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Hobbit Soulmate Pt 38

‘Mate Rings, new fashion trend? Jaqi Pear, newly named to be added to the King Kong epic directed by Peter Jackson due to be filming soon and star of Beast of Bards in which she is opposite her Mate Richard Armitage, on their latest project a mini series called North and South for BBC have been spotted with matching emerald rings. Myself personally, I love the trend, we should see more of this.’

“Oh my goodness,” you murmured smoothing your hands over your face listening to the gossip news playing through the wardrobe trailer for the Van Helsing film. Behind you the makeup woman was readying your blonde wig for your maid/villager role.

David Wenham however from the doorway said, “Not a clue the lot of them,” the words turning your head with grin creeping out in his crossing the room to give you a hug, “Glad to see you sweetheart, how have you been?”

In his lean back against the makeup counter already in full costume Hugh came in smiling as well, “I want to see this ring,”

Giggling softly your arm extended and he came over taking your hand admiring the ring, “Rich found them in a cabinet we bought he promised to fix up for me.”

David, “You told us about that, that looks crazy expensive.”

“It does, and he won’t tell me what it was appraised at either. So, fifteen bucks for the both of them.”

Hugh chuckled and came in for his own hug, “You are well worth the funds no matter the worth.”

The makeup woman asked, “Is that legal? Keeping them?”

Her bashful smile when you glanced her way was answered with a smile, “He found some receipts in the cabinet and tracked down the family and they signed a paper saying he could have them. Spent the whole day tracking them down and planning a meet up to return them. He thought the same thing and didn’t expect for them to say he could keep them.”

That had her chuckling in relief, “Sorry, parents are contract lawyers, second nature.”

You giggled shaking your head, “Oh no, I get it, my dad insisted I take a course on contract law too so when he found a music box and expensive pens and gloves in there too I was glad to hear he hunted them down, ‘cus those can go for thousands to collectors.”

Hugh, “At least there was a receipt there, had a friend who got taken to jail for trying to have a necklace he found on the beach to be reset to a necklace when it was reported stolen. That can go mad so fast.” He said watching while the woman got to braiding your hair back for the wig cap to go over. “Did you get enough sleep?”

“Ya, off yesterday since we’re switching back to day shifts for me in a few days, you?”

“Yes,” the pair smiled in replying remaining there for your basic makeup to add some exhaustion to layer the role of living in such a dangerous place. Simple wardrobe was added with your things locked up for you to be driven to the right town set. A sharp whispered “Yes,” had David chuckling at the Director stating he wanted you and David to have a steamy kiss after his request to sleep with your character.

Lowly he said, “You are not happy about this when I’m next to Hugh,”

To that you turned to Hugh teasing, “I get to kiss David and you don’t!” Sticking your tongue out leaving the pair chuckling in your split to head to your marks for the start of the scene.

From the inside of the home Van Helsing and Carl acting as Maid to the village scenes fleeing away the most fun of your week did come in the teasing line before the amorous and slightly comical kiss to the post coital scene to follow. Your giggles brightened the mood for those watching after the grueling fleeing and fight scenes filling the day when David exited in a sleeping gown. He came over to fix the couch up to be joined by you in a under shirt and skirt with corset over with a stunning lack of stockings hinting that it was just your under things to be removed in this cold town. Smiles and chuckles filled the talks on the right cuddling position before Carl would leap out of the post coital nest of blankets sending the couch flipping over for you to roll off onto the mat laid out behind it finishing off your blip in the film.

To be honest when all was said and done from the final butterfly inducing station kiss scene Richard milked as long as he could for several ‘options’ to end off the North and South Series and back to the beginning. Back when John and Margaret are just being intermingled through her father’s lessons with him the Mate Ring rumor did seem to be the best angle as you were told by his Agent at least. True it was best to seem available to an extent and to have a bond to his Mate while being presumed available did grant Richard some freedom for his image and even more so for yours. Which once you thought about it only enforced that you both could manage to keep your relationships somewhat private compared to other public couples. Both Jens and Naomi, the latter who just jumped from a relationship with Heath Ledger to Liev especially you could see just blasted across the news back home. True babies would one day give it away but there were always ways of trying to bolster that security by utilizing your camouflaging family if you had to.

On the eve of your arrival back in Canada once in bed you hung up the phone having heard that in your flight out of England Beast of Bards had over its opening weekend in Eastern Europe and Asia broke out $33 million in earnings adding even more to the grand title for the last stretch of it being in theaters. A fact that through Peter had bolstered hopes in his production team for King Kong even more that you could pull off something of this magnitude since the indy film had earned more than ten times the 15 million put in it to shoot it and was still gaining.

Wonderfalls beckoned you back again to set with a weekend pop by to drop in on the X2 premier that Lee would join you at while Richard tried to find a way to slip another trip back out to Canada into his schedule between is next few auditions. Nice and cuddly Richard soaked in all he could as for time with you and his family together eager as ever to have the big day come. Where all the relief came in just asking the question the gaping canyon of possibilities as for what the ceremony might be one day no one could tell, especially should you take hints from the fellow big name actors you had befriended with plans brewing for their own ceremonies. No matter what you had truly wished for deep inside he knew it would be something special between the pair of you without pomp or fanfare for the guests emptying the ceremony’s true meaning. The pair of you didn’t like to be the center of attention outside of character, but for one day who really knows what plans might come up.

Nearly tackled by Tracy in glee at your news the show was off on a roll again with Lee prouder than ever to tug you close to his side soaking up all the time with you he had until his work and your work tugged you in opposite ends of the world again. Easily melting back into the show to get to the more absurd episodes even bringing you into the path of some exotic birds you loved to get a closer look at on the episode you had to pretend one of them attacked you. That had to be one of your favorite ones to lead up to as the zoo that you were to film in gave you all a private tour, and even seeing the same animals a million times there was just something about a zoo that brought out your inner child. Right up there with museums and aquariums and planetariums you frequented on their discount and free days out in New York whenever possible.

Guest stars began to roll in and with the day you were filming a debacle between two women each claiming to have gone over the falls some decades prior a bout of unplanned rain had given you all an early afternoon off. Once changed again your eyes lingered on your ring and Tracy smirked moving closer saying, “Saw that. Admiring it again? It is stunning, if I got a ring like that I’d stare at it for a few days minimum.”

With a chuckle you replied, “Rich said when he got the rings the shop he got our rings cleaned at said I could drop by to pick out a wedding band.”

“Ooh, I smell a shopping trip,” she said with a smile making your creep out, “Come on, we’ll grab Lee and have some fun adoring some shiny things.”

