, what with your taste in jumpers.” Harry sniffed, trying to hide his smile. Merlin snorted at him, his own grin forming.

 “He made this by himself?” Merlin’s brows drew together, even as a smirk creeped on his face. “He’s one smart lad,” The bag was once again zipped up, suit safely tucked inside. Merlin directed his smirk to Harry.

 “Oh you’re screwed,” Merlin laughed as he left, leaving Harry to stare at the proof of Eggsy’s genius. He sighed, “I am utterly screwed.”

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

Eggsy made it back to the shop a whole day early, looking completely exhausted. He took a shower, and promptly fell asleep on the couch in Merlin’s office for fourteen hours. Harry put a blanket over him when he went to go give Merlin his candidate decisions. Harry knew Eggsy wanted to see the suit through to the end, so twenty minutes before Tom would arrive he got Eggsy up. A quick change and train ride later Eggsy stood in the shop, arms placed behind him and waiting for Tom to walk through the door. He didn’t have to wait long, he walked through the door right on time. Eggsy greeted him with a handshake and Harry grabbed his suit from the back.

“Thank you, Harry.” Eggsy took the bag from his hand and gestured towards dressing room #1.

“Shall we?” Tom smiled and said yes, and Eggsy placed the bag on a hook. He pulled the suit out and presented it to his first ever client, feeling a swell of pride in himself when Tom’s grin overtook his face at the sight of his custom three piece. He helped him into the suit, smoothing it down.

“It’s a perfect fit,” Tom laughed and thanked Eggsy profusely for his time, which he returned with a simple and heartfelt, “It was my complete pleasure.”

The appointment was almost underwhelming with how quickly it was over, considering how much time this one set of clothing had taken. Harry came into the room and smiled at Eggsy, admiring the glowing smile he had on. 

“It looked amazing, my dear boy,” Harry moved to his side, and slowly wrapped an arm around Eggsy’s waist. “I was wondering, if you wanted to go out to dinner to celebrate.” Eggsy’s smile grew bigger.

“Yes, Harry.”

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

Hope yall enjoyed it at least a little bit :) I also tried to keep this as Eggsy centered as possible so let me know how I did!

#kingsman #harry hart #eggsy unwin #hartwin #my works

[forestlyprince]

This past week had a few small moments that made me feel really good about myself and I wanted to share:

First, my creative writing advisor complimented my work with Godspell a lot and told me he could see how passionate I was about theatre, and about writing, and he knew I would accomplish a lot in theatre. He also congratulated me on my post-grad job.

I was invited to participate in Baccalaureate, and while I don’t know for sure if I will yet, it was a really nice surprise to get that email.

My history advisor emailed me asking for advice on picking textbooks for his 300-level seminar for next year. He’s been saying all semester how I’ve become more of an expert on my thesis topic (which his seminar will touch on) than he is, and this was just a Holy Shit moment when I realized he actually believes it and respects my opinion on this. It made me realize how much I’ve grown in the past four years and it made me really happy that he’s been there and seen that growth.

The President of my University came to a staged reading that I stage managed and she introduced me to a Board of Trustees member saying that “Theo is one of our most involved students on SGA roundtable and in theatre and we’ve been so lucky to have them.” Later in a conversation with the theatre department chair, she then told me that she was really proud of all of my work in the theatre and that I’d done a lot of amazing work with the department, and just kept saying so many nice things to me. It just meant a lot that the President of my school noticed all of my work and complimented me and said that the school would miss me.

I went to my school’s celebration of Holi and I got to have an amazing time with some of my friends and take fun pictures and dance in the rain and it was nice.

We’ve got a month until graduation and I’ve been feeling a bit down and nervous but this week has helped give me the energy to get going again. I’ve still got work to do. For now, it’s thunderbirds are go to finish my undergrad experience off strong. For after, to quote my best friend’s favorite show, What’s Next? Because I’m ready.

#theo talks #long post #positive things #daily reminders #idk y'all I just am feeling okay about the future now and it's weird but nice

[itkmoonknight]

ITK Newsletter, no. CVII: LUNAR-PICK Classic Run Review: Moon Knight Vol. 1, issue #8

Salutations Loony Listeners!

Welcome to another ITK newsletter for you, this 25th September 2019....right, with those formalities out of the way, you probably are wondering what has been happening and what is in store for the coming episode this weekend...let me tell you, after a bumper few weeks with awesome guests and spin-off shows, we are returning to the ROOTS of the show and will be looking at an issue from ye olde Volume 1 of Moon Knight -

PHASE OF THE MOON: WANING CRESCENT

LUNAR-PICK: CLASSIC COMIC BOOK REVIEW

MOON KNIGHT VOL. 1, ISSUE #8 - 'NIGHT OF THE WOLVES'

Written by Doug Moench, Art by Bill Sienkiewicz

Unfortunately, as mentioned in the previous ISLA RA episode, I wasn’t able to secure a time for Luis ‘Mr Moon Knight’ Brambila to come onto the show this weekend to chat about issue #8.

Understandably so, Luis has family obligations (here’s to the wonderful addition to the family, Luis!), so Luis will be kept busy enough as it is with feeding, changing nappies and what-not. The two High Priests should be available to look at the review and although I’ve not confirmed it yet…let’s just say for argument’s sake that Connorshu will be onboard to look at a very interesting issue from Doug Moench!

I’ll see if we broadcast a live stream as well…some of you may have noticed that we have been playing around with a new platform, GetVokl, which allows us to broadcast live and simulcast onto our Facebook, Twitter and Youtube…it’s a fun thing to do and we’ll try and work out when best to use it, but for the meantime, tune in to -

ITK GetVokl Podcast Room

Date: 28th September, 2019

Time: 9.15pm (GMT+10)

Location: see link above..