Her arm looped in yours and together with the surprisingly excited Lee you were off to the expensive brand of jewelers. Where Richard had been mistaken as a non-earning slob right away your face had the two suited men perking up, even the woman currently helping another woman choose a necklace. The focus right off triggering your smile reflex on the stroll through the amply lit shop full of cases holding tons of shiny things, all of which you stole glances at along the way. “Miss Pear, welcome, how might we assist you today?”

“Well, some months back by fiancé brought our rings in to be cleaned up and while he was waiting the topic of wedding bands came up. He was told I could drop by to browse a bit on styles.”

Salesman 1 with a buzz cut, “You are welcome to look through any of our selection, any time.”

The Manager crept over asking, “Did you have any hint of what you might be looking for?”

“Yes, my cousin for her wedding band has an eternity band with hearts and I was thinking of one with emeralds, and maybe an onyx one to match his ring a bit.”

In the move of your hand to the top of the case between you the Manager drew in a quick breath recognizing the ring right away and smiled offering his palms upwards to accept your hand, “Yes, I remember this masterpiece.” Smiling wider in tilting it side to side seeing it was still well taken care of, “An eternity band will suit it perfectly.” He released your hand and asked, “Have you had any thoughts to carat size?” gesturing your group to the next row of cases that he walked around his to enter that ring of glass walking right to the section of eternity bands.

With a key ring he opened the case to bring out a row of options, after a quick inhale you replied, “Not really, I’ve never been very, attentive I guess, to jewelry and all that till I met my fiancé. He actually got me my first bracelet that wasn’t made from string, so very new to this.”

The Salesman snuck in asking, “Well this would not be the first time a man wants to bring his love to a better livelihood.”

Lee almost said something until you said, “Not so much that, just most of my money went into my University studies while he’d already graduated when we met.”

The Manager smiled saying, “As it should be, and now you have your name in lights and require something lovely to flash to the cameras. How the world took this as anything but an engagement ring I have no clue.”

Tracy said, “All in all her and her guy outside of characters love their privacy so this way the plans won’t be hounded by cameras.”

Lee grinned as you said, “If anything we could always run off and elope in a horse costume.”

Lee, “Oh we could do better than a horse for you.”

The Manager said, “We do not have any colored heart eternity bands in store however we can order anything you like to custom.” The first row of rings was lifted for you and he said, “We have open designs, or full stones.”

Tracy said, “My mom loves open rings like that.”

Lee in a reach over shifted your hand for his view saying, “Might be a bit big.”

You nodded and said, “Also, I don’t think it would match to have all the metal visible around the stones.”

The Salesman smiled saying, “Very true observation your stones are seamless.”

Luring the Manager to bring over the next row while the Salesman put that one away, alternating directions the hearts on the next ones in sizes from large to small. Beside those came a selection with hearts on bands all upright and a third with them laid sideways. “I really like the sideways ones, my cousin picked the up and down alternating style.” Unlike the alternating hearts these hearts were formed of three stones each, a square and two rounded off squares upping the carat weight but keeping the size from being ridiculous.

Tracy, “I think the small one is a bit too small,”

Lee pointed at the one in the middle, “I think that size would work,”

The Manager lifted the ring out and passed it to you smiling as you did ease it on and the duo around you joined you in eyeing the ring in comparison to your engagement ring. “Doesn’t match,” you muttered to yourself.

The Manager said, “I do believe this one would fit the best myself.” Accepting the ring you took off trading it for the largest one. “A nice one point seven five carat for each heart set to go with your eight and single carat stone ring.”

“I do like this one.”

You said and with nods your friends agreed with Lee asking, “Were you thinking green, white or groups of colors to fit the black?”

On a diagram sheet from the Salesman the Manager showed you a few options while you eased off the band to not forget you were wearing it while the Salesman hurried off with a lift of his finger. Back to you he brought a choice of bracelets of round stones in various combinations of emeralds, onyx and diamonds, “Just for the color schemes.”

Tracy asked, “Were you thinking more emeralds?”

“I think maybe more diamonds and onyx.”

Lee tapped one, “I like this one,” he said tapping the bracelet with three diamonds next to three onyx stones, “Maybe pop an emerald in the middle of the onyx.”

“I like that idea, nice pattern.”

The Manager said, “Very lovely choice. And with this size the pricing will be fitting, four grand for stones will be a fine partner to its $800k engagement ring. Now to choose metals, I will get the samples.” Hurrying off while the Salesman took the bracelets back Lee’s brows furrowed in the drop of his and Tracy’s jaw while you subtly gripped the belt on his side.

Barely above a whisper you asked, “$800k? That’s over my whole check for the show!”

Tracy whispered, “That’s a house, two houses down south.”

“And four cars. You could probably buy a plane for that! I have house, plane and cars on my finger.”

Lee looked you over murmuring, “How do you do that? First Porn Man stash, then you found that cabinet for under twenty bucks.”

Tracy, “You’re taking me furniture shopping after this.”

“It’s not every time.”

Lee cut in as you let go of his belt, “There was two hundred in the cushions on the lounges you picked for me.”

Tracy, “How do you know? Is there like a glow? Because this role for you is seeming perfect if you have a voice telling you to buy this stuff.”

“It’s,” you sighed at her brows arched up curiously, “My uncles call me money bunny.”

Lee, “Why? They refused to explain.”

“I used to be the one to find lost wallets or keys since I was three. No glow or anything, even found a lost watch my gramps lost in the fields gathering the sheep in a storm. Dad’s the same way.”

Tracy, “After this,”

The Manager returned and choosing 24 karat white gold to match the other ring he got to finalizing the order sheet for the now 5.5k ring and the more he filled out the more your heart raced having picked all this out without Richard. He did tell you to browse and see if you could think up what you wanted but you sure hoped he wouldn’t feel left out of the designing process where you might not have felt the weight you were feeling now to have to dip into your savings to pay for this right away. Though the Manager said with a smile, “This ring should take five weeks to complete, if you would give us a number to contact you at when it is complete.” His grin crept wider, “Normally we ask for a deposit but for our elite clientele we waive that restriction and have much better terms for credit when the pieces are ready to be picked up or delivered.”

It all was a bit awkward to simply leave with a receipt slip for the walk to the second hand shop. Through the aisles you wandered until you stopped at a jewelry display. And from the selection between two boxes you pulled open a hanging display case to find a necklace of nine strands of what looked to be jade flat beads secured by a golden clasp you lifted and turned to show Tracy like the bloodhound she and Lee had been treating you like. Seeing you had brought something to show them the pair turned and Tracy lifted the ends of the necklace that parted her lips. After stealing a glance towards the shop owner behind the distant counter she leaned in whispering, “Is this real jade?”

Mid shrug you said, “You said see what I end up picking. It’s something.”