SPOILER DISCUSSION THREAD

Our spoiler thread will be posted up on most of our social network platforms - just look out for the huge **SPOILER DISCUSSION THREAD** header and leave your thoughts in there.

For the Facebook Group and Page, please keep all spoilers within these provided threads - it will ensure that no one unwittingly stumbles onto random spots which may spoil them...!

If you DON'T want your comments broadcast, please just add, "(DNB)" at the end of your comment, and we'll be sure not to broadcast it. We'll pick a few comments from here and discuss on the show!

If you aren't really a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram person, you can always reach us on any of the other platforms below - 

Email: [email protected]

Podcast Page: http://intotheknight.libsyn.com

Facebook Page: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Podcast

Facebook Group: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Fan Base

Twitter: @ITKmoonknight

Discord ITK Server: ITK Server

We love hearing from you and typically your comments generate thought provoking discussion on the show and allows us to dive deeper into the issues - don't hesitate to give it a go!

ROUNDTABLE ROBIN - RETURN OF THE VENGEANCE

Some of you may also have noticed this week that another episode was dropped without any pomp or circumstance. Well, it was a long time coming and without going into too much detail, a HUGE effort by some Loonies have made the release of the second part to our Loony-centric ROUNDTABLE ROBIN Special possible!

Am very proud to release this episode which has an episode run by you, the Loonies themselves - Tommy, Knol and Rick get together for the first time to shoot the breeze, talk about their love for comics, Moon Knight, about the growth of ITK, as well as their nicknames!

Yessiree, a big shoutout to those guys, and I must put it on record (and will note on our upcoming episode) that credit to a couple of their nicknames must go to Connorshu, not me! Connorshu is the funny one out of the two of us....and he's the progenitor of 'The Rickball Special' and 'Man on the Streets' if memory serves me correct!

So I just wanted to get that down on paper and make sure Connorshu gets the credit!

Anyway, if it’s slipped by you, you can check out their very fun episode here -

ROUNDTABLE ROBIN: THE REVENGE OF THE VENGEANCE PART 2

And if you haven’t already, why not check out Part 1 too?

ROUNDTABLE ROBIN: THE SIDEKICK’S REVEGEANCE PART 1

I’d like to throw it out there too, that if any Loonies would like to give podcasting a go, and come on the show to chat with other Loonies, you only have to say the word! We love our community and encourage everyone to join in and meet each other if they can, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to give it a go! As you can tell, I love podcasting, so happy to share the love and opportunity!

#ITKMoonKnight 2019 Fantasy Comic League (FCL) - 2nd Season: September Progress

The second season of the Fantasy Comic League is well underway for the #ITKMoonKnight division, with a running progress posted up late last week showing how each of the Loonies stand - 

Tommy has returned to the new season with a vengeance and jumps out to a decent lead ahead of the pack; I'm close behind, and I hope that Wolverine can cash in some points over the coming weeks...he's generally a golden goose, but anything is possible. Chad has stepped up to the plate this time and he's shown his intent by claiming third place so far - we've only just touched the surface with Dr Doom, so big things are surely up ahead for Chad....oh! Also Serpent War will also boost Chad's score no doubt in the final month.

The remaining players Jason and Dustin round off the division. Jason's first season with the #ITKMoonKnight crew and he's made a solid start. History has shown that Cap and Cap Marvel are big hitters, so expecting to see big things from Jason in the weeks to come. Dustin also doesn't have a bad team at all, and you'd think that She-Hulk will feature big for the remainder of the year, due to her TV show announcement. Similar to Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight, it would be silly of Marvel to not tout these characters around in their comics to generate a buzz for the interest shown from the TV show announcements.

A pretty good start to the second season I say - it's all up for grabs still....stay tuned here, or type in #FantasyComicLeague (or heck, follow @FantasyComicLG  on Twitter to stay up to date with the FCL standings for not only ITK, but all the other divisions too!

NEW ITK MERCHANDISE DESIGN - 'CERTIFIED LOONY'

 It's a little late, but our ITK merchandise has been updated, so for a limited time (say for about a month or so), you'll be able to purchase some clothing, pins or stickers of our official 'Certified Loony' design!

Wear it proudly and tell the world in no less terms, what you are - an ITK and Moon Knight fan!

Links to our merchandise can be found at the bottom of this newsletter - consider making a purchase today! All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the podcast!

OZ COMIC CON HERE I COME!

Finally, I just wanted to mention that this weekend, I'm super excited as I'll be attending a comic book convention - the first convention I've attended over the last 28 or so years (!)....I went to one way back in 1991 and it's still been the only comic book convention I've ever been to.

I'll be attending alongside fellow Collective member, Dave Finn from The Signal of Doom Podcast and it should be a hoot! I'm not too sure what to expect - over here in Australia, there have been not so positive reviews of comic cons here...mainly because they tend to not focus too much on comics...but I'll still keep an open mind.

I'm all about bargains, so I'll be taking some cash with me and hope to score some deals on anything Moon Knight, Black Knight, Hercules, Marvel Legends, Quasar or Wonder Man!

  That about wraps it up for this newsletter - thanks for staying in touch and for listening to our show. If you haven't been that's cool... this is all about bringing the fans together, and if we've achieved that, then we're happy.

If you are new to ITK...a HUGE welcome to you!! I hope you like what you read and what you hear....drop us a line....we always love to hear from you!

May Khonshu Watch Over the Denizens of the (K)Night,

Rey

Proud Member of The Collective

  Remember! You can buy your official ITK merchandise at ...ITK Store Front @ TeePublic

  Check out this episode!