Lee and her shared a glance and he found the price tag saying, “7 bucks, and it’ll pop on you against your skin, for the premier of the show, could be nice.”

She nodded and pointed to you, “I know you, there’s something to this. I’m buying it.” She led the way to the registers, a few feet away your hand reached out for a butterfly shaped decoration out of painted wood you picked up and brought over to set beside the necklace she decided to wear out once the tag was cut off. Food was picked up on the way back to your place where she’d planned to get a taxi to get back in time for a late brunch with her parents that had flown in to visit her. “So are you gonna tell me-,” gripped around the waist she was tugged out of the way by Lee behind you with a loose dog that you turned and ducked to grip the collar of for the massive hockey player chasing the peppy husky. Off to the side her arm swung and open mouthed she gawked at the bag that collided with the brick building behind her while you tried to calm the husky now bounding around and between your legs wiggling for attention from his new friend. “My butterfly,” she murmured as the man came to a stop in front of you.

“I am so sorry about Leap Frog. Just took off out of the car, his first road trip.”

Shaking your head you giggled saying, “No problem, my cousins puppies were all the same way.” You said handing over the leash while he all but paled realizing who you were.

“Thank you,” he murmured again and turned to head back to his car with the dog where his friends were waiting for him.

Inside the bag Tracy peered and open mouthed she eyed the broken pieces of the butterfly then looked at you, “You have got to be kidding me.” You looked from her to the bag she pulled a folded wad of cash out of and you simply shrugged and she shook her head dropping it back into the bag before anyone else could see it. “You got skills. Like able to sway millions of cult followers skills.”

“Oh ya, come on up to my place, I got some kool-aid.” That had her rolling her eyes through your shard giggle, “When we die we get a whole bushel of golden geese and a bunch of mountaintop villas with a one of those terrifying pools that drops into a waterfall with a hele-pad and all the frills as our place as Kings of all the universes and dimensions.”

Teasingly she replied, “I got plans, so I’m gonna have to rain check on the kool-aid.”

“Missing out,” Lee teased while you smirked saying, “Have fun looking into that jade.”

“So how’s your day going?” Richard hummed through the line while soaking in the bath washing off a long muggy day of auditioning for some more ridiculous commercials and a spot on another tv show as yet another stunning adulterer.

“Had to call it early for rain and Lee and Tracy came with me to that jewelry shop you mentioned.”

“You saw what I mean then? Right in the door judging.”

“Oh yes and pushy. Which is what I was getting to,” you said seated while stirring your food up into a jumble waiting for it to cool.

“You picked out what you wanted?”

“Yes, and before I could say I’d come back with you later they wrote up the ring to be made.”

“Just determined for commission aren’t they.”

“And that’s the thing, five and a half grand total and they let me walk out without a deposit, apparently I’m elite clientele now fitting for their credit. Don’t know me from Adam, but it’ll be done in five weeks is what they said.”

“Good, should be there in three.”

“I don’t think it works like that.”

Lowly he chuckled, “I’ll be there in three, Dearest.”

“Oh, oh, you got a ticket back?” You squeaked our happily smiling at your empty apartment and muted tv.

“Yes, just for two and a half weeks but I get to see you before you fly out to New Zealand for Peter. Then when my shows are done I can fly out there with you for the tail end of that maybe take him up on his offer as a doomed extra.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, now, details about this stunner you drafted up, my Dearest Love.”

“Ok,” you smiled repeating the details of the ring warming his heart even more at the symbol of marriage you would be wearing sometime in the future that was coming up to being planned.

“Simply fantastic choice, and don’t worry on the price I have it and the Bard should be out of theaters soon so we can set part of that aside for any possible other nuptial plannings or purchases you feel up to.”

“What else, oh right, a dress and all that.”

Again he chuckled saying, “If need be pick a few options and if funds run thin I’ll pick the most forgiving to wear myself.” That had you laugh through his chuckle and he added, “I’d wear anything to marry you.”

“If I did have spares I’d make my cousins wear them. Go for traditional, confuse those demons after us.” Widening his smile imagining what you might want to wear for the distant big day.

“Any weird roles today?”

“There is one where I’m dancing with limes.”

“Wow,”

“Floor cleaners, odd ones, are you doing well otherwise?”

“Weird dream I saved William Shatner from drowning and then he turned into a llama and hopped into a convertible and drove off with Burt Reynolds.”

“Wow,”

“So weird. Just an odd day, and Tracy had me take her furniture shopping thanks to finding out I have a house, airplane and five cars on my finger.”

“They told you the price?! Oh Love, you deserve it you know that.”

“I, know, just, I’ll handle the price tag when I get over my heart attack of a paycheck for Kong and whatever Bard is going to be with our two percent box office check. Gran called and the managers are thrilled, said that it’s climbed to over $200 million, so whatever that stops at-,”

“I love you, clearly they didn’t expect you to turn a phenom and blow this out of the water like this.”

“As if your brooding didn’t have anything to do with it Mr Blue Eyes.” Making him chuckle again. “You are going to be quite famous ya know when this is on disc and everyone can see your face on movie shelves instead of just at the theaters. Not to mention when they see you as Mr Thornton.”

“I prefer you being the famous one and I just happen to be talented enough to have producers pick me to have your name attached as hey we hired Miss Pear’s Boy Toy.” Again he chuckled through your giggle knowing he was beaming proudly at the still lingering title. “Has your dad talked to you about his plan yet?”

“Plan?”

“About the brownstone the Landlord has out there?”

“I mean, I know about it, but, he has a plan with it? Like an actual plan?”

Again he chuckled lowly, “I love you, you know that. I suppose it was meant to be a surprise then when he dropped by again. Said he wanted to take you out there, Landlord had the wiring, plumbing, water heater and ac updated for it. Plaster should be redone when you get back as well.”

“How, do you feel about that?”

“I think it would be a home for you to own that I could cuddle up to you in. I do like the idea, we stay in mine out here and I want you to have a place where when we’re all there in New York with tons of space. It sounds amazing I know we can make it a home and there’d be tons of space for all your stuff from the apartment there and ours in Canada. Plus, Lee’s been having it rough with rent.”

“Ya,” you chuckled out, “I fronted him some cash on his place here he forgot Will had a card on his account and he ordered some ‘really rad sneakers’.” Making Richard chuckle, “Rules have been set, lesson learned on both ends. He is doing well though his parents are pleased he’s still alive.”

“Have you told him yet about the place?”

“Not really, I mentioned it that Dad had talked to the Landlord about it. He was flipping through our fuzzy channels at the time for something recognizable.”

“I am going to love cuddling with you to that cable, no lies, you will too. Just imagine those romances you love without z shaped heads on the lovers.” Luring a giggle from you.

“Imagine that, all those actors actually having heads.”

Spenser Breslin was the latest famous guest to drop in and on one of your night shoots this week between takes of a dinner between your on screen love interest and the Russian mail order bride who made him and you food the bag you’d tucked in the cupboard of your trailer began to ring. “Oh shit,” you said easing up out of your chair to the Director’s chuckle, “Thought I shut it off.”

You said about your phone and from the bag nestled between his and hers you pulled the phone to silence it only to mutter, “Why is she calling me? She never calls me.”

The Director said glancing at the teen seated on the couch bench you had left reading a book he’d brought, “Go ahead, we have to shift lights for Spence’s entrance.”

Answering the call from your cousin all eyes shot to your phone you pulled from your ear at the loud shrieking sea of obviously more than one of your cousins. “Bell,” You said easing the phone closer to your mouth but not your ear. “Not a dolphin.”

Muffled in a group the group shouted, “UNCLE’S ... NOMINATED!!!”

Their shouts died down and you brought the phone closer to your ear trying to make out the gist of what they all were saying. “I got ‘nominated’ and ‘uncle’, which uncle?”

A collective throat clearing was had and they said, “OUR UNCLE!!”

“Oh, your, my dad got nominated for something? What?”

One apparently chosen cousin said excitedly, “Uncle Joe got a letter today from MTV that he’s been nominated for the Best Villain Award!”

“No! Where is he?”

“We tackled him when he read it, so he’s hiding in the barn.” They all giggled out making your smile creep wider.

“When is it?”

“End of the week out in New York.”

“Least it’s not in LA, he want to go?”

“He has to! And he’s got a plus one!”

“Well I wasn’t gonna send him alone.” You glanced over at the still staring group smiling as you said, “Actually on set, but I’ll call him after I get off and love you guys try not to drive him up a tree.”

Giggles followed and they shouted, “LOVE YOU TOO BUNNY!!” Then promptly hung up making you shake your head and shut off the phone you put away again.

Joining the others with an excited squeak to your voice for a moment you said, “Dad got nominated for best villain from MTV.”

“Oh that’s awesome!” Rippled around while you took your seat again.

“Yes, his first award on acting sure he’s thrilled once my cousins stop swarming him.”

Spencer joked, “Well I’d be scared too if I had dolphins in my family.”

That had you giggle, “They don’t mean to be like that, just happens when they’re excited. “Quads, about your age.” You said bumping Spenser’ arm.

Love interest asked, “Quads?”

“Four babies at once.”

“How-?” He asked with voice trailing off in astonishment.

“I have a lot of cousins, mostly twins or higher.”

The mail order bride asked, “Scared to ask how many siblings you have.”

“Just me, lost mom when I was little. I don’t think her parents could have handled more than one of me. Got a bit of her unruly streak they battled with for years in her till she ran off with dad.”

She said with a smile, “Ooh, sounds whirlwind and like a fairy tale.”

That made your smile grow and you nodded, “Met when they were young and her parents didn’t want her running off with some rancher from Texas, she danced in the Bolshoi Ballet.” Parting their lips, “Which my grandparents have been on the board for since they retired and she chose the guy they said wasn’t good enough and it was a fairy tale for a little while, even had me. Hasn’t been that bad from them since they wanted to get involved, my schooling helped studying abroad they got to drop in and out when it was easiest for them. And Babu gets to try and spoil me with traveling and shopping funds he pretends to be very cross with me when I don’t spend it all.”

Spencer asked, “You went to a school in another country all alone? Why didn’t your dad go with you?”

Catching his eye you smiled answering, “He took a job on an oil rig to help me pay the difference on my tuition after my scholarships.”

“Weren’t you scared?”

That had your smile creep wider, “Absolutely, and I had terrible stage fright. And I was in England and when I got a job waiting tables everyone saw me as the sore thumb for my accent and my eyes. And I just didn’t talk to people past my Professors till I got locked out of my dorm one too many times studying past curfew and some guys let me bunk with them in their flat. They were from Chelsea all the way out alone in Oxford and I found some more sore thumbs to hang out and bunk with, that helped a bit.”

The guy said, “I thought Lee said you went to Julliard with him and Tracy.”

“I did both, Oxford for my Drama and Science degrees, Daddy said I needed a back up plan. Did that for a year then Julliard accepted me so his friend who owns apartment buildings got me a place and kept an eye on me for fall to spring between summers back in Oxford.”

She said, “I don’t like to fly how can you fly so often?”

You shrugged and love interest asked, “So when did your dad start acting?”

“Few years back, he was going to be an extra with me on the Lord of the Rings got put as an Uruk-hai after his rig got hit in a storm and they had to evacuate it. Been helping him to get work on film since so he didn’t have to go back, and I’ve graduated now so he’s just got baby fever waiting for grand babies to watch after while I work. He didn’t dream of being an actor now he’s got an award he must be so excited. I hope he wins.”

Spencer asked, “Which film did he play the villain in that he’s getting the award for?”

“Beast of Bards.”

That had his jaw drop, “The villain was your dad?! That guy was huge!”

Making you giggle, “Well he’s 6 ft 9,” dropping the love interest’s jaw too, “got his hair and eyes but I got my mom’s travel sized stature.”

The Director gave the signal that the lights were ready and Spencer added his book with the others on your shelf in the trailer and wiggled past your lifted legs to go outside to take his own mark while you readied to be the irritated third wheel and storm to the sink where love interest would come cuddle behind you. Right in front of the tiny window where the camera with a hat standing in for Spencer on this shot would see you and grow jealous enough to try and frame love interest for beating him up.

On his way to his car to take him to his hotel Spencer caught a moment at your side again and asked, “Hey Jaqi?” Getting a kind smile in return, “I got a question, you have all that family back home. Why would you want to act if it means you don’t get to be there with them and you have to be alone?”

“Well, my Mate said something to me once when he was switching from musical theater to drama school to act traditionally. If you can picture yourself doing anything else and still being happy you shouldn’t act. But if you can only see yourself content while being an actor and living with the rough times, the dry spells between roles, the rejections and bad reviews but you still couldn’t do anything else then you should stick in there and put in the work. Back in school they tell us it takes ten years on average to be an overnight success. And the way I figure it I could always call, we mail tapes all the time. So ya I miss home and my family but I have all these amazing stories to tell my little cousins, and if you could just see New Zealand, that trip alone could have fed my fire for a decade alone and I get to go back again for King Kong, with my favorite Director and crew that feels like family. Roles are hit and miss, but I wouldn’t be happy behind a microscope in a job to be back home by nightfall. And my Mate acts too along with most of my friends so we all sort of mesh in together on our own adventures. You’re still a kid, you don’t have to iron it all out now, just see where the road takes you.”

Sheepishly he said, “I do like music. But my agent says I don’t have a look for musical films.”

You scoffed at that, “You think the big bands before the 90’s got universal approval on their looks? No, they had a killer voice and a sound no one could touch, and doesn’t matter what you look like if you got a song in you no one has heard yet you go and belt it out. Someone’ll turn their head. Keep working on your music too, hone your craft. Never hurts to have some versatility. Ten years, you got tons of time.” Making his smile creep out in his nodding turn for the car that pulled up with his dad and manager inside talking about his next plans for travel for another role.

Once inside the taxi a crew member had guided you to they called you pulled out your phone calling your dad with a smile. “Hey Daddy, congratulations.”

“They swarmed me.”

You giggled hearing the sounds of the sheep he was clearly still hiding with to pretend he was busy to go back in again. “I heard. We’re all just so proud of you. Can’t wait to go with you, we going fancy or casual?”

“No way we can’t go fancy. Gonna be in front of people. What if I have to give a speech? I don’t know what to say. It’s different with a camera there’s no reaction from a camera but I’ve seen those shows and there’s a crowd.”

“Well a simple thank you might be ok, I mean-,”

“I didn’t even talk that much on film, and it was mainly to you.”

“Well Anthony Hopkins wasn’t all talk in Silence of the Lambs, had his silent intimidation moments. It doesn’t have to be long. Loads of villains are silently intimidating.”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Uncle Joe!” You heard faint through the line making you smile wider.

“Oh they found me.”

“Love you, Daddy.”

“I’ll get Jim to help me write something. He talks all the time at his job. Love you Pumpkin, see you in New York.”

Pt 39

Hobbit – Soulmate - @evyiione, @deepestfirefun, @rhaenaatargaryen, @anastasialovers

X all Rich. A - @abiwim, @deepestfirefun, @thestorybookmistress

X Lee P - @tigereyesf

All –

@himoverflowers, @theincaprincess, @aspiringtranslator, @thegreyberet, @patanghill17, @jesgisborne, @curvestrology, @alishlieb, @jogregor, @armitageadoration, @fizzyxcustard, @lilith15000, @marvels-ghost, @catthefearless, @imjusthereforthereads, @c-s-stars, @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore, @mariannetora, @shes-a-killer-kween, @ggbbhehe4455

#Van Helsing Filming #Back to Wonderfalls #Shopping Trip #Elite Clientele Benefits #Ring Design #Second Hand Shop #Money Bunny #Nomination News #Richard Armitage x Reader OC

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xenophanatic · 3 years

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Why I, as a Female, was anti-Female Doctor.

Disclaimer!!!! I have only viewed the modern Doctor Who and not the classic.

Okay.... What do I mean?

When Peter Capaldi was to leave DW, the internet exploded with people saying how the next doctor can’t be a white man. It has to be a female... or a poc. I, personally, didn’t want a female doctor and that feeling was cemented when an ex-campion actress stated that if they did not have a Female Doctor - it would officially be a snub. And that the reason I didn’t want a Female Doctor.

In my personal opinion, it is irrelevant whether the Doctor themselves is POC, white man or female - if the showrunner is still a ‘white’ (not racial but the systematic connotation of the word) man.

The insert of the Female Doctor wasn’t an artist or a writer’s desire to explore the intricacies of a Female Doctor - but publicity stunt to seem more.... ‘woke’. However, in my opinion, it means nothing to proclaim ‘wokeness’ when you do nothing else. When non-diverse writers write diversity it can go to two extremes. One, the character is a stereotype or caricature of the diverse identity, i.e sassy gay guy, emotional woman, or black person that says ‘damn’ or ‘helll no, gurlfriend’. Or two, which I believe is occurring with Doctor Who now, is that the character has no connection to their sexuality, gender or race, i.e they could have been played by a white straight man and it would have made no difference to the character.

This is not an attack on the actress who is currently playing The Doctor, as I believe others have wrongfully done so, I blame the writer. It seems that good episodes of the 13th Doctor era are those written by either women or POC. NOT SAYING WHITE MAN CAN’T WRITE. Dear God no - other writers (that are white male and not the showrunner) have written good episodes. What I am saying that there is more passion in the diverse stories then anything that showrunner has written - he has a majority of writing credits for episodes.

So, should there be a Female Doctor (or even a POC Doctor)? Yes! Should it be a publicity stunt to show that the corporation is ‘woke’ and not racist or sexist? No. Should the showrunner and writer’s room be more diverse. HELL YES!

I want a Female Doctor who... when the writer has a female story to tell and is not pressured into it. Saying that... Here’s my Fanfic!

The 12th Doctor says his speech and begins to regenerate. CUT. Audience doesn’t see the 13th Doctor.

BBC releases to the public that the new doctor is White man (Richard Armitage - because he is pretty and I could google image him all day) and a companion (let’s say Eleanor Tomlinson). The first episode will air as a Christmas special.

Christmas Special: Wake Up.

The episode begins with the companion (Eve/Evie) being woken up by the Doctor in the Tardis with the words: “Wake up... It’s Christmas, Eve.” It seems the Doctor and Evie have been on plenty of adventures and have great rapport. Evie is very much the wide-eye bubbly companion. The plot begins when the duo discover that the time lord wish to destroy (I’m making stuff up now) this timeline (modern Doctor Who)/universe and instead have only the parallel universe. The Doctor tells Evie it is because the Time Lord believe The Doctor is an abomination (continuing to regenerate and mess with history and future events). In order to save the Doctor, Evie is about to press a button - the Doc said not to press because it would blow up Gallifrey - but can’t kill the innocents. Evie cries, thinking the Doctor is dead. The Doctor, however, gets up and lifts Evie up. “Do you care for me so little?” She is shocked, tears still running down her cheeks. He goes over and presses the button. Evie screams as she sees the planet blow up. The Doctors towards her and places his fingers on her temples. She closes her eyes and faints. Cut black. The episode ends with Evie being woken up by the Doctor in the Tardis with the words: “Wake up... It’s Christmas, Eve.” End.

Dah dah daaaaa.

Okay, so here is my vision (hehe). The Master (omg Richard Armitage playing a tortured bad guy... yum) has brainwashed the Doctor to believe she is human and a companion to him as the Doctor. All the Christmas specials (3-4) will focus the Master trying to recreate the Doctor/Companion role which would provide as a great deconstruction as a writer/audience. The Doctor will slowly begin to realises that she is being manipulated and ‘gaslighted’ by the Master and that she is the one that controls the TARDIS and not him. Truman Show meets Groundhog Day.

The series would be a flash forward with the Doctor (after she has escaped from the Master) becoming jaded after her experience and not trusting easily - but hiding that underneath a happy and carefree demeanour - like their previous incarnations with the Time War etc. So the audience is wondering what happened in her past and are therefore excited for the holiday specials. The actress playing the Doctor should have red hair. Why? Because, so when old friends and people who know the Doctor as male see the new Doctor as a women - they would be shock and a cute moment can happen when the Doctor believes it because they finally have red hair (reoccurring joke). This kind of normalises the gender of the Doctor. And then when she is regenerated into a women again - the doctor can be the one making a huge deal she’s a woman, while it is normal for everyone else.

Episode One: Along with the monster of the week, the first episode would focus on the Doctor in 1591 and her having a connection with a woman who is being abused by her husband (Maria Nagaya) creating a paralell between her and the Master. The Doctor, on request of Maria gives Maria’s eight year old son, who happened to be stabbed, her regeneration energy. The Doctor realises she saved Dmitrii Ivanovich. After being rescued by the Doctor, Dmitrii wants to travel with her. Maria forbids it as Dmitrii will become Tsar. The Doctor tells him to go get something and they would head off together. But when he leaves, the Doctor goes into her Tardis and leaves.

Episode Two: Present day - A young high school girl (Asian) begins writing a letter. The school gets a new teacher who only goes by the Doctor. Teachers are being possessed by aliens and the Doctor and Yuri. The Doctor makes it clear to Yuri that she works alone and Yuri says she has no interest in spending with the Doctor, but wants to help. Doctor finds Yuri’s goodbye note, but puts it back. They save the day and the Doctor is about to leave. They are on the roof of the school and the Tardis disappears. Yuri goes closer to the edge, but the Tardis reappears. The Doctor offers a one time deal. Come with her and spend a lifetime in a moment. Yuri agrees.

The rest of the series deals with

Yuri’s depression and awareness of mental health.

Yuri and Doctor having an awesome female friendship.

Doctor’s PTSD from her experience with the Master and opening up about it - this would be a metaphor about women in toxic relationships or abused victims.

The Doctor meeting Dmitrii over and over - explaining the four deaths of Dmitrii with timelord regenerating ‘magic’ - a little romance with him and the Doc. And Dmitrii becoming a companion.

A nice juxtaposition between Yuri who wants to die and Dmitrii who wants to live (but keeps dying), and the Doctor who can never die but has to watch others die around her.

The Master showing up (in future seasons).

Visiting more historical places that is not sooo Anglophone.

But yeah...

So my issue wasn’t with a female doctor. It was with a female doctor being written it my a male writer. I’m not saying that male writers can’t write female characters OR that my fanfic was good (cause it isn’t) - it’s just.. why not have women tell women stories?

#doctor who #thriteenth doctor #thirteenth doctor #female doctor

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summerseachild · 4 years

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If you want to read one of my favorite things I ever wrote...

I just finally imported it to AO3.

Back in 2009, the BBC Robin Hood fandom was my MAIN FANDOM. Game of Thrones still must have been in pre-production or early filming at this point, and the fandom EATING MY BRAIN was this silly BBC family show about Outlaws, found family, and how scorchingly hot Richard Armitage is in black leather as Guy of Gisborne. I shipped Guy/Marian like it was my job, and still do.

This led to me producing the ONLY big bang story I’ve ever written for any fandom. It’s a canon-divergent AU, 39,000 words and change, and it’s probably one of the pieces of fanfic I’m proudest of to this day. I wrote it 11 years ago, and on a re-read, I’m still very happy with it. There are some word choices I’d adjust because I’m older and wiser, but other than that, I think the story and the character beats stand up well.

Anyway... if you want:

Action! Forest shenanigans! Castle heists! Guy being less terrible than he is in canon, but still grumpy

Guy/Marian pining

Lots of Djaq

Vasey being awful as usual

A scene where Allan writes a song about an unwilling hero that would make Jasker proud

Check it out. It’s called “The Wolf’s Head,” and if you read it, I’d love to know what you think.

(Also, Robin Hood fanfriends, if by chance anyone did a massive art download for the 2009 Robin Hood big bang and still has access to it, I’d LOVE to have the art that was created for this. The artist’s lj name was shinysparks, and the page for it still exists on lj, but the image link is broken. It’s one of the only pieces of art anyone has ever drawn for my fanfic, and it makes me sad that I’ve lost access. I had it saved on an old hard drive ages ago, but it crashed and died, and I lost everything on it. I’m just glad livejournal is still up and running so I could import the fic.)

#robin hood bbc #guy of gisborne #summersea fanfic #bbc robin hood

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thecraftdragon · 6 years

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The Q Series

Episode Three

The Rules Of The Games

Kiera was quite concerned what this creature's idea of a game might be. She was still standing in blackness, fairly convinced now that she was no longer in her apartment. Could the man who was with her, who had interrupted her day, have drugged and kidnapped her in some fashion?

“I can't play for long,” she stated. “I have something boiling on the stove.”

“Oh, you don't have to worry about that,” Q dismissed with a wave of his hand. “Time stops when you're in a Game; that's one of the rules.”

Kiera began to wonder from which asylum this man had escaped. She could just picture her pot boiling over, ruining the stove and the floor.

“There are others?” she questioned.

“Well, of course,” Q said, counting them off on his fingers. “The Game must be won before you can go home, else it's really no fun at all.”

Kiera nodded. She had a horrible feeling she was going to be here a while, wherever 'here' was.

“Time in reality stops when you're in a Game; when you go home, it'll be the exact instant as you left. If you die -”

“I could die?” Kiera exclaimed. Her eyes widened. What kind of a game kills the participants? Her chest tightened as she clutched at her stomach, backing away from Q. But he quickly raised his hands in an apologetic gesture.

“Only in the Game,” he explained. “You won't die in reality. But if you do die in a Game, you'll be revived to a point some time before your death, so you have the chance to change it.”

Kiera stared at him in alarm. All of this was starting to become too much for her to handle. She desperately wanted to go home.

“Anything else?” she rasped.

Q looked almost remorseful. “Rules are made before the Game starts. Once they're established, I can't erase them. I have the power to change them somewhat, and I can add more to help you; but I can't take away a rule once the Game begins.”

There was a silence between them for several moments. Kiera shifted uncomfortably, hugging herself.

“Is that all?” she asked quietly.

“Those are the permanent ones,” Q said. “I usually like to add a few more, just to make things interesting. I'll tell you them before Games begin. All the Games are themed, I really think you're going to like them.”

“When do we start this one?”

“Whenever you'd like,” Q shrugged, his white-toothed grin returning.

“And its theme is?” Kiera inquired. She envisioned nightmarish scenes like Crimson Peak, not that she ever saw the movie, but she'd heard things. She imagined ghoulish clowns and bleeding walls, women screaming in the night, and the sound of children's cackling laughter in an empty house.

A faint chill tingled up her spine, making her shiver slightly. Q took a step nearer, his hands now clasped, a thin line creasing his forehead. He licked his lips, appearing to hesitate before answering.

“Do you remember that show you watched on the television set about a year ago called Robin Hood from what the English call the BBC?”

Kiera side-eyed him as the image of ax wielding maniacs dissolved into scenes of medieval England with Jonas Armstrong and Richard Armitage, head-to-toe in leather.

“Yes,” Kiera said cautiously. “Why?”

Next week, adventures in Sherwood Forest!

Episode 1: http://archeologybrat.tumblr.com/post/167013772401/the-q-series

Episode 2: http://archeologybrat.tumblr.com/post/167270958831/the-q-series

#TheQSeries #writerblr #reading #writing #Forever Tormented By My Own Worlds #Episode 3 #Robin Hood #BBC Robin Hood #Jonas Armstrong #Richard Armitage #England #medieval #fandoms #Sherwood Forest

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fortunatelyclevercandy · 7 years

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Richard Armitage: 'I’m a bit mean. I haven’t got a nice-guy face’

Source: telegraph.co.uk

By Jasper Rees

7:00AM BST 22 Jul 2011

Richard Armitage talks to Jasper Reesabout his penchant for playing tough nuts, including his latest role as a Nazi in the superhero movie 'Captain America’ .

Is there a harder hard man? A more dastardly villain? He incarnates SAS author Chris Ryan in the Sky series Strike Back, was Robin Hood’s scowling nemesis Guy of Gisborne, and infamously revealed himself as a ruthless killer - not nice Lucas North but nasty John Bateman - in the most recent series of the BBC’s Spooks. And now he’s playing a cold-hearted Nazi infiltrator in the much anticipated whizzbangy film version of Captain America.

In person, of course, Richard Armitage turns out to be the softest pussycat. Not to look at, of course. He’s six foot something and mostly consists of granite and stubble. But the voice is on the quiet side, and he radiates an air of proper humility. So why is he never Mr Nice on screen?

“I suppose I’m a bit mean. My face on camera doesn’t lend itself to happy nice guys. I think it’s just that my bone structure looks menacing. I don’t smile that often.”

He duly smiles, enchantingly, at the absurdity of the gap between image and reality. “Somebody asked me after I’d done all that training for Strike Back, 'Could you go out and work with the SAS?’ I thought, what a ridiculous question. It’s about replicating a look.”

He even thinks he may qualify as a wimp. In Captain America: The First Avenger, the latest cinematic take on a Marvel Comics superhero, Armitage is once more rotten to the core. He plays Heinz Kruger, a Teutonic assassin who at one point is involved in a super-macho underwater tussle. Only one problem.

“I am just not a water baby. I can swim but I just don’t. Everyone else is jumping in and I’ll go, ’You know what? I’ll just stand on the side.’

“I did four weeks of scuba training for the sequence and made myself do fifty lengths every day. Then we were at the bottom of a tank and there was ten metres above you.” All 15 or 16 stone of him shudders at the memory of the moment the divers confiscated his goggles and breathing line. “They had put a microphone in the water so you could hear them say, 'Just waiting for the bubbles to clear.’ I’m at the bottom of the tank thinking, I’ve taken a deep breath but I haven’t got enough air. When they asked me to do it again I was sitting in the dressing room crying, 'I can’t!’”

In another scene they put him in an empty box within a container filled with water. “They wanted to smash a window and the water rush in quickly. They’d put all the safety things in place but you can’t fool the brain: you have a fight-or-flight mechanism that you can’t control. I smashed the roof off.”

Armitage’s modest portrait of himself as the reluctant stuntman is slightly tarnished when he reveals that, to prepare for a scene in Spooks, he became perhaps the first person in the history of torture to volunteer for waterboarding. “They put a wet cloth over your nostrils and your mouth, hold it tight and pour water into it. It’s like suffocating underwater. I think I managed five seconds. I got the glimmer of something I could replicate: total terror, a certain sound, and the spasm the body does when you feel it.”

The young Armitage, growing up eager to act, ran off to the circus in Budapest at the age of 19 to get his Equity card. It’s a less than romantic memory. “The best grounding it gave me was that I couldn’t stoop any lower than sleeping next to an elephant and throwing a hula-hoop to a skateboarder. It was pretty grim. Two Russian guys taught me to do a back flip with two towels.” Could he do one now, aged 39? “No way.”

After drama school he guessed his future was in theatre. Spear-carrying at the RSC cured him of that assumption. He understudied in one hatchet-faced tragedy that went on tour. “We limped around and I saw audiences being tortured by our production. That put me off. I’m not much of a show-off. I don’t really go after that kind of applause.”

Screen acting didn’t go much better until one day he went into an audition for the BBC drama Sparkhouse in character as a grouchy Northern farmer. “It came out of real frustration of not getting anything. Normally I’d go in with my hair all brushed and polished. It was the first time I’ve played a character over four episodes with an arc.”

His gruff mill-owner in Mrs Gaskell’s North and South followed, as did his betrothal to Dawn French in The Vicar of Dibley. He’s even played Monet in a drama doc.

But there’s no getting round his physique. He got Strike Back, he says, because “somebody must have turned it down. I thought, this is your bog-standard boys-with-toys story. The challenge was to find the human interest inside a war machine story.”

When Spooks came round, he’d not seen more than a few episodes of the first series. “They hadn’t written the part. They wanted to bring in a character who had quite a complicated back story so they could then feed off that.” Even Armitage was surprised by the sudden stripping away of Lucas North’s carapace. “They kept it from me at the end that he did know there was a bomb in the bag. There’s me thinking that he’s done a good thing.”

One day he’d like to have a go at ultimate baddie Richard III. For the next two years Armitage will be flying back and forth to New Zealand to play a dwarf in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. Not a small dwarf, mind. “I’m carrying 20 kilos of costume and weights so I’m doing load of lower back and leg exercises.”

Is that a drag for an actor keen to stay in touch with his inner softie? “I want to be strong enough to cope with the roles, but I don’t want to be cast as the guy that takes his shirt off. I’m looking forward to getting fat and old so I don’t have to lift weights.”

Captain America is released next Friday

#he is not a water baby #me neither #we have a lots of things in common #that's strange #and also charming #:)#richardinterview #BerlinBoy

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guylty · 7 years

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Thornton, You Saucy Bunny...

Thornton, You Saucy Bunny…

Easter break over, I am back at my desk at 6am on a Tuesday morning. Scanning through my work e-mail, I did a double-take this morning. A case of “when work and hobby collide”? This was the first e-mail I opened this morning. I started the working week with a laugh. Richard Armitage as John Thornton in North and South. Picture: BBC Mr Thornton, you saucy bunny… Erotica, eh? Who would’ve thought…

View On WordPress

#John Thornton #photography

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armidreamer · 4 years

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Wonderful Guylty has provided a fun challenge over at her place as a much-needed distraction for these difficult days. She is posing 25 questions about the inestimable Richard Armitage (not that I need much more encouragement to be distRActed over RA but spirits keeping up, yes). Esther has answered the call magnificently on her blog here and this is my contribution – I found it rather challenging, partly because I am incapable of making choices (and I’ll probably change my mind tomorrow).

1. Which series would you like to have seen a sequel of? Strike Back. The awful execution footage was faked and John Porter returns for more derring-do adventures, looking hunky and lethal and narrow-eyed.

2. Which film/series do you think is underrated? Leaving aside the missing Urban and the Shed Crew, (teeth-gnash) I would like to have seen Hannibal reach a larger audience. Richard’s skilled performance as the Great – Red – Dragon was extraordinary and showcased what a truly great, versatile, actor he is.

3. Your current favourite show? Well I wouldn’t call it my favourite show but for the novelty of its relative newness, I’m still drooling through re-watches of The Stranger – despite my reservations. I am also working my way through Robin Hood on the BBC iPlayer (even though I have the DVDs) and no doubt will do the same with Spooks (ditto). And I’m also watching Hannibal as a delayed RD5 anniversary.

4. What’s your favourite episode of your favourite show? I can’t possibly pick a favourite show but if I go with my currents, I particularly love the last episode of Hannibal for the homoerotic tussle with Will in the hotel and the lean mean Dolarhyde machine.

5. Least favourite episode of your favourite show? My least favourite episodes, full stop, are those in Robin Hood and Berlin Station 3 when Richard didn’t appear for these are devoid of colour, filled with greyness, ashen, desolate, barren, a joyless desert.

6. Which question would you like RA to answer in a Q&A? Apart from why Dolarhyde signed his name as John Crane in the Brooklyn Museum visitor book (and I’m not bloody asking that again) there was one question that I really wanted to ask but can’t remember. As a placeholder question, I would like to know if he would be prepared to live at the bottom of my garden in an Armitage hermitage. No that’s silly. In lieu of the other question I’ll ask what was the incident from his real life that was used in The Stranger. Did he lock someone in a cellar, decapitate an alpaca, bury someone in the woods? We must be told.

7. What’s the best scene ever? I think the “He was her brother” scene in N&S takes some beating. Nicholas’s casual mention of Margaret’s brother sets in motion the gloriously happy ending. We see the slow realisation on John’s face and the cloud lifting. Beautifully played. It breaks the tension of us knowing something that he didn’t and misunderstood badly.

Credit: north-and-prejudice.tumblr.com

8. Which audiobook would you like RA to read? I’d rather watch than listen to Richard but I still bend an ear to his audiobooks, as I consume anything RA produces. I’d love to hear RA narrate more Dickens’s works. Fingersmith by Sarah Walters would be enticing.

9. Which show did you think you wouldn’t like but you did? Strike Back. Soldiers, guns, patriotism, upholding the Establishment, no thank you. Apart from the achingly beautiful Richard, the series had more heart and depth than I expected, the storylines were gripping and RA’s emoting and comic timing were a revelation.

10. Which show did you think you would like but didn’t? The Stranger. I wasn’t expecting Dostoevsky but I didn’t expect it to insult the intelligence of its audience. Although I wouldn’t say I didn’t like it, wearing my RA goggles I really enjoyed certain ‘aspects’ – Richard was a picture of suave, beardless perfection and he gave an affecting performance. The drama had thrills and it exposed more people to Richard Armitage, which is fantastic and hopefully will bring him more quality work.

11. Which episode did you watch more than five times? I’ve watched most of Richard Armitage’s work more than five times! I don’t tend to watch episodes of the multi -series, like Spooks, Robin Hood, Berlin Station, individually as I prefer to re-watch them as a whole. Spooks however is returning to the BBCiplayer, now as a comforting salve of terrorism, bombs and viruses, to comfort the nation during the pandemic. I do love Series 7, Ep. 7, when Lucas is in Russia looking glorious. It is absolute perfection of an episode, a nail-biting, thrilling, shocking mini film.

12. Your favourite kiss? Hmm, which to choose? N&S obviously is one, but perhaps it is too respectful for me (RA’s kisses often seem to be chaste and reverential). I’m rather fond of ‘Pete’ and his jawline when kissing Ros in Spooks …

but I’m going to plump for the snogs between Esther and Daniel in Berlin Station, which are passionate but often have a delicious undercurrent of ambiguity to them.

13. Favourite season finale? I won’t be alone with this choice, the North and South station scene. A magical, gut-wrenching, perfect conclusion, with sublime music. It is the Armitage scene that has the most emotional impact on me. Even my mother was crying and she had served during the WWII and never cried. She said afterwards, “Um, what’s the name of that actor, he was rather good!” Yes he was.

14. Most annoying character? I don’t find any of RA’s characters really annoying. I didn’t like Craig’s jumper in Casualty, John Standring’s hat-ted hair in Sparkhouse or The Dreaded Beard in any of RA’s guises. Grumpy Thorin would be annoying if he wasn’t so majestic. Myopic drunken sad-sack Astrov is a near contender but then he is an environmentalist and looks beautiful in a waistcoat.

Perhaps this will count in terms of an annoying character. Something dreadful happened when I was watching episode 3 of The Stranger. When Adam went to visit Vicki, the teacher, he scratched his nose at the door. I paused the screen to admire the magnificent Armitage downward glance and, the horror!, the freeze-frame had morphed the beautiful one into looking exactly like Mr Bean! It was the raised eyebrows as he looked up. Now I can’t un-see it. Even when I was watching his Astrov there was the occasional expression that suggested MB again. I beg you not to do the same!

That’s it for part one, thanks for reading. I’ll be back with the final 10 questions when I have the answers.

*I apologise if I’ve used any images without permission. I will credit where I can but I have no idea where some originated from. Please let me know if I have used any of your images and I will either remove them or credit.

Meeting the Richard Armitage DistRAction Challenge – part one Wonderful Guylty has provided a fun challenge over at her place as a much-needed distraction for these difficult days.

#Berlin Station #Daniel Miller #Francis Dolarhyde #Guyltypleasure #Hannibal #John Thornton #North and South #Robin Hood #Spooks #Strike Back #The Book of Esther #The Stranger #Urban and the Shed Crew #Guylty #Richard Armitage

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